It has been a while...

It actually feels like ages since I have written on here...not because I haven’t wanted to or couldn’t be bothered though...I mean a couple of weeks ago...I was doing so little, it seemed rather pointless to write the same boring routine over and over and over and over and over and over...I think you might be able to get the idea...I had reached an all new low of boredom at work...and it was fast looking like there was no way out...at least until Christmas and into the New Year!...I was spending day after day in the office, copy typing lists of teachers into excel...so...there I was...with hours on my hands and nothing to...this was not last Tuesday...but Tuesday...3 weeks ago...I will find out the date...(25th November) but I am more than sure that you can work it your for yourself! Anyway...I received a text message asking if I would like to help with some training for the Rwanda English in Action Programme (REAP) for the Ministry of Education...with nothing better to do and the placement of teachers nearly finished and typed into excel...I jumped at the chance...and before I knew it I was on the phone making plans to travel to Kigali the next day...once back home I was busy packing my bags before the light went...packing in candle light is no fun at all!! Anyway...Wednesday morning I was up bright and early...bags packed and leaving a slick of baby oil on the steps outside my room, where I had tried (and succeeded) to make my own insect repellent...I headed for the bus with more bags than I could possibly carry!...3 weeks is a long time to plan for...you never know what you might need! I got the bus to Kigali and then a taxi bus from the city centre to Remera...and from there I had to get a moto to the airport...I know that I was ripped off but it was a desperate case of now or never...I hate motos at the best of times but armed with a holdall...a ruck sack...my laptop bag and a hand bag...it was even worse...and if I didn’t get on this one then I would not be getting on one at all...and it is a long walk to the airport!!! From the airport I was going to be met by one of the other trainers...30 minutes later and I was still stood in the beating midday sun...thankfully he arrived a short while later...and we headed to the school in Kanombe where the training was taking place...there was a group of teachers already there and the training had started on the Monday...The trainers were a little put out as they had been told that they would be joined first thing on Monday morning by 2 trainers from Rwanda and 2 trainers in the form of VSO volunteers...but they were quite happy when I arrived. The initial idea had been that myself and Libby (the other VSO) and Bony and Stephen (the Rwandan trainers) would take part in the first weeks training...then train with the ‘proper’ trainers the next week and then train on our own the following week...I arrived just before the lunch break, which gave me a good chance to talk with the trainers. Angi is from the UK and was a lecturer at Leeds University, but is now freelance, travelling around the world working with organisations such as DfID. Doina is from Romania and is an English teacher at a secondary school, she was once a student of Angi’s and now trains with her when she is able to (and isn’t teaching!!) Both were very friendly and the group was very welcoming! Although the training had not been what I thought it was, it is a great idea. I had gone into it, thinking that it would be the best English speaking teachers, who would be there to ‘mentor’ all the teachers in their school in English, this would then support the self study materials that teachers will be provided with to improve their English and also the English training which has been taking place throughout the schools holidays. We are staying at St. Pauls, near Kigali town centre, with single, en suite rooms, electricity and hot running water...it is like heaven in a guest house...run by nuns...Thursday and Friday we continued to observe the training and take notes...each morning myself and Libby were picked up by the driver and taken back in the evenings...Friday was the end of the training and each participant received a DVD, certificate (but they didn’t arrive in time!) and a little heart shaped Christmas bauble...I was surprised at the reactions...the boys were making a fuss as some were shiny and others mat...they wanted shiny ones!!! In the evening, we were taken out for dinner by Angi and Doina...we went to a restaurant called Heaven...it is awesome...overlooking the twinkling lights of the city...in comfy chairs (with blankets if you are cold!) it is lovely...good service...good food...it is...Heaven! I spent the weekend in Kigali...Saturday morning however we were picked up by the driver and taken to the hotel of the trainers...starting at 10.30am...I foolishly thought that we would finish by about lunch