There are few things in life that bring me as much joy as stepping off a plane after 20 hours onto Rwandan soil. That aside, there is NOTHING that brings me joy like walking through the gate at Les Enfants de Dieu.
Friday afternoon after far too many days in between, I finally saw my beautiful boys. The center has grown and changed since my last visit. The dormitory is finished and most of the buildings that stood on my first visit nearly 4 years ago no longer exist. There are many new faces and many new little boys-a lot of the older ones are either back home, away at secondary school or in vocational training. But I was still greeted by so many bright faces and wonderful beings.
I saw my Spiderman (for those of you who followed last time you will remember my stories) and I had to choke back my tears. He came running from across the center- full speed into my arms, I don't think life gets much better than that. The magic of my neverland is still very much there and my lost boys all seem to be doing quite well. I always say it is a place, that may have flaws, but allows so many who have had it so hard to be children again. I asked many of them how old they now were, most of them seemed to have grown younger or had miraculously not aged at all. It is a place where at least for the little ones, for now, growing up is optional.
I feel exhausted, but a great exhausted. It feels like I have come home.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
1 WEEKS TILL GO-TIME
It has been 520 days since I stood on African ground and about that long since I last used this blog, but I figured I better revive it so I can share my stories with the few who actually look. This exact time next week, I will walk out the doors of my cozy little apartment to begin my journey 6,859.1 miles back to my beloved Kigali. Over the last year and a half not a day has past where my mind hasn't wandered to those hills and my smiling boys.
Everything is pretty much in order by now, expect for a few things like my housing in Kigali, and the fact that I haven't yet received my passport back from the Zambian Embassy, but those are just minor details. What matter is that I have a plane ticket with my name on it and the final destination is KGL--Kigali, Rwanda! My plan is to enjoy the company of the sweet boys of Les Enfants de Dieu, catch up with old friends, pay a few visits to the mystical Lake Kivu, travel to Uganda for a few days, and soak up enough of Rwanda's wonderfulness to tide me over for the next few months. Then mid-July, I continue on to Zambia, with my university to study. It'll be a new stamp in the passport and I am anxious to see if it captures me the way Rwanda does, though it will take some getting used to traveling with 19 other students.
Please join me in my journey back to my second home!
Everything is pretty much in order by now, expect for a few things like my housing in Kigali, and the fact that I haven't yet received my passport back from the Zambian Embassy, but those are just minor details. What matter is that I have a plane ticket with my name on it and the final destination is KGL--Kigali, Rwanda! My plan is to enjoy the company of the sweet boys of Les Enfants de Dieu, catch up with old friends, pay a few visits to the mystical Lake Kivu, travel to Uganda for a few days, and soak up enough of Rwanda's wonderfulness to tide me over for the next few months. Then mid-July, I continue on to Zambia, with my university to study. It'll be a new stamp in the passport and I am anxious to see if it captures me the way Rwanda does, though it will take some getting used to traveling with 19 other students.
Please join me in my journey back to my second home!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Missing Rwanda
I cannot believe almost a whole week has gone by since I was with my boys in Rwanda. It really is crazy how time flies. I miss Rwanda more than I thought I would. I really did find a home there. Morocco is more like Europe than anything, but I still find the pieces of the Africa I love here, I cling to them---the moms with babies on their backs and the piles of clothes in the market with dozens of women shuffling through them.
I wanted to share my co-worker, Elena's blog so that you can still follow life in Rwanda if you so choose, she will be there until April. I am SO jealous!
http://elenainrwanda.blogspot.com/
I wanted to share my co-worker, Elena's blog so that you can still follow life in Rwanda if you so choose, she will be there until April. I am SO jealous!
http://elenainrwanda.blogspot.com/
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Made it to Morocco
After 23 hours of traveling, I arrived in Morocco on Monday. Pretty ridiculous, it takes just as long to get across Africa as it does to get to Colorado. Morocco is so different than Rwanda!! I've had anxiety pretty much since I stepped off the plane and was hit by a wall of cold. With two pairs of pants and flip-flops I am definitely not prepared for the climate and with trains and trams I am totally out of my element. I am slowly adjusting, until I come across the Rolex stores and McDonalds, which cause a moment of sheer panic. I miss Rwanda and my boys more than I could have imagined and I'm busy dreaming of ways to get back quickly! But with Rwanda and my boys in my heart I am happy to be with Alex again and the French pastries are a nice perk!
Friday, December 2, 2011
We All Scream for Ice Cream
A wise person once said, "You can't buy happiness but you can buy ice cream and that's pretty much the same thing." Ice cream is one thing that I can count on to always make me happy.
