Kids Art 4/8/13

I've mentioned before that the kids at the Children's home enjoy drawing and coloring pictures on the porch.  So, I thought I would show you some of the pictures they have drawn.  The kids at school and the home have a lot of national pride. 

The kids at the home will often draw pictures of the flag, and kids at the school will often make bracelets using the colors of Burundi's flag - red, green and white.  The green color symbolizes hope, the white symbolizes peace, and red those who fell in the struggle for independence. The three stars stand for the three major ethnic groups of Burundi: the Hutu, the Twa and the Tutsi. The three stars also stand for the three elements of the national motto: Unité, Travail, Progrès ("Unity, Work, Progress").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Burundi

 

 

 

Corn and Beans 4/8/13

When I first arrived in January, the corn was growing.  I expected the corn to be harvested and the stalk to be cut down.  But, instead, the corn was picked, and the stocks died.  Most of the corn is grown during one of the two wet seasons.  Where I live there are two wet times of the year, and two dry times.  The dry times aren't that much different from the wet times of the year, there is just less rain.  The temperature varies by 20 degrees farenheit the ENTIRE year.  So, to me, it feels as if there aren't any seasons.

Corn here is different.  Corn is roasted, and tastes somewhere between corn on the cob in the states, and uncooked kernals of popcorn.  Corn on the cob is drier, and the corn is roasted since few people have electricity, and even less people have microwaves or stoves.

Some corn is available in the off season.  I took a two hour road trip to the capital today, and bought a warm cob on the way.  It was 200 Burundi Francs, or about $0.13.  Roasted corn is one of my favorite snacks.

When corn isn't growing, farmers often grow beans.  The beans are planted in the same field as the corn, and the vines from the bean plants climb the dead corn stalks.  If there aren't corn stalks,  farmers will put sticks in the grown for the bean plants to climb.  I originally thought the sticks were placed to prevent people or dogs from treading on the land.

Wedding 4/6/13

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to a Burundi wedding.  One of the cleaning ladies at school got married to a secondary school English teacher.  The French invitation said the civil union, or legal wedding document signing, was at 11am.  The wedding in the church was to be held at 2:30pm, and the reception afterwards at 5pm. 

A man named Peter recently moved to Gitega from the capital with his wife.  Peter recently got married in December, shortly before I came to Burundi.  Part of Peter's job is to schedule all the rides from school, town and the Children's home.  Peter has spent some time in England, and speaks English very well.  Peter was a big help to me during the wedding.  He explained to me that the family generally goes to the civil union, some people go to the church wedding, and everyone goes to the reception.  I had planned to go to the reception, but ended up going to the church wedding as well.

I once read about a man that showed up to an African wedding at 9am in the morning.  He had been waiting for a couple of hours when the groom rode up on the bicycle and greeted him.  Things didn't really happen until sometime that afternoon.

Did this wedding happen on time?  Nope.  But...TIA (This is Africa).  I was scheduled to leave home at 2pm, but my ride didn't show up until sometime after that.  Peter later explained to me that a man had fallen on his bicycle into a pile of stones near Peter's gate.  The man had a bad head wound, and a large gash in his arm.  So, Peter and one of the drivers loaded him into a truck, and drove him to the hospital.  Please pray for the man!  Burundi does not have the best equipment or knowledge for treating head traumas.

Once we arrived at the church, we waited for some time. Peter explained to me that typically, there is a dowry day before the wedding.  On dowry day, the couple and parents discuss and decide how much the husband pays the bride's parents for his wife.  I wish I could tell you what was decided for this wedding, but alas, that information is not shared.  Instead of a dowry day, the dowry meeting for this wedding  before the church ceremony, and it delayed the wedding.



For weddings, traditionally people wear envutanos, or a long skirt, a shash, and an under shirt.  I managed to find fabric with Ryan's help, and got an envutano made.  For the fabric and labor, it was less than $10.

Peter and his wife.

One of the wedding guests and her baby.

There aren't flowers for sale in the city where I live.
The flowers were probably brought from the capital.

When I entered the church, I was escorted to the front pew.  I don't like sitting near the front because I'm a muzungu (foreign), but I go with it.  Ryan didn't come, and all the other muzungus are out of town.  Since I was up front, I thought maybe I could get some good pictures for you and for the wedding party.



When the wedding started, the wedding party came to the front and sat down.  The wedding started at 4:30pm, about 2 1/2 hours after the time on the invitation.  There wasn't much of a grand entrance, marching down the aisle, and I don't remember standing for the bride's entrance.  The other staff members I sat with encouraged me to go up and take pictures.  There were other cameras and others taking videos, so I didn't feel it was necessary to go up front. I wouldn't go, so one of the other staff members went up to the front and took some pictures.  I'm not sure she has ever used a camera, so I tried to teach her a couple of things before she went.  There wasn't a time after the service to take pictures.

Once the wedding party was seated, they sung some worship songs.  There was a long sermon, wedding vows, exchanging of the rings, and the fastest exit of all the people out of a church that I've ever seen.  I didn't understand much.  I still don't speak or understand much of the Kirundi language.

