2 day trip Rutsiro - Day 2

At 5:15 in the morning, Numerien knocked on my door. Here we go again ! Madame Francine we have to leave at 6 AM, will you be ready ? You want hot water ?Numerien ! Go Away! I was planning to get up 5:50 to be ready at 6! I don’t want water!!!! Ok Madame Francine. 6:00 o'clock Francine are you ready ? Shit! I forgot to get up! Numerien give me 5 minutes I will be readyyyyy! We were heading for a long walk to the town. Rutsiro looks like the Flemish country side. It is a very charming landscape and the buildings are very religiously Flemish. The school in town was also called Stella Maris. Go figure. We arrive in town, ready to take the taxibus but the driver wasn’t there yet. I thought to myself, Numerien you are in Africa; why did you expect him to be on time?? If it was up to me, we would have arrived late and been technically on time. I don’t know how he survives. Numerien must be waiting all the time and going loco. He got pissed off the wait so he wanted to go eat an omelette. We enter a very basic place and I didn’t want to risk eating anything. Numerien promised me it would be safe. Go ahead, I say. He had been talking about this omelette lady for 2 days. He craves her omelette all the time. The lady asked me omelette with chapatti? Chapatti  Yes go ahead, for me a chapatti omelette. Numerien didn’t lie; the omelette was good but the chapatti wasn’t all that. In the meanwhile the taxi driver had arrived and we had to go. Numerien said no keep eating. He is the one late, he can’t leave without us. It’s our only way out of town. Taxibus started his engine, we ran outside. He wasn’t going to wait. Again, Numerien TIA. Numerien wanted me to have the best seat, right next to the driver. It was the worst seat ever. I fell asleep on the driver, my foot fell on his gas and my sleeping bag on the break. This was just the beginning of the ride. I was going to sit there for 7 hours. From 7 AM to 2 PM in a matatu. This was for me a hard limit. The road is impossible and with an overly packed taxibus, my mood began to change. It wasn’t until someone got on with chickens that I was getting really pissed off. My limit had been reached! I was tired, uncomfortable, suffocating and the stank of the chickens was becoming unbearable. Two chickens got lose and were acting a fool underneath the seats. A baby was crying and an old woman was sick. I gave her strepsils as I couldn’t handle the throat scraping and spitting through the window anymore. There was no end to this ride. I told Numerien that I wasn’t going to get off at Pfunda but go straight home. This was too much and it has broken me. I still have a plan to finish and right now I am beyond tired. Numerien wanted me to cash my DSA check but I couldn’t care anymore. I needed a shower and food. I arrived in the Centre in Gisenyi at 3pm. I entered the shower but the water was off. The day was getting worse and worse. After being in the shower for an hours trying to get the drops out, while handwashing my clothes. ( tip from the Dutch girls.) I went for late lunch. All of a sudden I feel a hand on my back. Numerien ! No ! Seriously! We have to go cash your check. FML! Fine! But first Francine, I noticed you got a little uncomfortable so I am giving you your going away present early. Go open it in your room, Numerien says. I go to my room and open the gift. I got so happy, it’s a Rwandan panier ! I really wanted one and he knew that. Considering the last taxibus experience, that was his way to soothe the misery. I thanked him gratefully but then he said take off the African shorts and change into long pants. There we go again ! Ugh! Obedient as I am on this mission, I change my shorts and head out to the bank. It was a 2 hour wait to cash my check. My head kept bopping as I was so sleepy. I didn’t even want the check ! Ugghhhh…. Back at the lodgement, he said we have to hide our money. No one may see it! Aghghh, Numerien this is Rwanda. No one steals here! It’s safer than freaking Dubai. Goodbye I see you tomorrow at 7AM. No blogging for me. The tiredness was too much.

