Ninja Number One

 

Ninja Number One reporting for duty. 

Work sent a car for me this morning and I had a socially-distanced meeting with colleagues at opposite ends of a very large table in a cavernous hall. It was my first time out of the house in over six weeks and took a bit of adjusting to. I haven't worn makeup or a bra in all that time. My first attempt didn't go so well, I tried to apply eyeliner directly to my eyeball. Felt so good to get home again afterwards and back into comfortable clothes. Hoping I don't have to deal with the Real World (TM) again any time soon.

Sorry, I did take excessive photographs as I felt a bit like a ninja. Most of the masks are made from igitenge, which is bright patterned fabric. I deliberately asked for a black one so that I could wear it with anything and look professional. More sort of professional killer, though. 

The world was kind of normal out there, though there were a lot of people not wearing masks. I was extremely grateful to have a driver as it was warm out and I could see people struggling to walk in the heat with the masks on. Many were pulling them down past their mouths or letting them hang round their necks. Not easy if you have a distance to walk.

We've been on lockdown since 21st March, which is why I haven't posted much, because not much has happened. The restrictions have been eased as of yesterday. You can now go out between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m., but there's no motos and the pool is still closed, so there isn't really anywhere for me to go. The government still advises non-essential workers to stay home and I'm very happy to abide by that. For me, the lockdown hasn't been a hardship. I've enjoyed the time to myself and thankfully it hasn't really affected my job as I work from home a lot anyway. 

A lot has been happening at the office, though. We've had a major food drive on and the Israeli Ambassador dropped by to donate 2,000 face masks.

 

We (#AVEGA) would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Ambassador of #Israel to Rwanda @AmbRonAdam for donating 2,000 face masks to our organisation, in order to help our members during #Covid_19 . #RwOT @IsraelinRwanda@FirstLadyRwanda @RwandaGov pic.twitter.com/BGutxtVoKV

— AVEGA-Agahozo (@Avega_Agahozo_) April 24, 2020

Mostly, I have been spending a lot of time with these furry babies.

 

Oh, and the house got possessed. I was alone so long that the teddy bear Harris and Rob bought me for my birthday actually started to communicate with me...

I've also been doing some kitchen stuff. Living mostly off stir fries, quiche, roast vegetables and stew, though I discovered dumplings the other day and now I'm addicted. Don't know why I never made them before as they're super easy. My first attempt I used a bit too much baking powder, so they looked a bit like cauliflower but after a while they smoothed out. I then added cheese to future attempts. They just help to bulk out the vegetables.

 

Too much baking powder.

 

Sweet potato and chickpea stew with slightly underdone dumplings.
It got better with practice.

 

Mushroom and aubergine quiche.
Plenty of garlic - good thing I'm self-isolating.

Vegetables roasted with honey and sesame seeds.
Good with rice, drenched in soy sauce.

Marshmallow Christmas Tree in Hot Chocolate
(Thanks dad.)

Banana bread for afters.

All of the above meals were baked in my tin bucket. I'm pretty adept at cooking with that now. A friend gave me a gas oven, but it seems so much hassle to hook it up that I use it to store cat food in and continue with my bucket. 

I have definitely drifted back to vegetarianism during the lockdown. I was vegetarian throughout my childhood and up until my early 20s. Then I went through a very long phase of just not questioning where my food comes from, because I felt I had enough to think about in day-to-day life. But partway through lockdown I made a conscious decision to go without eggs rather than buy battery. I still buy meat for the cats once a week, but I only order fruit and veg for myself. I never cook meat at home, so I never eat it at home. Mostly because I'm lazy when it comes to housekeeping and I can't really poison myself with a cabbage. But, also, I just don't feel the need for it. I feel like my palate has reset itself, though I don't know how long that will last once the lockdown is fully lifted.

I ran out of chocolate about three weeks ago, and whiskey about two. I have Bacardi, but no matter what I try to mix it with, it still tastes bad. Not a rum fan except when professionals make mojitos or a daiquiri. Although I am partial to Oakheart. I think the only thing a layperson can mix rum with is coke and I'm not a soda fan. Before the lockdown, every shop was full of giant £25 bottles of Jameson's, but no one seems to be delivering it. Can't even find Bond 7 in the shop opposite.

Attempted rum and pineapple punch... not so good.

