mom here!

We just said goodbye to mom-Conrad, who was here in Rwanda for 10 days!

She's an old pro and we couldn't have asked for a better guest -- this was her third trip to Rwanda. Never complained once when we lost power or water (really, who needs to bathe?).

After she watched us work for a couple of days, we got to go hug the mad elephant in Akagera Game Park and visit the "Democratic Republic" of Congo just long enough to have our dangerous, imported US cash confiscated by heavily armed police. Let's see and we had a party for like 50 friends and even found a little christmas tree to decorate with lights Mom brought. Oh and a monkey jumped in our car looking for food at the Game Park. And we tracked giraffes on foot and zebras by 4-wheel-drive.

Even found our way onto the front page of the newspaper! (Mzungus are fun to photograph, I guess.) Not bad for 10 days, eh?

what we do?

Well, we're both working with the Clinton Foundation's HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI). (Corrie got the job and then they had pity on me and hired me too.) We're 2 of 4 full-time employees in Rwanda.

Corrie's been working on treatment for kids and nutrition; I'm working with the national lab system. We also support a Partners In Health hospital here.

CHAI's big claim to fame has been lowering HIV test and drug prices by 50-90%. (Not bad for a scrappy little NGO, eh?)

pic from a church in Nyagatare

Going to church up near the Uganda border.

Corrie met the pastor of this church working here last summer.

Thankful and welcoming people; hungry and sick kids. Both made us cry.

the scared bride

Corrie and I, along with friends Christina and Jean, went to a Rwandan wedding this past weekend. (We're the white people.)

The groom's the brother of a friend. I think he looks okay.

But the bride?

We're praying for them.

(I've been assured that Corrie didn't look this scared on our wedding day.)

the dirt-in-your-food index

I prefer the food at the Rwandan buffet across the street to the one a block away, largely because I'm less likely to crunch down on dirt in any given bite.

Before coming here I never thought that the probability of eating dirt would be an important metric for choosing a restaurant. But here's what I can't figure out: the restaurant across the street (low dirt-in-your-food index) is less expensive than the one down the street (high dirt-in-your-food index).

Which means that other people don't care about the dirt-in-your-food index. They're using other indices. Maybe the relevant index is rice-isn't-burned or beans-don't-smell.

Either way, I've got a lot to learn about Rwandan markets.

Kivu Sun

Corrie and I spent last weekend at the Kivu Sun resort on lake Kivu, right on the DRC border.

Oh my gosh.

Not only was the location amazing (volcanos, beach, sun). But there was water pressure. Hot water. A bed. With springs. Down pillows. A real toilet seat.

Ahhhhhhhh. We're much relaxed.