When I was little ice cream was the reason I would eat dinner. In Gambia, I would splurge on ice cream, it helped me get through the stress of having all my plans fall through and was a good way to bribe my host
brother.
When we were traveling through Butare a month back we came across Inzozi Nziza, the first ice cream parlor in Rwanda. A women's cooperative that has brought jobs, ice cream and most importantly happiness to the community. With free ice cream once a month for the children of Butare, Inzozi Nziza is spreading joy. They advertise as coffee, ice cream and dreams. Simple and perfect! And so began my obsession of giving my boys the ice cream experience.
With today being my last official day at the center (I will go tomorrow for final goodbyes) I thought that instead of being sad about my departure why not spread some joy with a sweet treat. Elena and I packed in the truck, headed to town and spent $97! The best money I have ever spent. 4.5 gallons of ice cream, 150 plastic spoons, a mash of tin plates and plastic cups, and 130 boys- it was wonderful!!!! Smiles, licking plates, ice cream on faces--it was sheer perfection. Today I fulfilled a dream and got my boys ice cream, it doesn't get much better than that!
I leave Rwanda on Sunday (with a very heavy heart) to join Alex in Morocco. I do not know if I will really have an opportunity to blog. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey, I cannot believe it is coming to an end...
When I was little ice cream was the reason I would eat dinner. In Gambia, I would splurge on ice cream, it helped me get through the stress of having all my plans fall through and was a good way to bribe my host
brother.
When we were traveling through Butare a month back we came across Inzozi Nziza, the first ice cream parlor in Rwanda. A women's cooperative that has brought jobs, ice cream and most importantly happiness to the community. With free ice cream once a month for the children of Butare, Inzozi Nziza is spreading joy. They advertise as coffee, ice cream and dreams. Simple and perfect! And so began my obsession of giving my boys the ice cream experience.
With today being my last official day at the center (I will go tomorrow for final goodbyes) I thought that instead of being sad about my departure why not spread some joy with a sweet treat. Elena and I packed in the truck, headed to town and spent $97! The best money I have ever spent. 4.5 gallons of ice cream, 150 plastic spoons, a mash of tin plates and plastic cups, and 130 boys- it was wonderful!!!! Smiles, licking plates, ice cream on faces--it was sheer perfection. Today I fulfilled a dream and got my boys ice cream, it doesn't get much better than that!
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| YUM! |
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| woah ice cream! |
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| My boys! Forever in my heart. |
Sunday, November 27, 2011
One Week
Today marks one week until I leave Rwanda. Saying goodbye to this amazing country and to my wonderful boys is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Knowing that I will never see some of the faces that have become a part of my life, ever again is really unfathomable. I want to share the story of one little boy who has changed my life. He has taught me what it really means to love unconditionally. I have changed his name to Spiderman (not to be confused with the comic book character, though both are super heroes) to protect his identity.
There are people in this world who shine so bright that their presence can be blinding and impossible to ignore. Spiderman is one of those light. He is changed me in ways I cannot explain and forever left his footprint on my heart.
He caught my eye the first time I saw him. A huge toothy grin, and scars on his face, a wisdom in his eyes. There was just something about him. The first thing I learned about his case was that everyone was on his case, the toughest in the center. In his first few days he ran away several times and his little body has a hard time dealing with withdrawals. He told Rafiki his father's occupation was to beat him and many days he sat alone, away from the other boys. He struggles in school and cannot retain information very well, a possible side effect of his early drug use. Some days are quite hard on Spiderman. I am no doctor but I believe he suffers from PTSD. Joseanne told us his whole story one day after she spent hours comforting him. It goes like this:
One day Spiderman returned home to find his father's dead body. He had been murdered. He sat and cried and cried for help but no one came. He worries the same people will come back for his mother. He told Joseanne that he would rather they take him instead- he loves his mother so much. He loves his mother so much because she loves him so much. She would tell Spiderman to behave so that his father would not beat him. Spiderman remembers his mother telling him that when his father beat him it was like she was taking the blows because he is her heart.
Spiderman has suffered so much in his short life. He has seen things his young eyes never should have seen and he bares the scar. He has days where he can clearly not handle it all. Tears well in his eyes and he cannot form a smile. These days kill me because his light should never be dimmed. But then there are the days when he takes me by the hands, his big eyes gleaming, and says, "I love you."
A lover and a fighter my Spiderman is. I wish for him to know his greatness everyday of his life. His face is imprinted forever in my mind, his hand will never leave mine, and his heart is now part of my soul. He is a being unlike any other and a little boy who makes living in this crazy world bearable.
