The Rooster was still alive

My silence for the last five days has been the result of work and a somewhat self-imposed hiatus from technology. At the office, longer days are worked from Mon-Thurs, and then on Friday we get off at 1pm. I suspect that as I get busier with work, more time will be spent at the office on weekends. Until then, faced with the prospect of essentially three days to fill with no computer and no roomates, I devised a plan. In my experience, this sort of alone time doesn't happen a lot in the West. There is always a distraction-tv, friends, family, work, telephone, internet.... When you find yourself in a developing country with no friends, no tv, no internet, a telephone that works sporadically, and a ten hour time difference from anyone who would want to talk to you anyways, there is a lot of silence. And a lot of thinking. And it's not always easy to have that kind of alone time. But given that this sort of scenario has happened more frequently as my rendezvous to foreign lands increase, I'm learning to-maybe not quite enjoy it yet, but sit with it. Apparently, I don't bite.
My first project: march around my new neighbourhood and find dinner. A daunting task when you are the only white person for miles, the market is huge, and everyone has a deal for you if you'd only step this way. After a forray into the masses where I purchased some veggies, I decided I was not well equipped to purchase a live chicken and kill it for dinner. Nor did I want to carry one home. So I asked my congolese house boy to go get one for me. And then I sat, rather smug, as visions of chicken and veg for dinner danced in my head, and I ploughed through some of the reading I had brought. Four hours later, I marched around to check on the progress of said dinner, and the rooster was still hanging out in the back yard. Ok, dinner will happen tomorrow. A bit of a dissapointment given that it was going to be the event of the day.
The rest of the weekend was spent going for runs and exploring new terrain. The UN has hired me three guards, in addition to the houseboy and the guard we already have at the house. Consequently, despite being essentially alone, there are always people tracking me. Feels really odd. And a little violating. But I'm told I will grow used to it.
On the work front, I am officially the project manager of the Community Development Project in Nyagatere District. Supported by the Italian government, this project was strategically developed to assist some of Rwanda's most vulnerable: returnees from Tanzania who were unceremoniously kicked out in November 2006, and demobilized soldiers. Stabilizing this region will contribute substantially to Rwanda's security. And so, the project consists of a number of components. One is food security. Fifty-three concrete slabs have been poured to hold cocoons of food so that there will be food available during the dryer seasons. As I visited this project in the field last week, it became clear that one of the challenges will be getting the cocoons, currently in storage, to the site with the food stored securely. It is harvest time now, so it will be a priority to get this done. Under food security, the project is also supporting a rice production cooperative by providing fertilizers, inputs and irrigation. The rice marshlands are majestic. It looks like a little Vietnam nestled into the hills of Rwanda.
There are seven displaced persons camps this project support (326 families). The area this project covers is extensive, so I was only able to visit one of the camps, but it was beautiful and the people were great. As I got out to discuss with the camp leader challenges and goals for 2009, he suggested in no uncertain terms that I figure out a way to come up with 300 cows. His people, who have spent a large part of their life in Tanzania, are pastoral people, he tells me. They don't know how to farm-they want cows. Got it. Unfortunately, so far the budget only allows for 65 cows. So we'll have to negotiate.
To support income generation, the Nyagatere District Project is supporting microfinance loans, with 14 projects and 1 022 participants trained in fertilisation, crop disease control, animal traction, agro-forestry, irrigation, seed multiplication, processing and marketing, cooperative management, beekeeping, mushroom, banana, coffee and passion fruit production. I visited one cooperative that is now developing paint (yes Dad, more colours to choose from, I'll send you some swatches if you are interested).
Otherwise, the project has also installed 14 bore holes. The holes are relatively accessible, but by western standards are still very difficult to get to, and once there, it was my task to pump some water. Ha. It's tough work. I was told I wasn't fast enough. And I was escorted in and out via my lovely driver Jovin and an entourage of 10 other people. And I don't have to plop the water on my head and walk it out. Renewed respect for those who have to go for miles to get some water. And it's not even clean enough to drink.
Maggy, my supervisor, has also been kind enough to ask me what work I am interested in-peace and security is very difficult to get into this way, and so my first job with the UN is in development. However, in light of the extensive peacebuilding efforts going in to post-conflict Rwanda, the government is establishing an institute focused not solely on peacekeeping, as institutes such as the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre tend to focus on, but rather on peacemaking and peacebuilding. I'm very happy to have the opportunity to get my foot in the door on this project.
In the meantime, I'm trying to kick my coffee habit-my Dr. tells me the combo of my generally constant state of anxiety mixed with the ridiculously strong coffee I have become accustomed to drinking after team Middle East in the UK got me hooked is a bad habit and could lead to ulcers. The tea is not a disaster but its not entirely appealing either.
And a word about mosquito nets: I hate them. I know they're useful, but I think they mean more for sleeping babes. For those of us who flail, you get caught up in them and feel claustrophobic, mosquitos tend to find their way in regardless, and particularly for more public areas like hotels where they are provided, it feels like you are sleeping in someone else's sheets. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to come to terms with, and use effectively, mosquito nets, I'd be thrilled to hear them.