Getting Ready

I am completely freaking out as I am starting to pack. I don't remember experiencing as many emotions as I have the last couple of days.

I have decided to pack as lightly as possible considering that I will be gone for two whole months. One of the main reasons why I want to pack light is because there are no washing machines at the village, so I am going to have to wash all my clothes by hand. I am also going to bring clothes, and whatever else I can, to the village so that Mama Arlene can give them to the children as needed. I have talked to the founder, Mama Arlene, and she told me that books are very scarce, and she would appreciate anything that I can bring. I have packed 45 books that range from baby books to adult book. While picking out the books for the children, I tried to be sensitive to the cultural differences because I know that some books might simply not be appropriate for the children, because of the different cultures and values. For example, I could not bring "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul" because I don't think that the children would be able to relate.

While sorting through the books, it made think back a lot about my intro to sociology class with Erickson when we discussed culture and the norms of society, and I guess I tried to use what I had learned in the classroom into a real life situation.

I guess I tried to apply the same concept of respecting the Rwandan culture for the clothes that I will be bringing for myself and the children. All my skirts and shorts are bellow the knee and I will not be wearing any spaghetti strap tank tops or revealing tops for that matter. Mama Arlene sent me a visitor's guide to the village so that I would have an idea of what to expect, and some things that I should be aware of when going to Rwanda. I just learned while reading the pamphlet that it is extremely rude to eat while on the go and that I should never walk on the grass for it is against the law. I already knew that I should not drink water that has not been boiled, and that I should not use ice in my drinks unless I know for sure that the water used to make the ice was boiled before.

Talking about health precautions, I went to the doctor's last week to get the yellow fever vaccine and malaria tablets. The rest of my vaccines were up to date including meningitis which I had to get before going to college. I had to start taking the malaria tablets 2 weeks before going to Rwanda and continue 4 weeks after coming back. They taste absolutely disgusting, but at least I only have to take them once a week.

In my own ways, I have been getting ready to go back to my culture (Rwandan and Burundian culture are very similar in terms of food, language, music and lifestyle). Since the DC area is not exactly booming with Rwandans and Burundians, I have turned to the internet for a lot of information and just getting back in touch. I have been watching YouTube videos one after another on anything that is related to Burundi or Rwanda. I have been watching a lot of music videos (very different from USA!) and every time I see the traditional dances and hear the songs, my heart swells with pride and it makes me realize how much I love my country. The women dance and sing with such grace, and it just makes me feel so damn good to be part of that culture. The songs, they bring me such comfort and memories from my childhood and my heart really feels like it is about to burst. The way the women move their necks, their arms, in such beautiful, light and harmonic ways, no matter how many times I have seen these moves, they still leave me in awe. I have a couple of songs that I have downloaded on my iPod from a CD at home that I have been playing over and over again. This one song "Murabanza Muribaze", my favorite, I have played 79 times already.
To see a more traditional type of singing and dancing on YouTube click here, or right here, or even here.

For a more modern Burundian song: click here.

The last song is by Khadja Nin, an artist whose voice almost brings me to tears every time I hear her songs. Look up her other songs, they are amazing as well.

In terms of language, I still speak some Kirundi, but I am not as fluent as I used to be. I also left the country at a very young age, so my vocabulary was one of a child. I understand a lot more than I let on, but when I am with other Burundians, I get self conscious and prefer to listen and if I have to answer, I usually respond in French or English. I do not know how to read or write (children start school at 7 in Burundi) and my father never taught me. But I have found on the internet a website that has vocabulary and phrases, so I have been using that and reviewing almost everyday. I remember the last time I spoke in Kirundi at a gathering and someone made fun of me because I use words that are specific to the region where I was born and they called me the equivalent of “Country”. But I do not deny my roots, and in fact I am very proud of my very small village. It bothered me then, but now I realize that it is the same as when you notice when an American is from the south, Midwest or whatnot. I am not really worried about the language barrier because I know that once I am in Rwanda, I will be able to pick up the language quite easily. As my father says, I still have some Kirundi left in me although "much of her vocabulary is dormant somewhere on her hard drive and will come back quickly once she gets immersed in the milieu."

That is it for now. I am probably going to listen to one more song before I go to bed, because I want to be completely packed by tomorrow afternoon.

So until next time,

Nadine