The Art of Subtlety

I'll be the first to admit I like visiting orphans. Who doesn't? But even I was shocked to see a group of Americans (who I am going to distance as much as possible from myself by stereotyping them as Southern evangelicals) clustered in a group in the transit terminal of the Entebbe airport wearing matching shirts that said, "VISITING ORPHANS Uganda 2011" in bright orange letters across their backs. On the front was the word "Love" with the African continent where the letter "o" should have been, and a few scriptures thrown in for good measure. The whole group was laughing and hugging as if they had actually saved the entire continent during their visit. Never - not even when my mom tried to convince me I faced possible beheading during my overnight layover in Qatar - have I been so afraid someone would identify me as an American.

Danielle and I happened to notice the brazen message at the same time. I had been absorbed in my book for most of the morning, but slowly became conscious of a growing group of muzungus on the chairs in front of me. At first I was excited. After 2 months in Kenya and Rwanda it was a shock to see so many fair faces in one place, and when I heard their American accents I felt a certain kinship towards them. But as I looked from one to the other and realized they were all conforming to some bizarre dress code, the tunnel vision set in. My eyes moved in slow motion down the back of the girl standing nearest to me, to the assaulting orange letters and my jaw literally dropped.

I looked over at Danielle to be sure my eyes weren't deceiving me and saw the same look mirrored in her face. We immediately agreed that our only goal for the remaining 6 hours of our layover was to capture photographic evidence that shirts like that (and people willing to wear them in public) actually exist. This was a rare moment of solidarity for us, considering Danielle and I have nearly opposite ideals regarding the definition of socially acceptable behavior. But somehow that hideous shirt seemed universally inappropriate. I would have payed money to see a group of Rwanda young people wearing the same one on a mission trip to the deep South.

We started by pretending to skip through our photos while holding the camera out in front of us, but without the flash it was useless. So we followed them as they walked around, trying to get a close up. The only thing tackier than their shirts was our attempt at stalking them through the airport with our camera continuously casting a red focusing light on their backs. They eventually became uncomfortable with our cackling and started avoiding us. But not before we got these gems:

The perpetual noise of noise makers

If you have ever been to a third world country you are probably already aware of the obsession with noise makers that I am about to talk about. As part of the children's birthday loot some noise makers were given out. This may have been a mistake that will not be repeated in the future, I don't know, but the noise has not yet stopped. Every morning starting around 6am it starts (and that is only that I know of. I can't speak for what goes on in the dorms all night). From that point on if I see children I hear it. In English class even, one of the kids accidentally used it during the lesson. How do you accidentily do that? I don't know but these kids can. They are so hyped and ready to make noise at any and every possibility that they can accidentally have a noise maker make contact with their mouths while air is forcefully coming out. In fact I learned something of their ingenuity; inspired by wanting to perpetuate more noise.

One of the kids discovered that if you take apart the noise maker and blow up a whoopy-cushion (also part of their birthday loot) then you can insert the small part of the noise maker into the neck of the air filled whoopy-cushion so that once you let go the noise is perpetuated, by the releasing air in the whoopy-cushion, at a louder and longer level, minimizing virtually all the work of previously having to blow through the noise maker himself. Optimization. Well, now that's the kind of thinking I have been trying to get them to do in English class for the last month.

Now, I'd like to say that this obsession with making noise is only because they are kids but I have a feeling that if these noise makers were given to a bunch of adults here, the reaction would be hardly different. In fact I can prove this point by bringing your attention to the attachment of noise makers, aka horns, in automobiles. If you've been to a 3rd world country then you know what I'm talking about. It's non-stop! 3rd world countries like noise makers. I'm just sayin'.

Moving on

Our lives are defined at the moment by moving and constantly seeing new places and yet when it comes time to move on it is always the bitter in bittersweet that lingers. The excitement of new adventure is suppressed by the overwhelming feelings that come with good bye. Although I know it is time to move on and I don't want to change the motion of things, I am hit with the necessity of opposition. The flip side of every coin will show its face and with a sad good bye the coin has been flipped yet again.

After 60 hugs and awkward words we make our way towards the exit of the gathering hall, taking our last glances around the room. Some are sad, some seem to not care, the little ones are trying to physically bar our way from leaving while at the same time fighting for extra last hugs. Of course I am moved by such an event to feel loved and missed already at a gathering who's purpose is to evoke exactly that. I don't kid myself that I have really done anything lasting here or that I will be missed after more than a few weeks when the routine adjusts and other visitors come and take our place. But for right now I am paused in idealism with love and positive connections made; the residual of a good experience which has come to an end. i let this feeling be, not trying to change it. It is easy to create a false existence trying to define every new thing or uncomfortable feeling, concocting rules to make the high moments last. But we are gone and it is what it is. Good byes are said and then forgotten, but I know there are parts of me that are changed and I know that will last.

So we are off again, Europe as our next destination. Three days later (day layover in Uganda, two day layover in Kenya, and an overnight layover in Qatar) we will arrive in Zurich. Not the most direct route but that's what happens when you plan your trip a year ahead of time and then have two flights canceled and have to re-book them while abroad and on a budget. Once we arrive in Zurich we will purchase a Eurail ticket and head out on the train to our first stop in a little Swiss mountain town called Gimmelwald, near Interlaken and the famous Jungfrau and Eiger peaks. We have a workaway lined up for Southern France near Toulouse with a woman who's pig just gave birth to piglets as well as having a fine array of other farm animals (baby bunnies and donkeys to name a few). We will then be taking the train to Paris, Frankfurt, Luebeck, Berlin, Venice, Siena, the Cinque Terre on the coast of Italy, and lastly Dublin, where Jessi will catch her flight back home, and I will continue on to England for a week and then back |to Germany until my visa runs out to practice my German and help out my old landlords with their farm work. There are several stops that we are considering along the way if time and money allow, namely; Barcelona, Prague, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. There is much adventure ahead and we are free birds with the last leg of out long trip ahead of us. This is the play portion of our trip so bless our wallets endure and we are ready to go!

Sweet looking layover in Qatar

Then arriving in Switzerland. Quite a dramatic change of scenery.

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)