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Had a productive day, yesterday. Became a founding member of EBAR, the European Business Association Rwanda. Established to strengthen business ties between EU countries and Rwanda, and good for networking and sharing information about doing business in the country.

 

We were all there at 9 a.m. for the signing, so afterwards I headed to Kigali Art Centre and treated myself to a yummy breakfast.

 

 

Recovering from a month of being unwell. Shivers, aches and general yuck. All the tests came back clean so not sure what it was, but been dewormed for good measure.

It's currently avocado season, a half-hundred ton falling off the tree in my garden, which means I'm eating this for the next month:

Unfortunately, my cats have been lunching on the local wildlife. Brought in two birds this month and sadly neither survived, despite my attempt to build a safety nest for them to recover. People say you should just leave things once they're caught, but cats play with their food for hours.

 

I've been working on a lot of pianos lately. Bugesera Lodge just out of town has a 70-year-old piano they brought with them from Tanzania. It's not in great shape, so I'm trying to get it playing again. 

 In return, they feed me the most delicious meals.

The trip out there is lovely and green, with dramatic wet-season skies.

I've also started teaching technical English to one of my editing clients. I took a TEFL course about twelve years ago and this is the first time I've used it. It's actually quite good fun as we're exploring more advanced aspects of English and how to present complex information in an easy to understand way, rather than beginners' English. The classes are indoors when it's raining and outdoors when it's sunny.

There was a beautiful rainbow in the sky when I finished teaching yesterday. On the moto home it stretched right the way across the valley, but I was carrying a lot of stuff so couldn't take another photo.

 

Due to being ill, I went a month without alcohol. My friends Sameer and Justin were in town on Friday and helped remedy that with fabulous passion fruit mojitos at The Hut. I was worried one drink might floor me, but I survived.

So, it has been a time of good food and recovery lately. Hopefully got my mum and Merrick coming out to visit later this year. If you would like to visit Rwanda, RwandAir has a special offer - 30% off flights if you book before 20th May 2019.

25

 

Beautiful blue sky, one of the last before the rainy season kicked in. Tried my hand at making carrot cake for the first time. Then it called for icing sugar and I gave up on the topping, but the cake was good, if a little crumbly and burnt at the edges. It's very difficult to cook something evenly in a bucket oven. 

 

The blue sky was from my trip to the Irembo head office. I had to apply for a police clearance certificate to help out my friend. I'm now a founding member of the European Business Forum. Not sure what that means yet, as it's just getting underway, but happy to help out. Although, I did have to clarify that, as a Brit, I'd still be eligible to join after Brexit.

Irembo HQ have a very pretty view from their office. Picking up the police clearance was less entertaining. You get it from a very official government building. There's absolutely no signposts, and they've implemented a one-way system for traffic - and pedestrians. You can't go through the Exit gate, which is right next to the office you need to go to, so you walk all the way down the road, asking people where the entrance is, enter the Entrance gate, go do your thing (which takes a while, in a room packed to the walls with people waiting), then walk out, make it back to the gate you came in, only to be told you need to walk the other way. Again, no signposts, and of course the security guard isn't going to show you himself, so you end up standing under the beating sun in the middle of a car park, desperately wondering whether someone's going to find your remains in a couple of weeks. I still haven't been to pick up my new ID card because I just can't quite face the system. If the future of automation means you go in, press a button on a vending machine and get your papers dispensed, I'm all for it. People are great, but, in the grand scheme of things, we're pretty inefficient.

Although Harris and I were quite efficient one night, even after several beers, when we packaged up a load of mobile phones for his staff to take into the field next day. He's working on a project to help people identify and manage diabetes better in rural areas.  

More yummy treats through the post. My lovely cousin Tamsin and her partner Guido (from the Hague), posted me a birthday supply of Kokos Brood, which is absolutely delightful. As Guido said: basically, just sugar. But it's coconut flavoured sugar, so very nice.

Also, Harris's parents came to visit. They brought me a big box of Greek chocolates. It took me a while to figure out what the strange flavour was - chocolate covered chestnuts!

