I named it Monty

I found this photo online (I couldn't catch it on camera). I learned this is a Gecko as many of you suggested, and is considered a "common house lizard". Actually Monty has been a quieter house member in the last few nights, or maybe I've been too tired to hear any chirping. I have been sleeping better- although the sounds and time change will probably take a while to adjust to.

On Tuesday I met with many of the staff here individually to learn about what they do and how they came here. Some of the programs I've learned about include large cooperative grants with partners (like Columbia University, Catholic Relief Services, Tulane University, etc.) to run HIV/AIDS treatment centers in 36 of the 400 health clinics in Rwanda. We also support healthy school programs (HIV/AIDS education and counseling) in 30 secondary schools, as well as mobile voluntary counseling teams in 15 schools. These programs (as well as others that I still need to learn about) each have an activity manager on staff here- who manage the partnerships, budget, planning, etc. These activity managers/team members are from all over the world- including Italy, Haiti, other parts of Africa, various parts of the United States, etc. It has been interesting to learn what brought people to their overseas career and their background education and experience. Some people have been working overseas for 10-15 years. It is intimidating when they rattle off all of the countries they have lived in and I am not sure I could point out most of these places on a map!

Each day it seems I accomplish one new thing after work before it is too dark or I am too tired. On Tuesday, I asked around the office where I could buy some household items (like a drain plug, and spatula) and found out there is a "dollar store" here. I was told to ask my driver to take me to the Chinese market. As it turns out this is a very crowded, busy store with rows and rows of odds and ends (some things seem to have been on the shelf for the last ten years), and is run by a Chinese family or families. It's not really a "dollar" for things - more like $5. I got the attention of a handful of Rwandan teenagers who work in the store and I tried to use my rusty French to ask for the items I needed. I got the spatula and other kitchen utensils no problem- but my request for a drain plug was pretty funny. They were so eager to help and brought me an umbrella and a strainer (I think because I phrased my request as a way to stop water or catch food). I went home without one but the next morning I asked the management office of the apartments and they brought me one.

On Wednesday, I went to my first meeting where multiple US government agencies in Rwanda were together. This was interesting, and I can tell it will be quite a learning experience to see how collaborations work accross agencies and how resources are shared and/or competed for. After work I walked to the gym at the hotel down the street. I attended a step aerobics class which was very hard but fun. I especially liked the music used in the classes- mostly African and reggae music. The gym is a popular place- although really expensive (because there are only two gyms in Kigali). It costs $6 per class, or $20 per month to go to any classes, or a whopping $100 a month for all classes, machines, and sauna. I think I will just go to the classes. I also ran into two people from the office there.

Tonight I am going to meet friends for a Salsa dance lesson and happy hour after work. I wish I had more pictures to post but right now I am trying to blend into the community and haven't wanted to get out my camera like a tourist much of the time. I am sure I will have more pictures to share after weekend activities. Thanks for all of your comments and emails.

US efforts toward AIDS relief

This is where you can learn about the PEPFAR program (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), and check out the program in Rwanda (which brought me here).

Too good to be true

All of my posts so far have been pretty positive- however I have had some challenges. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep very well in my new apartment. As I was unpacking, I found a lizard in my bedroom. Of course, I called Daniel and described it to him to be reassured it is harmless. He suggested I throw a shoe at it or spray it with bug spray to disorient it. I actually couldn't really catch up with it- speedy little thing. I learned in Honduras that these lizards eat mosquitos- so I decided to befriend him rather than kill him. The downside is that he chirps at night. I also know from experience in Honduras that I will get used to this but it may take a few nights. I mailed myself a fan because I sleep better with air circulation and I knew this would drown out noises such as other people and lizards chirping. However, after I unpacked it I accidentally plugged it into an electricity adapter rather than a converter and I blew the motor. So I tossed and turned most of the night, and am realizing that sleep is really the most important thing to functioning well.

Also the store and cooking is quite challenging. I did not recognize most packaged items in the store, and I wasn't very quick at translating the cost of things. Daniel was with me and was very helpful (often by saying- "are you sure you want to pay $5 for that?" which would remind me to look at the price and actually translate it!) I avoided the pork, fish, goat sections. These looked so strange to me at the butcher and fish counters. The fish of course, are whole fish. I am pretty much a wimp when it comes to handling meat or whole fish. I don't even know where to start. I think I will eat out fairly often but it will be nice to store breakfast and lunch things at home. I will also try to be-friend someone here who likes to cook maybe I can learn some things. This morning at breakfast I put an egg in the frying pan and then realized I do not have a spatula (only silverware and knives). I tried to flip it like a chef- needless to say that didn't work too well. Similarly, when I went to wash the dishes I realized I do not have a sink stopper. So, Ive started a running list of things I need to shop for or ask others here for extras.

Before I came here, I emailed a number of people here asking what they wish they would have packed or mailed, and they all said there was nothing they have needed and didn't have. I know this is how I will feel too. However, if someone asked me the same question today, I would tell them that anything you mail will arrive stale or melted (i.e. chocolate, moist or soft foods- even in air tight packages) so choose things like granola and granola bars or well preserved items. I would also suggest getting some Ambien or something similar. Other things I wish I had packed: my own sheets, ant/bug traps or other similar bug diversions, and an iron.