2 day trip to Rutsiro - Day 1

As every working day in Rwanda starts incredibly early I had to rise and shine for Rutsiro. The green bus was another adventure. It is way too big for the bumpy hilly road. The view was amazing but I fell asleep. Numerien woke me up to let me know we had arrived. We were both starving. We left at 7 AM and it’s noon time now. We went to have lunch which was a dish I call ‘everything on a plate’. Basically a small volcano on your plate of potatoes, rice, bananas, manioc, meat, carrots, peas, cabbage and red kidney beans. Awful ! Most veggies grown here are the Belgian winter veggies. I am not fan. Numerien said : 'On va bouffer’ ! I thought to myself, you are going to bouffer; this chick is going to munch a little. I asked him to finish my plate but he was too full. The bookkeeper from Cotrago came to get us and again we were in for quite the walk. In the office, I interview everyone and made a big effort trying to stay awake. Narcolepsy was hitting me again, but the days are so long !  If Rwandans wanted to advance, they had to work for it themselves. No need to wait for help. It is clear that the people have understood. I have never in my life seen such hard working people. Rwandans all mutually agree that they are here to advance and put a stop to poverty. Numerien said the same thing. He said: 'we can not slack off or we die’. Poverty is an ugly battle and hard to get out. That’s why I brought you out here, you have to help us with an action plan and I will follow it religiously. He continued: 'We are copying Europe and we will excel’. I totally loved it ! & laughed hard. Dude is a character. Dressed like a clown. Now with the skirt wrapped over the jeans I went to meet the plant manager. The plant manager looked Indian mixed with African. He spoke Kinyarwanda, understood French but replied in English with an Indian accent. I couldn’t figure him out. He must like me a mix of everything. I asked Numerien whether the man was Rwandan or Mohindi. Numerien said he is Rwandan but his behavior is different like Mohindi. I said isn’t he mixed ? Numerien said oh that’s maybe what it is. LOL Then I asked him whether the cooperative manager was Chinese and African. Numerien asked if I was feeling ok ? The cooperative manager was black but looked completely Chinese. I am sure the cooperative manager as well was intermixed somewhere in his family line. At the end of the factory visit, I got to taste the fresh finished black tea. OMG! It was delicious. In the factory I found out that all tea is made from the green leaves. I thought black tea was from black leaves. No the process to create white tea, black tea or green tea is in the factory. It has nothing to do with the leaves. Dummy ! The sun was setting and we were heading back to the cooperative office. There a random man starts talking to me and asked if I was Canadian. Canada? Out of all the countries I have been labeled, Canada is new on the list. He asked me if I wanted to have a drink in his house. Then Numerien shows up and says: Oh you have met my best friend, he is the owner of the house in which the tea cooperative resides. Hence, all the questions. I had no choice but to say yes to the house visit. Tired and packed with my backpack, sleeping bag and overloaded Salvatore Ferregamo purse, I drag myself to his house. He pulls out a pink juice, I felt my stomach turning. He pours the pink juice in wine glasses for a special occasion. His Canadian guest. I just let him call me Canada as being of Belgian origin isn’t something to be proud of in Rwanda. The awful things the Belgian colonials and Catholic missionaries did out here is horrifying. So Canada it is ! I quickly drink the pink juice which was by far the sweetest drink I ever had in my life. I think if you mix Hawain Punch with every soda pop on the planet, you’ll get the level of sweetness. Well I wasn’t going to get sick from that. After a bit of chit chat and Numerien telling him that since he has an international consultant; he had become a big man. ( A grand homme ) I had to laugh. Having an Exchange BNP Paribas Benevolab expert can elevate your status in life. Well done Numerien! We had a budget for lodging but incredibly stingy Numerien wanted to check out the cheapest lodging in town. I was sleepy and tagged along. He decided upon a church with guest rooms. The town had no electricity since a day. The convenant was dark and dirty but I was prepared. Fitted insect sheet over the bed, pop up net and sleeping bag, towels and soap. The toilet I won’t even mention but I did kill the worms on the floor. I thought the day was over and then Numerien came knocking on the door. The manager wants us all to go out for dinner and drinks. With the flashlight on my head, we hit the darkness. (Thanks Guy Callebout for the tip.) Even with the flashlight, I didn’t see anything and almost twisted my foot. Numerien knew a shortcut. A steep mini rocky path down. Seriously ? We arrived in the darkness in the town and people are swarming around me. They heard that the Canadian was in town. There I was looking like a clown, with a flashlight on my head. The head of district said they never have visitors and was sad he wasn’t informed of my arrival. He would have done a parade. Thank God that didn’t happen! I would have been completely embarrassed. We head to the bar and the guys turnt it up! They chucked down the 65 cal of beer too easily. As usual I order water. They didn’t like that, party pooper. Is it so difficult for people to comprehend that I barely drink. Well, I still hold it down though with my jokes. We had a good time and I ordered the brochettes and grilled banana. I love the grilled banana. When I was eating my second brochette, I had a strange taste in my mouth. I asked them why does the second one taste different ? They replied: oh it must be a different organ. ORGAN !? I spontaneously shouted ? Yes intestine, they replied. What ? No my lovely brochettes I had been eating was intestine? FML! I couldn’t eat anymore. #screwd After dinner we headed back in the darkness to our logement. I had asked the Church acolytes, if I could have hot water. They knocked on the door and left me a dirty plastic jerry can with hot water. With the flashlight on my head a green bucket and the dirty jerry can I make an attempt at washing myself. I treated the water as liquid gold because I would only get one. I was so grateful for the hot water that it turned out to be a pleasurable bathing experience but no way I would repeat this in the morning. Exhausted I fall asleep, not touching anything. 

