I am beginning to get fed up with re-keying data. I feel like writing to the Rwanda Examinations Council and suggesting that all results are available in a standard file format. Even tab delimited would do! It would also help non-Rwandans if they indicated M/F. Whilst most students have “European” middle name(s), mainly French and English not all do and I have yet to identify whether some students are boys or girls.
I hoped to meet headteachers on Thursday as the DEO had a planned meeting with them. However, Plan International wanted to meet with the DEO, who invited me to join him, to discuss their offer to train 240 teachers how to better teach the subject of English. They want to train 50 by mid-June and I was able to use the data analysis of primary schools to quickly find the 50 lowest performing in the subject, not that it was necessarily due to the quality of teaching, but teaching of English at a highly skilled level would benefit these schools’ students. They also wanted to support gender equality clubs and had a wish to run a competition to promote the clubs. I made a suggestion linked to the format of the UK’s “Kick Racism out of Football” which was well received.
Later that day we also met to discuss building works with another provider.
I needed to go to Kigali this weekend as that now I have a visa in my passport I need to get a “Green Card” which is a kind of ID card so you are recorded as legally resident in an area.
To do this I had first collect my passport and make copies of the relevant pages, one copy for the VSO safe as back up, and also got access to my cash for the next month. Whilst there I agreed to proof read one of the VSO support officer’s Master’s Degree thesis to check his English. I did point out that I was a maths teacher!
I then caught a moto to go to the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), their equivalent of HMRC, and pay the fee, 5000 RwF. I eventually found the correct building having first been taken to RRA HQ and then found the correct doorway. There appeared to be a long queue of several hours duration. I had taken a book and was well prepared. However, a young woman who was sat chatting and not queuing came over and said “muzungu, muzungu” taking me straight into the office without having to queue. I was than dealt with straight away as the next customer. I was very grateful if a bit embarrassed and thanked her very much, “murakoze chani”. Next, I went to the front of the building to get a green card application form. In this department you had to collect a numbered ticket and wait, also the system in some banks, and my ticket was number 3112 but to my disappointment the counter on the wall showed 3018 and only one of the three points was manned, so I got out my book and proceeded to wait. I did wonder if others in the queue had taken a break as there were only six people in the room. I settled down to read and had got no further than a page of reading done and it was made clear I was the next in the queue, no “muzungu” factor this time as all those waiting were muzungus.
I was well prepared and had the receipt from the RRA, my photocopy of passport and visa plus two photos. Once equipped with a form I quickly completed it and took it back to the counter to be told I had to take the form, etc to the immigration office local to Kabarore.
I stayed over with Bert and on Friday evening we joined three others at the Great Wall Chinese restaurant, having first been to a different one, the Tangren, which was frequented by people in some very fancy cars! I chose a fish noodle set meal and a bottle of Primus. I was looking forward to fish, but what came was a set meal, but with rice, chicken and beef dishes! I didn’t have the heart to complain, though I did enjoy my unexpected offering.
Later in the evening Bert and I went to “Heaven” which was a restaurant that was celebrating its 3rd anniversary and had a live band playing. This was mainly classic French and English songs. It was a very entertaining time and we enjoyed listening, chatting and a beer or two.
On Saturday I went first to the large Kimironko Market near to Bert’s house. I bought some longer screws in the hope that I might eventually get round to putting up the wooden racks on the walls at my house. I also bought a holdall for 6000RwF to take the purchases I planned to make in town (mu muji) and to act as a second bag for when I return so that I stay under the 23kg per bag limit. I also bought a continental 4-gang extension socket as the education office has one that take four narrow plugs but only two normal ones and these are taken by the computer and printer of DEO’s secretary.
I took a minibus from the Kimironko bus station into “mu muji”. I first put some Mobile Money on my phone so that I could buy Cashpower electricity and some airtime for my phone next week. I decided that if I got most of my purchases I would treat myself to a brunch at the Bourbon Café next to the Nakomatt supermarket. So I invested in a new non-stick frying pan as the pan I have is enamel and everything sticks to it unless you use too much oil, which I want to keep to a minimum. My other key item was the luxury of a two cup cafétière. To go with this I bought some Rwandan coffee as well as stocking up on tea bags, powdered milk, a large pack of white rolled oats. My reward of brunch consisted of a big pot of coffee and an African Salad both were really delicious.
After brunch I went over to T2000, the “Chinese” supermarket, both run by Chinese management and mainly stocked with Chinese products, and invested in a t-towel and a notebook. The latter, to enable me to keep track of my lists of things to do and to act as a diary of sorts.
I the afternoon Bert and I went to the Jambo Inn near his house to watch the FA Cup Final, very few were watching and sadly Stoke City lost. We ordered food at half-time and this came at the end of the match. This time I did get my fish as I ordered two fish brochettes which I knew would be good due to previous experience at the Inn.
