Pictures from Gisenyi

Well after my brief diversion in the last post, I wanted to post some pictures of Gisenyi. The first round here is pictures of the way to Gisenyi from Kigali. It really was impossible to do the landscape justice, particularly while taking pictures out of the window of a packed out minibus rocketing down the side of a mountain. But I did try to at least get some...







The hash was all up and down and around Gisenyi and we had some really nice views of the lake and the DRC. I would say that the definite lowest point of the hash, both geographically and figuratively, was when we hiked through the "bathroom" of the local fisherman. Apparently, the field was clean when they set the path at 5 am but was definitely NOT at 4 pm. Oh well. All in a days adventure. And since the bathroom ended on the beach and we then immediately got smashed by waves from the lake (I did say it was a huge lake right? It had waves), I dont think too many of us really gave the bathroom much of a second thought. Besides we were pretty clean, or at least really wet, about two seconds after stepping onto the beach. After those two surprises though, we rebelled against the leader of the hash and decided to follow a slightly more reasonable path that took us on a road. Much nicer. And of course since we were a soaking wet group of muzungus and Ugandans, we collected a nice parade of followers. You can sort of see them stretching back down the road there.

But after the beach bathroom bit, we got to the business at hand of scaling an essentially vertical hill without a path. And a lot of children as observers. It really puts you in your place to be sweating and red-faced struggling up a hill, when a bunch of little kids run up and down the hill around. Shoeless and herding goats. Very inspiring. There were however some great views of Gisenyi and of the DRC in the distance.


The lake is surrounded by terraced hills. Apparently on a clear day you can see all the way across the lake to the volcanoes ringing the other side. We were not there on a clear day, so it just seemed to go on forever. The peninsula of this picture is actually the DRC. That is how close we were. At one point, when we were trying to find the club at about 11pm after eating dinner and drinking on the beach, we ended up at the border. Not surprisingly, they did not let us through.



This is Gisenyi in the foreground and Goma in the DRC in the background. They are very close, but separated by culture, war, and a well protected fence. However, dont think that everyone in DRC is poor. These houses are just across the border in the DRC. It seems like they are probably doing pretty well...
Well, I wanted to put up some of the photos of the hash and the beach. And I put up some of the hash. Unfortunately the beach pictures involve my white white skin in a bathing suit. So, sorry, but no one is seeing those. I can assure you though, the beach is gorgeous. Here, I guess I can give you a little something to keep you going...



Until next time xoxo Little Linnea

Unfinished post

I know I left the last post unfinished and I do apologize. I will try to finish it but it will most likely be in stages. And unfortunately probably not tonight. I am just so frustrated about the partisan politics and failed economic policies that are destroying our country right now. I dont care what party you belong to right now. What matters is that consensus has to be reached. Inaction during a time of crisis is far worse than at least choosing something and moving forward. Perhaps in time, your choice will not turn out to be the best one, but how, HOW can inaction, which will surely end in a worse outcome be an option? And I know that there are those out there who truly believe that an economic bailout which will at least partially stabilize the economy is one step away from communism. But I have a question. What exactly is so terrible about socialism? Sweden, Norway, Finland. These countries faced a very similar situation only a little more than a decade ago. And they are now three of the wealthiest countries in the world, per capita. And yes, it is expensive to live there. But they have some of the best health care in the world, free higher education, some of the longest life expectancies in the world, and the smallest income gaps. So what exactly is so terrible about socialism. Im not saying go into blind. There needs to be a vast revamping of our political system. But how you can argue that improved equality, health, and opportunity as an outcome of socialism is not worth it? How?

Well i am sure that many of you have argued and debated and thought about this yourselves lately. So for adding more stress, i do apologize. However, even this far away, the economy matters. Tremendously. Political will and the willingness to collaborate, to compromise is essential. Without commitment to move forward and fix this problem, no matter what labels are put on the solution, everyone suffers.

Wait... this is my life?

I had one of those moments this weekend... the moment when I look around and am in awe that where I am and the moment I am in is my life. I think that one of the reasons that I like to travel so much is that I have those moments in much greater frequency than when I am home. Not that home doesnt have its own attractions of course, but I love the feeling of wonder when I realize that I am lucky enough to be living a pretty amazing life.