Les 3 petits panier Rwandais

I hadn’t finished the book on the plane as I was to busy talking to Karina from Fxb. So I finished the book last night. Last night the Dutch girls and I decided to stay in as it was raining too hard. Emily and Maartje as their names are suffer from hydrophobia. While finishing the book I realised how much truth there is in it. It describes being in Nyundo, Gisenyi, the village people, the hills, microfinance and poverty. Very similar to my life here. The name of the little Rwandan girl in the book is Impana which means gift in Kinyarwanda. I was touched as my middle and Igbo name is gift as well. Francine Gift Carron in Kinyarwanda I’d be Francine Impano Carron. I am going to keep in mind if I ever need a new screen name.

The book describes microfinance in its complete reality, the struggles and the job. It also talks about the meaning of poverty. The tale of a rich man that has everything wants to experience poverty. I can totally relate to this because in life we always aim to have more and become richer. We are convinced that by becoming richer, we automatically become happier. However in order to realise that wealthy doesn’t make happy you have to be rich first. Only when you are or have been rich you can appreciate the happiness in leading a basic life. I live myself a very nice life but being here in a basic room makes me realise that I don’t need anything but food and a place to sleep. People who have little can’t appreciate what they have because they have never been rich. Well most of us in the Western world have never been poor and hence need to experience poverty to learn.

I passed the lovely book as it is requested by the author Koen to Maartje and Emily, the Dutch girls. Emily is a nurse going to work in Uganda and Maartje is a Doctor. Talking to them I learned that the kid who jumped in the taxibus was actually infected with rabies. This explains the crazy reaction of the women pushing him with their feet of the bus.

Thank you Koen for lending me this book! I am sure Maartje and Emily will continue to pass it on on their journey in East Africa. Ceux qui ont les dents blanches rient.

The story of Numerien and Betha Numerien came to work perfectly dressed as always. I rather decided to go natural today. It’s chilly outside today. Numerien was very anxious this morning because his wife Betha was coming. Numerien lives in Gisenyi in a hostel while the wife lives in his town with the 4 kids. In his home town near Rutegroc, we will be there on Tuesday are the salaries very low. Numerien makes about 370 USD a month This is still too low for the responsibilities relating to his function and the time he invests. On top of that he pays a hostel / lodgement 5 days a week. His oldest son is in boarding school and comes home 4 times a year. The smallest is 2 years old. The other 2 are in primary school. While the wife came to Gisenyi to return to Rutegroc with Numerien in the evening, the 12 year old is responsible of the 2 other children. Numerien’s wife named Betha is a primary school teacher and makes 40 USD a month. Horrible ! I knew that Betha was coming today so I went through my suitcase to find a gift. Everything I brought can be left in Rwanda. That was my initial plan every outfit, accessory or whatsoever can be given away as a gift. So I decided to give her earrings, a bracelet and a ring that I had bought in Antwerp from Enchante Fine Jewelry. It’s very nice black pearls, white pearls, silver and CZ stones. I also had a big bottle of expensive Guerlain perfume with me that I had received as a gift myself. I decided to pack this in the local brown bag and gift it to her. She was so happy she had never owned a bottle of perfume in her life! I can’t imagine that as a woman. Since I was 4 I had been collecting perfume. The ring was flashy and her size. I don’t see many women wearing jewelry so it was the perfect gift for her. This afternoon, Numerien is giving me a break he is going with his wife in town and he wants me to nap. Not realizing the strategic plan is a lot of work and I will be working from my hotel this afternoon. I plan to nap all day on Sunday. The taxibus on the way home was full of babies not even 3 months old. Literally full full! It was reeking like pipi diapers considering I didn’t eat breakfast complete nausea hit me. As a result Numerien and I decided to discuss family planning. He thought I managed my family planning with 1 kid. He said his wife has tried all birth control pills, the injection, everything and it makes her very sick. So they had decided to carefully play Russian roulette in the bed but she got pregnant at 41. I had to laugh so hard when he told me this. I am telling you people always share their personal things with me and Oops now I am writing it on a blog. Numerien said the government has programs everywhere to introduce family planning but the pills give moods wings to the women. 