On Sunday I accepted Bert’s invitation to go to play football, meeting up at the Sonatubes roundabout for 0830! We were joined by Lynne, Darryl, Mark, as well as Rosco, a friend of Mark’s. We walked up in to Kicukiro to a really high quality all-weather pitch (4th generation with rubber crumb and modern artificial grass). I was not kitted-out for football and was expecting to have to play in jeans and shirt. I did not expect to have to undergo 30 minutes warm up which was quite vigorous. Bert and I drew the line at the exercise that required you to leap up onto a partner, putting your legs around their middle, then lean back to do sit-ups from 45 degrees below the horizontal! After the warm uo I was chatting with Rosco and said that I didn’t normally do such warm-ups any more as when refereeing it was not necessary to be so strenuous. At this point I was handed a whistle and referees red & yellow cards. I refereed the whole game, whilst players, including Bert, Mark and Darryl were being given breaks by rolling substitutions. Still it was enjoyable even if I felt I was flagging towards the end of the game. What was especially well received was I played on after a poor tackle and it resulted in a goal. After the game they said they want me to referee a return game they have organised on 11 June with a team from another part of Rwanda.
Rosco insisted I we join him, two other players and Mark at his house for a meal. So we returned to Sonatubes and went down to his house. He and an extended family with in more than one building that they are buying. He was a great host and the food cooked by his wife and family, Mark’s wife Tamin and Lynne on three charcoal burners outside was delicious.
I had all my belongings with me as I expected to travel back to Kabarore that afternoon, but it would have been rude or at least ungracious to leave such hospitality too soon. Lynne and Darryl offered to put me up in their house they have just moved to. I accepted and decided I would get a really early bus back to Kabarore in the morning. We had agreed with Mark and Tamin, Spurs supporters both, that we would join them to watch the match at Anfield on the TV in their local bar. Enjoyable, but shame about Liverpool’s play and the result!
Week 6, Tuesday 17rd May onwards
Quite a good week here in Kabarore, that started when the 7 a.m. bus arrived after only just over 2 hours. It was a larger more powerful bus that fortunately no one wanted to get off for at least the first half of the journey. Hence , it did not need to stop. It needed to make very few stops by the time we reached Kabarore.
I have now finished processing the data for the end of 9YBE (9 years of basic education that is free to all), as well as the O Level Certificate and AGCSE. For the OLC students are graded 1 – 9 and their best 7 of 8 subjects are used to calculate their division I to IV and U. The subjects are the same for all mathematics, chemistry, physics, English, Kinyarwanda, geography, history and biology. The Advanced GCSE are done in prescribed combinations MCB (maths, chem,bio), HEG(hist, econ, geog), PCM( phys, chem, maths), MPG (maths, phys, geog), MPC (maths, physics, comp), EFK (Eng, French, Kinyarwanda) and EKK (Eng, Kinya, Kiswahili). Most schools only do one or two combinations. As the schools are residential students must move to the school of their choice where the option they want is run and whose fees they can afford.
On Tuesday I represented the District at training on education Inclusion Run by Handicap International. The training was aimed at introducing current ideas to 15 headteachers drawn from different phases. It was interesting to hear descriptions by headteachers of those with SEN as “mentally retarded”. It was quite difficult training as much of it was in Kinyarwanda or French. It is interesting that most of my notes are in French! The aim was to promote the schools to set up clubs of Education Pour Tous / Education for All. All fifteen schools will set up clubs and they elected a District Committee for the clubs and decided to call it CEIGA (Clubs de Éducation Inclusion de Gatsibo), French is still a major language, and they decided to elect the District Education Officer as Président (Chair) in his absence because he was visiting a school!.
On Thursday I met all 12 headteachers who are elected as leaders of their sectors. They were at a briefing in the District Office, quite a squeeze, and I was able to talk about my work on the schools data, and to offer training.
After over a week of dry weather it has broken with a vengeance. It rained very heavily at lunch time on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday it really poured down all day until about 4 p.m. and I managed to collect lots of water that pours from the roof!
It is cleaner than that from the town pump which had become less clear as the dry period went on.
Once the rain stopped I took the opportunity to walk up to the top of the ridge to the East of the house.
The weather remained murky and me and my coterie of small children got up onto the ridge. The rocks are exposed here and small hand dug quarries exist wher stones are dug out. These are used for the foundations and sometimes lower sections of house walls.
The remainder is usually mud & straw bricks covered with mortar.
The “posh” houses have brick with the mortar in between courses either varnished or painted to seal out the weather. There are still many houses built just of mud bricks with branches as vertical supports and a corrugated tin roof. Very few homes have tiles! At the top of the ridge there was a football match alongside a group of African cattle.
I thought I should include some pictures of my kitchen
as I have just finished podding my beans for my main meal today.
This week’s purchase also had a few peas too hidden amongst the beans. My domestique shopped at the market for me on Friday and bought me most of what I asked for, though I got papaya instead of green peppers, and she bought me a pineapple and some green oranges – yes they are ripe.
