Element Bingo 4/30/13

On Thursday, the kids have a Quiz on 45 elements on the Periodic Table and their symbols.  In preparation for the quiz, we have been playing Element Bingo.  I created custom chemistry Bingo cards.  Instead of having numbers on the cards, I randomly put element symbols.  During the game, I would call out an element name.  The kids would look up the symbol on their periodic tables, and then see if the symbol existed on their card.  If it was on their card, they put a bean on the symbol.  I think this quiz is challenging for kids that don't know English, and have not heard of the names of the English elements before.  Some of the names are similar in French, and hopefully that helps them.

I had planned to teach the elements by playing Bingo.  Turns out...I don't think a single kid had ever heard of Bingo.  I ended up teaching the kids how to play Bingo.  The first class, I tried to explain and demostrate a Bingo was five in either a row, column, or diagonally.  I realized that didn't sync in when they started calling, "BINGO!" when they found the first symbol on their cards.  Then, some of them called, "BINGO!" when they got the first five symbols on their board.  I had to teach them not to use the letters B-I-N-G-O at the top of the card, and I had to teach them to use the Free space in the middle.  One kid put the beans on the periodic table, and then said, "BINGO!" when there were five in a row on the periodic table.

By the end of class, I think everyone got the hang of it.  For prizes, I gave away pieces of gum.  At the end of class, the students would ask me to call more elements.  One class, in desperation, everyone called Bingo at the end of class, in hopes that I would check their card and give them gum. 

Believe it or not...there were NOT beans all over the room at the end of the day!

Karaoke 4/28/13

Having headmaster that used to be a DJ has its advantages.  One night, we had a staff karaoke night.  It was mandatory for staff to sing a song for the school.

JR, the headmaster, started with the theme song to Saved By the Bell, then sang Bob Marley's Three Little Birds.  I wish I could say I took the song's advice: "Don't worry about a thing."  I'm not crazy about singing in front of groups of people! 

Our secretary sung, "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship."  The French teacher sung another Bob Marley song, a house mother sung "God Will Make a Way," and our librarian sung a medley of worship songs.  I think my favorite was Jen's song.  She sung Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and Hanna showed students how to do the moon walk. 

I sung "Walking On Sunshine."  I thought it would be an up beat song people would enjoy, and maybe I could sing it.  I didn't do a good job, but that's alright.

One of the house father's sung, "Lord I Lift Your Name On High" and our Academic Dean sung "This Is the Day the Lord Has Made" without music.  Hanna sung, "Is this Love" and then sung "One Love" with JR.  Both songs were Bob Marley songs.  Our Residency Directory sung "Amazing Grace" and the Kirundi teacher sung a song in Kirundi.  To the students delight, the night ended with JR rapping to the song, "Just a Friend."  Most of the kids listen to rap, worship songs, and some pop songs.  Rock or hard rock is not popular.

After Karaoke, when students see a teacher or staff member, they will often call out the song you sung.  So, I'll often be at school and hear, "I'm walking on sunshine!"

Residency Director singing Amazing Grace

Jen singing Beat It.

Librarian singing worship songs.

House mother singing I Have A Dream.

House mother singing God Will Make A Way.



Academic Dean

Hanna and JR singing One Love.

Cibitoke Conclusion 4/27/13

We spent two nights in Cibitoke.  The first morning I woke up, I noticed a small animal had pooped on my mosquito net, near my head!  I searched the room, shook the extra mosquito net sitting on the top of the bunk bed, and saw a blur run across the top matress and squeeze  between the matress and the frame near the wall.  I slapped in my contacts, and was able to see a tail hanging down from the upper bunk.  It looked like a rat tail...yuck.  Turns out, it was a big lizard.  I scared it, and it went down to the lower bunk and dove under my pillow.  I trapped it in my sheets, and thought I would show it to Calvin and Paul.  Unfortunately, it got loose.  It crawled into the main room, and slide under Paul's door, and unfortunately it was the first thing he saw when he woke up.

The kids in Cibitoke are younger than the kids where I live, and they have not had as much exposure or education.  The kids don't speak much English.  I tried to teach them how to make friendship bracelets, but it didn't go as well as it did with the kids I live with, or with the girls at school.  Two girls were able to make bracelets.  Calvin and Paul gave a shot at teaching the kids how to play memory with a deck of cards.  I learned that I'm not the best at doing activities with young kids. 

