Rwandan Road Rules

Drive on the right! Except if there’s a corner, then feel free to use the whole road, leaving just enough room for oncoming traffic to squeeze by. Lines are irrelevant for lanes, but provide a useful guide for overtaking. Motorbikes and bikes have no right to a lane; they should be forced onto the verge.

Indicators are not to be used for turning. Use them as the car BEING overtaken – right indicator means it is safe for following traffic to pass; left indicator means it is unsafe. Occasionally a left indicator may mean I am turning left (so don’t overtake).

Two brief honks tells those ahead to get off the road (pedestrians, bikes or motorbikes).

Zebra crossings are designed as a device to encourage non-verbal dialogue between motorists and pedestrians to determine precedence.

Flashing of headlights is a request to oncoming traffic to report on nearby police checkpoints. Replies take two forms: frantic pointing at the grounds suggests it’s time to slow down; a beckoning wave means go for your life.

Speed limits vary: built up areas near a police checkpoint - 30km/hr; country areas near police – 60km/hr; other built up areas – 60km/hr; other country areas – unlimited.

Headlights are not to be used at other times unless it is pitch dark.

(N.B. Don’t believe anything an ignorant Westerner tells you about Rwandan road rules after less than 8 weeks driving in the country.)

African Time and Bureaucracy

 

After 6 weeks, the link to Hannah’s birthday photos now finally works, for anyone interested!

https://picasaweb.google.com/smegswife/HannahSBirthday#

We’re just back safely from Kigali. No IT number plates for our car yet, but will try again next week. Had a busy couple of days dealing with African bureaucracy – eventually got my replacement Kindle out of customs myself, saving about $100 in customs duties and fees in the process (still cost $20), but in order to get ONE item released from customs the process was (not including my “false steps” where I had to retrace my actions):

Go to DHL office in Kigali , collect customs slip and find customs agent. Get quote on item retrieval by DHL. Refuse to pay $120. Collect paperwork and get it stamped out by DHL customs manager.

Go home. Write and stamp covering letter requesting waiver of duty to airport customs manager. Prepare supporting documents and print them.

Drive to Kigali airport. Find Customs Duty Manager and wait in queue. Explain situation, and have customs invoice annotated to show no duty payable. Queue again to have (empty) duty form completed on computerised system by Duty Officer. Take this form for payment of administration fee to bank nearby. Cross to other end of airport, show documents, and surrender passport in order to get temporary airport staff ID. Cross back to other end to customs warehouse. Show ID and clear security after entering name and details in book to enter warehouse. Find main warehouse office. Wait in queue then obtain bill for warehousing fees. Take this bill and bill for admin fee back to bank. Wait in queue to pay warehousing fee and admin fee. Take receipt back to Duty Officer for stamp of proof of payment. Photocopy 4 of the forms completed so far in triplicate and make 3 separate sets of documents. Sign and date bottom of two other documents. Back to Duty Officer for approval of these documents and to surrender one set. Re-enter warehouse and pass through security again. No sign-in this time. Back to main warehouse office and surrender second set of documents. Wait while they locate item in warehouse. Go to other end of warehouse to second office to have item reconciled with postal record. Bring back completed form to first warehouse office and wait for item to be found in system and tracking number printed. Cross to second warehouse where item actually stored. Attend further warehouse office with tracking number and wait for item to be located on their system. Search through 400 boxes until item found. Take it back to first warehouse office and wait for item to be removed from system. Enter item in books in 2 further warehouse offices and clear security with your item.

Now the last part of this process (the airport part) took 3 hours. That’s amazingly efficient in my book given the complexity involved. Usually members of the public aren’t allowed to clear their own items, and I can see why. It takes a SIX year degree to become a customs clearing agent and be allowed to manage this process. I was only allowed to do it myself because there was no duty on my item. I must commend the customs office though - everyone was incredibly gracious and helpful, especially the customs agents who were forever bumping me up in the queues, introducing me as the doctor from Butare to their colleagues and generally being patient and supportive as I tried to find my way in this Byzantine maze. They loved the fact that I had some Kinyarwanda, and I gave out 3 or 4 of my cards to various agents with family members with abdominal complaints. All in all, once I settled in, I really enjoyed the relationships and time spent in this most bureaucratic of workplaces. I was the recipient of much grace, and I still have 12 pages of paperwork (and nine stamps on it) to remember my afternoon by!

