Swimming, Hope:Rwanda and My Birthday

A couple weeks ago I took my Rwandan family out for the day to the swimming pool. The first time most of them had ever been to a pool was last year (they were taken by some friends of James and Jackie). This time, dear family friends of mine offered support so we could go. It was very special. Diama told me it made her so happy; she said she felt like a rich kid. The swimming pool isn’t expensive ($4 per person) but many families here can’t afford it.

Since the kids have been to the pool only a couple times in their lives (it was actually the first time ever for Delfina), they don’t know how to swim. But they really want to know how and begged me to teach them. I tried, but I’m no swim instructor. I barely made it through half the levels when I was younger. Yet, in their eyes I am a professional swimmer and might as well be in the Olympics. And until this day, I took for granted knowing how to swim.


Eric, Sylvan & Matthew



Eric learning to doggie paddle



Teaching James to float



Diama & little Eric in the kiddie pool



With little Eric








While at the pool for the day, we had a nice lunch of fish, potatoes, soda and veggies – the kids really enjoyed it since they rarely get to eat out. The day was an absolute pleasure, one they won’t soon forget.




Early last week I had the privilege of joining up with an Australian team of teachers who come each year and help out an organization called Hope:Rwanda. For two weeks they run conferences for Rwandan teachers, produce and distribute teaching materials, meet with government officials and support activities the organization is involved in year round. I had contacted Hope a few months ago to see if I could help them out with some photography. The team was a lot of fun and I enjoyed taking a few pictures for them. I was even able to tag along and photograph a meeting with the Rwanda Minister of Education! This organization is doing great things here.




And the other news this week is that I turned 27. I can’t believe it, but it’s true. Jackie’s brother Eric had been telling me for the past few days about a place nearby that he wanted to show me. We decided in the late afternoon on my birthday to walk there and Sylvan joined us. After about half an hour along dirt roads, passing school and homes, we came to this beautiful vista overlooking an open valley. There were big African trees and distant green hills; the familiar noises of daily Rwandan life had faded away. This is not the Rwanda I normally experience, so what a treat!


















Before I visit a new place, a new country, I have a picture in my head of how it will look and what it will be like. This picture I have is usually not how a place turns out to be; I think this is especially true in Africa. Yet, there are moments when the picture I had does meet up with what I’m now seeing, hearing and experiencing. The walk on my birthday was like that. This big open valley felt like Africa, the Africa I had thought, pictured, dreamed about.

















So back to my birthday… I went to an Italian restaurant with James & Jackie for pizza. Then, since we couldn’t take all the kids to dinner, we brought back some treats so we could celebrate with them. Pop, candy, popcorn and the movie Avatar made for a perfect evening. They sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me over and over, gave me homemade cards and giant hugs, and made me feel so loved. It was awesome.