In Heaven There Is No Beer

Muraho, Jacqueline here!

(This blog post was originally written on Saturday, July 23. Due to lack of internet connection it has been uploaded a day late.)

Rwanda is a beautiful country. The mountains are striking, the soil rich, the plants lucious and abundant, the weather pleasant, and the people generous and accommodating. The streets are filled with bicycles carrying impossibly large loads of bamboo, jerry cans, and sometimes friends on the back. Women in bright colors and vibrant patterns expertly balance containers on their heads. Motorcycles skillfuly weave through the busy streets, their red helmets standing out against the crowd. Even now, sitting on Jean's porch I hear children playing, sheep and goats braying, diesel engines chugging along, and the distant hum of drums, singing, and lively conversation. I absolutely love it here.

On Thursday we got our first real experience of the Rwandan landscape as we drove around to learn about all of the previous systems. We got to meet many community members and experience first hand the projects which we had only seen in photos. At Kibaya, the village Chief came out to greet us with his family. Jean informed us that per custom, as long as the Chief's wife was home, we would not be able to leave without seeing inside the house. When we entered the building and sat down, we were surprised by heaping dishes of halved potatoes and beans. We ate with our hands, peeling the potatoes as we went. Just when I thought I couldn't eat any more, the Chief's wife came back out with freshly cooked maize. We learned that these three foods are traditionally eaten at harvest festivals in the first week of August, but that we got to celebrate early. It was an awesome experience.

On our way back we passed by one of the government run taps, where dozens of children were lined up with their jerry cans. Jean explained that the kids wait for hours at a time, often missing school, for water that can run as expensive as $20 a jug, and comes out at random unscheduled times. We got out of the car for a closer look, per the kids requests. We introduced ourselves, gave some highfives and fist bumps, and shared some giggles. When we left they chased after our car.

Yesterday, we visited Janja for the first time, where construction of our eighth (!) rainwater catchement system was already underway. We took in the breathtaking mountain views as we made the ~2 hr drive over curvy mountain passes and bumpy dirt roads. Jean pointed out the river where the village residents must trek to get their water. The path was narrow and steep, and I had trouble conceiving how someone would be able to traverse it with full jerrycans. About 20 minutes of driving later, we arrived, as close as the road would allow, to the build site. We were greeted by shy but happy village residents filling woven plastic sacs with loads of sand for the concrete mixture. We grabbed some ourselves, hoisted them onto our shoulders, and followed the volunteer workers down the steep dirt steps. We were not nearly as adept or sure-footed in navigating the rocky terrain as them.

We dumped our bags, made introductions, and learned about the construction process and design choices for the system (embedded concrete floor supports, concrete columns instead of brick, linear alignment of the 5th tank, additional support beams, etc). The path back up to grab more sand definintely made me notice the altitude, after having been near sea level all summer. After a few more trips, we were guided to a barrel to wash our hands, and then to a small shaded room in the house adjacent to the site. There Hassan prepared some sugar cane for us with a machete. It was sweet and cool, and a welcome after running up and down the hill.

When it was time to leave, Roger got carried up to the car in a traditional nest typically used for married couples and the very sick. It was a sight to see, and entertained the village kids. We returned to Jean's house for beer, crispy chicken, tangy carrots and onions, and freshly made chips (fries). When the sun started to set, we finally got to try the famed Musanze local banana beer. It was 14% alchol, and as Jean says "it makes you want to dance". He taught us a drinking song to go with it:

In Heaven there is no beer

that's why you are drinking here

And when you're no longer here

Your friends will be drinking your beer

We played a few rounds of Egyptian rat screw, and took an early night. More big things to be done in Janja tomorrow!

