August 2.

 It's August 2nd Sunday night and next week at this time we will be airborne. So today we got to sleep in a little bit you know I was up but at least I didn't have to get up right away and I took a nice leisurely shower went down to breakfast and met up with Pedro one of my new friends who was with the kids from Miami who told me they were supposed to leave yesterday but there was a big problem with the flight and it was re-scheduled but they weren't enough seats so four people had to stay behind so he stayed behind with the students that weren't on the first flight now they're being rerouted through Amsterdam and some other place and I'm just hoping that Colleen and I don't have any problem with getting home. So we went to the center later and we met with Olivier who was kind enough to take us for our last shopping spree and I think I got what I needed and we headed back and we were getting ready to go to bashir's father's funeral. Another experience going to a funeral here in Rwanda there are a lot of people it was a military ceremony because she is father was a very decorated soldier during the genocide the cemetery looked a little different all the Tombstones were above ground basically and the ceremony was kind of here and then there the family individually brought up flowers and some went and put them in the grave and there was a time where everyone could get up and look to the casket and say goodbye and so on it was what I feel was a Christian ceremony even though I saw that his mother was Muslim and I know that Bashir is Muslim. Alice was there and was very sweet helping me up the embankments and other places there that were not meant for dress shoes. We were there until after 4:00 we took a car back and I picked up my things and we came straight to the hotel. We had dinner here with what was given to us at the center and now I am going to finish this blog with some pictures from today and some random pictures as well including one of the gentlemen who was barbecuing yesterday that looked very typical is typical New Yorker or New Jersey or east coast with a beer in his hand cooking over the grill. The reunion was wonderful seeing so many people and we played that game it was a lot of fun so I'm going to post some photos and go to bed

CELEBRATE!

 Good evening it is August 1st it is a Saturday and I cannot believe that we only have a few more days left I was asked today am I ready to go home? And my answer was I don't think so. I'm happy that when I go home I can look forward to seeing Ross and his family but it's also very hard for me to leave this place. So we knew that today was going to be a celebration where they were bringing back ex students of Colleen and myself either online students or in person students going back to 2024 and 2020 during the pandemic then they tell us that Colleen and I was supposed to make speeches and of course I didn't have anything prepared and either did she but I'm okay I can do it impromptu speech but then they started setting up and putting up decorations and all kinds of things and then a lot of people started coming in people of course I do not remember their names but I recognize them some of them I didn't recognize because they were only maybe 13 14 years old and now they're 18 years old but it was wonderful and they also were having their own reunion so everyone was hugging and they had a wonderful time then they brought out snacks some potato chips and peanuts and they had tons of beer for those that were over 18 and soda and it was quite a spread of go at on a skewer and potatoes that were absolutely unbelievably delicious so I decided not to eat the goat only because I've made it so far to this point and pretty much unscathed I didn't want to take any chances so I just ate these delicious potatoes which ended up being our lunch and dinner because I was stuffed. Colleen made her speech first which was lovely and talked mostly about the kids and how they have progressed and I forgot to mention that this morning I did an hour class with the staff on pronunciation and they're all laughed about the fact that I'm the person that goes after them to say words correctly. So after that we just kind of hang around while they were all dancing and having a good time I called my sister so I could FaceTime with her and she could see what was going on and Ross also called me at that time and I was able to let him know what was going on we were absolutely astonished at the amount of preparation and food that they prepared knowing that it was expensive it had to be expensive it was enough more than enough for everyone and the food was being cooked and cooked and cooked because everyone wanted more and more and more. I got to reunite with several of my ex students which was wonderful took a lot of pictures and we came back early Colleen was a little overwhelmed by it all so she already went to bed I'm just doing the blog now and I'm probably going to watch something on my tablet and go to bed early as well tomorrow we're all actually going to bashir's father's funeral which is very sad but I'm glad that we can be here to support him. So that's it for now we also played a game I never played before which is like a group boxes of paper where you divide into two groups and you decide if you're going to throw an arrow or shoot an arrow be a wall or be a rabbit so if you're a wall and the other ones are rabbit the rabbit wins cuz the rabbit can jump over the wall if you are a bow and arrow and the other ones are rabbit you will win because the bow and arrow shoots the rabbit if you are the wall and the other people are arrows arrows can't go through the wall so it was fun and they get so excited and it's very funny to see but it was a new game and it was fun

