Creation Enjoyed...

Maraba Coffee Co-Operative

Day 2!

We drove out towards Butare and visited the Cyarumbo Coffee Washing Station. Unfortunately, they will begin harvesting coffee beans in the next week or two so we missed the actual process. It was still cool to imagine all those yummy coffee beans floating through the process.

The beans grown in this part of the country and processed here were ranked 2nd in the world by a US study. They are sold throughout the UK and US...even at Starbucks! Yum!

Coffee Tree

Coffee Beans! They remove 2 layers of shell to get to the actual bean.

First the beans are sorted out on these tables to remove any bad beans.

After soaking in a huge tub for several hours, they come down through these machines that remove the shells.

Then the beans float down this "lazy river" the the soaking pools.

The beans soak in these tubs for 24-48 hours.

They are then placed in the sun on these tables to dry.

Gatagara Adventures Day 1

So I am just now blogging about our April Break adventures.

We went out to Gatagara and stayed with our friends, Todd and Andria. They are doing incredible things there. There vision is start a school. They have started out by offering sewing classes to the girls in the village. So each morning, about 30 ladies come to their house and start sewing. They are sewing school uniforms to give to the kids in the village who couldn't otherwise go to school. It is a win win for the community. Another great thing they are doing is buying goats, cows and rabbits for the people in the village. People in the States can buy a goat for about $30 and it provides both food and income for a family. So far they have distributed 115 goats in the village. It is so great to drive down the road and see all the goats! The great thing about the program too is that if you receive a goat you need to give your first born baby goat to another family. How awesome is that?!

The woman who lives right across the road from their house, Leia, is over 100 years old. The first time she shows up in the census is 1915 but it doesn't say how old she was at the time. Many people think she is over 110. Her son lives with her and he is in his 80s. They think! Their house was built in the 70's and is in terrible need of fixing up. So, we started working on it while we were there.

Me, Emma, the village leader, Leia's son, Leia, Matt, Andria and Todd

Emma and Leia.

Emma was drawing a crowd.

Emma was making gumbo and sharing it with all the locals. It was so funny!

Too much Princess and the Frog I guess!

Emma getting in on the action!

The plaster is a mixture of lime, sand, concrete and water.

Here is Todd and Andria's blog if you are interested in buying a goat, cow or rabbits!

www.toddatrwanda.blogspot.com

Genocide Memorial Church in Kibuye

A couple of weekends ago I had the chance to go to Kibuye for a Women's Retreat our church put on. Kibuye is a small town located on the shores of Lake Kivu. We have visited a few times for various conferences and retreats but never had a chance to visit the Genocide Memorial Church. I was finally able to on this trip.

I was reading in my Bradt book about the church and I think it is best to just quote it to describe what happened here.

"During the genocide the prefecture of Kibuye experienced the most comprehensive slaughter of Tutsis anywhere in Rwanda. Previously there had been around 60,000 in the prefecture, an unusually high proportion of about 20%. When the French troops arrived afterwards they estimated that up to nine out of every ten had been killed."

Many churches were involved in the genocide. People came to the churches to seek refuge only to be killed. Over 11,400 people were killed in the church below. There is a mass grave and memorial. Here is what Lindsey Hilsum has to say in an article for Granta:

"The church stands among trees on a promontory above the calm blue of Lake Kivu. The Tutsis were sheltering inside when a mob, drunk on banana beer, threw grenades through the doors and windows and then ran in to club and stab to death the people who remainded alive. It took about three hours."

The Mommies are Coming! The Mommies are Coming!

In August 2009, Matt and I decided that we were going to adopt a baby boy from Rwanda. Being the planner and researcher that I am, I immediately started researching all of the options and meeting new people along the way. One of the first people I met was Allie. She has become so special to me over the last nearly 2 years.

We have spent the last 9 months dreaming about the day she and her husband would come to Kigali to pick up their daughter and we could finally meet. As time as gone by, we were beginning to worry that I might be in the States while she was here.

But, Rwanda finally came through...

she is coming in 2 weeks!!! There is a whole group of AWAA families coming and so far I know 3 of them. I am so thrilled! I can't wait to meet these wonderful ladies face to face. And, I am so honored that I have been asked to come and photograph Gotcha Day for them.

Oh Happy Day!

Shopping for Baby-Kigali style

Some of you have asked me what baby items are available in Kigali. I have been doing a bit of research on this for you and here is what I have found.

I priced out items at Nakumatt. This probably isn't the cheapest place to get baby supplies but it is going to be your most convienent place to get them. Nakumatt is sort of the closest thing we have to Walmart here in Rwanda. Don't get too excited. It is located right downtown in the Union Trade Center or UTC. You can't miss it. It's right at the top of the fountain round about. This is also were you will most likely go to exchange money.

A bit about that since some of you have asked. It is very easy to exchange money here. We use our visa or mastercard debit card at the Access Bank at UTC and basically debit if from our account. You can get Rwandan Francs this way. You can also request US dollars and then take them across the hall to the forex for a better rate. You will get about 597 RWF for each USD at the Forex. The exchange is not as good at the bank but it is less hassle. Keep in mind that they are going to withdrawal Euros so there will be additional charges on your account for that. You can use your debit card at some ATMs in town. We have not had luck with this and have friends who have been ripped off. Wouldn't really recommend it.

