Our life in Rwanda so far

Our first year in Rwanda has ended.  (I wrote this while in the U.S.A. visiting with family and friends.)  I want to re-start my blog by reviewing some of what happened during our first year.  Since this is written from my point of view, I will mention what I know of Anne’s year, but more will be about mine.

Anne was hired originally as a mentor to midwife students.  She was to accompany them in their clinical practice at hospitals and clinics, giving them advice and demonstrating how to do things.  Shortly after ahe began, she was given other duties, including writing lectures to instruct midwives in various aspects of their jobs, and teaching skills in simulated skills labs.  Most of these lectures she produced as Power-Point presentations which can be used by future teachers.  She and her fellow midwife mentors were also called upon to create clinical experiences for advanced midwife students, to write the curriculum for midwives, and to instruct the staff at the hospitals in standards of care like “Helping Babies Breathe”.  The schools, and especially the hospital staff, had previously been educated in “the way we have always done things” which included practices from the 1930’s that have since been found to be detrimental to the health of the mothers and their infants.  Now, students are being trained in critical thinking skills, using a decision tree to determine appropriate procedures, keeping up with research in best practices, and in devising and carrying out research of their own. Anne has also been given some extra responsibility for the HRH staff employed by UIC.

I came to Rwanda with no formal position, other than as Anne’s spouse. In our minds, we are in Rwanda as “Baha’i Pioneers,” which means that we are there to assist the Baha’is of the country in whatever way they deem appropriate.  For me, that service has involved going out in our neighborhood regularly amd making friends with the people I meet.  While I am gradually learning to speak and understand Kinyarwanda, the language which is spoken throughout the country, I do best when I encounter people who have some fluency in English. I strive to have conversations about things that matter, like unity, justice, overcoming materialism, improving cooperation, and improving the quality of life for all people.  I also look for opportunities to introduce topics in religion or spirituality, asking about their beliefs, and sharing Baha’i teachings.  One person who was teaching me Kinyarwanda, was helping me to understand and pronounce the translation of “The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah”.  He came to acknowledge that the book is the Word of God, and soon joined the Baha’i Faith. So far, five people have declared their belief in Baha’u’llah, and we have found two adult Baha’is who were living in our area before we arrived.  These, and a few others, have been attending a study circle at our home.

There are, in my opinion, two main purposes for the study circles.  One is for the attendees to learn about the Baha’i Faith.  Whether they are interested in joining or not, they have an opportunity to learn about the Baha’i Revelation, and Baha’i practice while studying the Baha’i Writings in a spirit of consultation.  The other is to prepare the attendees for certain forms of service.  The two services that I am most interested in providing in our neighborhood are children’s classes and Junior Youth Empowerment groups.  According to standard procedure, a person should first complete the first book of the series, “Reflections in the Life of the Spirit,” before proceeding to any of the other books.  (Actually, the prefered procedure is that a person study each book in sequence.)  The third book is “Teaching Children’s Classes, Grade One,” and the fifth book is “Releasing the Powers of Junior Youth.”  At this point, five people have completed the first book.  I don’t know how many are going on to study the third or fifth book, but I do know that some of the people who were in the Book 1 group are interested in having Children’s classes or animating Junior Youth groups, so perhaps they have begun the third and/or fifth books while we have been away.  I look forward to catching up with my friends in Rwanda when I get back.

What defines other people?

(Has it really been nearly 3 months since I last posted?  I have this for today, and have news to post in the near future.  I see that if I want to keep folks informed, I must exercise a bit more discipline!)


The first Baha’i book I ever read was “The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah”.  The book begins with this description of itself:

HE IS THE GLORY OF GLORIES
This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.

Whenever this book uses the first person, I see that as being God, the Creator, Himself.  While I believe that He is, essentially, addressing every person who will listen, I find it best to consider that He is addressing me, and that I need to strive to take each passage to heart.  The second passage of that book says:

2. O SON OF SPIRIT!
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

There is much to be learned from this (and any) passage, but some of what I see from it is a statement of the principle that each of us must investigate the truth of things for ourselves, and should not accept (nor reject) other people’s interpretations of scriptures or of the world without looking at them ourselves.  I also see in that sentence, “Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be,” that I am responsible for how I am, not for how other people are.  I am not in favor of telling other people how to live their lives, or pointing out other people’s faults, sins, or errors of morality.  (On the other hand, I do care about people, and want the best for them, so I have been known to mention to others when I am fairly certain that their observable actions may have palpably bad outcomes.)