-Jacqueline

Murakaza Neza

Muraho! It is the end of our second full day here in Rwanda, and our experience has been nothing short of adventure. The team got in late Tuesday night after over 20 hours of flying. I passed the time munching down on chocolate bars I got during our layover in Amsterdam and watching Avatar: The Way of Water. The chocolate was delightful. The movie, however, was a little disapointing, but I'll save this review for another blog. We finally landed in Kigali in the evening on 7/18 and anxiously filtered through customs, wondering if we had forgetten to remove any plastic bags in our luggage. Fun fact: plastic bags are illegal here in Rwanda. We were immediately greeted by Jean D'Amour, who piled us all into his car and shuttled us to our hotel for the night in Kigali. We all sat down in the hotel resturaunt area and indulged in our first taste of Rwandan cuisine: rice, plantaines, pasta noodles, and a beef stew. Our hotel stay was beautiful, and everyone was so friendly and welcoming to us. I woke up to my first actual view of the landscape here illumitated by the sun. I knew that Rwanda was a georgous place to visit coming in, but this is one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been. There is lush green vegetation sprawling everwhere here, filled with exotic plants and vibrant fruit blossoms. There are rolling hills everywhere, although I think they are large enough to be called mountains. The city of Kigali is immaculately clean, and there was not one single bit of trash that I was able to spot. I got to see more of the area as we headed to the Kigali National Geonocide Memorial, where we were able to learn about the tragic yet integral part of Rwanda's history. It is hard to specify my emotions coming out of this; all I can say for sure is it was one of the most powerful exhibits I have ever witnessed. If you are to ever visit Rwanda, I believe this is a very important first stop. To add in a mix to the emotions, we saw Kevin Hart while at the Memorial! We saved approaching him for another time, but hopefully we stumble into him again during our time here. Huge Kevin Hart fan by the way. We then continued our journey with a long car ride through the countryside to Musanze, where Jean lives. We made several stops along the way to check out villages and scenic views. Words really can't describe how beautiful this place is--this entire time I have been captivated by the visuals of blooming tropics mixing in with towering mountains. There is something about Rwanda that radiates life. The ground is incredibly fertile due to the nearby volcanoes, the air is clean and crisp, and the people are warm and welcoming. Rwanda truly is a special place, and the team and I are beyond greatful to experience such a beautiful country. We ended our first day at Jean's home, where he made us a delicious meal of cooked fish, rice, potatoes, and "false lemons" (a citrus fruit that looks like a lemon but tastes like an orange). Jean has been the most generous host, completely acommodating all of our needs with a nonstop smile on his face. It has been a busy couple of days, and we are all winding down now with a game of cards. Signing off, Cooper

Popsicle, Poopsicle, Dreamsicle

Muraho blog — We’ve finally reached our last day here in Rwanda after an incredibly two-weeks. We’ve completed everything we’ve hoped to, met everyone we have partnerships with (along with some new), been on safari, seen the capital Kigali and have made some special friendships along the way. I wanted to write this blog post like a game we’ve been playing almost everyday while being here. One day, over some lattes and strawberry shakes at créma, Jack had the great idea to start this game that he’d previously played working at a summercamp. He called it popsicle, poopsicle, and dreamsicle…i know at first I couldn’t bring myself to seriously refer to something as a poopsicle but we did it anyways. The game is pretty much a reflection of something good, something bad, and something hopefully that happened to you today. We started the game that day, and everyday since, when we had time sitting around together or at the dinner table, we would go around and all give our 3. We shared the game with our friend and partner Hasan, who got a kick out of the word poopsicle; with our host Jean, who would always give the most thought-out, well-said answers, and our friends in the Hingamafaranga club who didn’t know what a popsicle was (a frozen fruit snack in the US is how we described it). So I thought it be only necessary to share it with the blog: 

Popsicle: My popsicle for the trip, would have to have been seeing the impact of this project first hand. I knew this club was important and special when I joined it but the work we completed and the work I know we can complete in the future is incredibly impactful and sustainable on many levels and has the power to help many more communities of Rwanda. The most moving thing to me has been learning how the systems increase the number of children that can attend school since the amount of time it takes to fetch water is reduced. You can imagine how this will positively effect the development of the community and health of the children of future generations. As well as seeing the community buy-in for these projects (see blog post about community day). This popsicle could be many pages long but to keep it brief, being able to see our work first hand and meet the children and families who will benefit from this and maintain it in their future, has been one of the most rewarding things I have participated in my life to date and hope to experience more like this in the future. 

