He and I head to Kimironko market @ 8:15 am by matata (city bus) and had a grand time shopping today. The people in the market are quite fascinated by my bottle of water that I bring to get my eggs home. I don't want to contaminate my water bottle again, so I've cleaned out a mayonnaise jar. Last time I was afraid that the eggs would still break rattling around in the jar. My friend, Kelly Pratt, suggested that I could fill my egg jar with water. That way I could check to see if the eggs were bad (bad eggs float) and the water would serve as a cushion against breakage. I place my egg jar in the outside of my pack and the people can see the jar with a fluid and eggs inside. I've had a number of people stop me and demand to know what's in the bottle. Which seems odd for people who seem to be actively passive about so many other things.
I keep taking my camera and wanting to get pictures of the market but I'm quite concerned about offending people and getting proper permission. Terry comes up with a brilliant plan. Next time we go together, we can take each others cameras and take pictures of each other, which people will be fine with, , , but we'll include all of the things we want to show.
Back home before 10 and time for a nap. Dr. Konn got back to the house and
said that a couple of students would be joining her painting at the orphanage. Terry & I have agreed to go and paint as well. So up from my nap before noon, a quick lunch with the students (Remy & Clarisse) on the back porch and we're off in a taxi to go across town to another burg of Kigali. The taxi isn't up to code and has 5 passengers when it should only have four max. So 
the driver takes every back road possible to avoid the Police check points. Dr. Konn doesn't know the back-roads and we spend a fair bit of time wandering about through some very very poor neighborhoods.
said that a couple of students would be joining her painting at the orphanage. Terry & I have agreed to go and paint as well. So up from my nap before noon, a quick lunch with the students (Remy & Clarisse) on the back porch and we're off in a taxi to go across town to another burg of Kigali. The taxi isn't up to code and has 5 passengers when it should only have four max. So 
the driver takes every back road possible to avoid the Police check points. Dr. Konn doesn't know the back-roads and we spend a fair bit of time wandering about through some very very poor neighborhoods. We do finally find the right road and are 
on our way to the Mpore Orphanage @ Gikondo. Dr. Konn's students have been here and have done most of the painting but there is some sections that didn't get done and four of us are here to finish it while Dr. Konn paints some murals. We had to wait a bit while the children ate before we could start. I had brought the autoharp and a couple fo recorders so Clarisse sang while I played (many of our praise songs from the U.S. are well known here). The orphanage is stark to say the least. There are fifty children here in two dormitor
ies across from the house of the woman who runs the facility. She and her husband started a church here before the genocide. After the genocide they started to gather the children and built the two dormitories just below the church and across the path from their house. The husband died 18 months ago and the whole thing ekes out a way on a wing and a prayer. The cooking area is
under cover but outside. It consists of three large stones with a fire built underneath. A pot of food is cooked and then served. I never saw it, but a number of times I heard their cow which provides the daily milk. I've taken a picture of their protein source.
on our way to the Mpore Orphanage @ Gikondo. Dr. Konn's students have been here and have done most of the painting but there is some sections that didn't get done and four of us are here to finish it while Dr. Konn paints some murals. We had to wait a bit while the children ate before we could start. I had brought the autoharp and a couple fo recorders so Clarisse sang while I played (many of our praise songs from the U.S. are well known here). The orphanage is stark to say the least. There are fifty children here in two dormitor
ies across from the house of the woman who runs the facility. She and her husband started a church here before the genocide. After the genocide they started to gather the children and built the two dormitories just below the church and across the path from their house. The husband died 18 months ago and the whole thing ekes out a way on a wing and a prayer. The cooking area is
under cover but outside. It consists of three large stones with a fire built underneath. A pot of food is cooked and then served. I never saw it, but a number of times I heard their cow which provides the daily milk. I've taken a picture of their protein source. The children seem between 5 and 18 years old. Most are in the younger category but there are definitely some that are needing to 
find a way to become independent. I see a couple of older women who are helping. Some of the older boys immediately come out of their rooms and help with the painting. We ran out of paint before running out of walls. Wash the brushes and rollers and we play some music and Terry plays a bit of indoor soccer. Both of us have a good bit of body hair and the kids are apt to want to pet or tug on it. The murals came out nice, one is of a vehicle, on another 
there is a wall with the kid's hand prints and a couple more of flowers that Dr. Konn completed after we left. On each she added an inspirational message. When I allow myself to compare between this and what I have back home the comparison seems obscene.
find a way to become independent. I see a couple of older women who are helping. Some of the older boys immediately come out of their rooms and help with the painting. We ran out of paint before running out of walls. Wash the brushes and rollers and we play some music and Terry plays a bit of indoor soccer. Both of us have a good bit of body hair and the kids are apt to want to pet or tug on it. The murals came out nice, one is of a vehicle, on another 
there is a wall with the kid's hand prints and a couple more of flowers that Dr. Konn completed after we left. On each she added an inspirational message. When I allow myself to compare between this and what I have back home the comparison seems obscene. We leave Dr. Konn to finish her murals and have some alone 
time with the children to whom she's become attached. Back at the guest house I use the skype to call Zach on his way to work in Seattle, talk to my mom in Colorado, try to visit but miss Triandra in Michigan and visit with Shaloy for about 45 minutes in Georgia.
time with the children to whom she's become attached. Back at the guest house I use the skype to call Zach on his way to work in Seattle, talk to my mom in Colorado, try to visit but miss Triandra in Michigan and visit with Shaloy for about 45 minutes in Georgia. Supper with the 
Terry's, write the blog and one last visit with Shaloy (three in one day - What a treat!!) and now it's time for bed. It's raining now, God is washing the city so it will be clean tomorrow.
Terry's, write the blog and one last visit with Shaloy (three in one day - What a treat!!) and now it's time for bed. It's raining now, God is washing the city so it will be clean tomorrow. It was a lovely day.
To view all of my images from Mpore Orphanage click here.
2 comments:
Sad to see the orphanage and the protein source. Beautiful children. Did you take the stuffed animals, I sent with you? Are these children up for adoption? Do the Rwandans allow adoption? This is the second orphanage you have visited there, right? There are people everywhere wanting children. Is it expensive to adopt and take a child out of the country? When I heard you were going to paint at an orphanage, my first thought was that your would paint murals.
I am so bothered by the orphanage stove; cooking for 50 children on a camp fire! I am not rich but have two stoves and two outdoor cooking areas nicer than that. Do they have gardens there to help feed the children?
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