"Amahoro" means "Love"

Alas, here I sit.
At the end of my last full day in Rwanda.
Wow. How can I even begin to write about the end of this fantastic journey?
First, I want to thank my parents. Mom, Dad, I would not be here without you. I wouldn't even be in Israel without you. Although I was hesitant at first, you guided me towards the choice that was best for me. I miss you so much, and I feel really lucky to have both parents in my life. I'm a really lucky girl in so many ways.
My last few days were, admittedly, rough. I feel myself being pulled in three directions.
I want to stay here with my girls and other kids. Especially since three days ago I started tutoring kids in piano. I met them all in piano class because I thought I needed to learn more, but it turns out I know enough to teach. I wrote out and taught multiple songs; Ode to Joy, a french lullaby, happy birthday, twinkle twinkle little star, and Payphone by Maroon 5. I want to stay and learn more myself and teach as much as I can to these kids.
But I also want to go back to Israel. I miss more convenient food, and my friends, and not having to worry about the water quality. I'm really looking forward to Jerusalem. At Yemin Orde, we don't have a stove or an oven, so all our food is microwaved and toasted. I have a grocery list going of food I need to buy once we move. I'm really looking forward to it. I also want to try more cooking, maybe it will encourage me to try new foods. We all know I need that.
Finally, I want to go home. Home home. Northfield, Illinois. My own bed in my own room, with my family and dogs and Potbelly and Viccinos. (Rice and beans for three weeks has definitely given me plenty of food fantasies.) I miss my friends and the comfort and security I always find at home. It's becoming more and more frustrating to be away.
But I've started something amazing, and I intend on finishing it.
Saying my goodbyes to my girls tonight was hard, and funny at the same time. Several of them fake cried, one almost made me cry, and all one girl said was "We love you long time." So good. They wrote me a letter of love and well wishes, and I just know I have to come back. I fully plan on finding a way.
I know I have a lot more to write about, but I'm just not feelin' the blogging about this place I'm going to miss so much.
As always,
Julia Rose

I hate hippos.

So its about time  I give ya'll an update. Right?
A few days ago (as in February 18) we got up at 6:30 to leave for Akagera National Park.
We kicked off the journey with two flat tires. Awesome. After taking care of that, we make our way to Akagera. Yay two hour car rides. We passed a lot of cows. And cows here are actually pretty weird looking, its something with their backs and their horns. Some of the females have horns, but they curve down and the male horns seemed disproportionately big....Anyway I'm casually watching the cows to make sure none of them are laying down (Jenn G taught me that if a large percentage of cows seen are lying down, it means its going to rain) and I see this weird horse thing. I'm all like, what? Then I realize, its a Zebra! There was a group of about 10 of them, and we stopped for a moment to "oooh" and "ahhh" and take photos like the big group of tourists we are. Then we pressed on.
The park had like a little reception area, just to mark the beginning of the park and our tour thing. One of the guides listed off the animals in the park, ones we would potentially see; giraffes, zebras, and elephants. Although he was quick to add that we would most likely not see the elephants, just because they're so hard to find.
We piled back up into our cars (mine consisted of me, Zohar [who's our madrich, did I mention that?), Eli S, Marnina C, and Jenn G]. Our cars were actually really cool. There were two removable sunroof things, but we were allowed to sit on them. So I spent the majority of this safari on top of our car, rather than in it. I was really hesitant at first, for a plethora of reasons. I put on sunscreen, so my hands were extra slippery and we had to hold on to a bar or the cover to stay on, that was concerning at first. Also it was really bumpy, and I was holding my entire life (my camera) in my hands. So 'twas a little nerve-wracking, until we saw our first animal.
Ironically enough- it was the elephants! We might have been 6 and a half minutes into the safari, and there were wild elephants like 30 feet from us. After a few pictures we pressed on. We ended up seeing more zebras, more elephants, giraffes, warthogs, hippos, and a lot more. I also discovered my serious fear of wild hippos. They could murder you in like five seconds, no mercy. Actually though. You could die. It would kill you.
We were lucky enough to have great weather, and I would say the whole trip was a success!
Yesterday we visited the market in Rubona (the closest village to ASYV), which was nothing special. A lot of avacados and tomatos. The interesting part of this story is on our walk back to Agahozo, we got caught in the pouring rain. POURING. Everyone was soaked, and we didn't even make it back to the village by foot--a bus had to come pick us up. I mean, its been fairly rainy here, but nothing like this! ...thanks for the warm welcome to the Rwandan rainy season mother nature....
Otherwise, I can't believe its my last week in the village. Time has flown so unbelievably fast. Soon I'll be back in Yemin Orde for a week, then the two day all YC sections changeover (which may or may not be at Tel Aviv University?), then I move into my Jerusalem apartment, then I go to Poland for a week (surprise!!), then I have another week back in Jeru and then its spring break and my family is coming and then its April. And at that point I'll only have too months left of Year Course! I'm so glad I did it, but I can't believe its almost over!!! Time flies!
To see some new photos click here!
One thing I am somewhat bummed about, is that I'm missing Purim (which is like the Jewish Halloween) in Israel this weekend. But I mean I guess its ok that I'm like hanging out in Africa and stuff too.