I would recommend bringing a few US one hundrend dollar bills with you. Make sure that they are crisp and 2006 or newer. Most places will only take RWF. Your hotel may take USD but I doubt debit or credit. Check with them when you book. A tour company (if you do a safari or something) would take USD as well. A few hundred will get you by until you can get to the bank and withdrawal more.

Now baby supplies-

Keep in mind that Emma is 4 so I have no experience with any of these products. I'm just looking at the shelf and seeing what is there. All my girlfriends here with babies use cloth diapers so I can't really speak to the quality of the diapers on the shelf. When we went to China to get Emma, we were told that the quality of the chinese diapers was terrible. So, what most families do to save luggage space is bring enough diapers for about 2 days and then plenty for the long flight home. We just used the local ones while at the hotel and around town. So glad we did. You might want to consider this plan too since the flight is very long and there is nothing worse than a blow out at 30,000 feet!

Here are the prices of some basic baby supplies:

Pampers Diapers 64 count 8-19kg=about $18.00US

Huggies Baby Wipes (I don't remember how many but not a very big package)=about $3.30US

Nestle Banana Infant Cereal 400g for 7months and up=about $6US

Formula 0-6months 800g=about $38.00

Formula 6 months and up 900g=about $45

Formula 6-12 months 400g=about $12

Baby food 12 months and up 250g (basic jar of baby food)=about $4.50

A few things that I brought to China that I'm sure would be useful here as well:

*Cheerios! Every kid loves cheerios. Emma was really sick when we got here and would only eat chinese noodles and cheerios. I put them in zip locks and then inside an art tube. The cheerios didn't get smashed and we used the tube later to bring home awesome art work.

*disposable bibs

*disposable placemats

*a baby carrier (ergo, etc)

*bottles with the drop in liners-this made it so much easier while traveling. I only had to clean the nipples in the hotel and on the flight home.

*bottle brush for cleaning the bottle nipples

*small rubbermaid bowl-something maybe shoebox sized. You will need to boil water in your hotel room. I used this in the sink with the boiled water to wash bottle nipples, spoons, bowls, etc. I also brought a travel size bottle of dish soap. you can use it for washing out clothes in the hotel as well. on the way home you can use the box to pack any fragile souveniors you bought!

*disposable spoons and bowls

*stacking cups are the best baby toy.

Also keep in mind that your baby is used to cloth diapers. You will want to bring gentle soaps and lotions.

I would also recommend some basic baby meds like infant tylenol, ear drops, teething tablets, infant liquid enema, etc. Emma was very constipated when we picked her up. We were so grateful that someone recommended enemas. I never would have thought of it! You can get most of these things here but it is not easy to find what you are looking for. Save yourself some stress and throw them in the suitcase. They are light and you will be happy you have them if you need them.

I mentioned La Sierra in most post about restaurants. It is also a fabulous little grocery shop. They have a pretty good supply of baby items there.

La Sierra is located near the Gorilla Roundabout downtown.

UTC is our "mall" you could say. It has Access Bank, Nakumatt, Bourbon Coffee, and several other shops. MTN, the main cell phone service, is located here as well. You can get a local sim card for your time here. Nakumatt is open 24hours if you have an emergency.

How to spend a Saturday Morning in Kigali!

Our favorite way to spend a Saturday morning in Kigali is to take a little drive over to African Bagel Company. ABC is a co-op started by Robin and Rich a wonderful couple from Boston. It has been such a joy getting to know them...and their donuts! Each Saturday (except the last Saturday of the month) ABC serves hot delicious donuts. I'm talking the BEST donuts you have ever had. Way better than Krispy Creams.

It's not just about the donuts though. ABC has become the Saturday morning hang out for expats. It is the place to meet new friends and learn about the amazing work that people are doing here in Rwanda. It is our little piece of home I guess you could say.

In the past couple of weeks there have been some adoptive families coming to check it out. I think it is a must do during your visit. It is a perfect place to hang out especially with kids. They can run around in the yard, watch them make the donuts and sometimes there are even rabbits to hold. Emma's favorite part of the week is donut time.

They are open from 9am-2pm on Saturdays. Again, they are closed on the last Saturday of the month. They also serve hot pizzas for lunch. There are other things that you could also pick up to have in your hotel room: bagels, bagel chips and hummus, chips and salsa, chocolate chip cookies, natural peanut butter, etc.

Seriously, your kids and you will love this Kigali experience!

So Yummy! So Yummy! There's a party in my Tummy! So Yummy! So Yummy!

Emma loves "helping" the ladies make the donuts.

They are so sweet to let her hang out with them.

Directions:

* Tell a Taxi that you would like to go to near the Kicukiro market.

* After the Kicukiro Market the District Office will be on your left.

* Take the 2nd Left. You will see a sign on the corner for ABC

* Once you make the turn, you can't miss it. There will be lots of cars parked on the road. Also looke for the red door above marked ABC!

Hope to see you there!!