Hello Folks -
Did you think we had fallen off the face of the earth? Were you worried that we got stuck on some back road and were still waiting for help? Well fear not...we arrived in Kigali, Rwanda safely and relatively unscathed. Here is the low down:
We left DC on a crazy overnight flight in which Orion was a trooper - he did great, sleeping only a few hours but walking up and down the aisle and saying "hi" to everyone. We arrived in Brussels and made it through customs and immigration with no problems - caught a taxi and loaded our 6 suitcases, 5 carry-on's, 1 stroller, 1 car seat and 3 persons in and found the apartment we had rented for the next few days. We immediately went to sleep and woke up in time to meet up with The Hanson Family. It was so good to see them! We toured around Brussels - mostly chatting and playing catch-up. The kids ran around. We drank beer. The kids picked at their food. We drank a Gin and Tonic with LEMON! The kids ran around. We chatted some more. The kids ran around. I ate mussells in Brussels. It was a lovely time and it renewed my spirit and my energy! I was ready to tackle another 8 hour flight and Africa!
Eric chatted with a cab driver near our apartment and arranged to have him pick us up bright and early the next morning. Departure day came and we were ready - standing on the corner with all our stuff and low and behold the taxi showed up and off we went to the airport. Feeling quite smug, actually, until I realized I had left all the passports in a drawer in the apartment. YIKES! We did a fast U turn and still made it to the flight on time. Though, honestly, it was a little close for comfort as we walked up to the gate as the plane started boarding.
The flight South was uneventful if not long and boring and tiresome. About 1/2 hour from landing Eric asked if someone was meeting us at the airport. I had no idea - and this was one of those details that didn't even register with me prior to his asking this question...there was too much else going on. So I had a bit of time to stew about what we were going to do upon arrival in Rwanda late at night. We landed, walked across the tarmac and through the door and there was a friendly smiling man with a sign that said "Welcome, Stacy Ali - U.S. Embassy Kigali". He helped us get through immigration and customs and took us outside to meet with out social sponsors who drove us to our new house.
Yeah! It had been almost four months since we have actually had a home that this was such a sweet feeling. We didn't look around much we basically fell into bed and slept until the next morning. I had a driver coming for me at 9am and thus started my job! No rest for the wicked. Working as a NP in an embassy is really interesting. It is so much different then my job with Indian Health Services. I see walk-in sick patients in the morning and appointments (for well child checks, pap smears, physical exams, etc.) in the afternoon. I have a ton more administrative responsibilities - a budget, supervision of two other people, attendance at Country Team Meetings, just lots of other things besides patient care. I work in a beautiful new embassy that is about 10-15 minutes away from our house. I have an OFFICE with a window that looks out on a garden filled with bird of paradise flowers. I work with another nurse who is a locally hired American woman and a Rwandan medical secretary. I have a patient load of about 150 people which I know does not sound like much but I am on call 24/7. FUN FUN FUN! Every week the health unit staff takes a field trip to check out our community resources. It has been really interesting to see the other hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and labs - it helps me to figure out what services we have in Kigali and if they would be appropriate to use for the patients that we see.
We live in a great little neighborhood called Kiyovu that is downtown and within walking distance of several restaurants and shopping areas. There is currently a housing shortage for embassy staff in Kigali and we are thrilled to have been able to move directly into our house. Several families are in temporary housing...waiting. Our house is an older single storey home with a big backyard - we have 2 avocado trees, a mango tree, a pomegranate tree, a lime tree and a banana tree. Our garden was definitely neglected so we have been working on getting it back into shape including digging up some space to plant a kitchen garden. We have 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and are starting to feel really comfortable in our space.
The weather in Kigali is mild. Sometimes chilly at night with lows in the 50's but pretty nice most days with highs up to the mid-70's. The dry season just ended and the rains have come which clears out the dust and lets the blue skies shine through. This is definitely the land of a thousand hills and the views at the tops of those hills are pretty impressive. There are some really amazing nature preserves and hiking to be done. So very different then hiking in the Southwest and nothing like the "ridge" at all. We have not gotten out of the city yet but...
This is what we have done:
-figured out where to buy food and how much it should cost
-bought a red Isuzu truck with a tow hitch, metal bumper protector, 2 sets of lights and a back wooden door.
-enrolled O in "school" for 3 afternoons a week
-got Eric a part-time job at the embassy commissary
-figured out how to dial an international number
-bought Eric a local cell phone
-learned how to say thanks in kinyarwanda (the local dialect)
-survived driving to and from work
So there you have it a short recap of the last month. Please know that we don't have TV, phone or Internet yet and so we are not up to speed with our skype connection or the blog (or facebook for that matter). We are hoping beyond hope to have the Internet set up soon. Eric's phone number is 011-250-722-817-113 and I can't remember what mine is...so feel free to figure out the cheapest way to call Rwanda and give him a shout-out, he would love to hear from you.
Until you come and visit...lots of love and kisses.
xo Stacy