time...but alas...it was not meant to be...we had lunch at the hotel...and we were still working at 6.30pm...oh the sadness!!! We finally left at 7.30pm...what I had left of the weekend I spent putting the finishing touches on my Christmas presents...which I fear, are not in fact, after all the effort put in...going to arrive in time from Christmas!!! Monday morning...the teams were planned and ready to train...but somehow the message had not got out to all the participant that they were supposed to be on a training course...we had 10 participants...rather than the 60 we had been expecting...so rather than 2 groups...we started on Monday with one group and then we were going to make a second group on Tuesday when the rest of the participants turned up...this week it would be teachers from the Southern Province...where I live and work...so it was nice to meet teachers from my district! Monday evening we went to Angi and Doina’s hotel where we planned for the next day and had dinner...Tuesday came and we only had 8 in our group (Doina, Stephen and myself)...we rushed through everything which we should have covered on Monday so that we had caught up with the other group...we joined them and had one large group for the remainder of the week...each evening was spent planning the next day’s training...and as we were having dinner at the hotel...we were getting home at 9.30 -10pm...I was super tired! Wednesday evening...when I finally got back to my room...I was in for a nasty surprise...the light in the bathroom was not working (and hadn’t worked since I had arrived) but this was unmistakable...at about an inch and a half long...with 6 spiky legs...a hard outer casing...and a reputation for being pretty much indestructible...yep..it was a COCKROACH!!!!!!!! And it was hanging out in MY bathroom...on my shower tiles...well...with lightening speed and precision aim...I shot the vile creature with my awesome homemade insect repellent...and the blighter was scrabbling up the wall in a slick of baby oil and deet...not for long though!!! Before long it was paddling around in the shower tray...I thought that maybe I could drown it...and poured a cup of water over it...accidentally but rather fortunately flipping it onto its back...and there it lay...thrashing it’s multiple spiky legs in the air...this went on for some time...while I stood there watching it...and maybe shouting at it...for the people who are living next door to me...they must have thought that I was slightly insane...as I was...well...not quite shouting...but definitely talking with a raised voice at the flapping insect...who made no effort to reply!!! Phrases may well have included...’I hate you!’...’oh my god...you are disgusting!’...’I would rather have an eight legged one in here than you!’ (ok...so that last one was a complete lie...but it needed to feel unwelcome!!) and ‘WHY THE HELL WONT YOU JUST DIE!!!!’ Anyway...after about 20 mins...I realised that there was a little bit of repellent left in the bottom of the bottle...so I poured a couple of drops on its underside...and it died in a matter of seconds...I feel no guilt...I am safe in the knowledge that it would have killed ME in my sleep had I not got to it first! Ok so maybe they don’t actually kill...but they are disgusting! Libby scooped it up on a piece of paper and it was put outside...with no ceremony...and I headed for bed...but...before I came away I was bought a beautiful green shawl for my birthday...and I had been using it folded up on my pillow...as the pillows here are not very nice...basically small odd shaped chunks of foam in a piece of material...anyway...my shawl had slipped the previous night...so I picked it up to refold it and put it back on my pillow...only I was horrified...remember a while ago I was talking about the animal I thought was living in my sofa and everyone thought that it was just a larium induced hallucination as no one else every saw or heard it...well...now I have got proof...my poor shawl...has several patches which have been chewed on...and a couple of holes...one particularly large one...I am so very sad and also cross!!! I was also disappointed to discover that the toilet at the school where I am going to be working for the next 3 weeks is a pit latrine...and it is far harder to use someone else’s latrine than your own...I had three near disasters...the first time I used the latrine I nearly lost half a leg, a foot and a shoe in there...the next day I went and for some reason I thought it was a good idea to take my bag (I have no idea why!) and I was so very busy concentrating on not losing a leg, foot or shoe...that I nearly dropped my bag in there...I decided to give it one last try a few days later...I should have known it was a bad idea...this time...I was so busy concentrating on not losing any lower limbs or personal belongings...I nearly ended up sat in the bloody thing...and when