Oh yes, and a replacement Kindle…

A productive week

(Tim writes) I’ve been challenged time and again since we’ve been here about trying to be a human BEING not a human DOING. It’s hard when you see so many things that need to be improved, changed or begun not to become completely task-focussed, and instead to keep in mind that relationships are nearly always more important than tasks. It goes against our cultural bias as Westerners, which is often to measure our success by our busyness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having declared my bias, it’s still really nice when stuff happens like you hoped it would! The last few weeks I’ve been working to get a test for Helicobacter Pylori, the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers, functioning in our hospital. Treating this bacteria stops patients getting more stomach ulcers later, but knowing who to treat without a test is tough. Imported tests are too expensive to be practical, so we’ve been making our own, using a method pioneered by an Australian professor in the Pacific. Getting materials was tough, but in the end, the University Pharmaceutical Laboratory took pity on us and is making up our test reagents fresh each week. The above photo shows 2 of our first batch of tests, each containing a stomach biopsy: the left one negative and the right positive. It’s really exciting to be able to contribute to improving patient care here, and I’ve learned a lot through this process about the need for consultation, involving key people, and getting a protocol established so that things run smoothly.

Here’s Leonie, our endoscopy nurse, placing a specimen in the test tube, and also a little shot of our endoscopy room setup. to give you a picture of one of the places I work:

This week I’ve also managed to get a Letter of Guarantee from the hospital enabling us to register our car, get registered for tax, get a stamp made up (stating my name, registration details and qualifications) for the many scripts and forms I fill out at the hospital (scripts are ALWAYS sent back if not stamped – to my patients’ frustration up to this point!), and get accepted into the hospital’s “free call’ phone network (mainly so other doctors can call me regardless of their phone credit). We also have managed to get the hospital and university connected with free access to a great online medical database called UpToDate, which should help the students and postgraduates learn a heap better. All in all a very productive week!

I’ve been chipping away at many of these tasks for a while, and a few days after sending out our prayer letter, they have all happened. Thanks to those partnering with us – as you can see your part in this work is real and needed.

Also, today I got the chance to play basketball… with the Bishop! A group of us including some visiting Americans from a church in New York City, who have been doing some leadership training with the Diocese, got together with the Bishop and his sons for a 4v4 match at a local catholic school. One of these Americans is VERY good – easily the best basketballer I’ve ever been on the court with. He played at an elite level in the US, where he was the only white guy playing at that level in his conference.

The bishop’s sons, Darius and David, are keen basketball players, and it was good to spend some time with them – they are great young Christian guys and I hope to catch up some more with them. Here’s Darius, David and me, after our game – just to prove my life is not all about tasks at the moment…

And finally a photo that shows something of Rwanda’s beauty in the late afternoon:

Best Friends

I’m starting to think that our prayer for William to have a very good, stable friendship here was answered before we began to pray. We never intended to have two children so close together, but it is definitely working out for the best, and it seems now that Hannah is old enough their friendship with one another may be the most stable one in their lives for a long time to come (no matter where we move!)… so it is wonderful that they like each others company so much.

A few recent pics of the munchkins…

After the initial excitement (carrying it outside to try out), Hannah is luke-warm about her new potty.

LEFT: A few times recently Will has pretended to be pregnant. His stories about being so are hilarious! Here he has pegged a cup up his top, the next time he stuffed his red blanket up there. He was pregnant with a cheetah to which I (Catherine) was the daddy, and the baby got in there when Will poked two holes in his tummy with his finger. The baby was eating rocks and books which it took in through the holes with it…etc.

RIGHT: Hannah and Will love going up this ramp and out the gate of the Guest House. They can fit through the bars. To the left of the gate is a reception office with a wooden bench outside that is often sat upon by various staff of the guest house and diocese. The kids (especially Hannah) are often out there with them enjoying lots of attention. When I’m cooking dinner Andrew or Frederick sometimes take Hannah there to entertain her while Will helps me in the kitchen, and when I collect her she generally has a little audience granting her full attention with ready smiles (she loves it).

Munchkins! Straight out of the shower, into Daddy’s shelf of the cupboard.

Hannah really loves books now, and will often bring me one during the day to read to her or sit down and read to herself. William makes all sorts of imaginative constructions with his duplo – houses, animals, vehicles.

William and Hannah LOVE helping Frederick in the garden. When these photos were taken it was leaf collection. Today they were helping to cut the hedge – Will with his little scissors at the top of the ladder, Hannah at the bottom with a stick thrashing the hedge beside Frederick, who was using conventional shears.

Hannah also loves to help Jane and Esperanse wash the clothes, which they find very amusing. She loves anything involving water!

A Walk In The Countryside

Rwanda is stunning. An Australian friend Simon and his wife (of 4 weeks) Emma have come to do his Medical Elective at the hospital here. So off we all went together for an adventure…a walk in the countryside.

We drove a fair way, and coming across some particularly stunning views decided this was the spot for the walk.

We parked at a small village and asked to use their path along the hillsides. There was much excitement about our random visit, and everyone decided to join us for the walk.

The old lady (an honorary term here) present formally greeted us and asked to have her photo taken with me, our babies side by side. There was much laughter. Then the fifty or so of us set off, our number growing as we passed houses and people. William was a little overwhelmed, particularly as people kept trying to hold his hand or pick him up. He and Hannah were quite a novelty.

