Friday, 25 September 2009
Sunday, 13 September 2009
The 'Great Football Giveaway' in Ngoma. Yehaa!!!!
Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.
Hi all,
I hope you are all well. This week has been incredible busy with all sorts of events. I did run two work shops in quite far out areas and they were great fun, even though it was incredible hot in the classrooms and that can be quite challenging. The teachers were amazing and so interested in the different topics and therefore....as always..... running the work shops just felt right and was a real pleasure.
Also, on Monday I received a phone call from Paul and Jason from 'The Great Football Give Away' who were on their way to Kibungo. You should check out their webside as it is really cool what they do and it would be great if you can support them in their future work.
http://thegreatfootballgiveaway.org.uk
A few hours later they did rock up with a car full of balls and camera gear and of we went to different schools and places in the Ngoma District.
We drove along the roads and when we saw kids playing with self made balls we stopped and supplied them with proper footballs or netballs.
Wouw...they eyes did light up and the kids were in between disbelieve and happiness. It was great to see them kicking of the proper balls and playing.
The nicest was to go to one field with heaps of kids and giving them balls. These children were just so happy and could not stop playing. I am definetely going back there and kick some balls, as I played myself for about 7 years.
The evening was great as we did have some good food and Mutzig and it was great to talk. Paul and Jason are two really interesting characters and totally open minded and king sized fun to hang out with. Yes....hi 'Billy and little sister'....Daddy was here in the middle of nowhere near Kibungo!!!!!!
On Tuesday we all had breakfast at my house and then they gave me a lift to one of my schools - that was great....no Motorbike ride in the morning!!! When we arrived at the school Paul and Jason did give away loads of balls. It was great!
Happy faces, kids being kids and just playing. But....what are they actually looking at...???? 
......ah....Jason is filming...the future football stars in 'Sake'.
Yes guys....this is a big 'Thank you' form the kids very close to the Burundian border to everybody who did support the 'Great Football Give Away'. These kids are playing with the balls you helped to buy.
The work shop was great even though I felt so tired after a very short night!!! As always we had a huge amount of pupils looking through the windows and trying to find out what is going on in the classrooms. The kids do love it when we sing songs or when I introduce games to the teachers.
On the way back I passed by the place were the others were. So I just jumped of the motor bike and enjoyed the rest of the day driving around with the others, bringing balls to the children and playing with them.
Children playing football in the background. Some children have to take care of their little sibblings but they do enjoy watching the game.
Everybody from the area is coming and checking out the football field. This little girl looks very mailnutritient and I just hope for the people that the rain will start very soon!!!
Paul and Jason did leave a box full of balls with me and my plan is to go to really far out areas that you cannot reach with a car but just with a Motor bike and bring balls to the children that do live in the most disadvantaged areas.
It is getting dark and we are stopping along the road to play with children.
The children are in disbelief about the balls
This is probably the first time in their lifes that somebody gave a present to these kids. The life of children over here is so very different. That does not mean that they are more or less happy than children at home. It is just different and these kids really did appreciate the balls.
It will be great to go to the places where the children did receive balls and to supply balls to more areas and I am looking forward to play with the children in the middle of nowhere.
Thanks Jason and Paul, I had two great days with you and ...Sarah....send your husband to a free climbing course next time, as he almost fell down the hill while trying to bring the ball to some kids who we could not reach otherwise!!! He is a crazy, good hearted 'Muzungo'.
On Wednesday Anna moved into the house and Jason moved nearby. It is great to have two more VSOs in Kibungo and they are incredible nice and it will be so much easier to work in a team! Great fun!!! That is a very happy 'ME'!!!!!!!!
Thursday was another work shop. It is cool, as I came past a school were Paul and Jasone were on Tuesday and I saw the kids playing with the balls and having fun. I just love it when they take their sandals of and play barefoot as that is better for kicking the ball and they can run faster.
Well....when I needed to run to the bus stop on Friday to catch the bus to Kigali....I did take of my shoes and did run bare foot...as it actually is ..... much easier!!! I guess I am becoming Rwandan.
