Escaping to Kigali for the day!

Mar 13th

Another day of skiving! Up to the District Office to see if the mayor has signed my “memorandum of understanding” document which precedes my contract. Nothing doing – no mayor, no form. Never mind, at least she’s signed the contract itself which is the important document I need to get my visa.

Off to Kigali on the early bus and then all day at the Programme Office, fighting the internet. Lots of blogging done, including pictures of Akagera and Gihembe, and lots of emails to sort out and see if there’s anyone not aware of our change of birthday party plans. Lots of business-type things sorted out in the office. Thursday is obviously a good day to come, because all the teacher VSOs are working. Fridays are very different….

Just made it back to the city centre before the heavens opened and it poured. So marooned in the Bourbon café with coffee and cake –what a hardship!

On the way back we pass an overturned articulated lorry and trailer. It blocks the main road so all traffic has to creep round the verge. The lorry has been there a week, now. The containers on it have either been looted or emptied. I suppose nobody in Rwanda has got the kind of heavy lifting gear needed to right it. I wonder if they’ll eventually cut it up on site?

Nix tells me that this particular bend on the main road is notorious for accidents and has seen several fatalities. And a local woman has come forward and confessed that she’s in league with the devil, and that it’s she who is causing the accidents. We don’t know what the authorities have decided to do with her, or whether the locals have taken things into their own hands. Just shows that, despite all the fervent Christianity, there’s something much older lurking just below the surface.

Back home, spent the evening cutting up veg for a massive cook-up – we now have several days worth of tomato base, and an enormous meat and vegetable stew which we’ll box up and freeze. Should last us half way through next week!

Good news on the birthday front. Tom’s got permission to take the FHI pick-up truck, so we have transport at our disposal. You’ve got no idea how jealous that’s going to make everyone else! We’re taking Tom and Christi from FHI, me, Karen and Geert from VSO, and Janine our domestique is coming as well.

Best thing about today – just spending time, uninterrupted, on the internet.
Worst thing – nothing really. You need days like this every now and then!