I was in one of those moments this weekend when I was on Lake Kivu in eastern Rwanda. Lake Kivu is the 6th largest lake in Africa. Although not on par with the great lakes, it is still huge, much too large to see across, much less swim across. It is a lake that was formed by volcanic eruptions and is surrounded by a volcanic range that separates Rwanda from the DRC and Uganda. So basically I was sitting on the white sand beaches surrounded by terraced hillsides, a volcanic range, and within walking distance of the border of the DRC, one of the most complicated and dangerous countries in the world. Within a mile of where I was sitting, there were refugee camps with people displaced from Rwanda and from within DRC, there was a tea plantation, and a five star resort. The juxtaposition of wealth and poverty, of indulgence and deprivation, within such a close environment, creates a sense of surrealism and a great appreciation of even the smallest luxuries.

Anyway, these moments are difficult to translate into words. So for the moment, I am going to abandon the attempt and instead just write about how I ended up there and the random events that took place throughout the weekend...

This past Monday, September 15, was an election day in Rwanda for parliament. Since the genocide, there have been only a few elections and with a very recent history of violence, a location in a somewhat unstable region, and the tendency towards political corruption inherent in ANY political system, elections were taken very seriously by the general populace. So on the election day, basically the entire country shut down and for those of us not able to vote, became a holiday. This weekend also happened to be the annual Gisenyi hash, wherein hashers from Kigali host an international hash event with Ugandans and Kenyans in Gisenyi at Lake Kivu. With such an auspicious event and a three day weekend, how could I not go? Thus, Saturday morning saw Little Linnea rising at 7 am to catch a crowded minibus full of Ugandan hashers to Gisenyi. Well it wasnt quite that easy of course. First, we had to pick up several other hashers at a gas station but then the mini bus which sat probably 26 or 27 people comfortably had at least 40 people and their baggage booked. Which meant that the organizers who had apparently not anticipated this even though they had a list of participants, had to go find a second minibus and arrange to have them drive us for the weekend. Which ended up taking about two hours. Two hours which we spent in the same gas station parking lot buying premade waffles and fried dough.

Finally after two hours and the addition of a mutatu with red velvet seats and an electric blue and pink strobe overhead light, we set off for the lakeside. But it took us a little longer than expected. The thing about hashing is that drinking beer is a pretty integral part of the whole experience. Now, in Kigali we usually save the drinking until after the hash. You know, so we can make it through the hills, precarious bridges, cliffs, banana jungles, what have you. But apparently in Uganda, they operate under an entirely different philosophy because that minibus was full of beer bottles and semi drunk party people about ten minutes past that gas station (actually there was a pretty healthy pile of beer bottles left in the parking lot of said station. Dont worry thats not quite as bad as it sounds. See we left the beer bottles with some kids. Again not as bad as it sounds because they sell the bottles back to the vendors and keep a couple coins in change). Point is, we were on a four hour bus ride with a bunch of people drinking a diuretic. We usually made it a half an hour between pee stops. Very slow going. However, the scenery between Kigali and Gisenyi is breathtaking and the frequent stops allowed for some great views. There is a reason why Rwanda is known as "the Land of a Thousand Hills". And that is because there are probably a thousand hills. Science. I have included some of the pictures I took below. Unfortunately most of the pictures were taken while inside the moving mini-bus and the day was pretty hazy. But the hills go on well past the ability of the camera to capture them. And the greens and blues are more vibrant than you could imagine. Climbing the hills in the mini-bus and looking down into the valleys was both terrifying and exhilerating.

In order to get to Gisenyi, we had to pass by the entrance to Volcanos National Park and the jumping off point for the Gorilla tours. Rwanda is home to the largest population of wild mountain gorillas left in the world. I forget if the entire population is 72 or the population of Rwanda is 72 but in either case, the numbers are staggeringly low. But it is possible to trek through the jungle and watch the gorillas in their habitat for a few hours. My friend Jeri did it and said that it was well worth the 500 dollars. So something else to add to the list...

Anyway, we passed Volcanos and finally, after about six hours for a three hour drive, we arrived in Gisenyi. The hash was scheduled to begin at 4 and we arrived at 3 so we quickly took lunch and dispersed to our various hotels, hostels, and guest houses. After a quick change, we reconvened on Bikini Tam Tam beach and started the hash. A little late but overall not too bad. Hashing is split into runners, the crazy ones who sprint up the hills and then fall/ slide/ run down, and walkers, who take pictures, enjoy the views, and maybe complain a little more about the weird obstable course that we are being taken on. In Gisenyi, par example,

Hiking around and my addiction to Nakumat

Last weekend I went hiking with Marta, who is one of my roommates and another Projet San Francisco intern, Jeri, who is doing a rotation for her PA degree through PSF, and Hector, one of our friends from here in Kigali. Hector wanted to show Mt. Kigali, one of the larger hills in Kigali, to Jeri soMarta and I invited ourselves along. We were in town for almost the whole hike, until the summit. Even near the summit of the hill, when we were stuggling up dirt paths and inhaling dust, there were still houses and corner stores and women carrying baskets of fruit or jugs of water on their heads. People here seem to have an amazing sense of balance and the ability to scale large hills without breaking a sweat. Neither Marta, Jeri, or I possess either of those skills as evidenced by our scratched hands and disgusting clothes. But all the dust and sweat was worth it because the view from the top of the hill is beautiful. As we ascended, almost all of Kigali was visible and seemed much larger than it does when I am in the middle of the city.