On Saturday Anna, Jason and I did travel to Lake Muhazi and had a really nice and relaxing time there.
The week has been very busy but very good.
I hope that you are all well,
take care,
have a great week,
xxx Tina
Hi all,
I hope you are all well. This week has been incredible busy with all sorts of events. I did run two work shops in quite far out areas and they were great fun, even though it was incredible hot in the classrooms and that can be quite challenging. The teachers were amazing and so interested in the different topics and therefore....as always..... running the work shops just felt right and was a real pleasure.
Also, on Monday I received a phone call from Paul and Jason from 'The Great Football Give Away' who were on their way to Kibungo. You should check out their webside as it is really cool what they do and it would be great if you can support them in their future work.
http://thegreatfootballgiveaway.org.uk
A few hours later they did rock up with a car full of balls and camera gear and of we went to different schools and places in the Ngoma District.
We drove along the roads and when we saw kids playing with self made balls we stopped and supplied them with proper footballs or netballs.
Wouw...they eyes did light up and the kids were in between disbelieve and happiness. It was great to see them kicking of the proper balls and playing.
The nicest was to go to one field with heaps of kids and giving them balls. These children were just so happy and could not stop playing. I am definetely going back there and kick some balls, as I played myself for about 7 years.
The evening was great as we did have some good food and Mutzig and it was great to talk. Paul and Jason are two really interesting characters and totally open minded and king sized fun to hang out with. Yes....hi 'Billy and little sister'....Daddy was here in the middle of nowhere near Kibungo!!!!!!
On Tuesday we all had breakfast at my house and then they gave me a lift to one of my schools - that was great....no Motorbike ride in the morning!!! When we arrived at the school Paul and Jason did give away loads of balls. It was great!
Rwandan discipline
Happy faces, kids being kids and just playing. But....what are they actually looking at...???? 
......ah....Jason is filming...the future football stars in 'Sake'.
Yes guys....this is a big 'Thank you' form the kids very close to the Burundian border to everybody who did support the 'Great Football Give Away'. These kids are playing with the balls you helped to buy.
The work shop was great even though I felt so tired after a very short night!!! As always we had a huge amount of pupils looking through the windows and trying to find out what is going on in the classrooms. The kids do love it when we sing songs or when I introduce games to the teachers.
On the way back I passed by the place were the others were. So I just jumped of the motor bike and enjoyed the rest of the day driving around with the others, bringing balls to the children and playing with them.
Children next to the football pitch.
Children playing football in the background. Some children have to take care of their little sibblings but they do enjoy watching the game.
Everybody from the area is coming and checking out the football field. This little girl looks very mailnutritient and I just hope for the people that the rain will start very soon!!!
Paul and Jason did leave a box full of balls with me and my plan is to go to really far out areas that you cannot reach with a car but just with a Motor bike and bring balls to the children that do live in the most disadvantaged areas.
Future football stars posing at the side of the road
It is getting dark and we are stopping along the road to play with children.
The children are in disbelief about the balls
This is probably the first time in their lifes that somebody gave a present to these kids. The life of children over here is so very different. That does not mean that they are more or less happy than children at home. It is just different and these kids really did appreciate the balls.
It will be great to go to the places where the children did receive balls and to supply balls to more areas and I am looking forward to play with the children in the middle of nowhere.Jason and Paul slipping down hill.
'Guys...it is actually a long way down and
....I know you are really keen on bringing those balls to the kids down there....
.....but.....
what about staying alive!!!'
'Guys...it is actually a long way down and
....I know you are really keen on bringing those balls to the kids down there....
.....but.....
what about staying alive!!!'
On Wednesday Anna moved into the house and Jason moved nearby. It is great to have two more VSOs in Kibungo and they are incredible nice and it will be so much easier to work in a team! Great fun!!! That is a very happy 'ME'!!!!!!!!Thursday was another work shop. It is cool, as I came past a school were Paul and Jasone were on Tuesday and I saw the kids playing with the balls and having fun. I just love it when they take their sandals of and play barefoot as that is better for kicking the ball and they can run faster.