‘Abdu’l Baha has told us to look only at a person’s good qualities and to overlook the bad ones. I believe that our expectations of others, and our perceptions of who they are as individuals can effect those we interact with in subtle ways.  So, if one person perceives another as a liar, for example, that other person is more likely to lie to the first person.  On the other hand, if one person sees another as a creative, kind, and caring person (as in a typical love story), the other is more likely to manifest those qualities.  “Your love makes me a better person” is more than a compliment, it is often an exclamation of wonderment about a real, if mysterious, phenomenon.  I want to have a positive influence on others, so what can I do?

Each person has many discernible qualities, some good, some bad.  So, I want to overlook the bad, and see the good.  But what about a stranger I pass in the street?  In a two kilometer walk through town, I might pass a hundred strangers going the other way.   I thinks of a person’s good qualities as manifestations of God’s light within their soul.  The Hidden Words has this passage:

11. O SON OF BEING!
Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee. Get thou from it thy radiance and seek none other than Me. For I have created thee rich and have bountifully shed My favor upon thee.

So, what I can do - what I try to do and pray for assistance to do - is to see God’s Light in every stranger that I pass, and in each friend that I make, and in people who begin to annoy me, and even in those who seem to wish me harm.  For me, this is what defines other people, and what, in the end, defines me.  In this, I think, I am also obeying Christ’s directive to love my neighbor and my enemy.  Whether you are Christian, Baha’i, Buddhist, Muslim, agnostic, or atheist, can you really say there is any harm in this?

An evolving perspective

When we first came to Rwanda, we stayed for 3 weeks in the home of another HRH couple.  He is a native Rwandan, she is from the US.  The house had a master bedroom and 4 other bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a large and functional kitchen, and a large, comfortable living/dining room.  We were very comfortable there, and, though the couple was away during our stay, his brother lived in a small house in back and he and the house keeper made us feel quite welcome. We began to learn our way around certain parts of the city where we were staying: Kigali, the capital.  With the house came a car and driver to show us around.  Mostly what we saw, though was the most westernized parts of the most westernized city in Rwanda: the big house, the mall experience at the Union Trade Center, the nicely paved roads, and a chauffeur-driven Mercedes.   We were most thankful for all of these things, but they are beyond the means of most Central Africans at this time.

When we moved to our apartment in Kabgayi, on the grounds of the Saint Leon Minor Seminary, we were in a much smaller accommodation.  The bedroom was just large enough to fit the bed and a free-standing closet.  The bathroom was very small and up a short flight of stairs from the bedroom, the living-room/office was about 8 ft. X 15 ft. furnished with very uncomfortable chairs, and the kitchen was barely adequate.  There was not much sunlight, and there was frequent noise: of farm animals, pumps and generators, crowds of university students, and church bells. Some of those students would stand outside our place conversing loudly, and sometimes idly peer in through our windows.  As far as transportation, we walked a lot at first, but soon we purchased a car. (A Toyota Corolla, of course.  Most of the vehicles here are Toyotas, even the buses!)  I still walk a lot, while Anne drives the car to the School of Nursing and Midwifery, where she teaches.  Still, there were many things to be thankful about that living accommodation: it was a 10 minute walk to Anne’s work, the people at the Seminary are very friendly and went out of their way to make sure we were happy, I could walk to the market, there was frequently live entertainment of one form or another, and we had security within the compound.  Also, when compared to the living conditions of the majority of people in this country, we had considerable material wealth and comfort.