To end on a postivie note, when I arrived at work this morning my coworkers had brought me various household things including paper towels, soup, salt, pepper, tupperware. So nice! Overall I'd say I'm pretty lucky.

Apartment Photos

Living room- the television has about 12 channels (more than at the hotel).

Dining Room- I've put out my new placemats.

Bedroom

Kitchen- I have a stove, oven, sink, coffee maker, and refrigerator. No microwave or other appliances.

Refrigerator- At the market I bought eggs, milk, water, cheese, bread, cucumbers, salad, mangos, and apples. As well as some cleaning supplies- including bleach to clean the fruits and vegetables.

This much Gouda cheese costs less than $4!

This bag of whole milk costs less than $1. I plan to mix it with dry skim milk that I brought with me.

First Day of Work

I am almost finished with my first day in the office. I have met about 25 people here- physicians, epidemiologists, analysts, public health officers, administrative assistants, etc. I've been in two meetings today- budget planning and personnel strategic planning. I get the sense there are two overarching teams: management and field technical experts. Those in the field go out each week to visit partnering health clinics around Rwanda and provide treatment as well as provide counseling and education. Those on the management team spend most of the time here in the office working on collaborations between the US government agencies here, the Rwandan government, and the US Ambassador. Including divvying up the budget, deciding new priority areas for funding, determining how to identify and secure new partners, etc. I think I will be spending 2/3 of my time on management issues, and 1/3 on field issues. Many of the topics and systems here are very similar to what I am familiar with at NIH- budget, contracts, grants, etc. However, my head is spinning with a whole new list of acronyms I must learn, and a new disease area! Even before I met my supervisor Daniel I heard from everyone how lucky I am to work with him, that I would really like him, and I can see why. He is originally from Wisconsin and has lived in Africa for the last 11 years. He started in the peace corps and has been in Rwanda for the past 3.5 years. He loves it here and says all of his good friends are Rwandan and he is very involved in the community. What I hear most about him is that he is kind and big-hearted.

Everyone here works from 8am-5:30pm everyday except Friday when they leave at 1pm- which means I will be getting up a little earlier than I usually do. Everything is so new and there is so much work to be done- I know it will be exciting to get going everyday. And as I've mentioned before, the sunny weather here is truly amazing (sun sets at 6pm) so there is a lot of incentive to get up early! We are in a building right next door to the US Embassy. I went there to get my ID and a briefing from the regional security officer. He was very nice. He compared Rwanda to Kansas- said there is very little crime here- at worst the cleaning staff will skim sugar from my sugar bowl. He encourages everyone to travel all over Rwanda and said it is very safe. I have to notify him if I leave Kigali, and fill out a form of where I am going and where I am staying. He made me feel very secure; it's good to be with the US Government here. He is originally from Ohio. We are not allowed to ride on motor taxis or travel to other cities after dark- not so much because of crime, more because of traffic accidents/bad lighting. We have a nice office with air conditioning, filtered water, close to restaurants, nice computers, fast Internet, and big windows. I can tell the team is made up of interesting, friendly, smart people. I went to lunch with a group from the office- we walked through the very busy downtown in Kigali (so many people!) to aDaniel's favorite restaurant which has a lunch buffet. Daniel goes here everyday, so he knows everyone there. The cost was about $3, and it was delicious. I avoided the salads for now- but ate some of the eggplant dish, bananas, avocados, tilapia in a tomato sauce, and some goat.

A driver and the office assistant helped me move from the hotel into my apartment this morning. It is really nice and very secure (guard 24/7) with a big porch, bedroom, lockable closets, full bath, kitchen, TV, phone, and fully furnished. Many of the people here for 2-year appointments have large, new, and sometimes lavish houses and 3-4 bedroom apartments. They seemed apologetic that my apartment has older kitchen appliances, one bedroom, etc. However, I am really happy with it and it has everything I need. My boxes arrived and were already dropped off in my apartment. I'll upload some pictures of the apartment tomorrow. After work Daniel is driving me to the supermarket and I've seen where I can walk to buy water, bread, vegetables, and even Chinese food. I'll have to see what I can cook and what is available at the market.

Pictures- First Weekend

I've tried to upload photos to this site directly- but am not having a lot of luck. I was able to get my pictures uploaded to the Kodak website. Check out photos from my first few days here.

First Days in Rwanda

Hi everyone! I have finally arrived in Rwanda. I already feel behind on posting here- so this will have to be a long one.

