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Dispatch #2 from Rwanda
Well, I've made it thru my second week in Rwanda and
my first week teaching. I suppose the teaching has
really been the highlight of the past week. I've begun
two different classes, one second year and one third
year. Most of the students are stronger in French than
English so I find myself speaking what I think is
excruciatingly slow, but apparently they appreciate
it! I also wonder sometimes if they're actually
understanding me, I encourage them to ask questions,
to ask for clarifications, but as most students
around the world, they are a bit shy the first couple
days.
The conditions under which I teach are a bit on the
challenging side and it forces one to come up with
creative (and sometimes just pretty damn basic)
solutions! Forget power point, or transparencies...my
multimedia here consists of a very rough blackboard,
chalk and sometimes an eraser. The blackboard really
is like a large piece of slate....at least that's what
it looks and feels like. Periodically, one of the
students will go up and erase my chickenscratch from
the previous hour. You see, I also have to keep these
students engaged and entertained for a very long 3
hours at a time! Yikes, I find it difficult enough to
do this with fluent English speakers for one and a
half hours!
There are also usually not enough chairs for the
students to sit on. Oh, did I mention that I'm
teaching in their television studio. It's bare except
for the blackboard, some chairs and some rolls of
burgundy carpet at the back. There's no equipment,
except for a nice lighting grid just waiting to be
used! At the back of my mind I wonder how I am going
to teach these kids television production...this is when
creativity really becomes essential. It's like this
big challenge...overcoming what some may see as
impossible. But no, I know there is a way....I just have
to figure it out!!
The uni does have a small radio studio...with a reel to
reel!! I ask Ines what they use to edit. It's all
analog, she explains. Ok...razor blades and grease
pencils...this should be fun, but then again, that's how
I learned! There is also one video editing station
that has a cuts only and also Adobe Premier. Ines has
asked a former student to assist me in teaching this.
I met with him last week and his suggestion is to use
the adobe premier for both audio and video. Problem
is, I've only got one station for 40-odd students who
will all be doing assignments over the next several
weeks. So, as much as I might have my lesson plans and
assignments all set out, I know they're going to
change from day to day depending on what the students
have been able to get done, etc. I know it's going
to be a hell of a challenge, but I have to admit it, I
feel up to this particular challenge.
My second year production students were much more
inquisitive than the 3rd year students. They really
challenged me. We got talking about Rwanda's media
image to the rest of the world and we all figured that
"Rwanda=genocide" is how Rwanda is represented. They
asked me how this could be changed. I didn't have an
answer for them as that is partly the nature of news
(and one of it's weaknesses, imho), bad news is what
makes the headlines, not good news. For some moments
during and after that particular class (this was
Friday morning) I actually had this kind of panic
attack...what am I doing here? Should I be here? Do I
have a place here? It was like, who the hell am I to
be here teaching these kids journalism? I really
began to think about my role here....and I continue to
think about this, tho at least the panic has subsided.
Most of the students showed up that first week...Ines
had told me not to expect many students at all. I
think she was more surprised than I when she saw that
most of them showed up. I figure it was merely for the
novelty of checking out this new muzungu. But hey,
whatever it takes, I figure!!
So that was my first week of teaching in a nutshell. I did manage to do a few
other things during the week. Yesterday, for example I
went to the market with the intent of making some
purchases. On the way I stopped at a store
just across the street from the hotel. They specialize
in fruit jams. I walked in and said "mwaramutseho"
(good morning in Kinyarwanda). I guess she figured
that made me fluent and so she started yacking to me
in Kinyarwanda! Yikes!!! I blurted out in French that
I didn't understand (god, I felt like a moron) and
that I was very sorry. It was actually kind of funny.
I then headed to the market. I really wanted to get
some fabric!! So poked around, spoke to a few of the
women selling fabric. Then headed over to the fruit
and veggie section. Spotted some nice looking
tomatoes. They saw me coming! They basically pushed
the other customers out of the way so they could serve
me. I point to the tomatoes. She starts filling this
little container. I ask how much. She says 200francs
(about 40 cents). I say I only want 100 francs worth. I
guess she didn't understand me, cuz she gave them all
to me for 100 francs (20 cents). I grabbed a couple
small red onions as well (10 cents) and was thrilled
with my purchases. I'd been eating so much meat lately
and I think that was really bugging my gut, so I had
decided to do a vegetarian weekend. On the way out of
the market I decided to look at more fabric. Finally
found a piece and got it for 4000 francs ($8). It's
quite beautiful. Then popped by a few tailors to see
how much it would cost to get a skirt made. Well, the
first couple didn't speak French (or English) so I
kept going. Finally found Maurice! He spoke some
French and English and told me, after we chatted a
while, that a skirt would cost me 2000fr. ($4). I told
him I'd be back.
Last night a student and a friend of his popped by. We
sat by the pool and chatted. They were both Tutsis,
born and raised in Uganda and had come back here to go
to uni. We talked about the genocide, politics etc. To
me it was clear, at least from speaking to these two,
that there's still so much healing to be done. Some
people (Hutus) still fear there may be revenge
killings. Despite what President Kagame says (that "we
are all Rwandans") I get the sense that that feeling
of oneness has not yet happened and I fear it will be
many years before it does, if ever.
My favorite time of day is early morning as the birds wake up - it's usually their chirping that awakens me.
I'll roll over, look at my watch and see it's barely 6 o'clock. I'll try to sleep again, but can't, so
finally push thru the mosquito net, put on my glasses, open the curtains and go out onto my balcony. Taking
in that first deep breath of smoky Rwandan air. That brings a smile to my face. I look down onto the valley, the mist slowly creeping up the hills. I'm excited about the start of a new day!
Michelle
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