Attempts to make friendship bracelets. Calvin playing memory in the background.

During break, a tutor helped the older children with math.

Late in the morning, my Ugandan friend, Pamela, took us into town.  We walked through some side streets toward the main paved road through town.  We saw the one clean water spiket in town.  At one point, we had a crowd of about 40 kids following us.  Many people had dirty clothes and no shoes.  Along the main road, there were some stands.  I wanted to buy paper for the kids to color on, and paper to make paper airplanes.  We found only one stand with a reem of paper, and the vendor sold individual pages from it.  So, I bought half the reem.  Pamela bought some passion fruit juice in the main store, and Calvin found a Snickers.  The main store was about six book shelves, and very lightly stocked.  On the way back, we walked through the main market.  Many people come in the morning, and then many people come Wednesdays and Saturdays.  It was pretty bare when we went.  I was able to talk to a couple people who spoke English, and many of the vendors gathered around the group of muzungus.  I speak a little bit of Kirundi now, and people really appreciate it when we learn their language.  Kids here don't have many toys, but one boy in the market was using a whip to spin a top!  I'll have to see if I can find one in the market someday.  I found a website that says the population of Cibitoke is about 14000.

Back at the Children's home, I fought with the Australian DVD player.  It won't play American DVDs, but I was able to get it to play music and some digital movies.  So, Pamela, Calvin, Paul and I taught the kids dances.  We did the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha Cha Slide, and a simlified version of the Cotton Eyed Joe.  Late in the afternoon, we watched Mulan.

Paul never did find the lizard again, and he managed to make it through the second night.  :)

The next morning, I made paper airplanes for the kids.  The dog managed to catch and destroy a couple.

Airplane killer.

Downed plane.

 

Going back to Bujumbura, we had trouble getting a taxi or a bus.  We ended up on a bus, but in reality was a public van.  It cost 2500 Burundi Francs, or $1.61.  It was an adventure.  I was lucky, and ended up sitting in the passenger seat.  Calvin sat next to me, on the engine's hot metal cover.  Paul sat behind him, and one other YFC staff member sat behind me.  I think there was about three other people in their row...one next to Paul on the seat, one partially on the seat, and another person next to the door without a seat.  When the bus would stall, the YFC staff member had to bend down and connect the battery to start the vehicle.  We got stopped by the police.  They checked the lights and a couple things.  If there are over 20 people, then they will fine the driver (or the driver will have to pay them a bribe).  Another van drove by and teased the driver saying he got stopped because he had white people.  The van had 22 people.

Paul and the YFC staff member.

Close to Bujumbura, the road was temporarily closed.  The traffic was stopped to allow the president's caravan to exit from the airport.  Travel anywhere here generally requires patience.  :)

Cibtoke Bakery 4/20/13

Where I currently live, they have a couple of wood ovens.  They bake bread for the children living near me, and for the kids at the school I teach at.  Calvin, Paul and I only stayed a couple of nights in Cibitoke, but our timing was perfect.  During the time we were there, they baked the first loaves of bread in the newly built bakery. 

In Cibitoke, all bread is transported from the capital which is a couple hours away.  They are going to sell the bread in Cibitoke, and it will help support the children's home, and the clinic and school projects.  I bought a round loaf for 500 Burundi Francs (about $0.33), and passed out pieces to the local people watching the event.  All the bread made this first day was sold to the people near the bakery...I don't think any made it to the store.  So, hopefully the bakery and the store are a success.

The baker preparing the bread.  He was living in Buja, but was happy to return to Cibitoke with his family.  His relatives live in Cibitoke.

Loaves shaped like crocodiles.  They also made round loaves, hot dog bun like loaves, square loaves, and smaller cakes that Calvin and Paul said were similar to scones in England.

Pulling bread out of the oven.  Bread dough is raised in a small room warmed by the smoke from the oven.  The tin door to the room can be seen in this picture.

The crocodile loaves will be sold for 2000 Burundi Francs, or about $1.29.  They may be used to celebrate birthdays. :)

One of the finished products.  It tastes like bread from home.  This loaf is sold for about $0.51.

