A week of Lectures to KHI Faculty

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, I'm lecturing about Sonography to the KHI Radiography faculty. We start @ 8:30 and lecture until 10:00 when we break 30 minutes for tea. Then again from 10:30 until 12:30 when we break for 1.5 hours for lunch. Last lecture goes from 2:00 until 4:00. In total there will be 6 physics lectures, 3 abdominal lectures, 1 pelvic and 1 OB/Gyn lecture. The medical Imaging Program Director John Ndahiriwe, plus Radiography faculty Patrick, Benard, Benjamin and Matilda all attend. The Rector of KHI Dr. Ndushabandi also attended Tuesday afternoon lectures.

Wednesday was a faculty Senate meeting so I went on to Kiziguro hospital. The stress level is quite low for this series as I know the material very well and I'm presenting the same basic presentations that I've given before here in Kigali with a few modifications. I'm getting more used to the projector and realize that there is a specific order that it must be connected and turned on in order to operate properly. The only stressor is that the power supply for the computer is starting to get flaky and works only if it's in the right position.

Thursday John, Benard and I go to eat at the military barracks around the corner. I was surprised to hear that it was open to the public and wanted to see. The food is typical African lunch and there are probably 3:1 public to military ratio of customers. The men in uniform go straight to the front of the line. The price is reasonable $2 U.S. and it's just around the corner from KHI, KIST, CHK hospital and the national lab so there are quite a few possible sources of customers.

It's also right next to the Camp Kigali which is a memorial to the 10 Belgian Soldier / UN Peace keepers who where murdered during the start of the 1994 genocide. Outside is a garden with 10 vertical monuments. Each has the initials of the man killed at the base and horizontal cuts into the stone indicating how old he was at his death. Many of these cuts hold dried long stem roses that have been left. Inside the building where they died is a semi-circle of ten candles and more long stem roses on the floor. The shrapnel from the grenade pock marks the wall. In an adjacent couple of rooms are posters about genocide and a brass memorial with a picture of each man and a brief biography. Though much briefer experience than the other memorials it is no less disturbing. I have walked past this place a half dozen times and did not realize that it was. On the way back to Campus John tells me that KHI - KIST used to be a military school and that where we ate lunch is the military hospital (but is currently used for administrative functions only). To see all of the images from Camp Kigali click here.

Thursday evening is a farewell party for Dr. Konn and her African students. It runs on typical African time so when Terry & I arrive late @ 6:30 we find there is only Patrick has gotten there before us. The location was a complex at the bottom of our hill (a bit over 1 Km from the house) called "Car Wash". Dr. Konn had warned me that it although advertised to start @ 6:15 we wouldn't be eating until after 7:00. Eventually the students showed and the food was served. Then came a speech by one of the students followed by a song they had composed. After each chorus one of the students would step forward, present a card/gift and make a mini-speech while the chorus was being hummed. Then the chorus was sung again followed by another speech and gift. Lots of tears but it couldn't go too late as the students begin their semester finals tomorrow morning @ 8:00 am.

Friday, Terry & I are going to Gisenyi on Lake Kivu in N.W. Rwanda. No updates until I return Sunday.