I’m not in Kansas anymore.

Le 2 octobre After my first day in town, I already know that nothing after my eight months here will surprise me. And if I thought I had a stomach of steel, I have so much more to learn from Africa. The sisters allowed me to sleep in this morning, not waking up for mass at 6h. Thinking I had plenty of time, I spent a few hours last night after our meal making my room my own, journaling and doing some light reading. [My homemade cards from my lovely cousins are inside my armoire – when I open it each morning, I will think of the love and support coming from afar. The painting of a partridge in a pear tree is above my desk, surrounded by pictures of my aunts, uncles, cousins, parents and brother. And one of Grammy.] At midnight, I turned off my light and fell quickly into a deep sleep – it’s been a busy few days with many drastic changes. I figured I would be able to sleep for a solid 7 or 8 hours, as I didn’t need to set my alarm. Funny thing about roosters – they’re much more effective than alarm clocks, and you can’t hit “snooze.” Just before the sun starts to rise, at 5 o’clock, my dear friend starts up. This commotion wakes the puppies. I have no fear that I’ll be up and ready each morning with this system, and will merely have to change my sleep habits. So much for sleeping-in in Africa. After breakfast this morning, Joseline, Sr. Gisele, Gentille and Marta and I headed into town to go to market. Market in the American sense is only long since derived from this idea, and I’d never been to such a place in my life – I can only attempt to explain. First, visualize this all being in AFRICA, not the farmer’s market at Goddard Park. In this outdoor market, you will find fruit, vegetables, herbs, cloth, mattresses, fresh fish, you name it. People are bustling around, speaking the local Kinyarwanda or Swahili (often found here because of our close proximity to the Congo), carrying their reusable sacs filled with goods. Though I was with Joseline and Gentille (two young Rwandan women who volunteer for the house), I stood out easily. “Muzungu” and wide-eyed, in awe (and sometimes shock) at the sights, sounds, smells. Let me just say, the smells of the seafood section at Dave’s Market makes me sick to my stomach, say nothing of an outdoor market in the heart of Africa. I watched from a distance as Joseline surveyed a few and threw them into her sac. Ah, the COLORS of the market – of all of Gisenyi – how incredible. Women will wear cloth on their bodices and heads of all sorts of vibrant patterns. I’ve been finding it fascinating watching what the men wear, too. No, not traditional African clothing, but many wear shirts that were long since donated by an American or a European. Yesterday I saw two Bledsoe jerseys on the drive from Kigali, and today I saw a Celtics jersey and “Kiss me, I’m a Sox fan” shirt. I love it. The more obscure the better, too. I saw a shirt today that was very colorful and had a picture of Obama on the back. I’m sure to be reporting more exciting sightings as my time here goes on. I don’t even really want to get into the Boulangerie – meat market. Again, I thought I had a strong stomach. Customs are so drastically different here than at home in the US, that it will surely take me a while to adjust completely to their traditional ways of life. Neither are right or wrong, merely different – it will be a stand-off: me vs. my stomach. After leaving the market, we hopped in the car and headed down towards the lake to meet up with a woman at Hotel Serena. (The sisters’ school is for Hotelerie, and Sr. Gisele had a meeting with a woman from this luxurious hotel.) The roads down to the waterfront before arriving at that one large, European road that’s paved and has lines…what a bumpy ride. You’d better hope you have a good bra. Rocks and potholes and – well, I’m not sure if you can call them potholes if the road isn’t paved and the whole road is made of peaks and valleys. Lake Kivu is absolutely beautiful – AND MASSIVE. People were playing on the beach and in the water, enjoying this sunny Rwandan day. I think it was about 85 degrees, if not warmer (which is normal year-round!). I also noticed a volleyball net set up! When I asked Joseline if she played, she replied that the boys at the school play, and will be thrilled to hear that I will play with them. I cannot wait, as I’m already feeling deprived of my twice-weekly dose. Joseline told me that on any given Sunday we are free to come down to la plage and go swimming. I’m so excited. Day 2 in Gisenyi, and I’ve got my work cut out for me. Good news is that I’ve already had my first mosquito bite, which was bound to happen at some point. Thanks to the Mefloquin, I’m not worried, but I did have Grammy’s late catch-phrase on my mind. I have so much to learn from Africa, both the beautiful and the unique. I’m so looking forward to being able to go to market and ask about the passion fruit in Kinyarwanda and not just look like a deer in the headlights. I also have to think about which pattern of cloth I like best so that I may bring it home with me. Luckily, I have eight months here, which I will need for both tasks.