We drove to the reception hall.  Peter told me there would be drinks.  I was expecting it to be a party, but it was more like a presentation.  Peter later explained to me it was a typical Christian wedding, and implied that's why there wasn't dancing or a party.

The wedding party was seated on the stage, guests of honor to the right and left of the stage, and everyone else in chairs seated on the floor.  Maybe you could guess what was next...there was Fanta, and there were speeches.  Two representatives of the families talked.  One promised free education for the children of the couple, and the other one promised the gift of a cow.  The Academic Dean of the school also gave a speech. 

Wedding party seated at the front of the reception hall.

Guests seated during the reception.

Seating for the wedding party.

Other ladies from school that clean.

 

The Academic Dean (left) and local Pastor (right).

There were two traditional dances.  I think to the wedding parties surprise, the second dance, the dancers went up and grabbed the wedding party.  Then, they came back down to the stage, and grabbed me!  So, there was some laughter as this muzungu tried to imitate the Burundi dances. The Academic Dean teased me and said,  "I would give you a B for your dancing."
At the end, guests quickly went up to the front, greeted the couple, and gave them wrapped gifts or cash.

For weddings in Burundi, there are often out of town guests.  After the reception, it's tradition for people to give the couple cooked food so they can host their out of town wedding guests.  I'm not sure that happened for this wedding, but it's something I thought was interesting.  So, at home I helped myself to boiled potatoes and avocados prepared by one of the cooks.

Lights Out 4/3/13

One night a number of years ago, I went out to dinner with my parents.  We went to a restaurant close to home.  We took our 1964 Comet Mercury station wagon.  Unfortunately, the fuse for the headlights blew, and I had to drive home without the lights.  Leave it to me to get stopped by a cop two blocks from our house.  When the cop said he pulled me over because my lights were out, but that it was good the turn signals worked, my Dad and I both said, "They are?"  He let me off, and I didn't get a ticket.

Last night, the headlights in the Booger (the yellow truck) weren't working.  So, the driver drove me the two miles home on the bumpy road with the flashers to guide the way.  I generally go home in the daylight, but the driver was running late.  So...I tightly held my phone out the window to help light the way.  The flashlight setting on the phone has been a big blessing.  We made it home safely.  :)  No cops this time, and some laughter from people we passed.

I suspect it was a fuse problem.  The fuse box looks pretty bad, and I'm not sure it could have simply been fixed by switching fuses.  The vehicle doesn't have a heater, so using that fuse was out of the question.  It's been hard to help with the vehicles when you speak different languages with the drivers and the mechanic!

Right of Way 4/1/13

So...I learned this week that Monday is cow day.  Cows have the right of way on Monday.  There are a number of goat herders and cowboys here.  Once in awhile I see sheep.  Unfortunately, the herders hit the animals with sticks to keep them in line.  There are some corrals, but no fences.

 

At restaurants, they will string up a dead goat on the front porch, and serve the goat on bamboo skewers.  It's one of Ryan's favorite things here, but I've avoided it so far.  I always wonder how long the goat has been hanging up, and I wonder if it's one of the reasons people get worms here.  I think I will pass on posting a picture.  :)

Easter 3/31/13

For Good Friday, Jen and Hanna and I woke up early for the sun rise.  We sat together on a path outside our homes, singing and praying.

The Saturday before Easter, Simeon and his three children came up from Buja, the capital.  Jeremy and Nadia also came home.  So, Hanna and I hung out at their house for some time.  I had an awesome mint chocolate chip cookie, and even a couple mini Cadbury eggs Simeon brought for his kids.  We hid some plastic eggs in the house for the kids to find in the morning.

To my family...maybe I'll be there next year for the Easter egg hunt.  You got lucky this year!

There was a pretty good thunderstorm.  Although we enjoyed the lighting and thunder, we found out that the new porch slopes toward the house, and we ended up mopping and squeeging the water up in the living room.  Que Sera.

Michelle got sick...probably from food.  She is doing better, so we don't think it's malaria.

Easter isn't the same for me without church.  Since there wasn't Chapel at the school, I went to church with the kids.  We piled all the kids, myself, and another lady into the bus.  I think the bus holds 24, but kids are smaller, so I bet we had about 35 in it.  The Father of the Children's home drove.  The church service was good...I didn't understand anything, but that's alright.  There was worship, some people prayed over, a charismatic sermon, and then we were dismissed.  It lasted three hours.  I was the only white person, and I knew three people, but I was expecting that.  I was happy that I didn't feel like I stuck out that much.  :)  I've heard sometimes you are escorted to the front.

So...I hope you all had a wonderful Easter with your families, and it was a reminder how much God loves you!

New Addition 4/3/13

The Father of the Children's home welcomed his thirty seventh child into the world this week.  Ok, ok...it's his second biological child.  The boy already has some hair, and both the boy and his mother are doing well. 

Jokingly he told me, "He's not my son."  The boy light skin, so we tease that the real father is white.  His name is Adonai, or the Hebrew name for God.

Jen holding the new baby.

Hanna looking at the new baby.