The Latest....

So, the latest from Rwanda...

Here's a demonstration of how to eat the stalk of maize (corn) in this child's right hand.  After the corn is harvested, whack down the stalk by whatever means you have, then peel off the outer covering with your teeth.  Then just take a big bite off, chew it up to get all the juice and sugar out, spit out the mouthful of fiber left in your mouth, then repeat.  I've tried it and it's fairly good!  I'm not so great at peeling it yet and the spitting out the wad left in your mouth isn't especially lady like, but it's a great and readily available food source up in our area...a favorite snack of all ages!

Above child also has a stalk in her left hand, which is a grain called sorghum.  The kids also sometimes eat the berries right off the stalk.  It's one of the two harvest times in our area, so everyone has been busy cutting down the stalks by hand with machetes.  Next the stalks are threshed, i.e. beaten with sticks (see below) to separate the red berries from the stalk.  

I was able to go see this process at the home of one of the gardeners who works at the campus where we live.  He and much of his family and extended family have a farm not far from us.  Below you can see the sorghum berries laying out to dry in the sun, as well as maize that is harvested similarly.

Finally, the sorghum is sifted by tossing it up in these shallow baskets so that the chaff will blow away and the  berries are then bagged to be transported to the market.  Transportation will most likely be on the back of a bicycle or smaller bags are carried on their heads...generally women and children, but occasionally men will carry things like timber on their heads as well.

The gardener, Gaston, was very happy to show us his farm and introduce us to his family.  All the kids came to see and say hello.  His wife also prepared fresh maize that she had roasted for us on the fire...very delicious!  Gaston introduced Merritt to his family as his "teacher", since Merritt sometimes helps the staff with their English lesson at lunch time! 

Gaston with Bethany in front of a maize or sorghum field that has been harvested and the beautiful Virunga mountains behind them...home to the mountain gorillas.

Very common for girls to babysit younger family members while their mothers are working in the fields or at home. 

Back on campus, Protais has just finished a batch of fresh bread.  Around here almost everything is made from scratch.  Very few prepared or "packaged" foods are available, so he stays busy all day preparing three meals a day from the raw ingredients.

After a week of dry weather, the temperatures at mid day are warming up.  With a little creativity, Merritt and Bethany are able to design what is probably the first ever Rwandan "slip n slide". 

Less than a week ago, Chad and Courtney Bannick returned to Musanze after six months in the states (Pheonix, AZ) to have their first baby, Olive.  She is precious and we all love having a baby on campus...we are doing our best to spoil her!  (By the way, we like her parents an awful lot too!)

Last week, another family trip back to Lake Burera.  Gary and the boys were camping out under the full moon on Tom Allen's property, while Bethany and I stayed at the fancy Virunga Lodge nearby.  A beautiful night and spectacular views!

The room that Bethany and I stayed in had this fabulous vies of the lake and a perfect view of Tom's property below us.

Best seats in the house for a performance of local music and dancing.  Mt. Murabura  in the background....5th highest peak in Africa.

Ntore dancers....the traditional dancing has been preserved from the time of the tribal kings in Rwanda before they were colonized by Europeans.

Rwandan guitar and song...very beautiful.

Majestic sunset over the Virunga mountains.  After dinner, the guys put on their headlamps and walked down the narrow path to the village below and Toms property.  

We had an incredible full moon rise over the lake in the evening and the usual spectacular sunrise!

The boys didn't complain, but they didn't get much sleep on their campout.  Meanwhile, Bethany and I were all toasty and warm in our beds under mosquito nets at the lodge.  Enjoying some hot chocolate in bed before heading back to reality!  A fun night with my girl!!

Goodbye for now...a busy week ahead, so maybe we'll have another post soon!  Lots more to tell later!