When we reached the top of the hill, it was a completely different view. Green hills, bright green river valleys, and other than the terracing on the hills, almost no evidence of people.



After resting for a few minutes and relishing being done, Hector informed us that in fact we were not done and that in fact we had not reached the summit. So even though we couldnt really see anywhere higher than where we were, we followed Hecotr down another dirt path and in a few minutes more of climbing (somehow this hill kept going up), we spilled into a pine forest that was at the top of the hill (I think it really was the top because everywhere else we went down).


It was surreal to be only a few minutes out of the city and surrounded by pines. And as soon as we left the pine forest, we wandered into a grove of eucalyptus trees and yellow flowering plants. Hector took the lead again after a few minutes of us taking pictures of every flowering plant and insect that we could get into our viewfinders and we started down a different path until we started going back up again. I think by this time we were on the other side of the hill and a little bit lost. No offense Hector!




Finally we came to meeting point of several trails and decided to go on the one that Hector thought led back to Kigali. Although we could have gone on the other one which he wasnt sure where it went, but was happy to lead us down.


On our way back, we ran into a couple relaxing in the shade, a man carrying a chair on his head, and a mother and a daughter hefting a giant basket of tubers.
Finally, we caught sight of Kigali again and started back down the hill.


After another fifteen or twenty minutes of walking, Hector suggested that we get something to eat and drink, which seemed like a wonderful idea so we ended up at the dubiously named "Piano Bar". Although they did serve alcohol, there was no evidence of any piano in the near vicinity. Originally, the waitress said that they had meat, fish, and chicken. Meat, fish, and chicken what wasnt really detailed so I passed. However, Marta and Hector asked for fish. After about ten minutes the waitress came back to say that there wasnt any fish or chicken, only meat. So ok, meat it is. Oh its meat on a stick. That took about thirty minutes to cook. In the meantime, a man brought in a couple of live chickens so I think that they took care of that particular shortage pretty quickly. After our fantas, meat kebabs, and a giant pile of fries and mayo (I had the fanta) we came back home. And ate. And slept. Pretty much for the rest of the day. All in all, despite being hot, dehydrated, and really dirty, it was a great day. The views were beautiful, the company was great, and the fanta was amazing.

Now about Nakumat. Nakumat is a store that opened the second week that I got here, so its been open about two weeks. And I have probably been there about six or seven times. That adds up to just about every other day. You see nakumat is a supermarket, a real honest to goodness supermarket. And even though their stock is different every time I am there and there is no guarantee that what I came for will be there, there is a guarantee that something wonderful will be there. Like whole wheat flour... or cheese... or BARBEQUE SAUCE. And although there are definitely aisles to avoid because the temptations and the prices are too great (the one housing barbeque sauce also has olive oil and olives and tomato sauce. All amazing foods that cost about 15 dollars each) there are other aisles that are full of wonderful products that are no temptation at all because the prices are ridiculous. So these aisles, full of blenders and toasters and microwaves are fun to just walk up and down. And when I get bored with them, there are cameras and shoes and toys to look at. Even a book stand! The book stand is pretty much exsclusively full of Harry Potter and guide books and each book costs about 30 dollars minimum, but its still amazing. I even found a vegetarian cookbook that I pawed through for recipe ideas before putting back down and stepping slowly away. Oh nakumat. Its a wonderful place. Full of magic and wonder. But I have made a solemn oath... I am cutting myself back to two times a week. Otherwise I am going to spend my whole paycheck on chocolate and three dollar heinekins!

New house

On Monday, I moved houses. Not far, just a four or five minute walk. But I moved right next door to the project. I can see that maybe in a couple of months, that might be too close for comfort, but right now it is pretty great to roll out of bed, walk down the driveway, and walk up the next one. Kind of like college. Well ok, very little like college since Im in a house, with three other people, not a dorm with a couple hundred, I actually HAVE to get to work by 8 while biology was always a little bit optional, and well, Im in Rwanda, not Walla Walla. Details.

