Best of Rwanda Quotes

Serena has a wonderful blog with wonderful pictures and is very much worth reading (www.tyrrellsinafrica.org) and since it is so good we have decided to steal their quotes and some pictures, plus add some of our own. Life around the house is pretty much constantly entertaining as you will soon see with constant comments such as the below listed. Many being too funny and contextual to even put in quote form. I hope you get as much of a kick out of these as we did.

"I am not sure what to do with this feeling of contentedness. I am trying not to move as much as possible." - Danielle

Holding up her middle finger, "That's my flipper. Because it flips." - Danielle

Jessi: "Plumbagos!" (which are apparently little blue flowers). Danielle: "Free Legos?!?"

"Are you getting some artistic inspiration?" - Serena to Danielle, watching Rwandan men in spandex shorts play volleyball

"You know my personal motto: If it can't be done in a skirt it's not worth doing." - Isaac

Isaac: "There is a book in the Nakumatt about why black men love white women." Jessi: "Is there a book about why white women love black men?" Isaac: "No, you couldn't write a book about that. Unless it were a picture book..."

"Do me a favor and go to the bathroom." - Isaac to Jessi

"If we were dating this would be romantic, but since we are married it is stupid." Isaac while holding half the plate that Serena was holding and dishing up food on it.

"I am down with things that hug me unless they are strangers." - Danielle

"I'll be ready when I want to be ready." - Henry

Jessi: "How much do I owe you for gas for the scooter?"....LONG PAUSE....Isaac: "Don't call it a scooter."

"I'm not not calling you a worm." Serena to Danielle during out conversation about parasites

“I love you in my heart”- Arsene to Serena

“you a muzungu mama cow”- Henry to our cow

“that precious chunk”- Danielle, of Abby

“I played soccer today with all the kids without dads”- henry

“Muzungu! give me bon-bons!”- street kid, yelling as we passed in the car

“no me understand a you”- Henry to Claude

“you speak very bad”- Rwandan man to Serena after she said mwirewe as we passed on the way to school

“my pants in my bum” – Arsene, I think saying he had a wedgie. Oh dear.

“it’s not poison”- Wiola, while putting a squirt of ketchup on each bowl for birthday lunch bbq, getting funny looks and murmurs from the mamas

“we better call you smarty mom because you’re so smart”- Henry to Serena

“I’m judging you because of your sugar intake today”- Jessi to Danielle, on having her third Citron Fanta that day

“Where is the sausage?!”- mama Jo, mimicking the boys sleeping/talking in their sleep the night before their birthday

“Claude and I got the giggles, giggles, giggles”- Henry, telling of his day

“I care about you as a person, so I’ll listen”- Isaac to Danielle, during her explanation of math theory

“It was really quick, like 30 minutes”- Jessi, of downloading something on the internet

“God made me that way. Children get messy and parents don’t”- Henry, when Serena was frustrated

“I can’t believe in my wildest dreams I would like this so much: this fake cheese product”- Danielle, of our mac-and-cheese made with Velveeta

“that was kind of mean – why bring up DQ?”- Danielle

“did I not say do not dare that girl to do anything?”- Danielle re: Jessi

“free Fanta for the rest of the trip! All because of my genetic defect.”- Jessi re: taking the bet to peel a banana with her toes

“I am trying good idea” – Arsene, playing with his cars

“guess what? Today Arsene had a good attitude”- Henry

“oh, you have it rough”- Isaac to me as Serena was cooking, right after she got the following from three little boys through the window: “God bless you (Arsene) – I love you with all my heart (Henry) – I love you (Shema)”.

