Nyamirambo market

Nyamirambo is a section of town not far from where I live that is described by the Bradt Guide as "a lively, busy district of small streets and colourful little shops. The atmosphere has a touch of London's Soho about it. This is said to be the part of the present-day city where people first settled, long ago."

I spent today wandering through this area of town, eventually making my way to the market. There I found stall after stall filled with luggage, children's clothing, pots and pans and anything else one might need for a household. Nearby was the food section of the market - tremendous baskets filled with beautifully colored beans, perfect piles of snow white flour, stacks of bottles and cans of cooking oils, tropical fruits and vegetables that have no English name piled high on makeshift tables. I wandered through this section of the market, tempted to buy almost everything in sight, until finally I found the section I had been seeking. Hanging from floor to ceiling in half a dozen stalls were the beautiful African fabrics with their bright colors and bold designs. I began looking at the different patterns, trying to decide whether I wanted "one piece" or "two pieces" (the fabric is measured by how many pieces of traditional women's clothing it will make) and bartering with the shop owners over how much I would pay. At the end of the day, I bought two pieces of cloth, realized that I now need to find a tailor and promised myself that I would return in a week or two when the stalls would surely contain completely different selections.

Cold but nice

A few weeks ago, we replaced the air conditioner in my office (since I share my office with at least a dozen other people and there are almost that many computers, having an air conditoner is necessary in the African heat), and since then I have had to wear long sleeves or a sweater or a scarf to work every day. I think the newness of a good, working air conditioner has convinced everyone that it is necessary to run the machine at a constant 18 degrees (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout the day. It's really quite ridiculous when I have to shed layers every time I leave my office, and then add those layers again whenever I return.

After lunch today, while kicking myself for not making a cup of coffee to keep warm, I asked one of my coworkers if he wasn't cold. He seemed almost surprised by my question, responding that no, of course, he was not cold. He in turn asked if I was cold and I told him that I am cold every day in this office. Again he was surprised by my words and laughed a bit, but then told me "in our culture, a woman who's always cold, it means that she is nice."

As I continue to freeze in my office, at least I can comfort myself with the fact that apparently I'm seen as "nice."

A little America

Here in Kigali, the cost of anything that has been imported into the country, particularly food items, is simply exorbitant. A box of plain cornflakes is at least $7; a can of tuna is $4; a regular-sized bottle of balsamic vinegar is $10; a bag of chocolate chips is sold for as much as $66. Thus, any food from outside the country is an exciting commodity. At my house, I keep a small cabinet that is my treasure chest of food. It's really hilarious. I don't consider myself someone who loves sweets and has to have them on a regular basis, and yet the majority of the American food in my cabinet is sweet. There's pancake and biscuit mix, instant oatmeal, drink mix, hot chocolate, m&m's, chocolate bars, granola bars, chocolate chips, cake mix, cookie mix, icing, chocolate pudding, canned tuna; there are even three boxes of cereal that I bought from a friend who had brought them but was leaving the country for a new job. It's a funny relationship that the ex-pats here have with imported food. It's such a treat that even items that you would never particularly seek out in the States become valuable and exciting.

Sprouts

It's only been a couple weeks since we planted seeds in the six garden mounds in the front yard, and the first sprouts have started to appear.
Unfortunately, I forgot to make note of which vegetables are in which plot, but I believe radishes, squash or zucchini and cabbage or spinach have begun to grow.
I'm still hoping everything else - okra, cucumber, carrot, onion, cantaloupe, watermelon, tomato, green pepper, hot banana pepper and something else I've forgotten - will sprout too!

Chez moi

I figure it's about time that I post some pictures of "la maison spéciale". So, here's the grand tour.

First is my road. My house is in the distance on the left, just after the red gate.
When you walk in the front gate, this is the view up the hill toward the house. The area in the front is the garden, and just that, immediately in front of the house, is a grassy area with a huge, beautiful tree.
This is the front of the house. There's a patio on the front that's really nice, even though it has a weird gate around it. There's a side door on the left, but the main front door is on the patio.
When you walk in the front door, you enter the living/dining room.
If you walk through the door on the left side of the fire place, you enter a small hallway that leads to the kitchen.
Just outside the kitchen is a small room where we keep our refrigerator.
There's a small bathroom on this side of the house with just a shower, a toilet and a mirror.
Next to the bathroom is a small room that we use for storage and laundry.
Straight through the laundry/storage room is a tiny bedroom. It's not really large enough for someone to live in, but it can be used for guests who are in town for a few days.
If you walk back to the living/dining room and go through the door on the right of the fireplace, you'll be heading toward the other bedrooms. First you enter a hallway that has four doors. The two doors on the left (only one is shown in the picture) are bedrooms; the door straight ahead is a bathroom; the door on the right (also not shown in the picture) leads to a small hallway to my bedroom.
On the left of the hallway leading to my bedroom is my bathroom.
Straight ahead is my bedroom.
The door to the backyard is back towards the kitchen. The backyard is a little odd, with several buildings that would normally be used for a kitchen and housing for a guard or houseboy. Since my guard doesn't live here and I don't have a houseboy, the buildings are vacant, except for one room that holds the washing machine. There's also a tremendous satellite dish in the corner of the yard. It serves absolutely no purpose and I have no idea why it's there.
One of the best things about the house is the view from the front yard. The house faces west, so every evening, there is a beautiful sunset. Even during the day, though, the view of the opposite hill is impressive.So that's my house. It still has a few quirks, but it's really coming together nicely, and I'm quite happy with it.