Now, we have moved into a house in the adjacent town of Gitarama (AKA Muhanga).  We have 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, (including a 230 square foot master bedroom with attached bathroom), a living room that measures 18 feet by 21 feet and is furnished with comfortable couch, love-seat and chairs, dining room with a table that can seat eight, gardens, a wall around the property, a security guard at night and a woman during the day to clean, do laundry, and possibly to cook. I can still walk to market, it’s just in the opposite direction, but our housekeeper does most of our shopping for us now.  So be happy for us: we can afford to live in this degree of luxury here. 

We are most thankful to have all of this luxury, but if I do not make good use of all that we have, I will commence feeling guilty soon.  After all, 98% of the population here (that’s a guess) have much less.  Many families here live in very small houses made of mud bricks and sleep on mattresses stuffed with straw.  Some have to walk for hours to get water and carry it home.  Some have little or no free time, while others seem to have little to do. 

I seem to have a lot of free time, and I intend to do something useful with it. I believe that we - all of us humans - are destined to develop a world civilization in which each of us has opportunities to develop to a higher degree of functioning than we have seen.  I believe that the day will soon come when all of us will be striving to work together in harmony to accomplish great things.  So, if I am now in a situation where I don’t have to worry about the basics of life, it behooves me to devote my life to working at a higher level and striving to contribute towards the fruition of that advanced civilization.  Therefore, I have a plan to follow, the means to put it into effect, and confidence that sticking to the plan (which includes quarterly course corrections) will make a positive difference in many people’s lives.  That plan includes learning the local language, Kinyarwanda.  It also includes making friendships around conversations and shared interests that are meaningful and enlightened. It also includes keeping you, my friends and well-wishers, posted about what we are doing.  All of it requires prayer, spirituality, and focus.  

The Century Language Club

So far, the most interesting and enjoyable part of my new life in Rwanda has been my participation with the Century Language Club.  This is a club formed by a group of students at the Minor Seminary where Anne and I are living.  As I mentioned, they meet after lunch and after supper on Mondays and Tuesdays to debate in English, and after lunch on Thursdays and Fridays to debate in French.  At the meeting Monday a team of three students who are preparing to do a Science Fair presentation later this week were to have rehearsed for the club so that we could give them advice as to how to improve their demonstration.  They were not able to present, so the club met to discuss future activities.  One of the activities suggested were to have discussions where an open-ended question is asked and everyone gives his opinion as to the answer.  Another activity would involve having one member give a short presentation, and then the rest of the members would ask him questions. 

Tuesday’s after lunch meeting was of the discussion variety.  The topic was, “What can each of us do to help prevent war and other types of conflict.”  There were some excellent answers!  Among them were: love your neighbor as yourself, value your neighbor, consider every person to be part of your family, recognize that we are all equal, work to ensure that everyone has equal human rights, do not tolerate hateful speech and propaganda such as that used to incite the genocide of Tutsis in 1994 (and the Nazi genocide of Jews in WW2), provide education to everyone, create jobs for everyone who can work.

I missed the Tuesday evening meeting because Anne and I drove to Kigali for an event at the residence of the United States Ambassador to Rwanda.  The event was a party for all of the Americans who have come to Rwanda to help the country develop its health care system.  A number of people from the C.D.C. were there, as well as many of the HRH people, and a several from USAID.  I talked about the Century Language Club to everyone I spoke with there (maybe 30 people total.)  While I often find myself on the edge of a big party like that, I decided to make the effort to introduce myself to many people and engage them in conversation.  Since I had something besides small talk to share, I did feel like I was bored/boring, and I met some very interesting and dear people, all of whom seemed to share my appreciation of the Language Club.

When we returned home this morning, we noticed a line of Rwandan drums standing next to chapel that stands just inside the gate.  This afternoon, as I was typing the above paragraphs, I heard drumming, and went to see what it was.  There were 10 drummers drumming where I had seen the drums this morning. The leader was playing the smallest (highest pitched) drum, setting the beat and demonstrating rhythmic patterns. Much of what I saw them doing appeared to be in what a European or American musician would call 6/8 time.  The most interesting part was when they paused for 17 beats, then, in unison, pounded out 6 1 2 3 4, then rested 19 beats, repeating this sequence eight or ten times, then going into a more insistent pattern in 6/8 for the big ending. During the long rests, they would all beat the air to count time, then all hit the drums at the same time. The drum team appears to have some new members, as I heard a few inconsistencies, but noticed improvement during the course of the practice session.  In any case, as I was once a drummer myself, I greatly enjoyed watching and listening to the drum team.