“no, they are traveling and want to watch the muzungu dig”- Mama Jo to Serena in the field, when she asked if the ladies sitting down with their babies lived at that house

The perpetual staring crowd (random non-orphange kids)

“ouchie- my legs are out of control”- Henry, climbing the stairs

“you can always call Mama Epiphanie” – Wiola, in needing to kill that goliath of a bug. (Mama Epiphanie beat a snake to death with a stick and an audience of 60 kids)

“Is this imagination?”- Henry, looking at and trying to figure out Danielle’s non-realistic art work

“happiness is handing out candy to your children”- Isaac

"The creeps stole all the good things - like utility vans and candy." - Isaac

“uh-yes”- Danielle, to Isaac’s offer of Kielbasa sausage

“that’s less convenient” – Isaac, hearing Danielle is an expert in abstract math vs. being a human calculator

“do not spoil Polish chocolate, please”- Wiola, watching Isaac mix our hot chocolate with a package she brought

“I like Wednesdays because the kids smell like meat after dinner”- Isaac

“I speak spit” – Henry

“your house is good, your teeth are good”- Arsene to Serena, through the kitchen window

“he’s my most biggest friend of all in here, I really really love him”- Henry of our oldest boy, Fabrice who’s off to boarding school

“Cause I am America”- Arsene, when Serena asked him why he speaks English so well

“you tell him all about my moves”- Henry of dad, when Serena was walking from the jungle gym to the office

“I’m gonna kill you”… “how could you?”…. “you don’t have a heart”- Wiola to Isaac, all quotes while competitively playing a board game

“is it unwise to lick a cheese grater?” – Isaac, after shredding the first chunk of our cheddar cheese from America

“hi white man!”- man on a bike that passed Isaac and Serena

“if you have the long-horned cows, I will give you my sister [for a wife!]”—random man Isaac had a conversation with in a store “did you tell him you already had a sister?”- Tom as they left the store

“Elia has a bum big”- Anastase, of his little brother

“what are you doing mom, just enjoying the day, huh?”- Henry to Serena as I sat while he and dad played video games

“ I feel like I’m in training to be a ninja”- Isaac, about his self-control of not itching all his bites

“when will all those people wake up? Like Pa and dad?”- Henry, in the morning

“oh yeah, baby, that’s what I’m talking about”- Henry, when wiping his face with a warm washcloth at the end of the day. Also when having ranch at dinner. And pretty much anything he enjoys.

“everyday I dream of America”- Henry, on the swings

“four is sooo far from being a man!”- Henry

“can you push me like a man?”- Henry to Serena, on the swings

“of course I’m filthy – every boy gets filthy everyday”- Henry to Serena

“hi”- Serena to 3 year old Zach “fine, thank you”- his response

“this is just amazing, huh?”- Henry, when the clouds were moving so quickly in the valley

“do it like a man! do it like a man!”- Henry, to himself, psyching himself up to eat beans

“ I love having a dad”- Henry

“hey [hitting Serena, while looking at pictures of our family back home] – you took away my whole home” – Henry

“Uh-oh, do you know what we didn’t do today?”- Serena to H, looking for the answer of school time “bake a soufflé?” – Henry

“I’m sorry for disobeying everyday forever”- Henry

“a person”- answer of Elia, when asked what he wants to be when he grows up

“a pig”- answer of Elia, when asked what he could have if he could have anything in the world

“Good job mom! You’re doing it! You’re doing it!”- Henry on the top of the dirt mound, watching Serena try to round up the pigs on her own

“it’s really cool how God made himself God, huh?”- Henry

“I liked that girl’s face and all that”- Henry of a little girl we saw in Kigali

“sure is a lovely day – and it’s lovely nights also”- Henry

“wow- someone used a turn lane! I’m so proud of them”- Isaac while driving in Kigali

“I know enough to boss around children and make adults laugh”- Isaac, of his Kinyarwanda

“hamburgers – steak beef – ribs” – Henry, when asked what he wanted for breakfast

PHOTOS
Miscellaneous Favorites!!

The neighbors cow got hit by a car so they had a temporary butcher shop next door.

Sunday Dress

First experience of sugar cane

Talent show
Weekly football outing (with all stuffed in one car)