Poopsicle: My poopsicle for the trip is that we couldn’t have stay longer. Teams of the past were able to stay for a month and get to see more of the progression of the project and more of Rwanda. Two-weeks was wonderful but 3-4 would be really special. I hope teams of the future consider staying a tad longer, because once you are here you’ll find that you never want to go. 

Dreamsicle: Finally, my dreamsicle for the trip is that I hope there are many more projects to come in the future and that the impact continues to flow through the communities of Rwanda and change many lives. I hope the best for Jean and Hasan, their families, lives in Rwanda and all the good the future may bring them and hope to be reunited with them, and this team, again someday. 

Simply-put but this game has allowed us to reflect on our travels and thoughts  throughout the trip and if future teams are reading this definitely include this game when traveling or even at meetings. To popsicle, poopsicle, dreamsicle, the 2022 travel team, and Jean and Hasan thank you for a wonderful two-weeks together this experience will never be forgotten.

Catherine

Amazing Amazi!

Muraho inshute, Megan here! The safari continues to exist in my mind as a fever dream of playing the nicest sax I have ever played with an incredible band, the most wonderful hot shower of my life, and seeing 9 giraffes that looked like savanna dinosaurs. When we returned to Kadahenda after our safari in Akagera National Park on Monday morning, the system was nearly finished and the rain had started to come. Aside from providing moral support to the plumber, Claude, and taking turns standing as goal posts for the kids’ soccer game (just as glamorous as it sounds), we felt like most of our work was complete. It was so exciting to see the system in action, with the first flushes and taps working exactly as expected. One of the concrete tap stands was even labeled “ALIA” in honor of Aria’s newfound masonry skills. We collected water samples from the first flush, tap, and original community water source, and then made our way back to Musanze with only two stops for Macgyvered engine repair along the way. We are the only team to have seen rain in the systems, which was very exciting for us. 

The next day and a half continued to bring rain to the systems and gave us the opportunity to rest and recover a bit before the final stretch of the trip. We walked to Crema, which lives up to the hype from past teams, for Aria’s favorite honey latte and we wandered through the shops in downtown Musanze. In the evenings, we have taken advantage of free time to stream the Lion King in painstaking 5 minute segments. This down time has been much appreciated after a very busy week!

Last night, I started feeling pretty sick. I’m taking antibiotics now that will hopefully help me kick this bug, but it’s been tough to sit in bed like banana beer waiting to brew. The rest of the team learned how to make chapati this morning and went to the university, INES, in the afternoon to test water samples we’ve taken over the past few days with help from our pal Hasan. As I write this post, I continue to be pretty useless but hopefully on the mend, looking forward to our last three busy days in Rwanda. I’ll be back on the blog after we return to the US to write a wrap-up post and add pictures to our previous post. Until then, I’ll be trying to drink as much pineapple Fanta as I can and savoring the last of our time with our friends and community!

Megan

Hakuna Matata

Hello world! Back again with another message from your favorite muzungus, 

As the construction at Kadahenda nears completion, the team got a welcome break from the long days and prying children.  We spent Friday night in Kigali, a 2 hour drive from Jean’s home in Musanze, and had to say goodbye to our mentor and friend Travis.  Of course not before heading to one of our new favorite restaurants, an Ethiopian place on the outskirts of town (side note: don’t expect any other customers if you’re there before 9pm).  After a sad round of goodbyes and a night in a hotel, the team set off towards Akagera National Park for our weekend safari.  

 

Three hours and a covid test later, we made it into the park and transitioned from our roles at the site into full blown tourists.  I’d like to take a moment now to reintroduce each of our members.  

