http://andrewgurwitz.com My time in the Pays des Mille Collines Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:28:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en It's been a long time since I last updated. A hiatus of sorts for me, let's say. One of the things I have been eager to post is the school anthem written by the kids. I just got the audio file the other day and here it is. When We Will ... http://andrewgurwitz.com/when-we-will-meet-again/ On Sunday night someone knocked on my door to tell me I had to go fix a problem at the water tower right away. Begrudgingly I went to check it out, to find water gushing out from the top of the tower. We had too much water. We cut the power to ... http://andrewgurwitz.com/our-cup-runneth-over/ One of the most moving and compelling books I ever read is Philip Gourevitch's account of the Rwandan Genocide, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families. Even without any connection to Rwanda it is obligatory reading - eye-opening, piercing, and staggeringly real. A friend ... http://andrewgurwitz.com/philip-gourevitch-we-wish-to-inform-you-that-tomorrow-we-will-be-killed-with-our-families12-years-later/ When I woke up today, I optomistically walked over to my faucet and gave it a shot. I turned it on, it sputtered, and then did nothing. No water today, I guess. So it goes. Yesterday there wasn't water either and, really, I wouldn't have even bothered to have checked today ... http://andrewgurwitz.com/where-the-water-doesnt-usually-run/ Looking for a little extra something for this year's seder? How about trying the 4 questions in Kinyarwanda (Rwanda's local language)? <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Kubera iki iri joro ritanduka nya n'ayandi (majoro)? Andi majoro, ntidukoza. Iri joro Furakoza kabiri? Andi majoro yose, turye hametz cyangwa ... http://andrewgurwitz.com/4-questions/ The buying power of 3500 Rwandan francs at the local market in the village next to ASYV. Those 9 avocados in the back? 300 francs or about 53 cents, rounding up. Presumably, it's all organic too. So, Mom, how much would this run you at Jimbo's? http://andrewgurwitz.com/6/ Today I taught my first computer class. I began by asking them they wanted me to teach them. They listed a few things: Typing (or specifically, "Type fast like you") Skype (really? who are they calling overseas for cheap?) "How to find photos on the internet and then email them" (this was like ... http://andrewgurwitz.com/i-want-to-control-the-world-with-google/ One of the more peculiar things about Rwanda (and East Africa as a whole), is how picky they can be when it comes to American dollar bills. It used to be that the dollar was king, but now it's more like only the $100 dollar-bill-printed-in-the-year-2003-or-after is king. While $20 is ... http://andrewgurwitz.com/are-you-saying-my-moneys-no-good-here/ Yesterday, I used to the word "muzungo" in a post. That's what they call all us white folks around here. It would presumably mean "white people", but someone named Morgan C. dug a little deeper and found out a much more interesting etymology: The Rwandans didn’t always call white people abazungu. ... http://andrewgurwitz.com/muzungo-doesnt-mean-whitewell-not-exactly/ Last week, as I rode from the village to the nearby town to catch the last bus to Kigali on Friday night we passed many, many children who were excited to see "muzingos" on motos passing through their small village. They called out to me "Good morning! Good morning!" I thought ... http://andrewgurwitz.com/good-morning/