The last few days

Last thurday Nathan, wes and I went into kigali to go to the memorial and to the US embassy. I wasn't sure what to expect with going to the memorial. I had read alot about everything that had happened here, but at the same time most of the things I read on Thursday and the pictures I saw didnt seem real. When people talk about the number of people that died during the genocide and the way they died, its almost too big and too ubsurd to reconcile in my mind. It seems like a really horrible scenario or story line. After being here, and knowing the type of people that are here, it doesnt seem like it could happen. Nothing seemed real until coming to the end of the memorial, where they had indavidual pictures of kids that had died and indavidual information about them. It hit me when I saw a picture of a little girl at her birthday and it said age sevenon the plaque in front of her. The genocide happened here 15 years ago. That little girl would have been my age had she still been alive. 250,000 thousand people that are burried in Kigali doesn't make sense to me, but that one little girl that I could have known, does. I think going through that memorial, and knowing what so many people I have met went through was really important. It makes me so thankful for my family and that I still have them. God has put us all through different things and can still use something as horrible as that in good ways. Hearing Jeannine talk sometimes makes me think about it. The first devotion she did before work that I was here for, she talked about being thankful for the Lord waking her up in the morning and how so many people take for granted that they could have died in the night, but that the Lord kept them and us. It's a different mentality to think of things in that way and I really hope I can learn from it.


After the memorial we ate at an Indian place for lunch (it was amazing!). So I wasn't surprised when later that night my stomach didn't feel the best. I'm sure if you have experienced curry, you know what I'm talking about. The thing was that it didn't stop the next day. In the morning my stomach felt funny again. So I started talking to Christi and Tom about it. The most popular consensus as to what it was, was amoebas. Amoebas are one of those things that you hear about and just pray that it doesn't happen to you. You can get them from meat, unfiltered water, and probably a few others ways I'm not aware of.(PAUSE: So as I'm writing this I would just like to put a disclaimer in that I know this is not something I should be posting on my blog. However, I feel that I would be cheating you if I did not explain this aspect of my experience. Also, I should wait to tell my parents what happened before I post it on the Internet. I know I will be getting a distressed email from my mom fairly soon.)So I asked Christi if after work we could go to the clinic. We walked up when we got off. I think the nurses were really amused with me. I tried (in my own form of sign language) to tell one of the ladies that I liked her dress and she laughed and attempted to trade earrings with me lol. After Christi and I explained the predicament, the nurse explained the test and told us to come back to find out the results. We went to get some skirts that Jeannine's cousin made for me (I'm so excited for them!) and to get some shoes Christi was having repaired and then headed back to the clinic. The nurse was sitting outside when we came up. Her and Christi started talking in Kynrwandan, and all I understand is when the woman began moving her hand in the shape of a snake. hah "Oh my gosh" is all that went through my mind. So after this long explanation I had worms (which I would like to say sounds sooo much more disgusting that amoebas only because I have a reference to what worms look like regardless of if they are microscopic or not) Karen and Nathan had fun last night trying to think of a names and Karen conveniently new a song about worms that she so kindly sang to me lol. So in the end I got a prescription, took it last night, and am completely fine today. Hahah I don't know if I will ever have a morning again that the first thing I thank the Lord for is that my worms are gone! But experiences like this make you realize that you really do have so much to be thankful for ...like health.
So I haven't dreamt much here, but the other night I had the strangest dream. I remember the feeling of it more than I remember exactly what happened. I think I had it because when i was walking home the other day I was thinking about how fast the time has gone here and how in about a week I would be home. I dreamt that I was home in my room after being here, but for some reason there was no way that I could come back here. It was the weirdest feeling. Like I wanted to be home and I was happy, but things weren't okay because I couldn't come back. Its hard to want to be in two places at once. I love it here and am so thankful for getting to be here, but at the same time its not my home. My family isn't here and no matter how long i was here I wouldn't necessarily belong. I tell Jeannine sometimes how much i miss my family. She said she knows how i feel :) she said she had to be away from home for 6 years in secondary school. well anyways..just about one week left.
As much as i want to be home there are so many little things that I'm going to miss here. so number one..I'm gonna miss the kids at mommas orphanage. there are two little kids there that I'm so attached to. First is Luckai. hes two and the cutest little boy Ive seen. he sits on my lap during the service until Natete, who's three, comes and pushes him off. Natete has a little attitude. She decided that she didn't like my nose ring and tried to pull it out lol. well I'm taking both of them home with me (minus the fact that Natete isn't an orphan and both of her parents work at the home..maybe ill just borrow her)

( the kids singing at mommas..Natete and Luckai are the two little ones in the middle in the front)

The next thing I'm gonna miss a lot is how much slower things are here. People here are much more focused on relationships and other people rather than just getting things done. They will stop and talk on the street before they would be worried about being late somewhere. No one seems to be in a rush either. I was talking to Bora's brother today who just graduated from university in South Africa and he was asking me about America. He asked what things were like there and he said so many people in Africa want to go. I was talking with him about how there are good and bad things about every country. First, Africa is beautiful. Not that there aren't great places at home, but nothing looks like it does here. And how much more people care about people than getting things accomplished is so much more positive than at home. I told him so many people in Africa want to go to the states, but they might want to come back when they get there.
Im going to miss the kids. As much as I hate being called Muzungu all the time, I'm going to miss the kids that barely come past my knees, bounding up to me with their arms spread out to give me a hug. I'm going to miss the little boy up the street that can barely get the word Muzungu out because hes almost hyperventilating with excitement (sometimes i think hes going to pass out lol)
As crazy as it might sound to some people here I'm going to miss the food! I love special omelets (amy im making them for you and Brooke when i come home lol) My favorite kind are the omelets with fries inside. Most of the time they are fries with a little egg on them (tom likes to call them fry strong lol) they are AMAZING. Im going to miss the little stores here. Sometimes i go buy things just to visit my favorite shop keepers. they have these little heart shaped waffles that i always get from my friend Osomtut's store. i always buy gum from her too and sometimes when i stop and say hi on a run she gives me a free piece of gum. there are so many small things i love here.
So all in all i want to be two places at once :)