Well....when I needed to run to the bus stop on Friday to catch the bus to Kigali....I did take of my shoes and did run bare foot...as it actually is ..... much easier!!! I guess I am becoming Rwandan.
Jambo Beach at Lake Muhazi
On Saturday Anna, Jason and I did travel to Lake Muhazi and had a really nice and relaxing time there.
Jason is really into birdwatching....
....and....
he did spot the most amazing eagle I ever saw in my life:
he did spot the most amazing eagle I ever saw in my life:
The week has been very busy but very good.I hope that you are all well,
take care,
have a great week,
xxx Tina
Sunday, 6 September 2009
One year!!!
Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.
Hi, it is the 6. of September and that means I did fly out exactly a year ago.
So many things have happened since then. Good things and bad things:
Ups:
- meeting amazing people
- making good new friends
- working in a really rewarding job
- making all sorts of contacts with other NGOs, Unicef, etc....
- getting an understanding for sustainable development work
- running work shops
- working alongside teachers
- having fun lessons with the children
- riding on a motor bike taxi on the shittiest dirt roads in the middle of absolutely nowhere
- shopping on a market
- travelling Rwanda and Uganda
- learning from a nation that has gone through a Genocide
- seeing an incredibe beautiful country
- and so many more
and downs:
- being covered in rat poo and pee after trying to wash the draws where she lived in....thanks to
the water pressure everything splashed up on me
- having the biggest spider ever next to me, yes it had huge jaws and had legs like baby fingers
- experiencing an earth quake (5.2 on scale with its Epi Centre in the Kivu area)
- having flees and bedbugs and being bitten as there would not be a tomorrow
- having a broken door for 2 month and therefore having no door for two month
- having an invasion of about 100 bees (just yesterday)
- needing to fly home with a bad Kidney infection
- being hassled
- being mugged twice
- and.......a few other things
All of us are asking the same questions: Where has the year gone?????
This year has been incredible good, challenging, hard, amazing, bad, great, fascinating, rediculous, cool, sad, brilliant,..... and fast.
I am looking forward to hopefully doing my Masters in 'Development' in London from September next year on. I will see.
Take care,
xxx Tina
Hi, it is the 6. of September and that means I did fly out exactly a year ago.
That was my plane: 21.20 to Addis Ababa
So many things have happened since then. Good things and bad things:Ups:
- meeting amazing people
- making good new friends
- working in a really rewarding job
- making all sorts of contacts with other NGOs, Unicef, etc....
- getting an understanding for sustainable development work
- running work shops
- working alongside teachers
- having fun lessons with the children
- riding on a motor bike taxi on the shittiest dirt roads in the middle of absolutely nowhere
- shopping on a market
- travelling Rwanda and Uganda
- learning from a nation that has gone through a Genocide
- seeing an incredibe beautiful country
- and so many more
and downs:
- being covered in rat poo and pee after trying to wash the draws where she lived in....thanks to
the water pressure everything splashed up on me
- having the biggest spider ever next to me, yes it had huge jaws and had legs like baby fingers
- experiencing an earth quake (5.2 on scale with its Epi Centre in the Kivu area)
- having flees and bedbugs and being bitten as there would not be a tomorrow
- having a broken door for 2 month and therefore having no door for two month
- having an invasion of about 100 bees (just yesterday)
- needing to fly home with a bad Kidney infection
- being hassled
- being mugged twice
- and.......a few other things
All of us are asking the same questions: Where has the year gone?????
This year has been incredible good, challenging, hard, amazing, bad, great, fascinating, rediculous, cool, sad, brilliant,..... and fast.
I am looking forward to hopefully doing my Masters in 'Development' in London from September next year on. I will see.
Take care,
xxx Tina
Friday, 4 September 2009
The rainy season started
The rainy season just started 5 minutes ago.
Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
The Motorcycle Diary continues - Work shop in Bare and a chicken for lunch at Leandre's house
Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.
