I will say our time back was, well….JAM PACKED!!! And I’m not even kidding. I don’t think we stopped longer than two seconds, and I’m not even sure the man sleeping in my bed was Russell since I didn’t usually physically see him get in or out (minds out of the gutter people, minds out of the gutter), as we mostly went in separate directions. It was too much, really. I don’t like it when we are THAT busy…especially separate from each other, but it seems to be the nature of the beast…..at least for us….
Of course, it didn’t take quite 24 hours to get my fill of sushi AND cheese dip (and NO, not in the same meal), and brushing my teeth in the sink WITH tap water, as well as not having to crawl out from under the mosquito net in the middle of the night and then back in, just to go tee tee, were welcomed conveniences, not to mention driving again…anywhere, anytime, but two things really struck me as differences in Rwanda and the US:
The first was clearly the food…in the US we simply eat too much, unhealthy, food….I lost 22 pounds the first three months we lived here in Rwanda….I gained 6 pounds in 6 weeks back in the US….so CLEARLY, I am no more capable of most that keeping myself from SHOVELIN it in, but it is good to be back to more normal eating habits….and already 4 of the 6 are gone.
Secondly, life here is just not as CRAZY…in the US, we go a hundred miles an hour on a hundred different things….here, its takes what seems like FOREVER to change even one thing….I’m not sure either is the way to go, but it is interesting to go back and forth between the two such wildly different worlds, and how quickly we seem to adapt to whichever world we are in!
I did see the orthopedic surgeon as soon as I got back to take a look at my ankle and after trying this, that AND the other (including two different steroid injections), it seems that surgery is going to be necessary. He said, “Boy, you really did a number on this ankle”. Hmmmm….and you went to medical school WHERE, exactly…. Doogie – cause I’m not joking when I say this guy looked 12 years old!!! I’m sure he really IS young, not that I am just getting OLD, so EVERYONE seems young. I was insistent on coming back as scheduled, so with some coaxing (like he really had a choice), he agreed to wait until Dec. to operate. So, now I get to have ankle surgery, help plan (and attend on Dec. 18th) a small, immediate family only, wedding….yes, Brit and Kelly got engaged while we were back and we are honored to welcome him into the family, although I’m certain he has NO idea what he is getting himself into), and then Christmas….in that order….what is it I was just saying about keeping up with a crazy schedule?????
Oh, and on life here in Rwanda…..as you can see…Miss Sugar Bear herself grew like a WEED while we were gone. She has actually more than doubled her weight in 8 weeks, so she’s obviously eating well. Christine is bringing her to work with her every day, so I get to play ‘CeCe’. This ‘grandmother’ gig is pretty awesome….fun with them during the day, then off they go at night…SCORE!!! It has been great getting back connected with all our staff….I’m not sure who missed who more. When we walked through our front door at 10 PM the night we got home, the table was set, roses from our garden on the table, and Christine had made us a pizza….it was precious!! I should have taken a picture, but at that point, I could only find my way to the bed, MY bed….and boy was it nice to get there!!!
The garden is coming along as well….we now have started “Musanze Basil”…we have a SEA of it, and they don’t even know what it is or how to cook with it….I’m like, “throw it in everything you cook, it will make it better”, but thus far, Christine isn’t convinced. We are working on that. The tomatoes just now have some fruit, as does the zucchini, and the Italian parsley is growing great guns too. We have planted sugar snap peas, green beans, celery, onions, three types of lettuce, butternut squash, cauliflower and radishes just since we have been back….and here’s the thing…I have NO idea what I am doing in a garden. Sure, I can grow basil in a pot and ONE year out of twenty got three cherry tomatoes off a plant in Wyoming, but a master gardener I am not….so the fact that we are now growing all the things listed above is a little funny to me….but, so far, so good…I think good weather and good soil help….and our sweet Beatrice (with whom I can barely communicate) to keep it all in check…we are perfecting the art of hand signals!! Next time you play charades, I’ll assure you, you want ME on your team….oh…. I got this….WAHTEVER it is!!
So…it’s good to be back to our Rwandan home, and that really is what it feels like….HOME!! As much as I miss everyone back in the states, I do love how settled we feel here now, and how I can’t wait to dig in to the plans we have for this country, but my part will have to wait a little longer since I am still in my walking cast with strict orders from Dr. Doogie to stay off my ankle as much as possible until the surgery….does this guy KNOW ME??? Actually, I am being a good girl and taking solace in the fact that I get to be with this precious baby every day….what a blessing!!!
Till next time….hugs from our little corner of the world!!