In Kabgayi

We are mostly settled into our apartment at La Petit Seminaire at Kabgayi, just outside of Gitarama.  Anne has begun her work to improve the quality of midwifery care at the hospital here, and to train a new generation of midwives in the application of evidence-based practice.  (That is, instead of practicing in the way you do because, “this is the way we have always done things”, one practices according to what has been found to have the best outcomes.)  It is evident that she has a lot of work ahead, but there are many here who support what she is striving to do, and Anne has faith that it can be done.  The country has decided to adopt a model of having one university with 5 or 6 different branches (sort of like the University of California which has U.C Berkeley, U.C. L.A., etc.)  I think the idea is that the curriculum will be basically the same for all of the branches.  In any case, they are striving to raise the level of education provided, and also to have the capacity to provide better health-care.

I have offered my services as a teacher of English to the School of Nursing and midwifery, and to the boys’ school where we are living.   I have begun with the boys school (La Petit Seminaire Saint Leon at Kabgayi – The Minor Seminary) participating with the Century Language Club which meets 8 times a week for 25 minutes a meeting: in the afternoon and evenings on Monday and Tuesday, they hold informal debates in English, and on Thursday and Friday they debate in French.  Such a wonderful group of young men they are!  There are about 20 members of the club, and all are brilliant souls. The debates are informal:  A topic is chosen, one person is chosen (or volunteers) to be moderator, then the rest of the members choose to either support or oppose the premise of the topic.  There is no real order to the proceedings after that, so members of each side take turns putting forth whatever arguments comes to mind.  As in any group, some are very ready to jump in and share their opinion, or their point while others seem relatively reticent.  The main purpose of the club is for the members to develop their skills at thinking and speaking in English and French, so I am working to ensure that the more aggressive talkers give the others a chance, and that the others feel empowered to participate.  I think it might also serve them well to develop the skills that a more formal debate requires: Research of facts relevant to the topic, consultation among team members as to the best arguments to use, and the ability to argue either side, whatever their personal opinion might be.  (That last should help them to see more aspects of an issue than what they are biased towards, which might lead to a change in personal opinion, and will certainly make them better prepared to answer opposing arguments, whatever side they are on.) 

So far, the topics that I have heard debated were “Does CHANCE exist?” and “Can material possessions make one happy?”  As for the existence of chance, many of the students believe that, “A Man’s Chance is God’s Choice,” (which is also the title of a book) while others believe in the “Law of Attraction”!  That debate took two 25 minute sessions to complete.  Being informal, there really is no basis for determining a winning side, but the moderator will offer his judgment none the less. For the other topic, most of the students supported the proposition that having material possessions CAN make one happy.  I expected them to mainly be talking of having essentials like food, clothing, and shelter, as there are many in Rwanda who live in great poverty. However, some of them were asserting that one could not fail to be happy if they acquired great wealth, or had a car, or owned a big house.  I fear they have bought the hype and drunk the Kool-Aid of Western Materialism.  I hope to share some websites giving more scientific data about “what makes people happy.” For example: http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/here-are-the-things-that-are-proven-to-make-y/  Personally, attending the meetings of the Century Language Club makes me happy! 

Time to do some research on the guidelines for formal debates. 

Going to Kabgayi (See photos on my Facebook page)

Today was our second visit to Kabgayi, a Roman Catholic compound just outside of the Rwandan city of Gitarama.  On our first visit, we met the HRH (Human Resources for Health) Professor of Pediatrics who is at the same facility where Anne will be teaching and mentoring midwives.  We also met Father Deo Gratis, the head of the Petit Seminair (the Catholic boys’ school where we will be staying).  He has caused an apartment to be refinished and prepared for us.  The apartment has furniture, sheets and blankets, as well as plates, pots and pans, glasses, cups silverware, and other accoutrements.   Our living accommodations appear to be quite agreeable, and they are a 10 minute walk from the Kabgayi School of Nursing and Midwifery where Anne will be teaching. 

