I had an awful morning. The variety of which suggests you should turn around and go back to bed. The transition to Rwanda has been unlike my other expat experiences-I suspect it's because this time, there is no clear plan for what happens next. When I lived in Cameroon, I knew I was going to move to the UK to do my Masters. When that was done, I knew I was going to return home for some time. Now I'm not sure what the next phase will be-perhaps more time in Rwanda, perhaps a move to another field office, perhaps returning home. At twenty six, though I'm still young, I'm also thinking about the balance of family, friends, partners, and perhaps even kids. I don't know how its all going to turn out, and this leads to a little anxiety. Ha, if you know me, I actually mean a lot of anxiety.
So while the weekend was fantastic (a UN New Years gala full of traditional dancing and good food in a beautiful courtyard at a huge mansion followed by a weekend exploring a new coffee shop that has an amazing latte, and later by the attendance of the big Ghana-Cameroon football game), by Monday I was feeling a bit lonely. Tuesday was great-was back in the field, visiting refugee/returnee camps and a pineapple plantation. Then I ended up at the Uganda border and got to visit my lovely driver Jovin's family who live in an amazing mud hut. More pictures to follow.
But this morning, after five days away from internet, and consequently, five days away from contact to home, I was desperately looking forward to getting back to the office. Ha. My driver was half an hour late. Then I got to the office, and my computer wouldn't work. Then I got a different laptop while the Tech guy tried to figure out what was wrong with the first computer. Then the mouse didn't work. Then my headphones on my ipod blew. Then my flash drive (full of pics from yesterday's trip) decided to stop working. And, to boot, though the early morning was gorgeous, huge rain clouds moved in and it has poured all day. I am wearing a sleeveless shirt. And so, at ten am, I was freezing, missing home, lacked the necessary emails from friends that would keep me from totally losing it, and only had one email from sweet mummy telling me of finacial gong shows with my bank. Not the stuff happiness is made of. So, I seriously considered a nervous breakdown. My colleague, Bonnie, took one look at me and immediately marched me to her jeep, took me to her place, and gave me soup and tea. After a good vent, I felt better.
I came back to the office and had a very productive afternoon. I'm arranging a trip to a Congolese refugee camp next week to figure out environmentally sustainable firewood. I got the article finished that has been plaguing me for a week. I got my emails sent off. And I'm not as miserable. Huzzah for a cup of tea. I meant this post to be a bit different, but with all the commotion, I leave you at this. I'm also attaching some pics-largely from my friend Sarah, who is working at the village. But they will give you a taste of the beauty I get to work in. It's not so bad. Especially with tea.
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