"I think if you love God, you will give me an Engish book." -H

Since school doesn’t begin until February 1^st, I have a lot of time on my hands. Fortunately, visiting neighbors is a pretty serious cultural expectation in Rwanda, so I am able to spend a significant amount of each day just going from house to house, practicing my Kinyarwanda and getting to know my community. Although the lack of activity has made it extremely difficult to keep my mind off of all of you at home, I think in the long-run I will be very grateful for this time I’ve had to establish relationships with the people in my neighborhood.

There has been some excitement, though, and fortunately lately it hasn’t involved any accidental trips to the military camp. For one, my house was painted! When I arrived the walls inside were just the color of the concrete, which is how many houses here are. Peace Corps asked them to paint, though, and I am so thankful for that! I didn’t actually intend for my house to be yellow when I chose cream, but it’s probably not a bad idea to spend the next two years surrounded by one of the most cheerful colors there is.

After a long week of painting and cleaning, on Saturday I went with a few friends to climb a volcano (inactive, of course)! Climbing Bisoke was all together one of the most miserable and exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had. It was 12,000-plus feet up, and of course not one of us considered the fact that it might be easier if we waited to go until after the rainy season. I’ll admit it: I did consider just knocking myself unconscious with my gorilla-engraved walking stick about halfway up so I wouldn’t have to climb anymore. If it hadn’t been for David, who ended up becoming my personal guide and practically dragged me up after the first hour, I probably wouldn’t have made it to the top of Bisoke and  been able to see the Crater Lake. It was impossible to see the lake when we first reached the top because of the clouds, but after about 20 minutes a huge gust of wind just rolled right through and pushed the clouds away to revealthe water. It was breathtaking!

Contrary to the ascent, going down was a full-blown blast! It was so muddy, and because it was basically impossible not to slide, I told David I just wanted to play. As a result, the majority of the descent consisted of David bracing himself every minute or two to stop me from tumbling the whole way down like an avalanche. Naturally, my internal soundtrack for those few hours was “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles.

It’s been a good few weeks but I’m definitely ready to begin teaching. Can’t wait to start sharing those stories! Love and miss you all.

The neighborhood kids painted my Rwandan name, Kayitesi, on a ledge on my porch with some extra paint they found.

The Crater Lake! Don't I look like it was easy? :)

A rainbow over the other volcanoes. Straight out of Care Bears.