And my fabulous friend Inike also came, with a box of the most delightful biscuits I've ever had in my life, and a good helping of chocolate.

 

Sadly, just after Harris's parents went home, he came down with food poisoning. And I know you mustn't laugh, but a doctor needing to see a doctor... I really shouldn't have laughed, because I came down with food poisoning the very next day! Different source, I took a chance on some leftovers in the fridge and shouldn't have done. But, what a pair.

Got better in time to attend a pizza party at our friend Jo's house. She has a lovely view of the hills and Harris took this picture of the rain passing over.

Unfortunately, I came down with another bout of slight fever a couple of weeks later and have been pretty poorly since. The fever wasn't high and I think it was just food poisoning again, but it's wiped me out. No energy. Spent a lot of time in bed with Netflix. 

During this bout of sickness, one of my cats brought in a bird. I rescued it and nursed it for a couple of days, but sadly it didn't make it. It couldn't fly and I wasn't physically able to take it somewhere safe. There aren't any bird sanctuaries for this sort of thing in Kigali and none of the vets could help. If I'd released it, the cats would have got it again. Some might say that would have been better, but I couldn't do it. I do love my cats, but they kill everything.

In other wildlife news, found this green hawk moth at a guy's house whilst fixing his piano.

And ibex on my garden wall. Very noisy birds, but very impressive.

The rainy season has come on strong at the moment. It also marks the 25th anniversary of the Genocide Against the Tutsi. I was thirteen when I watched it on the news in my mum's front room, thirteen years later I moved to Rwanda as a VSO volunteer. A lot has changed since then. It's quite hard to comprehend just how far the country has come since 1994. A real testament to human resilience.

Kwibuka

The night before memorial starts, many people go to the bars and get a bit tipsy, because a lot of the bars close over memorial. Harris and I had been for a meal and were walking home late at night. We were a bit tipsy ourselves, as he introduced me to the joys of Hendrix gin with cucumber (honestly, try it). We met a group of men walking the other way and all stopped for an impromptu hug.

It is always a strange atmosphere. The city falls completely silent for a week. It's always a fairly quiet city, but I mean absolutely silent. You can sit out of an evening and not hear a car, not hear a note. 

In other noise-related news, the night club I had so much trouble with last year has been turned into a rather nice Lebanese café and guest house. Popped over for falafel and coffee the other day. Much nicer.

My house from their garden - you can see why the night club was a problem.

At present, all is well. Just trying to get better physically. I've had a lodger staying the past month and she's off home today, so I'll spend a few more days lying on the couch then try to get back to normal. I have a couple of pianos to tune and some English lessons to plan for a local company. Possibly some more editing for GIZ. Thankfully, it's been a quiet time whilst I've been sick so I've had plenty of rest.

Lots of Goodies

 

Lovely picture taken by my friend Harris from the top of Westerwelle Startup Haus.

It's been a very eventful few weeks.

Each month we have an entrepreneur's lunch at a different restaurant, where people meet and network. This month I met a lovely couple, who two days later sent me an emergency text asking whether I knew a doctor who does house calls. An interesting question. Turns out, I don't. So Harris very graciously left a conference to follow me into a remote area of the city. The lady had put her back out and couldn't move. What were the chances - both she and Harris are Greek, and he has a similar back condition and had the exact injections she needed. We were able to help them out, and they gave us tickets to their tech event at Westerwelle as a thank you.

That night, I went out with another friend who is staying for a few days, and she brought her friend who was in a horrible situation. She'd come out here to work with local organisation, including the LGBT community, and was kicked out of her home by her host family for being gay. Shitty situation, so brought her home with us and she's staying for a couple of months so that she can finish what she came here to do.

I lost my last house because my landlord's family took it off him for being gay, and I refused to pay rent to someone who would do that. So, it happens a lot still. My friend Carter is holding the first trans conference here soon, he's been turned down by so many venues already and received messages from other Rwandans with the usual gumf about 'it's un-Rwandan,' and 'against the law' (which it most certainly isn't). Thankfully, there's been far more support for the event. Funny those who want to be nasty about it send a direct message, whereas those who want to share the positivity do so more publicly. Still a long way to go, though.

