Rwandan Ramblings

At long last I have coaxed my recalcitrant computer into life and  managed to summon up the impetus and inclination to start to bring this blog up to date! But, as so often happens in UK I have not long today as the borrowed dog needs to be walked, cats belonging to a friend have to be fed and I think kind friends have asked me to supper!

So I will limit myself to generalities about being home!

It is lovely to see family and catch up with friends and their news and I do feel that I have been given quite a welcome especially by special friends and the children with whom I used to work. The country, when not obliterated by driving rain, is beautiful and gardens full of flowers and shrubs are so fresh and orderly, (except mine, of course)!

 But I am finding reintegration much more difficult than I ever imagined it would be!

So little seems to have changed -  many people are still mainly concerned with very parochial matters and very little affected by the problems of the outside world or indeed interested in it. And because I have been away it is is though I speak a different language and can't join in the chit-chat about the happenings of the local drama group or discuss the problems of the parish council.

I miss the constant daily interaction with people in the road, the cameraderie that I built up with the moto drivers and bicycle boys. I miss the Deaf children who were so much part of my life and the walk to school enjoying the colours of flowers and clothes and movement of people. I miss being able to drop into the Ibis in the evening and having a drink with whoever is around and exchanging pleasantries with the friendly waiters and asking for peanuts.  I miss the community of volunteers and the constant stimulation  of unexpected visitors and the buzz of planning the next activity or workshop and the sheer delight of knowing that the work I was doing was worthwhile and exciting and being able to go ahead and plan it without doing any risk assessment or getting permission from umpteen different organisations.

I miss the wonderful light that woke me up at 6 every morning and made me feel so full of life and energy and I miss Josephine, her wonderful cooking and sympathetic presence!

I'm not sure that I know who I am any more or what I really want to do!