B 34

Happy Birthday toooo meeeee.

Workshop went swimmingly the other day. The day before my birthday. Reminded me that I do enjoy doing development when I'm working with an organisation I believe in and who get all enthusiastic. 

My actual birthday has been a bit weird. 

In the tradition of Christmas & New Year, I really didn't feel like a party, just a quiet drink with my friend Jo, who's just got back from the UK.

It rained heavily all morning. It's been raining heavily all week, though it's supposed to be the dry season.

Been having real problems with electricity. Always seem to get a black-out right when I need to type up some work or print something off. Having to ration the use of my laptop. Had no electricity most of yesterday, all of last night and all morning so far.

Still, that's a minor issue compared to what happened yesterday.

My housekeeper, Damascene, lives in a small self-contained house behind mine. The one you can see above. 

Being my birthday, I couldn't be bothered getting out of my PJs. I was just messing about online, drinking coffee. He appears in the living room looking really distressed. The problem is that we don't have a common language - he speaks Kinya and Swahili, and I only speak English and a pitiful handful of sentences in Kinya (mostly to do with moto directions and ordering beer). 

"My house." He managed to say, then made a gesture which, in no uncertain terms, translated as disaster. 

I run outside, thinking his house has fallen down - it doesn't look very stable, but it is standing.

So I call my friend IC who translates for us.

Turns out his house has fallen down, but not this house. Damascene is extremely frugal. He saves every penny he has for building a house out of town for his wife and son. IC says that even when he got married, he didn't hold a big ceremony, as is the custom here. Instead, he called all his friends round and announced "Now we are married". They had a quiet house party and celebrated as friends without blowing a fortune.

He is one of the most hard working, trustworthy people I know.

To hear this misfortune was tragic. Apparently they were just putting the roof on. The house was almost finished. Then the rains came hard and the whole thing collapsed.

In the UK or US, if you contracted builders to build your house and the house fell down (thank goodness there was nobody inside it!) you would sue the building company for all they're worth. Here, anything that happens to a house is the responsibility of the owner. The owner didn't build the house, but if it falls down, it's the owner's fault. 

Years ago, I had a friend with a violent husband. The husband beat up their house girl, then ran off. The wife was left to pay the hospital bills for the girl because the incident had happened on her property. No regard for the fact she was an abused wife. No regard that her husband had run off leaving her without any money. It happened on her property, so it was her fault. The husband wasn't around, so she had to shoulder the blame.

Damascene has lost his house. He saved for years to build it. He hugged the life out of me when I gave him a little extra money at Christmas towards it. He didn't build that house with his own hands. He hasn't got any experience of building. So he hired people who did... yet he, with no building experience, is responsible for his house falling down, even though he didn't build it.

Sometimes standards of justice here go right over my head.

It would be like me getting sick. Knowing that I am not a medical professional, I would go to a doctor who is. The doctor accidentally chops off the wrong leg, and it's my fault. I have to pay to correct his or her negligence.

So, that was a sad start to the day. There wasn't much I could do but offer comfort and give him time off. He just sat on my porch, head in hands. It was very sad to see.

Went out for a lovely meal with Jo in the evening. Did pizza and wine, and I made a new friend.

Cutest little thing, came and sat with us, right between my feet. (Possibly doesn't have the best sense of smell...)

Also found a baby gecko on my porch. Rare to see them on the ground. They're usually on the walls. I love geckos, and this one was only the length of my little finger.

Had some lovely presents. A huge amount of chocolate. Unfortunately the Guylian shells had melted a little. But, where there's a will... I managed to dig them out of their casing with a penknife. Bear Grylls eat yer heart out.

Jo had put together a beautifully wrapped hamper set, including quilted toilet paper, Marmite, Quality Street, baked beans and soup, all arranged in two beautifully woven Rwandan baskets.

The biggest surprise of all came from IC. We picked him and Fidens up after pizza and went to Nyamirambo for a drink. When I arrived, IC was in a fluster - "Wait, wait," he told me. "Your present is on its way." Ten minutes later this guy arrives. "Close your eyes!" IC tells me. Errr... okay. "Open them!"

With the artist, Augustin.

I have never in my life had my portrait done! It was taken from a picture my cousin took of me for my first ever book publication. I was completely stunned. It's so well drawn.

Truly is one of the most amazing presents I've ever had. 

It's IC's birthday next month, so the pressure's on to think of a good present...

Headed off to a nightclub after the bar, but I was pretty knackered by then. It was like that Cinderella pumpkin moment. I hit 34 and suddenly I lost the ability to find all those grinding bodies and thumping music attractive. Fancied putting my feet up with a cup of hot cocoa and reading a good book.

Took a wander through the deserted back streets of Kigali and made my way home.

Was passing Death Junction (my pet name for a big crossroads near the airport where the traffic lights never work) when I witnessed a horrible car crash. A taxi went straight across just as a black car coming the other way turned into its path. I heard the brakes at first and, in my slightly inebriated state, braced, because I thought they were our brakes, or a car in front, and that we were about to hit something. Then I heard the shatter of glass, looked to the right and saw the taxi bounce and hit a curb, bonnet all crumpled up. 

It was a strange flash-back to something that happened a few years back. I forced my driver to stop, ready to run over and help, but, unlike last time, the driver was very much alive. He leapt out of the taxi and ran over to the other car. Thankfully the occupants of both vehicles seemed to be okay, so we drove on.

You gotta give it to crumple zones. They look dramatic, but they really save lives. (Said the girl zooming around town, drunk on the back of a motorcycle).

Anyway. It was a nice birthday. Got home in time to Skype Mum. Wasn't a great connection, but good enough to say hello. She's sent me a photo of my nephew and his brother eating a birthday cake they bought in my honour. Little scoffmongers that they are! x