Field Trip

I spend most of my work days in the embassy. I have a beautiful office with a great view and its a really nice place to work. That said, it can start to feel a little like an island. Like I am stuck in this little island of "America" and I can't get out. To help with this feeling I have started doing field visits to different places in Rwanda - one half day a week my colleagues and I head out for a half day adventure. Most of the time we visit hospitals, health clinics, private doctors offices, labs...anything that is remotely medically related. Last week I had the chance to visit a place called Gashora Girls Academy. My friend Karin first shared with me a link from the local Seattle news that talked about this initiative. I then asked around the embassy and found out that our USAID partners had a contact out from Washington State. Well, I emailed the guy and on his visit out we got invited out to see what they were doing. Does this have much to do with health, nope. Was it really interesting, yep! They have a crazy cool agricultural component to the school and we got to check out all their crops. They are trying their hand at foods not traditionally grown in Rwanda - heirloom tomatoes, okra, sunflowers. It was a wonderful way to spend the morning.

I had no idea that okra had flowers...

Gi-normous sunflower start

Pineapple in neat rows

Part of the terracing of the land - they dig these big holes to collect rainwater and prevent it from eroding the top layer of soil.