 I bet he will be doing a lot of family planning management this weekend. Now I am alone in Gisenyi because the bookkeeper is in Kigali for training. Back to work.

Day 3@Work: Bon Travail! I'm

Today I was supposed to go visit another tea cooperative far away with multiple taxi buses. When I got to the office Numerien goes: “You are really a morning person”; not sure whether he was serious or sarcastic. If he only knew my morning struggle. I was happy to hear that today I was staying in the office and maybe going to the tea microfinance and micro savings office around the corner for an immersion.

Still tired from the steep climb on the hills towards the taxi bus and the consequent suffocating ride to work (see photo) I open my laptop. All of a sudden, I feel focused, sharp and my first words for the strategic plan are being written. Yesterday, I contacted Karina Weinstein whom I met on the flight here for a possible partnership between FXB and the tea union. She had arranged that we could call the regional representative today at 11 o'clock. I didn’t want to visit the tea MFI yet till I had made the call with FXB. 10:50 Numerien starts calling. No answer. We continue calling till 11:10. The director must be in a meeting. At 11:30 we call again and someone picks up the phone but there is no clear line. We really want this partnership so I decided not to visit the tea MFI till we had someone on the line.

A large part of the strategic plan has been written since 8 o'clock. The local alarm goes off (which means it’s noon)!and Numerien wants to go lunch. I had packed my bag with fruits I had bought yesterday with him on the market and wanted to eat that for lunch. I was in the strategic plan mood and felt like continuing to write.

Numerien asked me a second time to go to lunch so I agreed. I left my laptop in the office and headed for the road. We got in a taxi bus and I realised that was the road to Gisenyi. Nooo! Please not all the way back! If I had known that I would have taken my laptop with me and worked the rest of the day on the strategic plan in the cyber cafe near the Centre D'Acceuille in Gisenyi. This meant that I would have to do a return Gysenyi - Nyundo - Gisenyi… More taxi buses and at least a loss of 2,5 hours. No wonder my working days are so long. Arrived in Gisenyi, we walk down towards Lake Kivu to go to the Bank of Kigali. Payday! Numerien was giving me my DSA till Sunday. He had been working on such a detailed contract for days and now everything had been figured out. As I am on the budget of the Union, everything has to be counted for and Numerien (they name says itself) knows how to account for as no other. I was happy I got my first Rwandan check!

We head back to the ‘hotel’ and go over the incredibly but correct contract. Numerien hands over the cash and says he was now leaving me for lunch. He was going to have lunch elsewhere because the ‘hotel food’ is too expensive for him. I immediately invited him to have lunch with me as I was cash rich now :) He had to laugh. Numerien orders as usual his favourite local beer Mutzig (sounds German to me though). He drinks his beer warm and is trying to convince me to also drink everything at room temperature. He says I shouldn’t spoil myself with cold drinks as it’s not always available. So if you are used to it and you can’t have it, your pretty much screwed. Well he has a point so I take a nice warm cola.

We are both hungry and want to eat as fast as possible so Numerien asks what is already cooked today. The waiter tells us cauliflower, peas, chips, rice and meat. No chips with rice for me anymore. So we order cauliflower, meat and rice. It takes forever for the food to come. So Numerien calls another waiter. He said we ordered noon made food and it’s been 40 minutes. The waiter laughs and says they don’t prepare food. There is no buffet. It’s a la carte. They are preparing your request in the kitchen now. I had to laugh. Why in the hell did that waiter make up such a random list of food ? Numerien was vexed and called the waiter a bloody liar for making up that list of food available. I couldn’t stop laughing. Numerien had ordered the so called prepared menu (In Belgium that would be the plat du jour) and is always sold at lower price. He was being kind and didn’t want me to have a high bill as I was treating. We got screwed though, we had to pay full price for food both of us didn’t want. Cauliflower I can miss that for a month without a problem. Numerien put the waiter in his place in a very polite and proper manner. He said he come back inspecting the level of service tomorrow. I couldn’t stop laughing. He does everything so proper.