There are people in this world who shine so bright that their presence can be blinding and impossible to ignore. Spiderman is one of those light. He is changed me in ways I cannot explain and forever left his footprint on my heart.
He caught my eye the first time I saw him. A huge toothy grin, and scars on his face, a wisdom in his eyes. There was just something about him. The first thing I learned about his case was that everyone was on his case, the toughest in the center. In his first few days he ran away several times and his little body has a hard time dealing with withdrawals. He told Rafiki his father's occupation was to beat him and many days he sat alone, away from the other boys. He struggles in school and cannot retain information very well, a possible side effect of his early drug use. Some days are quite hard on Spiderman. I am no doctor but I believe he suffers from PTSD. Joseanne told us his whole story one day after she spent hours comforting him. It goes like this:
One day Spiderman returned home to find his father's dead body. He had been murdered. He sat and cried and cried for help but no one came. He worries the same people will come back for his mother. He told Joseanne that he would rather they take him instead- he loves his mother so much. He loves his mother so much because she loves him so much. She would tell Spiderman to behave so that his father would not beat him. Spiderman remembers his mother telling him that when his father beat him it was like she was taking the blows because he is her heart.
Spiderman has suffered so much in his short life. He has seen things his young eyes never should have seen and he bares the scar. He has days where he can clearly not handle it all. Tears well in his eyes and he cannot form a smile. These days kill me because his light should never be dimmed. But then there are the days when he takes me by the hands, his big eyes gleaming, and says, "I love you."
A lover and a fighter my Spiderman is. I wish for him to know his greatness everyday of his life. His face is imprinted forever in my mind, his hand will never leave mine, and his heart is now part of my soul. He is a being unlike any other and a little boy who makes living in this crazy world bearable.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Live 2 Break
Happiness. Joy. Hope. Those are the words I would use to sum up the last 10 days at Les Enfants de Dieu.
If there is one thing my boys love more than anything else in the world it is to dance. Sun up to sun down they will dance. As soon as they get the chance the boom box is rocking and they are grouped together in synchronized routines. Many an afternoon, I have spent twirling in circles, shuffling from side to side, and getting down with the boys in our dining room as the music cracked in and out on the sketchy stereo. So much joy has come to the center through dance, a language and an understanding that needs no words.
So of course if they had one wish it would be to have real dance teachers, not just the pirated music videos they watch to perfect their skills. Thank god for Catalyst Rwanda and the Live 2 Break Crew who came and spent the last ten days teaching the boys to pop, lock and drop it.
As I watched the boys transform into break dancers this last week I felt so happy. Their smiles never faded and their eyes lit up every time Pervez (the break master) tied his bandanna on and showed them a new move. Each time Kate or Bret (the rest of the crew) slowed down to help a boy until he got it, I saw that glint of pride radiate from his soul. This week the boys saw that they mattered. The Live 2 Break crew had come all the way from London just for them because they are just as important as any other child. They will never forget those ten days, they will treasure them forever-- just as I will cherish the moments I got to sit and watch them smile as they spun in circles and hopped back in forth.
There are not enough thank yous in the world but it's all I have; so thank you Pervez, Kate, Bret and Nicola for making my boys know how special they really are!
If there is one thing my boys love more than anything else in the world it is to dance. Sun up to sun down they will dance. As soon as they get the chance the boom box is rocking and they are grouped together in synchronized routines. Many an afternoon, I have spent twirling in circles, shuffling from side to side, and getting down with the boys in our dining room as the music cracked in and out on the sketchy stereo. So much joy has come to the center through dance, a language and an understanding that needs no words.
So of course if they had one wish it would be to have real dance teachers, not just the pirated music videos they watch to perfect their skills. Thank god for Catalyst Rwanda and the Live 2 Break Crew who came and spent the last ten days teaching the boys to pop, lock and drop it.
As I watched the boys transform into break dancers this last week I felt so happy. Their smiles never faded and their eyes lit up every time Pervez (the break master) tied his bandanna on and showed them a new move. Each time Kate or Bret (the rest of the crew) slowed down to help a boy until he got it, I saw that glint of pride radiate from his soul. This week the boys saw that they mattered. The Live 2 Break crew had come all the way from London just for them because they are just as important as any other child. They will never forget those ten days, they will treasure them forever-- just as I will cherish the moments I got to sit and watch them smile as they spun in circles and hopped back in forth.
There are not enough thank yous in the world but it's all I have; so thank you Pervez, Kate, Bret and Nicola for making my boys know how special they really are!
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| The Live 2 Break Crew |
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| Elena and I "breaking it" |
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