Has it really been two weeks?

(Pictured Here: Kigali. {Picture added to blog entry on 11/19/2009})

It is hard to believe that two weeks ago I was in D.C. I can't explain it, but I feel as though months have passed already...it sounds weird, but I mean it in a good way. At any rate, I have survived the 17 hours worth of plane rides and my SEVERAL shots. I am now into my second week of training, which is going VERY well.

I am having a blast! The Peace Corps trainers are Rwandan nationals; they are extremely knowledgeable and are representing their culture and language very well. My classmates are equally as fun and interesting; we are quite the cross-section of Americana. The people of Butare, the city in which I am training, are very kind; they are very eager to learn English and they are even more eager to teach me Kinyarwandan. It is unfortunate that I am not using my French as much as I was expecting, BUT Kinyarwandan is holding my interest just as much as my French studies...AND Kinyarwandan is proving to be more of a challenge, which I appreciate!

I don't have my notes on me right now, but here is a taste of the language for you:

Nitwa Emmett. Ndi umunyamerika. Ndi umukorerabushake wa Peace Corps. Niga i Kinyarwanda. Ndashaka kuba umwarimu.

Translation: My name is Emmett. I am American. I am a Peace Corps volunteer. I study Kinyarwanda. I want to be a teacher.

My stories for you at this point in time are pretty tame; my days (6 out of 7, anyway) are filled with language, health, and safety classes; these classes are very helpful, but they afford me minimal contact with the locals. However, there is an hour in the afternoon and two hours in the evening that are available for us to explore the city. A few of us get together during this time and check out local shops, the market (which is craziness! Ha! Yeah, those open markets you see in the movies...it is totally like that!), maybe go for a drink, or we play volleyball...nothing crazy.

The countryside is BEAUTIFUL! Everything is so green; the hills are rolling and alive with flora and fauna; and the weather...my goodness the weather! Rwanda is the land of eternal spring! It is sunny, but not too hot...it rains, but only long enough to refresh the air and restore the vegetation's healthy, green glow...there is a breeze, but it is NOTHING like the unforgiving Chicago winds...ha! The breeze here is just strong enough to cool you off and (God help me, its true) the breeze is always at your back, gently moving you to where you need to go.

So yeah, so far so good...the only complaint I have is the internet, which is slow and unreliable. With that said, I will get some pictures up on my facebook page once I get some more free time and a more reliable connection...be on the look out. I hope everyone is doing well and I'll speak with you soon!