This post is all about five things that have made a lasting impression upon me here...
5 unforgetable things that have been said
to me here:
- I wanna thank you so much for your contribution of helping me in my studies. I wanna tell you you’re my role model in my daily activities whenever wherever I am. I will think about your good behaviours and I will try to imitate them all in my life. (From a former TTC student – via text…somehow they always get your number!)
- God must have spent a lot more time creating you. When I see you smile, I imagine how lovely you are. (Yes, that was said to me – sick bucket filled…)
- Am aint to blame for the feeling for you but my heart. The feeling in me is unseen, untouched but just felt at heart! I feel it is for you for I look at your eyes and see love in them…(Sorry to the person who sent this to me – but I know that I’m not the only one who received such messages…so this ‘feeling’ wasn’t just for me but hey, good luck with your quest!)
- May, you have got fat.
- May, you must be eating a lot of potatoes.
5 people (I’m cheating…more like groups of
people) I’ll miss and am forever thankful for:
- VSO friends (left and remaining) – I won’t
name you all for fear of missing out peeps. A lot of emotions have been shared amongst us and I look
forward to all the reunions in the months and years to come!
- TTC colleagues – for their brutal honesty
in the way I look everyday (whether I’m looking fat or ‘smart’, tired or sick…);
For their openness in discussing personal issues – sometimes asking too probing
questions or giving too much detail about things…and for putting up with me and
the demands I had of them in terms of work. This includes my unpredictable principal whose generosity
knows no bounds, Louis – Patron who helped me immensely when I first arrived
and Patrice, a tutor who was given the ‘pleasure/privilege’ to line-manage
me…but he did a great job and continues to encourage and inspire me with his
perseverance and determination to achieve his goals.
- Local shop keepers, bar owners – Mama Kabebe (Christine), Masoporo (J.D), Jean Paul, Nsenga and Emmy – for supplying me with endless amounts of water, eggs, avocados, potatoes, bread, beer, brochettes, toilet paper, fanta…(on the odd occasion for free too!)
- My night guard, Callixte and umukozi (house help), Gaudence. Two very patient people who have been loyal and trustworthy and who have kept my house safe and clean.
- My two buddies in the village – Anatole and
Theogene. Without these two in my
life here, I’m not sure I would have stayed. They stuck by me (and Jacko) through the ups and downs, they
were my support and refuge, my joy and laughter – and the reason I now drink
beer! Their love and dedication to
their family and those around them took my heart within the first weeks of
being here. They give and serve
without question and despite having so little, they know what joy is and are
true reflections of the overflow of Christ’s love.
5 sights that are imprinted in my memory:
- The domestic animals that roam the streets
freely
- The view from my house
- The night sky.
- Lake Kivu
- The gaggle of children that follow you wherever you go.
5 Kinyarwanda phrases I will not forget:
- Mwaramutse/Mwiriwe – Good morning/evening
- Amakuru/Ni meza – How are you?/I’m fine
- Ndananiwe/Ndashonje – I’m tired/hungry
- Hara shushye/konje – It’s hot/cold
- Ndashaka…I want…
5 sounds that I’ll probably continue to use
back in London and be looked at oddly:
- Eh, eh, eh – “You are kidding me?”
- Eeeehhhh – “Really?”
- Eeeeeeeeeeeee– “Yay!”
- Oya – No
- Nibabawe – “Wow…seriously?/That’s bad…”
5 habits that will be difficult to break:
- Duplicating words for emphasis: ‘no, no’; ‘slowly, slowly’…
- Raising my eyebrows and widening my eyes to indicate ‘yes’
- Greeting randoms on the street
- Shaking hands when greeting people
- Remembering people have a ‘personal space’ – there are never enough seats here; whether on the bus, in meetings, at meals…you end up either sitting on someone or just very close to them.
It's time to say goodbye. Five days remain...
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