from the new times sport section today:
hmmm ... wonder why sudan is so distracted these days?
once again, i am unable to sleep at a normal hour - ugghhh! despite feeling zonked, i work out in the wee hours of the morning, and enjoy an early sumptuous breakfast on the terrace in the hot african sun. my roasted tomatoes with cheese are back - oh, the simple joys of life. piping hot rwandan coffee sends me on my way!
we go to the site today - finally - after rendezvous-ing with the team at the contractor's office to review and approve samples. once again, we seem to be only talking about toilets and the price of cement (how many times can i hear that it's going up - i have my own problems!) ... but it is all very convivial and helpful, and our convoy speeds away. we wind through the hills - the countryside is spectacular, as the 'light' rainy season has just ended, and everything is green(er) than july. we weave through magnificent vistas, looking down into deep valleys - like driving in vermont, but with bananas (everywhere!) and statuesque african women in their multi colored print dresses.
we arrive to the huge construction zone, the future home of the agahozo shalom youth village - incredible. what was once just two large hills separated by a valley with views to burundi is now taking shape as a real, habitable place! there are 350 workers on site - making foundations, laying masonry, making blocks on site - it's amazing. there are workers quarters, a canteen, an office, and people everywhere. suddenly, homes for 524 orphans are rising!
we tour the site, making decisions whilst deciding what it is that is still undecided - basically, planning out our work for the next few days. there are lots of things to address, and we move in a pack, driving the entire site first, then walking to the key locations - the central plaza, the school, the library ... amazing!
it is 80º and sunny, a spectacular day, and we look beyond to the terraced fields that lie beyond. suddenly, the mayor and governor arrive, and we all mobilize to greet them! they hold the key to making the village's realization 'smooth', and have popped by just to say hello. the governor, a genial man with all the accoutrements - pierre carden shirt, prada glasses, latest mobile phone, etc. has us all sit at a makeshift conference table in the construction office. he has come to let us know that the prefect is donating 18,000 trees to the effort, including the actual planting of the species (mango, eucalyptus, etc.) - amazing!
this is an incredible thing, particularly since the site feels denuded by the work going on. and not only is this a politically positive development, it is also layered with meaning ... the number 18 - chai in hebrew, which means life - perfectly suited to a village housing children who survived the genocide here. the gift of trees - green both in color and earthly attitude - giving life and oxygen. upward growth - the children - and sustainability for this fractured country. we are delighted!
but there's still lots to be done, so we head back to kigali in the mid-afternoon, for a meeting and a bite. i'm totally exhausted - from lack of sleep! additionally, i discover that i am incredibly sunburned, not having thought of the need for sunscreen before i left this morning - duhh. hot equatorial sun on in open area - feeling better though.
after the pow-wow, i hop into town, and snake my way through the market - it's dusk and gorgeous! no one smokes here, and they're constantly sweeping the streets, so it is not overwhelming in that sense. everyone is out and it's hopping - and is everything that you would think of, if you were to think of a sub-saharan bazaar. incredible, and i score a pair of funky rwandan boots - the standard issue item here - for a great price!
back at the serena, i grab a quick bite, a mutzig draft beer, and it's time for zzzzzzz's - good night all!
h
saturday results: burundi 0-0 tanzania; ethiopia 0-0 sudan
tanzania's kilmanjaro stars are up for a busy task as they face sudan in the quarter finals of the cecafa senior challenge cup at the national stadium dar es salaam, tanzania. a slim 10-1 win over somalia on wednesday as well as a goalless draw against burundi on saturday provoked local fans here to lose hope.
sudan didn't perform as expected as it earned its points from draws against ethiopia and zanzibar. ethiopia had lost it fixtures against zanzibar 2-3 on thursday, following djibouti and somalia in the exit chamber. eritrea is the only surviving team from the horn of africa.
tanzania's kilmanjaro stars are up for a busy task as they face sudan in the quarter finals of the cecafa senior challenge cup at the national stadium dar es salaam, tanzania. a slim 10-1 win over somalia on wednesday as well as a goalless draw against burundi on saturday provoked local fans here to lose hope.
sudan didn't perform as expected as it earned its points from draws against ethiopia and zanzibar. ethiopia had lost it fixtures against zanzibar 2-3 on thursday, following djibouti and somalia in the exit chamber. eritrea is the only surviving team from the horn of africa.
hmmm ... wonder why sudan is so distracted these days?
once again, i am unable to sleep at a normal hour - ugghhh! despite feeling zonked, i work out in the wee hours of the morning, and enjoy an early sumptuous breakfast on the terrace in the hot african sun. my roasted tomatoes with cheese are back - oh, the simple joys of life. piping hot rwandan coffee sends me on my way!
we go to the site today - finally - after rendezvous-ing with the team at the contractor's office to review and approve samples. once again, we seem to be only talking about toilets and the price of cement (how many times can i hear that it's going up - i have my own problems!) ... but it is all very convivial and helpful, and our convoy speeds away. we wind through the hills - the countryside is spectacular, as the 'light' rainy season has just ended, and everything is green(er) than july. we weave through magnificent vistas, looking down into deep valleys - like driving in vermont, but with bananas (everywhere!) and statuesque african women in their multi colored print dresses.
we arrive to the huge construction zone, the future home of the agahozo shalom youth village - incredible. what was once just two large hills separated by a valley with views to burundi is now taking shape as a real, habitable place! there are 350 workers on site - making foundations, laying masonry, making blocks on site - it's amazing. there are workers quarters, a canteen, an office, and people everywhere. suddenly, homes for 524 orphans are rising!
we tour the site, making decisions whilst deciding what it is that is still undecided - basically, planning out our work for the next few days. there are lots of things to address, and we move in a pack, driving the entire site first, then walking to the key locations - the central plaza, the school, the library ... amazing!
it is 80º and sunny, a spectacular day, and we look beyond to the terraced fields that lie beyond. suddenly, the mayor and governor arrive, and we all mobilize to greet them! they hold the key to making the village's realization 'smooth', and have popped by just to say hello. the governor, a genial man with all the accoutrements - pierre carden shirt, prada glasses, latest mobile phone, etc. has us all sit at a makeshift conference table in the construction office. he has come to let us know that the prefect is donating 18,000 trees to the effort, including the actual planting of the species (mango, eucalyptus, etc.) - amazing!
this is an incredible thing, particularly since the site feels denuded by the work going on. and not only is this a politically positive development, it is also layered with meaning ... the number 18 - chai in hebrew, which means life - perfectly suited to a village housing children who survived the genocide here. the gift of trees - green both in color and earthly attitude - giving life and oxygen. upward growth - the children - and sustainability for this fractured country. we are delighted!
but there's still lots to be done, so we head back to kigali in the mid-afternoon, for a meeting and a bite. i'm totally exhausted - from lack of sleep! additionally, i discover that i am incredibly sunburned, not having thought of the need for sunscreen before i left this morning - duhh. hot equatorial sun on in open area - feeling better though.
after the pow-wow, i hop into town, and snake my way through the market - it's dusk and gorgeous! no one smokes here, and they're constantly sweeping the streets, so it is not overwhelming in that sense. everyone is out and it's hopping - and is everything that you would think of, if you were to think of a sub-saharan bazaar. incredible, and i score a pair of funky rwandan boots - the standard issue item here - for a great price!
back at the serena, i grab a quick bite, a mutzig draft beer, and it's time for zzzzzzz's - good night all!
h
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