I managed to balance myself again...I looked around to see maybe 12 or 15 cockroaches sat hanging out on the walls and had clearly been there while I had been peeing...needless to say...I haven’t used the latrine since...Thursday night...there I was in my bed...fast asleep when my phone went...it must have been about 1.30am...the message read...’there was an enormous spider inside my mosquito net now I can’t sleep, nighty night’ It was from Libby...because I was asleep I couldn’t quite figure it out and couldn’t work out where she was...I was then convinced I had one in my net too...and couldn’t sleep...rubbish!!! As it happens she hadn’t tucked in her net...I made it to the end of the second week though! Angi and Doina left in the early hours of Saturday morning...leaving the 4 of us to plan and train for the next 2 weeks! We planned on Saturday morning and then in the afternoon I headed to Rulindo with April and Melanie...it was Ana’s birthday and she was having a party, but by the time we got there in the evening, most of the Rwandan guests were leaving, and it was Ana, Paul, Paul’s mum and dad, Jason, April, Melanie and myself...we were going to be staying in an outhouse...but I had not brought any bedding with me...Melanie offered to share her blanket...but the mattress had clearly seen better days so I slept on the mattress and piled what clothes I had on top of me...sleep was not an activity I undertook that evening...between being so cold I couldn’t think and watching out for SPIDERS (of which there were many) but I felt a little better being between April and Melanie on the mattress...I would have been super sad had I been on the outside!! I managed about 2 hours sleep altogether and listened to 5 complete albums...anyway...it was nice to get away from the city and see some of Rwanda...we headed back on Sunday...all feeling a lot more tired than we had hoped...I met Anna in town for lunch and then headed back to St. Pauls for an early night!! The training went smoothly throughout the week...but it was so tiring...thankfully the planning meetings until 9.30pm did not continue and we were planned by about 5pm each day! We met up on Saturday to plan and decided to swap partners...so this last week I was working with Bony...this would have been ok...had enough people turned up for 2 groups...as it was, there was only just enough for one very small group on Monday...by Tuesday there were still only 26 participants...Libby and Stephen took the group and we planned to do the training on Wednesday and Thursday...only when we arrived on Wednesday...there were 47 participants..which meant that there now needed to be 2 groups...myself and Bony took all the new people who had arrived...and ended up with a group of 27...but by the end of the day we had a group of 31 and had some serious catching up to do...The course which is usually 10 days had been made into a 5 day course...and we now had 3 days to do it...it was a lot of work as you are asking people to change the way they think! Mentor training in the context of Rwanda is not about being a supervisor or inspector...and there is no need for any lesson observations to take place...but as a mentor...they (we hope) by the end of the course have the skills they need to discuss lessons with their colleagues, enabling them to reflect on their practice as a teacher...not looking for problems or issues...it is a form of continuous professional development...if it is carried out properly, it will be really good and will support teacher development...The teachers who are mentors are equals to their colleagues they are mentoring...anyway...somehow...I don’t know how...I made it through the week...after 3 and a half weeks of melange for lunch and eating out every evening...I was ready for home! There has been some confusion over payment of accommodation and transport...we had been staying at the guesthouse for 24 nights...and neither of us had the money in our banks to pay our bill...but there was no explaining...thankfully as if by some sort of miracle...Libby had been paid by VSO and I had been paid some money, but didn’t know where it had come from! I still had to borrow some money from Libby but at least we were able to pay the nuns! I left just after umaganda on Saturday, getting the first bus at 11am...I arrived in Butare at the same time as Ruairi...we went for a beer and some lunch...before being collected by our landlord and taken back to the house...I got back to discover that Alexandre has moved back into the outhouse that has been done up...and now doesn’t have a leaking roof...and we are going to be having electricity...the landlord came with his nephew to mark out where all the cables and things are going to go and they are all going to put into the walls!! I can’t imagine life with lights!!! I am sure that there has been stuff happening over the past few weeks which I have forgotten...