The hour drive from Kigali to Kabgayi was quite an adventure in itself.  I am glad that we were being driven both times by experienced Rwandan drivers who not only know the route, but also know what the road and traffic are like.  Driving in Rwanda is not as orderly as in the US, but it is much more efficient: at busy, uncontrolled intersections (which there are many of in the cities!) people turning or going straight negotiate on the move who is going to go first.  There is no careful “waiting your turn” at a complete stop, it is more like those stunt driving teams where the cars weave in and out between each other, but this is all improvised.  It seems to work, as I have not seen any accidents!  On the two-lane blacktop highway between cities there are mostly busses of various sizes, as well as trucks both large and small, lots of motorcycles (most of which are acting as taxis) and many pedestrians.  Most of the pedestrians are carrying things.  Mostly, they carry loads on their heads, which seems to be very efficient but I am sure takes plenty of practice.  When passing a slow truck going up a hill, you not only need to watch for oncoming vehicles, but also for oncoming pedestrians and motorbikes.  (A motorbike might squeeze into a virtual third lane to pass or be passed.)  We may soon have our own car, and Anne and I will have the thrill of driving these roads ourselves.  Adrenalin, anyone?

The view from the highway was quite remarkable.  Rwanda is mostly an agricultural nation, and it has the third highest population density of any African nation, so most of it is not covered by rainforest (“jungle”) as some parts of Central Africa are.  We saw many rolling hills, similar to the foothills of the Appalachians, but covered with terraced farmlands.  In the valleys, there are many small, well-tended fields, as well as many areas where bananas are growing. We are in the driest part of the year now, so many of the fields did not appear to be green, but did appear ready for the rains to come.  I was again very glad that I was not driving, as it gave me an opportunity to look out at the countryside and the villages.

We did not stop in any of the villages that the road passes through, so I had only the most superficial impressions.  One thing that stands out is that the buildings that face the highway are often covered with advertising. I don’t mean many ads for many different product, as we see in the states, rather one might see the front (or is it the back?) of an entire row of buildings painted blue with the “TiGo” logo, or painted red with the “AirTel” logo, or gold with the “MTN” logo.  These are the three competing providers of wireless services.  Some villages had 100 feet of blue building with the TiGo logo repeated 5 times or so, followed by an equal length of buildings with the Airtel logo.  The only other ads I recall were for the two most popular brands of beer. 

Arriving in Kigali City, Rwanda

The preparations were finally done with (but I can’t say they were “completed”!), the long flight is over, and we are in Rwanda.  We were met at the airport by a wonderful group of people.  The “leader” of the group was Callixte, the caretaker at the home owned by Vianney and Cairn where we are staying for our first few days (maybe weeks) in Rwanda.  With him was the driver for the house, Gaston, and three men who had been hired to help with our baggage using their pickup truck and a van. We had been joined by one of the other members of the HRH (Human Resources for Health) program while at O’Hare, and by three others during our layover in Amsterdam.  Between the six of us, we had around 20 large checked bags, and ten or so smaller bags, all of which were loaded onto the pickup truck, the van, and the trunk of the 1994 Mercedes.

The house where we are staying is quite large, with a big living room and dining room, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a lovely veranda.  The veranda has a flat roof which has a great view of the northern portion of the city, which is built on a number of hills.  (This is, after all, “The Land of a Thousand Hills.”)  Right now, we are living in a degree of luxury that very few of the people of Rwanda ever experience, but this will not last long. 

In the house with Anne and me are three other members of the HRH project: one midwife from the Chicago area, a midwife from up-state New York, and one woman in Adult Nursing who is originally from Uganda, but lately from Eastern U.S.A.  We are a lively bunch!  All excited by the adventure which we are beginning, all jet-lagged and somewhat giddy.  The house also has a staff which includes Calixte, who acts as caretaker and translator, Gaston, the driver and a cleaning woman who goes by "Mama Chic".  We are thankful to have such good people around us as we begin our journey.