At one point an even older lady came out to greet us, and there were huge cheers as each of us returned her hug and ‘Muraho’.

On the way back to the car Simon decided to run ahead, and about fifteen or so kids ran with him. He sat down part way to wait for the rest of us, and the kids all sat themselves in a line in front of him calling out ‘teacher, teacher’ with big smiles. After a minute he realised that there were bull ants climbing on him, so he jumped up and began to brush them off. The kids all pitched in, and between them managed to remove the ants. Then they ran on again in a pack following him with another burst of running.

Meanwhile, when the community found out Tim is a doctor he was asked for medical advice as we walked. A baby with a badly infected scalp (flies buzzing around it) who needs to visit the local health centre, and an old lady who needs a knee operation. She had had traditional medicine used to no avail (evident by the scars), and was still hobbling with a (possibly) broken and swollen joint. When we met a young man who spoke English Tim suggested she needs to go to the hospital for an x-ray, and he replied that they have used traditional medicine and look after their own. We got the idea that she probably would not be brought to hospital.

There were exuberant waves exchanged as we climbed back into the car, and headed home. A very cross-cultural walk in the countryside!

Language Study, New Babies and Group Parenting

To thrive here, we need to be able to communicate in Kinyarwanda. But it’s a long, hard road. The big goal seems so far away and there is always the possibility that I may not achieve it! We are plodding away, trying to keep focused on small goals that definitely can be achieved. With two little ones it would be helpful to have more time to devote to the task, and I am hopeful that when we move into our new house the person who helps us there with cleaning will be good with the children and can give me some time to focus.

On an encouraging note, on the long bus ride home from Kigali yesterday I think I understood a tiny bit of the radio program! I say ‘I think’ because I may well be wrong, but I definitely knew some of the words and am guessing (given the genre) at the gist of the conversation. Anyway, it made me smile!

Oh, and I am informed there was a general discussion on the bus about me breastfeeding Hannah. I was told most people here think white women must bottle feed because they are not seen feeding in public, and everyone was pleasantly surprised. I was also told that I am the best kind of wife because I produced a boy first and then a girl; one of each in that order is the highest goal, and mine are close together too in true Rwandan fashion. If only I would stop feeding them cold drinks and ice-cream I might make a good Rwandan mother! Oh, and stop tying Hannah into her high chair “like a goat”, as Andrew exclaims without fail each morning, chuckling.

I’m grateful for the community approach to parenting here. At home people might tell you what to do, but here they also pitch in and help without blinking. People are very gentle and accommodating of children. There’s a cultural rule that you treat all children as you would your own, and when we are out and about people help out without thinking. This is particularly helpful on long bus rides!

Yesterday we visited our friends Manzi and Ami, who have a heart-melting newborn baby Olga. Then we visited her sister, William’s friend Ophra, who is staying with her cousins at the moment (community parenting again), and the kids all disappeared in a pack. It was wonderful to see Will so comfortable. In fact, he asked if he could stay without us! Quite a milestone. He’s also started to enjoy the attention he gets as we walk down the street, almost encouraging it rather than being stressed by it. When we go back to Australia he’s going to wonder why nobody pays him any attention!

Play Time – the necessity of ‘toys’

Have you heard people say that in the old days, when kids didn’t have many toys, they played more creatively? I was sceptical about my kids’ ability, imagining the annoying moan, “I’m bored Mum, what can I do?'”. One of the things I wanted to prioritise bringing with us was some toys for the kids. Duplo and books in particular, which are educational and span across age groups. They have turned out to be wonderful to have with us, but with limited variety (our supply includes a handful of different toys) I have been excited to watch William’s creative play blossom. He is very good at it! He never says ‘I’m bored’ and I’m pretty sure he never thinks it. He just instigates the next game. Pegs get built into animals, paper gets cut into tiny pieces or coiled snakes, or gets covered with drawing, the grass gets cut with scissors, a kitchen gets built with containers and imaginary food gets cooked, cubby houses built, and water painted with feet or sticks outside. He makes up songs and is even trying to write! Very cute, tiny, detailed ‘writing’ (he’s copying the fine motor motion we use). He doesn’t seem to need me to nudge him, he’s just interested in doing something and jumps into it. The worst I come across is his moaning if I’m not fast enough in supplying him with something he’s asked for from the cupboard. I am amazed.

Hannah, meanwhile, is still interested in exploring things with her mouth. Which can be at odds with what Will is doing but he usually wants her involved (except when she is ‘helping’ him build with blocks, which is truly unhelpful), and it’s generally me that gets frustrated (because texta nibs have been bitten off etc). On the whole they enjoy each others company and she happily follows him around, playing along side / together, even enjoying some of his rough play – until it gets too rough. I hope they are always good friends. Being twenty months apart seems to work well at the moment. And hopefully she will follow Will’s approach to instigating creative play!

I’m thankful for this forced opportunity to discover that less is more.