This morning I had a little extra time so I took some pictures of the CVCT building (thats couples voluntary counseling and testing), my new house, my yard and the driveways. OK I was a little bored, but I also wanted to demonstrate how awesomely close I am to work. Its the best commute ever!


The CVCT building is the yellow building that you cant really see. But the view is pretty nice. This is right across the dirt road from my house. I have pretty much this same view.

My new house. I like the porch a lot. In fact, I am sitting on it right now when I write this. Im a big porch fan.

My driveway is behind the whitesh gate. The driveway I take to my office is the one with the red gate.

Where we are going to have our garden in my yard.

Im not sure that we have an avocado tree like we did at the other house, but we got a lot of something.
I know the pictures arent the most artistic but at least there are a couple of snapshots of my life right now.


Today, as part of my rotations through each department and the project as a whole, I went on health visits with a community health worker. We had our transport paid by the project but it really isnt that much so we took mutatus, which are vans, about the size of minivans but they "fit" about 16 people. I love them. Sometimes the body odor is a little overwhelming but overall I just think that they are a lot of fun, at least for short distances. When you get in, you always have to go to the very back or at least the farthest empty seat, so that it fills up easily, never mind empties easily. And then once a row of seats is full, there is a small seat attached to the bench in front that folds down. So instead of having a row where people can exit, the row is blocked by folded chairs. Of course, when someone wants to get out, they can. Its just that everyone sitting in the aisle has to exit the mutatu and the person has to fold and lift the chairs to exit. And everyone else just sort of shifts around redistributing weight and getting really close until someone else comes in, takes the just emptied seat and then everyone sort of flows together like a liquid, taking up a constant amount of space. i love it because it just reminds me how people can make the most difficult things simple and the simplest things difficult. Buses in the US are much nicer, much less crowded, but somehow no one takes them, they are difficult to figure out, and inevitably take too long. Buses here are crowded, smashed, and simple. They pick you up wherever you are, no matter how crowded (to a point), and just take you where you need to go. So ok, no fancy buses here. So what. People just make it work. So there isnt always electricity or water. So what. Just make it work. Even though there is a lot less to work with, it just seems like there is still plenty. You just take what you have and you make it work. Thats what I love about it here.

HIV and RZHRG

Hey campers,
I dont really have too much exciting to report. I spend most of my time either at work, grocery shopping, walking around, or cooking and cleaning. I've actually started enjoying cooking since I have to do it. There just aren't too many local eateries around here with a wide array of vegetarian dishes. Or really too many eateries with a wide array of anything. But what I did want to write about was HIV in Rwanda and my employer, the Rwanda Zambia HIV Research Group (RZHRG). I realized that for many of my family and friends, HIV and AIDS may not be quite as familiar as for students of public health. You see, for MPH students, we spend more of our time learning about HIV than many of us would like because it is one of the greatest, and certainly one of the most sensational, public health problems of the present. And although the epidemic is much too difficult to explain in one blog, I wanted to try to explain a little more about what is happening and give a couple links to sites that have information on AIDS, particularly in Rwanda.

The first is UNAIDS, the program of the UN which deals exclusively with researching, preventing, and combating HIV and AIDS. Specifically, I have provided a link to the country specific report for Rwanda. The link is http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Countries/rwanda.asp. However, unaids.org will bring up their larger site and provide much more information on the state of the epidemic worldwide and current efforts.

Rwanda, as in much of East Africa, has a fairly low prevalence rate, which is the percent of people living with HIV or AIDS compared to the total population. In Rwanda, it is estimated that about 2.8% of the population between the ages of 15-49 has HIV. Compared to South Africa, where almost 30% of the population has HIV or AIDS, that number is extremely low. But compared to the United States, which has a prevalence of about .28%, that number is pretty high. And in Zambia, the other country where the particular study that I am working for is located, the prevalence among 15-49 is 15.2%.
http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Countries/zambia.asp

Although there is much debate about why Southern Africa (not South Africa specifically, but the region in general) is particularly hard-hit by the AIDS epidemic, while East Africa remains less affected, no one really knows. Perhaps its issues of prevention compliance (e.g. using condoms, delaying sexual debut) , gender inequity, polygamy, access to health services, or poverty. Likely its these reasons and more. But no one knows for sure why the AIDS epidemic is so bad in Africa and no one really knows the best way to prevent it.

