No longer unemployed!

Things are finally moving forward! This morning I managed to meet with the two people I needed to talk with.(arranging a meeting here is much harder than you'd imagine) My mandate has changed, but its not far off from what I was initially supposed to be doing. For those of you who don't know, I'm working with a Rwandan NGO in their women's department. To improve a country's governance it is essential to empower a country's citizens, so my work here is meant to share strategies and expertise that may help to build the capacity of women, a group that is often left out of the formal work sector. Today my task is to compile a questionnaire. Throughout my remaining time here I will travel around the country to around 30 women's groups which have already been established and pose the questionnaire to them, with the aid of a translator. David D, you may note that this is surprisingly similar to the work you did in Burkina, although I'm hoping that I won't have to ride a motorcycle to all of the locations. Yesterday my motorcycle driver almost hit a girl who ran across the road in front of us. He had surprinsigly good french and shouted to me that "that girl is playing with death" I gripped my handle bar a bit tighter and thought that it felt like we were doing the same thing. A few minutes later we swerved around a vehicle and came face to face with a stopped van. Slamming the breaks and swirving he started laughing and a few minutes later he said..."did you say your prayers this morning?" oh man

It's funny how some things are starting to feel normal here. I'm writing this email on a work computer which has two big windows right behind it. You know that feeling you get when you can tell people are watching you? Well I think that sense is being numbed here as I am watched ALL the time. As I write this, random groups of children or adults gather outside the window to stare...at the computer...and at me....I think the biggest culture shock I'll expereince at home is the ability to fade into a crowd.

On a serious note, I learned yesterday from a co-worker that five people were hit by a car or truck travelling at a high speed along the recently paved road right outside our house. Two women in the group were killed and they were both widows with large families. There was a huge funeral yesterday, and everyone that could fit into vehicles were driving down the road on their way to the burial site. One small truck had 17 people crammed into the back. People seem to be driving a bit slower today...there really needs to be a speed limit...or at least a side walk so that people aren't forced to walk on the shoulder. We could see the blood in the ditch on the side of the road..

Laura and I now have a security guard! Our neighbours convinced us that it was a necessary precaution and so we now have a 24 year guy wearing my bright yellow raincoat, sit outside from 5:30pm (dusk) until five in the morning. He is the oldest of three children who were orphaned. After staying up all night he goes to school during the day. I asked him if it was possible for him to do this and he said that "to move forward you need effort". There are two locked doors between the living room and my bedroom so I tried to convince everyone that it would be fine if he was allowed to sit on the couch in the living room as we have no guard house and it rains every night. This was deemed inappropriate so the poor guy must sit outside in the rain. We give him hot tea every night but my conscious is far from clear. Although, knowing he's there, I've started sleeping through the night.

Hope all is going well back home...I'll miss the falling leaves but to make things easier I'm planning a white water rafting trip down the nile in Uganda for Thanksgiving ...if my back permits!