If you read this title and knew it was lyrics to a song, you are of my generation-congratulations. I mean it in the literal sense, however, for I am down for the count with a cold. It could have come from multiple factors, and I will go through them in chronological order:
Akagera National Park
I am from the Natural State, so I am used being in various State parks and such, but this was on a another level. If I would have flown in on a helicopter (which you can do if you drop some serious coin) and there was a waterfall, it would've felt like Jurassic Park. Awesome hills in the distance, forest land, plains, and some streams. We saw baboons, various birds, Cape Buffalo, zebras, impalas, some other horned creature I am not sure of its name, and giraffes. It's a lot different when you see them in an unrestricted, wild atmosphere. Seeing a creature at the zoo is cool, but its just way better out in the wild. The zebras were amazing, their stripes so detailed on their fur. The giraffes were very calm and let us get very close. A local doctor took a group of us out in his land cruiser, and some of us got to ride on the top during our travels. It was an incredible view. We also saw the edge of Tanzania. I didn't actually go into Tanzania, but it was cool to be so close for some reason.
The Orphanage
Some teachers at my school go visit one of the local orphanages here in Kigali every Sunday afternoon after church. It is an orphanage affiliated with Mother Theresa, and they allow us to come play with the kids for an hour or so. I attended this past Sunday for the first time and it was so much fun! I was expecting more of a shock when I arrived, but it's kind of hard to be shocked when you have 5 little kids jumping on you wanting to play with you. I also made a big mistake in my first few minutes there. I already had two boys in my arms and thought it would be fun to flip them upside down and let them hang there for a few seconds... No, I didn't drop them. The mistake was doing that awesome trick so early in my visit! I had to flip them over about 100 times in an hour. Also, you can't really put them down, because they start wailing and reaching up to you. I am a softie for crying kids and crying girls, in that order. So, I carried around two awesome boys the whole time and got to know them. We didn't speak the same language, but we got along alright. About halfway through I was mega sweaty, so when I was sitting down the other kids would come mess with my hair (since I have muzungu hair). I looked like Allan from the movie The Hangover for awhile. Or so I imagined!
School and Weather
School has been really busy and the weather has fluctuated quite a bit, so those two things could attribute to my illness as well. It's cool enough to wear a long sleeved shirt/ jacket in the morning, but warm enough to wear summer clothes in the afternoons.
As you can see, I have had a busy week, and a great weekend has been planned as well. We are having a staff retreat to Kibuye, which is on Lake Kivu on the western edge of Rwanda. Just a day and a half of R&R.
I will try and post some more of my scripture findings soon. I've been a little behind on my posts. My apologies.
**Prayer Requests:
1) I get over my cold so I can be better for the students.
2) The children at the orphanage receive enough love and nourishment in their lives.
3) Peace and continued economic growth in Rwanda as Kagame settles back in to his second term as president.
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