However, people are trying. Many people and organizations, and one of them is RZHRG. Dr. Susan Allen started doing AIDS research in Rwanda in 1986, very shortly after HIV was "discovered". Dr. Allen is a proponent of couples voluntary counseling and testing, wherein couples are counseled about HIV in general together, are tested and given their results together, and are counseled regarding their results, whether they be positive or negative, together. Currently, almost 67% of new HIV cases are spread between married or cohabitating parters. This is not specific to Africa. The world over, the largest risk group for HIV transmission, is married women. Yet, until recently, HIV testing and prevention efforts focused primarily on testing only one person. Get one person in, test them, give them their results. Better than nothing, yes of course. But if that man or woman chooses not to tell their partner their results, and that is extremely common, then that testing doesnt really do much. How will a man explain to his wife that he needs to wear a condom if he doesnt want to tell her he has HIV? How will a woman explain that she shouldnt have any more children at the risk of passing on the virus without explaining why? These are the issues that direct couple counseling avoids. Couples come together and are tested together with the understanding that they will develop a prevention plan together, that they will live with the virus if one or both of them has it together, and that all decisions must be made together. Its pretty common sense, but has only recently been accepted as the standard for prevention among the public health world. Anyway, that is what Dr. Allen pioneered. The website for RZHRG is www.rzhrg.org. There are several publications on the website, in addition to general information, site photos, and information about the impact of AIDS on children, an entirely different ballgame.

I know that that was a quick and dirty discussion of HIV and RZHRG. If people have more questions, please let me know. As someone pointed out to me recently, I tend to talk about stuff without realizing that a lot of the time, other people dont have the background to really know what I am talking about. So please, if anyone wants to know anything about HIV, Rwanda, RZHRG, anything, please ask. If I dont know, I will at least post or email a link. And Im sure I didnt come close to providing enough information, so please let me know what other information would be useful.

On that note, I hope that everyone is doing well and is safe, happy, and healthy. Care packages appreciated (particularly including books, nuts, dried fruit, cheese if thats possible somehow, cereal, and cereal bars) and Go Obama!

Hashing... but not the way youre thinking

Yesterday, I went with some of the other interns here, Jeri, Kate, Leigh, and Marta (I just realized their names are alphabetical) to an event called the hash. A hash, at least the way we did it yesterday, is an event where people meet at a bar and then run or walk a pre-marked course through the city and end at the same bar and then celebrate their athleticism by drinking beer. Although hashing is apparently a popular event the world over (there is a hash in Atlanta every week), this was my first time. Im not sure that I see much of a point to it as as legitimate sporting event or club, but it was a great hike and way to see the city. All in all, I think we walked about 3 to 5K through Kigali and saw some sights and neighborhoods that we probably would not have had a chance to see. And we gave the neighborhoods a chance to see a muzungu parade, something that I know they appreciated based on the laughs and number of children we acquired throughout our hike. And when I say hike i mean HIKE. I think that I have said that Kigali is built on a series of hills? Well these arent bluffs gently rising from the plains. These are straight up moutainous hills. And I mean straight up. At one point, we were scrambling up a hill covered in scrub, grabbing onto whatever bush or tree we could find and attempting not to slide back down to the bottom of the hill and do it all again. It wasnt dangerous, although there was a point where we were going one by one across a small ledge above someones yard. She was just standing in her doorway looking at us like we were crazy (not far from the truth). In fact, it was really fun and entirely exhausting. Although you wouldnt know that by the 5 year old, Ben, and 7 year old, Maurice, that came with us and kicked everyones butt. Ben was at one point hiking up hills holding his nose and demonstrating how he could constrict his breathing and then about ten minutes later sprinted to the end destination. He also decided that he wasnt dirty enough at some point and sat down to play in the dirt while we all caught up to him. I assure you, we were all plenty dirty enough. Finally, we got back to the bar and enjoyed some beers and much needed water and those of us who had never hashed before, including Marta, me, Jeri, and Leigh were officially inducted into the club. You see apparently you cant just show up to a hash. You have to be a member, a devotee. There was one man (I think he may have been INSANE) who apparently travels all over the world doing hashs. And accordingly, he has a sacred hash vessel (an orange plastic hat) that is the only thing out of which he will drink his beverages. And when you ask why he is drinking out of an orange plastic hat (a legitimate question I think) he only replies, why would you drink out of anything other than the sacred hash vessel? ...Right... This man later told Ben after he had touched the aforementioned vessel "When you walk with the big dogs, you have to piss in the tall grass". And then repeated it several times because Ben didnt understand. Can someone please explain it to me? Because I didnt want to ask this guy a legitimate question after the vessel incident and I certainly didnt want to ask what the hell he was talking about! Anyway, it was a great, dusty, exhausting day and one that will hopefully be repeated (hashs are every week and they follow a different course each time). Attached are some of the photos I took along the way. Scenic tour of Kigali!