As always,
Julia Rose

"Miryango" means "Family"

I love Rwanda. Basically. 

But first, I want to talk about the Genocide Museum,  called the Kigali Memorial Center. The whole museum is really well done. We saw three exhibits. 

The first one was specific to the Rwandan genocide. It separates the tragedy into three parts; before the genocide, during the genocide, and after the genocide. 

Here's what the Kigali Memorial Centre website says about the exhibit. 

"The first section chronicles the history of Rwanda, the impact of colonialism, the development of divisive ideology and how inpunity led to the escalation of discrimination and persecution.

The second section describes the genocide itself.
The third section deals with the aftermath and indirect long-term consequences of the genocide, its impact on women and children (widows, orphans, HIV, psychological trauma), issues of justice, and the rebuilding of a fair and equitable society."
The second exhibit we walked through was one describing other genocides in the world  (the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, and the Cambodian genocide for a few examples).
The final exhibit we walked through was, in my opinion, the most moving. It was a children's memorial. There would be a big picture of a child, his or her name and age, a favorite food or sport, a best friend, and the cause of death. For example, there was a little boy, 3 years old, who's best friend was his mother and was hacked to death by a machete. It's impossible not to be impacted by these photos, beautiful happy children who are no longer living and who all died in horrific ways. I especially was affected by the fact that some of the kids at ASYV could've been in that exhibit, or they could know someone in it. It's beyond sad. 
After seeing the memorial, I became much more aware of my surroundings, that every adult had experienced this. The thought that someone you see on the street could have killed a dozen people or helplessly watched his entire family die occurred to me. It was especially hard for me to see people with injuries. What unimaginable horrors lie in the story of a scar or a limp. 
But going back to the village after seeing all this, reminded me that Rwanda is recovering and has plenty of hope. The kids here want to stay in Rwanda, rather than move to the States and live there. The plan is to graduate, go to university (perhaps in the states) and return to Rwanda and further the community in Rwanda, make medical and scientific advancements in the name of Rwanda, change and better lives in Rwanda. This is undoubtably a special place.
Let's talk about happier things now. I saw some sweet-ass wild gorillas in the northern part of Rwanda. It was fantastic. F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C! Ten of us signed up to see them, but there's a rule that the gorillas can be exposed to only eight humans for one hour, so we divided ourselves. I was with the ever-so-wonderful Jenn G, Marnina C, Adam G, and Ali G (plus three New Zealand-ers). We left our little hotel at 6:30 AM. We were greeted with some traditional dancing that was "locals supporting the gorillas!" which was super cute. We then had the bumpiest drive of my life half-way up a volcano and then trekked our way to go track some gorillas. When we finally reached the area they were in, our guide stopped us  to tell us that we were close, and just as he was saying that, gorilla noises come out of nowhere. Then we turned around and there was a GIANT male silverback gorilla, just casually chillin' eating some green stuff. We were with them for about an hour, and I got amazing photos that make me giddy. Interesting events that occurred during that hour: 1. One of the gorillas just started like half-charging Marnina and Adam and Ali, and then just stopped when they got out of her way. 2. The male and a female went behind a bush and made some interesting noises, and our guide basically said they were doing the baby making thing. 3. The male ripped some of the longest, loudest farts I've ever experienced. I'm only mentioning these because in the other group, a gorilla basically sat on Maddie's back and smelled her, charged Alex, and threw a tree at them. So maybe our lives weren't as exciting as theirs in the moment, but we did miss the rain. Just as we were getting back into our car it started pouring. It was already really muddy though, but thank goodness we had our two porters (who were hired to carry our stuff), they literally made sure I didn't die and saved me on multiple occasions from certain embarrassment.
Now I'm back in the village, volunteering and hanging out with my family! I love my girls more every day. One of them gave me a valentine yesterday, which I'm obviously keeping forever. 
Don't worry my friends, I'm going to show you my photos, right........ NOW!
That's all for now I suppose. I don't ever want to leave, also that.
As always,
Julia Rose

Mooshaka Mooshaka.

