ve been walking around Rwinkwavu to get a sense of my new home. There is a river a few miles from the house and I walked there a few days ago. It’s clear to those I meet on the road that I’m not like the other PIHers, but my clothing and demeanor mark me as a foreigner. I’m a minority in the majority. I don’t get chased by kids screaming ‘muzungu’ like the girls here do, but I’m still stared at. The Rwinkwavu populous speaks no French or English and my Kinyarwanda is non-existent so the whole thing tends to be awkward when someone bothers to talk to me.

I ran into three kids near the river. One kept saying ‘ça va’ but when I responded he just kept laughing and repeating ‘ça va’. The river water is not clean, but the kids do enjoy swimming and occasionally drinking the water (see below). Laundry and some bathing is done in the river as well. Kids who have bikes ferry water from the river to their homes at the top of the hill. Sometimes you can ride, but a lot of times, you have to push.

Near the river, there is a primary school campus with a few buildings. The old school is really rundown but there is new construction and the difference is pretty amazing. I have those pictures in the gallery, but check out the kid drinking out of the water