 

Megan Finnigan: Navigations expert and pizza critic

Jack Harris: Vice chancellor of wanting to see a lion

Catherine Patton: Sgt. General of animal spotting, claims to have seen a lion

Aria Mundy: Little miss asleep the whole time

Jean d’amour Manirere: Certified tour guide, executive decision maker, comic relief

 

Great.  Now that you are all familiar with each other, let’s talk about our first day in the park.  We opted to take the plains trail in the west of the park for this leg, so a good portion of our time was spent mistaking grass for different African animals.  After enough false alarms, none of us expected Catherine to spot the head of a giraffe peaking over a hill.  Two giraffes (!) eating from a tree right next to the road. Jean tells us this is pretty rareto see here in Akagera, so we were very excited to be there to see it. The rest of the drive included buffalo, zebra, and baboon sightings, and we called it a night. 

 

Arriving at our hotel was a shock to say the least.  We were greeted by hot towels and smoothies in the lobby, quite the change from our concrete covered clothes and packed car rides.  We enjoyed a huge buffet dinner with Rwandan classics and American favorites and ended the night outside with the live band.  Jean continued to show off his fantastic dance moves and was able to convince us all to join him.  And, after some more chatting with the band’s manager, our very own Megan Finnigan got the chance to jam on the saxophone with the hotel band.  We were all very impressed to say the least.

 

The next morning was another trip around the park, this time taking the lakeshore path to the east.  We saw more zebras and baboons on the way, taking time at each break in the plants to look for hippos and crocodiles in the lake.  While trekking through the tall shrubs we saw huge numbers of other critters small and large.  The complete list will be included below.  But as we turned back for the day, we decided to take another shot along the plains trail to look for elephants and whatever else we might see (this was a great idea).  Maybe an hour down the trail, we spotted it again: Giraffes.  And not just the two from last night, a family of three, then five, then seven giraffes all walking together down the hill snacking on the foliage.  What a highlight.  If two giraffes is rare, seven must be a record.  We were all stoked to just sit and watch these giants roll through.  But the daunting drive back to Musanze was weighing on us so we packed up and headed home.  Five hours of Rwandan traffic, and many many car naps later, we made it safely home and straight to bed.  

 

What an adventure! Simultaneously the dirtiest and cleanest we’ve been this trip.  Hope you all get the chance to check out this amazing bit of nature someday :)

 

Thanks for reading,

Jack 

 

Complete Animal List:

Zebra

Buffalo

Monkey

Guinea Fowl

Kingfisher

Giraffe

Hippo

Crocodile

Baboon

Warthog

Topi

Defassa Waterbuck

Honey Badger

Unidentified weasel looking creature

Turtle

Vultures, eagles, ospreys

Herons, cranes, ibis, and all number of other tall water birds

Community Day and the End of Week One

Muraho, friends! Aria here, with some updates for a wonderful few days in Rwanda (Internet access has been a tad unpredictable, so to our (20??) loyal viewers, my apologies for the delay on this post!) 

By Wednesday, we found ourselves feeling a bit more adjusted to life here in Rwanda (that jet lag was no joke). We visited the site on Wednesday morning, and even had the opportunity to work with the masons on the plumbing system - it was great to learn some new skills from the masons, and see the system really start to come together! After visiting the site, the team had the chance to visit INES and University of Rwanda, where we got to meet many of Jean’s colleagues, and even got to take tours of the engineering testing laboratories at INES and plant nursery at University of Rwanda (my goodness - I’ve never seen so many avocado trees, and as an avocado enthusiast I gotta say this was a highlight of the day). Some advice to future teams… be prepared to be spontaneously summoned to speak in front of a class of university students (I was definitely not ready for this one😂). While a bit nerve wracking, it was a great opportunity to engage with the university students (many of whom are pursuing studies related to agriculture), and we had some very eye-opening discussions about the future of water and food security, both in Rwanda and around the world. 