In ASYV, there is a awesome fun thing that happens every Saturday morning, early. Its called Mooshaka Mooshaka. And its running, a lot of running, with 500 Rwandan kids who do this EVERY Saturday. I prefer to say that I only did one Mooshaka, because I honestly can't keep up with them. Hopefully next week will be better.
In other news, I have completed my first week at the village! My goodness! It's been crazy. My favorite thing so far is "family time." Its a group of the students who live together with their "Mama."Its like a live-in advisory. Katie M and I got assigned to a group of 16 year-olds. They are my absolute favorite people. They love asking questions and seeing pictures and they love to laugh and its just so unbelievable how much these girls have for each other and life. Just last night I was with them, and they were speaking in Kinyarwanda. They all started looking at Katie and I, (I had been cracking a few jokes) when Jacky, a lovely girl translating for me, said they were so happy we were there, and that they love it when we're around. My heart just melted. I don't want to leave ever.
I also went to an EP (enrichment program) for the first time! I went to Piano, so it was basically just a piano class. The other EP options are photo editing, sewing, recording (because they have a legit recording studio here), traditional art, guitar, modern art, carpentry, and hospitality. There are so many awesome things to do, I'm just not going to be able to try them all :(
As far as volunteering, I've begun! First, I was with Maddie G and Adam G. We planted trees in the area between the dining hall and the school. If you're unfamiliar with the layout of the village, the school is on top of a really really tall hill. So we trekked up there and got to work. I was so muddy afterwards. And the mud here isn't brown, its red. I did that on two different days. Then yesterday, Marnina C, Alex B, and I were in the kitchen. I met Denee, who works in the kitchen and just has the most infectious smile. We peeled and chopped carrots and cucumbers. Then today I was in the kitchen once again with Marnina, but with Maddie G instead of Alex. For four hours we peeled green beans. Four. Hours. I never want to see another green bean again, but it's on the lunch menu today so I doubt I'll get that wish.
Hmmmm what else happened? Oh I know! I helped teach an english class for people who don't live in the village. There were two classrooms with about 50 people each. Never before in my life have I been in a class with that many people and everyone is paying attention. Not once did we ask them to settle down or stop talking. It's really inspiring how dedicated the people here are to bettering themselves.
We also visited Kigali and went to the Genocide museum. It was intense. It opened my eyes a lot, I realized that every adult I saw survived something unimaginable. I wish I could elaborate more, but I have to run! I'm leaving to see the gorillas today! IM SO EXCITED!!
As always,
Julia Rose

"Akadugudu" means "Village"

I've arrived in Rwanda! At long last! At about 2:00 AM our plane landed at the Kigali International Airport. We had a four hour layover at the Istanbul International Airport at one point. 

The flight had it's good and its bad points. One example of an awesome thing was the movies offered by Turkish Airlines. I could've watched Space Jam. SPACE JAM. Remember? That movie that Michael Jordan did forever ago with like Bugs Bunny. It had 50 pages of movies, with 6 movies on each page. That's 300 movies. I highly recommend it! Also you can call other passengers from your seat for free!

A bad point was the fact that by the time the food service got to the 17th row (my row), they ran out of chicken. So you either had fish or nothing. Then later when I went to pee I saw a flight attendant eating two things of chicken. Maybe its just the malaria pills making me moody, but that ticked me off.

Anyway, we stayed overnight at a cute little hotel. I roomed with Katie M. It wasn't just a room though, it was like a whole villa. Complete with a mini-kitchen and living room area. It also had two bathrooms. One upstairs, one downstairs. Its a bummer I passed out as soon as I got to the room, I hope to fully enjoy that little hotel in the future. 

Okay, the rest of the day. We exchanged money. After that, we could officially "make it rain." The exchange rate between American USD to Rwandan Franc is crazy. One US dollar is 632.327 Rwandan Francs. And we were also only given 2000 bills, needless to say, it was a pretty thick roll of money handed to us. 

Then we went to like a little shopping mall and got sim cards and phones. THEN we went last minute grocery shopping. Its even more impossible to get any other food at ASYV then it is at Yemin Orde. So I stocked up, and we headed to the village. 

IT IS BEAUTIFUL. The internet here is really slow, but I'm really hoping to get my pictures up on my blog and on my Facebook tonight. But who knows? 

I am rooming with the following lovely ladies: Katie M, Jenn G, Marnina C, and Ali G.We superficially unpacked for a half hour before going to this energy presentation happening in the village. Yosef Abramowitz, who's this really big solar energy guy in Israel, is setting up solar panels behind the school of the village which could potentially provide up to 10% of the country's energy. So that was pretty cool. For my fellow YCers--they had a presentation thing on him at the Masa concert, the one who's Sarah Silverman's brother in law. He has a wikipedia page. 

After that I committed myself to blogging and uploading. MAYBE if I'm lucky I can stay on top of this.   Perhaps even blog more than anticipated. Ya'll will just have to wait for the adventures to come! 

SO, I just had dinner, rice and beans as expected. I had to give a mini introduction for the whole group to about 600 kids. So props to New Trier Theatre 1,2,3,4 for constantly reminding me to project and 

enunciate.

The most interesting part of the longest 24 hours of my life happened only a few minutes ago, as we were returning home from dinner we had our first guest in our room: Francisco the lizard. For about 10 minutes, Francisco was viciously chased about our apartment, in multiple attempts to either kill him or evict him permanently. One attempt was in fact successful, with the use of broom sticks and a garbage can. Luckily, Francisco will live to scare Ali another day. And in the meantime we have fashioned a lizard door block out of duck-tape and a paper bag. 

Its going to be an interesting ride my friends. Get psyched.

Also, great news! I have uploaded the majority of my photos here! Be sure to check out the one of the lizard chase :)

As always, 

Julia Rose