Cibitoke Outing 4/20/13

At the end of my break, I traveled to Cibitoke (pronounced "chib-E-toe-key) to visit the other children's home my organization has, and to visit a friend from Uganda who has been living with the kids.  Cibitoke is in the north western part of Burundi.  It's 3 km from the Congo, and 10 km from Rwanda.  Calvin, Paul and I made the trip, and we were taken to Cibitoke by the assistant director of our organization for Burundi, Forest. 

The road has a ton of giant pot holes, and the trip is slow as vehicles weave around the holes on the road.  There's a government project that hopefully will redo the road in the near future.  We drove by some rice fields, I got to see some beautiful red birds and yellow birds, and we probably passed through a couple eco systems.

The children's home has been open for about three years now, and houses 20 kids.  Along with the Children's home, my organization is also building another primary school and another clinic.

Construction is coming along for the class rooms.

Primary school, across the street from the children's home compound.

The clinic.

The open waiting area in the clinic.  Steel door frames and windows are constructed on site here.

Forest, the assistant director, and my Ugandan friend (left) giving us a tour of the town and clinic.  The land has a beautiful view overlooking Cibitoke.

The project started when Forest and a missionary from Oregon did a Sunday school in the Cibitoke area.  They arranged to do the Sunday School with a local pastor, and they planned to do it for 300 kids.  The pastor asked, "Are you sure you can handle 300 kids?"  They said yes.  So, they started with 300 kids at the beginning of the week...and ended with about 1000.  Seeing the need for education in the children in the area, my organization started these projects.

Cibitoke is flatter than a lot of the other parts of Burundi, and doesn't receive as much rain.  With the extra sunshine, the solar panels are able to power a fridge and power the lights in the compound at night until everyone goes to bed.  But...there isn't running water, and they are working on that.  Rain water is collected in a giant underground container.  It has worms, so water for drinking is boiled over charcoal.  The children's home does have toilets.  You use a bucket of water to flush the toilets.  You take showers by taking a bucket of water, and using a pitcher of water to pour the water over you.  I appreciated that the water was warmer than where I live.

Blue Bay 4/19/13

During my break, I had the opportunity to go to Blue Bay, a resort in the southern part of Burundi.  I took a taxi to Bujumbura and stayed the night in my organization's housing.  Early the next morning, I went to Blue Bay with Michelle, Jeremy, Nadia, Hanna, two men from England, and one of our organization's drivers named Samuel.

The two new comers from England are Paul and Calvin.  They will be here for about four months.  Paul will be helping with the sponsorships for the Homes of Hope kids, chapel Sunday mornings at my school, and other office work in Bujumbura.  Paul is in Burundi for his gap year, or the time many English students take as a break between high school and college.  Paul will be going to Oxford.  Calvin will be doing sports with the primary school in the mornings, sports at my school in the afternoons, and some work with the kids at school on cleanliness.

Samuel is one of our organization's drivers in the capital city.  He is married, and has five sons!

On the way to Blue Bay, we stopped at a waterfall near the road.  We walked up to the waterfall, and some local kids followed us up.  They less us take their pictures, and they enjoyed seeing the pictures afterwards.  I don't think many people have mirrors here.

Rural kids near the waterfall.

Michelle near the waterfall.

Jeremy showing the kids pictures.

At one point, I tried to take a picture of a rock and a pool of water, and some of the kids gathered around to see what I was looking at, and stepped on the rock.  I think I like the picture better with the additions.  :)  Deworming pills and some vitamins for the kids...check.

At the resort, everyone went swimming but me.  I've been told by multiple people not to go swimming during my time here.  I didn't pack a swimsuit, and that helped keep me on land.  We did play some volleyball, and I hung out on the dock.  The water was beautiful, the sand was inviting, and the sun made an appearance.  During our stay, the resort even played some English country music.  In the pictures and videos, you may be able to see a couple mountains on the other side of the lake.  That's the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

It's free to go to the resort, but you are expected to buy food.  Late in the afternoon, we had some fish, French fries, and spaghetti.

 

Nadia and Michelle jumping off the dock.

Jeremy, Calvin, Paul and Samuel (left to right)
 

 

American Tragedies 4/19/13

I am sorry to hear about the Boston Marathon and Fertilizer Plant explosion.  Our prayers are with you from Burundi during this time.

I started teaching chemistry this week.  Like many chemistry classes, I started with safety rules.  Just hours before the explosion in Texas, the kids learned about dangerous chemical labels like explosive, corrosive, toxic, etc.

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.