After a busy Wednesday, it was nice to relax a bit on Thursday morning. After breakfast, we took a stroll into the city of Musaze, where we enjoyed some delicious coffee at Crema (one of the best lattes I’ve ever had - the food and coffee here has been nothing short of spectacular). We spent some time exploring the lively streets of Musanze, brimming with speeding motos and vibrant markets. We ventured into one of the markets, where I found myself overwhelmed as we explored story upon story of shops filled with shoes, clothes, kitchen supplies, and toiletries… the list goes on and on. Jack scored a pretty good bargain with a pair of “super legitimate,” albeit pretty classy, Air Jordans. 

After a morning in Musanze, we made our way back to Jean’s house to prepare for Community Day in Kadahenda! After a quick lunch, we packed into the car and drove to the the village. The event was held on the project site, and as we approached the village, we were greeted by lively dancing and music. We took our seats alongside government officials, village chiefs, and university students in front of hundreds of villagers from Kadahenda and the neighboring villages. What a festival! I continue to be touched and inspired by the kindness and sense of community that’s so prevalent in Kadahenda. Among the events of the day, young students were given books and school supplies, and members of the community donated lambs and food to fellow community members in need. At one point during the ceremony, Megan, Catherine, Jack, Travis, and I were presented with beautiful baskets of beans and fruit - an incredibly generous gift from the members of the community. If there’s one virtue I hope to manifest after this trip to Rwanda, it’s to strive to care for others in my community - to engage in gestures of kindness, and to do what I can to support those around me. 

At the end of the ceremony, the secretary of the district invited us up to dance! I’ll admit, the notion of dancing in front of hundreds of villagers pushed the limits of my comfort zone (my dancing abilities are lacking), but with the villagers applauding and singing and dancing with us, I found myself smiling and laughing and enjoying every second of it. Almost as if it were queued, rain starting pouring down on us as we danced. This moment was truly one of the most special things I’ve experienced, and the incredible joy I felt from the smiles, the laughs, the dancing, and the music, is something I’ll always hold very close to my heart. 

On Friday morning, we made our way back to the Kadahenda site, where we helped put some finishing touches on the tap stations. We put our construction skills to the test and tried our hands at applying mortar to the tap stations, but quickly realized that that such masonry is much harder than it looks. We had to ask the professionals for help, and now the tap stations are looking spectacular, as is the system as a whole! After a busy and exciting first week on the site, we are very excited about the progress that’s been made. The rains are supposed to start next week, and we can’t wait to see the system in action soon! Time for a weekend safari break, and then we’ll be back to work!

Aria

Ode to Chapati

To Chapati, 

My dearest, my first culinary love. We first met over a decade ago on a dusty street in Kampala, me at turns high on adventure and utterly overwhelmed, you couched in the glass case of a street food vendor. For mere pocket change, you called to me like a siren, the song of an African street tortilla, and then you danced over my tongue and brought me great delight. Ever since you have held my affection.

Mon amour, I studied your construction. I wondered, is it possible a pancake and a tortilla had a baby? No. Three simple ingredients: water, oil, flour. Pack to the consistency of pizza dough and let rise. Place on a sizzling hot cast iron skillet and flip. I marveled at how your simplicity could produce such satisfaction. Savory and slightly sweet, textured and hearty. [Chef’s kiss.]

Surely this could be replicated in America, right? But, no. I tried and tried, but like my Grandma’s crepe pancakes, no matter how closely I followed the recipe, you never turned out exactly right. There was always some missing ingredient: ambient humidity, perhaps, or a different strain of flour, a different flavor of oil, or maybe just the romantic chaos of an African capital city. I couldn’t figure it out, I still don’t know, and I have given up trying.

Life goes on. I live in America and you live all over the African continent. I grow older, you stay the same, and that’s just fine. It’s amazing to me that I still remember the way you made me feel that first time, and I am grateful that each time I come back to you and take that first bite, I feel the spark of that original joy and all the attendant wonder and wanderlust it carried with it. 

May you enchant EWB students for years to come, as you have me, forever and amen.

With deepest sincerity,

Travis