goat bbq

Shabbat shalom

 Shabbat shalom this is one of the later nights we've had it's 10:30 and I'm just getting ready for bed was a very busy but very wonderful day first of all we met up with a girl she's 29 years old named Kim that Carl texted us about that she was here in Rwanda by herself and maybe we can meet up with her which we did so she met us at the hotel she's 29 very nice girl involved in Holocaust and genocide studies and we walked to the center and she kind of shadowed us today I introduced it to everybody and then we went to the to see Patrick at the gazemble center which used to be the orphanage the one that Johnson was rescued from we spent some time there it was bittersweet because he was engaged to ordeal and they're not engaged anymore so it was a little sale after we spent a little time there we went back to the center we grabbed the little lunch and then the kids had their talent show which was a lot of fun to watch and you did a little dancing then I changed into a dress and we waited for the car and we went to the Chabad Center for our Shabbat dinner we ended up with 10 people and the two gentlemen or two rabbis in charge tonight came from New York and Florida because the rabbi is in Israel but these two gentlemen were great they were very welcoming they're very warm and the men were taken in the other room to start the services I was able I was asked to let the Shabbat candles which I very happily did and got a chance to practice some Hebrew and the services was were not that long but there was one part where all the men were dancing and it was so nice to watch all my

talent show

Kevin in his yarmukah

shabbat table

jennifer

Frankie i 

friends dancing with the Chabad people and all the guests once the service was over we went down for dinner but you know was fabulous I'm starting out with the challah and the salads and the hummus and everything and I think my friends were very pleased that the ones that never had Hollow before certainly loved it then we had chicken we had fish we had green beans and a lovely dessert of vodka and mint tea it was a lot of conversation and different places and all in all it was a wonderful experience I love sharing my culture I actually really enjoy Shabbat and the service of it and I think that everyone enjoys himself and were exposed to another culture so shabbat shalom I'm going to sleep I forgot to mention that of course they served shots of whiskey which I didn't have any and was very surprised to see Julius take three shots of whiskey I hope he's not going to have a headache tomorrow

Great night /a surprise activity

 It is now Thursday morning and:600 in the morning and I'm up a little early but actually went to bed later than usual the day started at my usual hour and had my 10:00 class and then we went with Olivier to go shopping for a few things but he took us to a place that was a little more expensive than we used to so we didn't spend too much time. The people we had met at the hotel Playing for Change or performing last night and we thought it wasn't going to be a big deal but it turned out to be a very big deal fiston was kind enough to accompany us along with Emmy and Olivier but Amy and Olivier left and it was just the three of us but this was after it poured torrentially for a couple of hours very unexpected for this time of year so most of the people were happy about seeing the rain because it's very dry right now the good thing was because we were going to the show Colleen and I ate our dinner at the center and had we been walking home we would have been soaked when I say torrential I mean torrential rain. When we got to the place with the program was it was still raining a little bit we took a seat and then it was raining and not raining and they had to remove all the equipment and they had to put it all back and a very kind woman who turns out to be a director of the program gave Colleen and I to umbrellas thankfully it finally stopped but the show started late but it started surprisingly with traditional dancing that was incredible for some reason I can't post videos here but I did take some pictures alsoFiston on ran into so many people that he knewo including a woman that he told us in his street days had fed him she was so happy to see him and he was very happy to see her as well some of our mind leap students were there also and the people that we met at the hotel were all very thrilled that we made it we said we would be there and we were there we did not stay to the end because it wasn't going to be over anytime before 10:00 p.m. so we left after the kids from Miami did some of their performing it was very Jazzy and their lead singer and these are all high school kids their lead singer was a real good jazz singer. There are a lot of people up and dancing throughout the whole show and it was a lot of fun we're thinking maybe we can go back tonight cuz they have three performances tomorrow we have our Shabbat dinner so and I was chilly last night I didn't have a jacket with me and I have a jacket but I didn't bring it. I'm also posting a picture of my class of younger students that I get help from