Work shop in 'Bare' in Mutenderi. I like it here. This is just a part of the school. There are also a few much nicer buildings.
The kids were so funny and could not believe how many teachers were in one room. As always I did put the tables into groups and as always the teachers found that weird at the beginning but then enjoyed it during the day and understood the reasoning behind 'Sitting in a group'.
This work shop had the topic 'Spelling'. Here the teachers looked at a text in a school book and decided which words would be good to teach to their pupils. They had to think about important and less important words and how to actually choose the right words.
After work Leandre invited me to his house, where he lives with his family.
Washing hands before having food.
I was very honoured as Leandre bought a chicken at the market and slaughtered it for me. He said it is very easy to kill them....and by now....I know, yes, you have to break its neck quickly and then cut it...... Hmmmmm, not really what I intend to do. I rather like somebody else to do that .... killing job....and then...enjoy the chicken. His Mum cooked the chicken and plantain and the food was amazing. Leandres fiancee was there as well and we had a great lunch.
I still cannot believe they prepared a chicken for me that was really an honour.
This is the field of Leandres MUM. No wonder that we had plantain.
Feeding the pigs. Funny hungry creatures!!! Look how they are begging for food. You should have heard there loud squeaking!
Leandre and his Mum. They are amazing people and Leandre really does anything to help me doing a good job. He belongs to the people in this country on whom I can totally relly. 
Getting ready for the journey back to Kibungo. It is just a quick jump, about 45 minutes with the motorbike.
xxx Tina
Hi,
I had a nice day training teachers from 10 different schools. I did train them before and it was great to see them again. I could not believe when we drove there that the old dodgy and bumpy dirt track road was actually a proper straight sand pist. What happened over the last 6 weeks. I actually did like the jump onto the old horrible road. Where is the adventure???? Well...for the Rwandan people I do appreciate the change. And...at least it is still sandy and dusty. So here is the news from today:
I had a nice day training teachers from 10 different schools. I did train them before and it was great to see them again. I could not believe when we drove there that the old dodgy and bumpy dirt track road was actually a proper straight sand pist. What happened over the last 6 weeks. I actually did like the jump onto the old horrible road. Where is the adventure???? Well...for the Rwandan people I do appreciate the change. And...at least it is still sandy and dusty. So here is the news from today:
Getting my gear ready in the morning. Material for the training, water, First Aid Kit, helmet......hmmm....everything there? Yeap, ready to go. Well forgot my purse today but there was nothing to buy anyway where I went and ....puuuuh....I could pay the motorbike in the afternoon.
Work shop in 'Bare' in Mutenderi. I like it here. This is just a part of the school. There are also a few much nicer buildings.
The kids were so funny and could not believe how many teachers were in one room. As always I did put the tables into groups and as always the teachers found that weird at the beginning but then enjoyed it during the day and understood the reasoning behind 'Sitting in a group'.
This work shop had the topic 'Spelling'. Here the teachers looked at a text in a school book and decided which words would be good to teach to their pupils. They had to think about important and less important words and how to actually choose the right words.
After work Leandre invited me to his house, where he lives with his family.
Washing hands before having food.
I was very honoured as Leandre bought a chicken at the market and slaughtered it for me. He said it is very easy to kill them....and by now....I know, yes, you have to break its neck quickly and then cut it...... Hmmmmm, not really what I intend to do. I rather like somebody else to do that .... killing job....and then...enjoy the chicken. His Mum cooked the chicken and plantain and the food was amazing. Leandres fiancee was there as well and we had a great lunch.I still cannot believe they prepared a chicken for me that was really an honour.
This is the field of Leandres MUM. No wonder that we had plantain.
Feeding the pigs. Funny hungry creatures!!! Look how they are begging for food. You should have heard there loud squeaking!
Leandre and his Mum. They are amazing people and Leandre really does anything to help me doing a good job. He belongs to the people in this country on whom I can totally relly. 
Getting ready for the journey back to Kibungo. It is just a quick jump, about 45 minutes with the motorbike.
xxx Tina
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