I don’t want to be a heavy financial constraint on the organisation and told him I could speed up the work if we drop some cooperative visits. If they could transmit data I could analyse it from Gisenyi and finish by Tuesday or next Wednesday. Numerien didn’t like the idea because my work would be come invalid. On top of that the cooperatives in the union would become jealous that some saw me and others didn’t so we revise our agenda’s. I don’t want to pull all nighters to finish on time next week.

After lunch we go to downtown Gisenyi. It’s actually quite hot today and I am suffering having to walk but this is whipping my in shape. So not complaining. Numerien says I need an MTN number because half of the time no one can reach me with the tyga number. I didn’t think it was necessary but he was right. When Chantal Katmatari from BNP Paribas CSR was trying to call me she couldn’t reach me. She had to call Numerien. Oh gosh this Numerien seems to be always right. He keeps telling me everyday not to climb on the taxi mottos and he smells my eagerness. Therefore the bookkeeper comes with me to and from work. I am his responsibility and nothing will happen to me on Numerien’s time. I am safe under his control. I decided to obey to the terms and hand my life over to the taxi bus.

Coming back from the office in the taxi bus I realised that it didn’t bother me anymore. I have gotten used to sitting on half or a quarter of a butt cheek, while breathing, sweating and smelling all over each other. The taxi bus helpers are starting to know me and told Jean de Dieu (the bookkeeper) no more muzungu, she is African now. The ladies in the shops I buy water from are now saying African muzungu. That’s perfect to me! I got the respect now everywhere and don’t need to power dress for work anymore! Goodbye fancy heels.

It’s only been 5 days and this place has become home. I get happy when I get to my room event though my toilet seat is gone and they have removed my self-made living room with blankets on the floor. Home sweet home !

What I notice the most out here is that there are tons of babies. Almost every second woman is holding a baby on the back like its a purse. There is obviously a big baby boom going on. Numerien says Rwandans like to make babies everyday. So funny!

On the way home a really dirty child with banana all over its mouth jumped in the bus. I thought: oh can he ride for free ? Where are his parents ? All of a sudden all the women in the taxi bus started screaming that the child had to step out. No one dared to touch him. Like I said I have never seen a child so dirty. The women didn’t stop shouting and starting kicking the boy with their feet. I said what are you doing ? What’s going on ! It’s a child for God'sake, you don’t have to kick him with your feet. What is the problem? The lady said the child is a mentally challenged orphan who likes to act a fool. Well still no reason to kick him. The taxi bus only left after the child was removed from the vehicle. I thought it was a very strange situation and I actually don’t know what this was all about. The child looked rather sick to me, like it had lepracy ? Not sure if Rwanda has lepracy? Strange that no dared to touch him and was mean, scared. If I could, I would have given him a bath and brought him to a close by orphanage. Or maybe he ran away from the orphanage ? Not the usual behaviour I see of Rwandans.

On the way, I gave money to a beggar and asked Numerien why there is such limited poverty here. He said that all beggars were placed into cooperatives that help them end poverty. Every beggar has the right to join such an NGO. There should be no reason to live on the streets. I asked him so why is this woman begging ? He said some people just prefer it and don’t want to join the cooperative programs because then they have to work. He told me he asked a beggar once to come home with him and offered him a house job. The beggar refused. He offered him a ride to a cooperative, the beggar refused. That’s crazy! but I am happy the government through allowing NGO’s in the country is making an attempt to eradicate poverty. Kagame gets his third high five from me!

My mom and dad both found flights to Kigali but now it’s an issue of visas. Grrrrrr….. So not sure if they will make it before week 3 because then I am off gorilla trekking. It only gets better !

Oh the bookkeeper wanted to ask me a personal question. I said yes go ahead; actually wanting to say no! He said: How can I improve my English … Mannnn!!! I thought he was going to ask me about sex considering he is young and we are in a religious country… LOL… I guess I am the pervert!

It’s raining, I have my bottle of Nil water (Still adapting to the fact I am drinking purified Nile water; I always imagined the Nile to be filthy) and I am going to try calling it an early night.#tired