It seems that a post I wrote never made it up here, likely due to the computer dying in the midst of the posting. The power situation in Remera has continued to be rather abysmal. Yesterday it went our 7 times, and the last time seems to have been for an extended period. Went off at about midnight last night and now (9:30AM) it is still off... This makes getting work done on the computer rather difficult as I have about two hours of battery life on this computer.
In any event, following the awful day that made in into the last post, things have actually been going quite a bit better. I went back for yet another meeting at the archives and this time three miraculous things happened: 1) the construction equipment blocking the stacks had been moved so that access was (mostly) possible; 2) the woman in charge was actually there; and 3) she was there *at the same time* as I was! This proved well, as I finally got things set up so that I can now use the resources available there. AND, it is possible to bring things home to work on them, which is even better. So since then I've been spending my days actually getting back on a real schedule and digging through lots of reports. It also turns out there is an annually published evaluation report of the National Commission on Unity and Reconciliation which is a great overview of their activities.
I've also decided that given the extreme berth of time it can take to accomplish things here the original research plan, which was neatly divided into time blocks is going to have to adjust somewhat. Interviews will still begin after the first of the year or after Feb 1, but I'm going to just start contacting the religious organizations and other commissions now and starting to piecemeal that together as is possible, rather than waiting until I'm done with the resources with which I'm currently working. It also helps quite a bit to be somewhat direct in expressing the frustration with slowness. This seems to help because 1) Rwandans, for good reason, are quite conflict averse, and 2) people actually begin to see that you are working on a timetable. In any event it feels good for things to be actually rolling along well.
I am also realizing that I think a part of the "it'll be done when it's ready" approach to things may have something legitimately to do with the weather. It is now November 17 and it could just as easily be August 17. Nothing changes here. It sometimes feels like an episode of Twilight Zone, or you've been thrown into Land of the Lost (without the dinosaurs). Every day it is 82 degrees and every night it is 64. Not even kidding here. It rains, or it doesn't rain - that's it. You hear the same noises, the same birds, the same sun... It makes me think about how strange it really is for us in the North to live with the impending doom of winter just around the corner. There's always a sense of time moving. Summer ends and the leaves start changing, the air starts getting brisk - there's always a sense that something is just around the corner, and this comes with a correlative sense of anticipation. Time to get ready for Thanksgiving, getting ready for the winter holidays, praying for spring to arrive and the sun to emerge from its long cold slumber behind the Chicago gray. There's never a rush to get things done before winter comes, or to get ready for the spring. Now mind you, I quite enjoy the absence of cold, but the effect of a season-less year is a feeling of indefinite time. Perhaps I will feel differently knowing that the April rains are coming when March rolls around, we'll see. But the current "rainy" season literally means about an our of rain rolls through in the afternoon - a lot like camp. It doesn't really disrupt anything, unless you get caught in it.
In fun news, Papyrus (the club, the one with the least number of prostitutes)) has also undergone a recent renovation, tripling it in size! We met the owner the other night and there are also plans to install additional air conditioning in the new rooms, which is great because it was, as KS would say, "hotter than the hinges of..." in there. Tons of fun now with the new space and lights, but HOT. All of the University students are now on break as well, so it's crazy packed, which doesn't help on that front.
A final note, and one of great sadness. One Love guesthouse, which had the best brochettes on town - the only food that we have actually craved since coming to Kigali - is now under new management with a new menu. The brochettes now taste just like every other place in Kigali, just ok. Perhaps we should stage a mini-protest. One of my friends the other day described Rwanda as a "culinary failed state," and I think this may be spot on. We've gotten to the point of being excited for mediocre and vastly overpriced food. My roommate and I decided the other day that the food at "Chez Moser" is definitely the best in town, so I think we're going to stop trying to find the elusive great restaurant that just doesn't exist. The list grows ever longer of things to bring for when the parentals arrive! :-) On the plus side, wonder of wonders I found a place that imports Rocquefort cheese and Capricola! And... they are actually good. The repertoire of possibilities at Chez Moser is growing.
On that note, here's a recipe for one of my go to salads I've been making lately.
O-A-RO Salad (Orange, Avacado, Red Onion):
Mix together and then allow to marinate for a while:
Oranges, rind sliced off, seeded, and cut into wedges
Red Onions, sliced in half and then into very thin slices
Bunch of Cilantro, chopped
Bunch of Mint, chopped
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinagre
Salt and Pepper
Sugar to taste (if oranges are a little bitter)
Serve over rough cubed avocados and top with Cinnamon toasted Macadamia Nuts (with a hint of sugar)
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