 Miami kids

Rwanda traditional  music 

raining 

my class 

morning stretch 

Fuĺl day and uphiĺl again

 Good afternoon it is about 6:00 p.m. here just got back from the walk. Today I felt a little more tired because I had a terrible headache this morning but with my lovely Etc thank God for Excedrin I was able to get rid of it. So today was busy I had my two classes one is an hour one is 2 hours the first one is with the older kids so it's a lot of really 12th grade material and grammar and things like that the second group of the younger kids and we do a little bit more fun activities and I think they enjoyed it. I got to see one of my first students online Emmanuel who is now a choreographer he's in school and he seems very happy. I recorded myself going up the hill and going down the hill but videos don't always play on here I will try but if not you'll just see a couple of photographs tomorrow at our rest time which is between 12:00 and 1:30 we are going to go shopping for a few things. I was thrilled to see Colleen and my very special student Gideon hold back 4 years ago we said was so so smart well he ended up being in the top 10 of the country and he is now in the process of looking at colleges hopefully in the US and I hope for his sake that he will get accepted and maybe get some scholarship money. So I'm meeting Colleen in an hour so she can rest and I can do my blog and then we'll have our usual dinner in little alcove and watch something on my tablet. You may be wondering why I would put myself through this of going up those Hills down those Hills Etc but I get such pleasure and joy and satisfaction out of being here I think that's the least of it plus it's my personal challenge that I can still do it 73 and I can still do it

hotel stairs

Frront row and full moon

 Good morning it is 7:15 or so 7:30 I'm up because unfortunately I had an excruciating headache last night tried to go back to sleep I did and this morning I just took my Excedrin and I hope it does its job don't know why I have a headache I'm drinking enough water but nonetheless I have one. I didn't write last night because it just was late and I was tired. However from the hotel Colleen and I go out every night to eat our breakfast I mean eat all dinner together on the outside Alcove and usually after we watch something on my tablet and last night there was a huge soccer game and the stadium is right by us and we could hear all the hollering and yelling and clapping and Rwanda was facing Djibouti and Rwanda 13 nothing. We have met up with that group of children from from Miami that are here to perform with change of music or music has changed something like that it's also a nonprofit so we may go and watch their performance tomorrow night. I also wanted to give you a little story about a young man I will post his picture who I saw at the center who seemed very very upset and I asked one of the teachers to ask him and it turns out that he's 14 years old and had not been to school at mind leaps for the last 2 weeks because his mother has gone to Uganda to get material for what she sells which are beads and jewelry that she makes leaving him to take care of his younger siblings. He's 14 years old he had to cook for them get them ready for their own activities and all at the age of 14 and what he was most upset about was missing school. Very humbling to think that such responsibility goes to such a youngster but it's not a singular story. In the meantime it was a beautiful full moon last night I hope I captured some of it on my camera and going downstairs to try to have some breakfast even though I don't feel like eating much. Yesterday I did a dance class with Eaves but mostly I just do the warm up and stretching part of it I did okay also you'll see a picture of

Olivia wearing my AARP hat which I gave to him you'll also see a photo of children in a huddle and it was a game that we were playing with words

Easy like sunday morning

 We're back from our day a little earlier because it is Sunday. We got up had breakfast and met some very nice people from Florida that are here from another NGO company called change through music and they're here with nine students from Florida and they'll be performing. We also told them about mine leaps I'm always trying to publicize them when I have the opportunity. Colleen went off to church and I stayed at the center I did a little reading I hung out with the other teachers that were here today I had lunch and when Colleen got back we took a car taxi and went to visit our mutual friend Odile

Odile and her then fiance had stayed at my house they were there for New Year's Eve and spent a few days together but unfortunately a deal although she was attending Yale University and actually graduated and has a master's from Yale returns home to Rwanda and had a horrific accident that severed her spinal cord so she is in a wheelchair now. Her sisters and brother and mother were there and were very nice and very hospitable to us and she looks great and she still works for the prime minister's office here in kilgali she says she has a rich social life she goes to the gym but I asked her about her legs and she says she has no feeling in them which made me very sad. It was a lovely visit and we returned back early we're going to have a little snacky kind of dinner and tomorrow we're back to our regular schedule of teaching I'm going to put in some photos and catch up tomorrow I'm also putting in photos of my lunch which was usual which was rice with cabbage and beans is actually taste very good I also added pictures of Bashir and Rebecca because they are leaving tonight to return back to the States today they also had a very interesting meeting with several students that have graduated from college and having a discussion about life afterwards about jobs search going for masters degrees and things like that because many of these kids once they graduate they really don't know what's next so as you can see mine leaves keeps in touch with their graduates their alumni and that's why so many alumni actually work here at the center

same gentleman I photographed  2 years ago

lunch

Alumni meeting about life after graduation

t