My friend Chris is back in the country and has become an investor in a local restaurant. Looking forward to free pizza and menu testing. Next month they're holding the EU Business Forum there. It's another business networking event, but a bit posher. This week it was held at the British Ambassador's house. Plenty of drinks and nibbles. Walked home with my friend Cecile and started to discuss joint consultancy ventures.

Also helped a couple out choosing a piano. A gentleman had two and was willing to sell one, so I went to check them out and advise. They were both in very good condition, so it came down to preference of sound quality and design. More about that here. 

Had lots of treats delivered. Harris brought a huge supply of chocolate, whisky, pesto and expensive toiletries with him. 

Swanky Rituals Goodies

  

My lovely friend Sameer went to India for a few weeks. Whilst he was there, the tea plantation he works at was sold off! So he's just returned home to see what happens to his job. All a bit worrying. Hoping he gets to stay. He brought me a box of my favourite Indian sweets and told me I had to eat them within a week. Four hours later, I'd finished half the box...

 

Then went to a BBQ and got talking to this lady about our mutual friend Patrizia, who left Rwanda a few years ago. So, we decided to take a selfie and send it to Patrizia...

...and Patrizia replied 'I'm visiting Kigali next week!' She brought me a whole load of lovely cheese, chocolate and numnums.

 

So I'm well stocked for goodies at the moment, and got to do mango gazpacho tasting at CasaKeza the other day. Part of the new lunch menu.

 

My local bar has started doing live music on Thursdays and Victor's opened his cocktail cart.

  

Also had some fabulous nights out. Harris took me to a swanky restaurant, The Hut, for my birthday. Champers was drunk, as were passion fruit mojitos, and BBQ spare ribs (which were eaten, rather than drunk). 

Last beer as a 37-year-old

Birthday Bounty Brownie

Had a grand night out dancing until 3 a.m. with friends Mac, Chris, Harris, Claudia and Antonio last week. My foot is finally starting to get a little better after tearing my Achilles six months ago. I'm still hobbling about like an elderly lady, but I can just about dance again. Really good night. And my friend Kassim came from Belgium with his friend Mario to play a Holy Jah Doves reunion! These guys were huge about ten years ago, so it was a real blast from the past. I used to go with my friend Cathryn to visit him and Lies each year.

Kassim

The only weird thing here is that many of the clubs who put on stunningly good live music, just fill the entire dance floor with plastic chairs and people just sit there watching. It's really weird. Best place so far was Bar 514, which is open air and has plenty of room to dance and decent bands. 

In non-party related news, the wet season arrived with a vengeance. Actually, I don't think the short dry season ever really happened. As a result, loads of houses have damp problems. My landlord said it's happening more and more, and thinks it may be poor-quality imported building materials. Had to have two of my rooms knocked about and replastered.

 

 

 

  

During this, I discovered the most incredible moth. It's as big as the span of my hand (thumb to tip of little finger when outstretched). Incredible creature, and thankfully found its way out before the cats discovered it.

In cat news, same, same.

In food news, soup.

In home delivery news, we had quite a chuckle about what I ordered v. what I got from Horebu Supermarket recently.

Heh.Yeah. 

Anyway.

In news news, things are a bit weird at the moment. There's a massive kerfuffle going on between Rwanda and Uganda, resulting in borders being closed, bridges being burned (quite literally), and troops being deployed.

We've all got one eye on the news from Goma at the moment, as they attempt to stop Ebola reaching the city, from which it could spread along lots of different transport routes. Only, dickish rebels in DRC keep attacking medical facilities, killing doctors and assaulting people seeking vaccination.

And extremely sad news this morning about Ethiopian Airlines, with the Beeb reporting no survivors. Still waiting to find out what happened.

All of this has made me realise, I should really update my blog more often.

Lazy Sunday today, contemplating making carrot cake, cuddling some cats and enjoying The Good Place on Netflix.