I left Washington D.C. on Thursday on a 15 hour flight to Johannesburg. I really liked South African Airlines and would highly recommend them. I was lucky- they did not weigh my suitcases (I wished I could have run home and stuffed more in!) I think this was because the plane was not even half full. I had my own row which was great for sleeping. I was able to choose a movie on the TV in my seat, eat some good meals, and sleep intermittently during the flight. The airline had many nice perks including multiple options for movies, a video camera on the tail of the plane so we could see outside on one of the TV channels, and a boarding gift which included an eye-sleep mask, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste. There was a large group on my plane of 200 people from a church in Cincinnati (Crossroads) who were on a mission trip to work at a hospice they built in Pretoria. They were all ages, mostly on their first trip to Africa and separated into work teams "medical, gardening, construction, etc". They all wore bright orange and green t-shirts advertising their mission. I also met a couple of families traveling together on a two week safari around Africa. They had all of their children with them (ages six and up) and a grandmother in first class. I went with them to visit her and see the perks up there- wow! A massaging chair, 7 course meals from menus, personal gadgets galore, etc.

Once I arrived in Johannesburg I checked in for my flight to Kigali and waited 2 hours. The airport was nice and people were friendly. Luckily I stopped at the South African airlines desk because my luggage had only been checked to S. Africa- so they sent someone down to get it off the carousel and put it on my plane. It is winter in Johannesburg; people were in cold weather attire and talked about the snow outside. I then flew 3.5 hours to Burundi for a quick stop and 30 minutes to Kigali. I arrived in Kigali at 10:30pm (4:30pm EST). I met a nice person on the plane who works for the Rwandan government, and was very familiar with the HIV/AIDS programs and spoke highly of our work here. He was also very informative about life in Kigali. There was an embassy "expediter" waiting at the airport for me- he helped me through immigration (took 5 minutes), got my bags, and drove me to the hotel. He mentioned that most bags don't make it on my itinerary because they get stuck in Jo'burg. How lucky I was! It is a very comfortable 70-80 degrees in Kigali during the night and day at this time of year (dry season), with no humidity. The elevation is similar to Denver, and the size of Rwanda is similar to the state of Maryland. The first striking thing is the many hills- some are very very steep- and the traffic circles. There are very nice roads, and everyone drives on the right side of the road- although sometimes with the steering wheel on the right as well. There are palm trees and lush mountains in the distance. I am staying at one of the best hotels in Kigali for my first three nights. It is amazing- better than most hotels I've been to. I've been using the wireless Internet by the pool if that tells you anything. On Friday I settled into my room and checked out the five channels on TV: CNN, BBC, a french movie channel, a local channel, and a channel that plays bad 80's movies- which is actually kind of a fun quiz to guess the movie. And then I slept for about 12 hours.

I woke up to my phone ringing- a call from my colleague to come have lunch by the pool. I met with him (ordered a club sandwich and diet coke- minus the lettuce, tomatoes, and ice.) He was very helpful and informative as he has been here working for the past three weeks in the office I'll be joining. We then met up with two others from our office and headed to a Fourth of July picnic at the Ambassador's house. It was a lot of fun. There were about 100-150 people there- there were hamburgers, hot dogs,salad, pie, beer, and soda. Many people joked with me that this is how it always is in Kigali. I know this was unique that my first day involved a very "American" event. There were relay races, balloon tosses, and face painting. I met the Ambassador and his wife- who were very friendly and gracious hosts. I played volleyball, and met many Americans doing many interesting things here in Rwanda- teachers, military personnel, economists, film makers, health care workers, etc.- from NGO's, USAID, CDC, etc. I am just beginning to learn the International web of people working here. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and provided me endless helpful tips. I made many new friends and spoke with a number of people about hiking and exploring together. After the party- wewalked down the street and I was able to see the apartment building I will move into on Monday, and a nearby hotel which has a club I can join- with a gym, a pool, and tennis courts. I made my first purchases- some beautiful place mats and potholders. We took a taxi back to our hotel and rested before meeting up again to head to dinner. We went to an amazing Indian restaurant. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was entertaining. The Rwandan staff dressed in costumes of "traditional Indian attire" which was not really traditional- more of a Disney version. There was also a waterfall, elaborate Indian rugs, and chandeliers, etc.

Now I am back in the hotel and hopefully going to sleep soon. I am eagerly anticipating starting work on Monday and already feeling a little overwhelmed about learning all of the programs here and remembering names/faces of everyone I have met. I have met so many nice ex-pats and Rwandans already. I feel like 3 months is not going to be nearly long enough.

Other notes...
-Plastic bags are illegal in Rwanda (to help keep the streets clean), therefore the newspaper arrives in the afternoon in a cloth bag hanging on my hotel room door. Similarly, the bags for laundry and trash in my hotel room are cloth.
-Today, the first Saturday of the month, is a community work day for Rwandans; they all do some type of community service until noon on this day each month.
-Apparently 07-07-07 is a lucky and popular day to get married world-wide; we saw about 15 weddings around the city including two at our hotel today.
-The US dollar exchange rate is $1 per $530 Rwandan francs. A meal costs about $5-20. A taxi costs $3.
-There are three primary languages spoken here- Kinyarwandan (spoken by 98% of people), English (spoken by 2/3 people of the people I've met), and French (also spoken by 2/3 of the people I've met)
-I haven't noticed any bugs/mosquitoes yet.

I will try to post pictures next...although I haven't had any luck so far because uploading takes so long.