So, vegetarian and mostly teetotal. The day I finished off the whiskey I was up talking to a friend on the phone until 3 a.m. and suffered horribly the next day, so don't miss that either.

I do miss swimming a lot. I used to go two or three times a week. I was starting to get a bit fitter, doing my pull-ups on the diving board, but now I'm flabby as hell. 

Dates, my kryptonite.

I have been doing a lot of reading and audiobooks, and watched an insane amount of Star Trek. Seriously insane. So much so that I even took a screen shot, because this amused me.

For non-Trekkies, that's the same actor playing his own father.

Not much else to report, really. Been up to my eyeballs in Excel spreadsheets. Lot of donor reports and baseline studies to complete. Busy putting together a large bid at the moment, so no lack of distractions. Caught a locust the other day, but no sign of the swarm that was promised - yet.

Little bit upset because I adore preying mantises and, for the first time ever, I saw some teeny weeny baby ones. I took loads of pictures but then my phone crashed and took them with it. First thing I need to do is go and replace my phone next week, but I did find a fully-grown family member holding its own against my cats a few days later. The photograph was a moment too late. In full defense mode, its mottled brown wings beneath were fully out like a fan, making it look twice the size. Very impressive. And, yes, I did take it out of harm's way. My cats know full-well that if I catch them with anything, it gets rescued.

Crispy Times

During lockdown, I have mostly been loving Kigali Farmers' and Artisans' Market. I had a bit of a panic when I went on to my usual food delivery service and found they had no bread, butter or some of the veg they usually have. The shelves are looking a bit sparse, but I did discover the farmer's market brown bread is delicious.

It's a bit awkward making an update as I haven't been anywhere or done anything. Conversations are getting a bit dull. There's been some good news. We seem to be keeping the COVID rate low compared to many other countries. 110 cases so far and no deaths. Everyone's abiding by the lockdown. The government are feeding the most affected families and top government officials have opted to forego their salaries for April in solidarity with those who have lost their income. I've also contributed part of mine to the effort and many of my friends and neighbours are organising food drives.

Another set of heroes are those working for the national crisp manufacturer, Winnaz. They have a special crisp delivery van and everybody's been stocking up. £15 for a pack of 30. I stocked up on paprika and salt 'n' vinegar. Though I should probably have thought to take them out of the box. Y'know, boxes.... cats...

Howl, Keeper of the Crisps

Otherwise, life is just ticking along. Work is a bit off. Nobody's quite sure what's happening. Most of our community work is on hold and half the donors we'd usually apply to have either suspended their grants or support things nobody can really do any more. Development is all about getting people together to work in teams and participate in stuff, like sports, workshops, conferences...

Kwibuka 26 (the 26th anniversary of the genocide) began on Tuesday. That's also compounding the situation somewhat as the organisation I work for tends to provide a lot of group counselling, and of course we can't do that right now, so we're trying to switch everything over to phone counselling. This brings its own challenges.

But it's a great team and we're working together to find a way forward. This is an appeal on behalf of a genocide survivors organisation:

Hello friends. Times are particularly difficult at the moment as we enter the memorial period for the 26th anniversary of the genocide. Due to COVID-19, memorial sites have been closed and communal events are on hold. This also means that our group counselling support sessions are unable to meet. AVEGA has many vulnerable members and we are trying to assist them in two key ways:

1) Delivering food and basic supplies to those who are particularly vulnerable, which include elderly and disabled widows with no surviving family and those who already have compromised immunity, such as those living with HIV/AIDS. It's particularly important that these groups do not leave their homes and risk infection.

2) Providing airtime packages to community counsellors in each district of the country so that they can regularly call up counselling clients to make sure they're okay during this time. We're also hoping to expand our national helpline, but it's important that those in counselling for trauma and depression are not alone at this time of year.

I know that there have already been a lot of appeals for help around the world, so I'm not going to push it. Everyone in the AVEGA office has already given what they can. If you would like to make a donation you can do so directly to our MTN mobile money (momo) account: Agahozo Avega 0788 520 122. You can also donate to that number using PayPal or a credit card through HeptaPay or WorldRemit or you can donate to Survivors Fund (SURF) in the UK who will pass on the funds.

All money will go either to airtime for counsellors or to food packages for vulnerable survivors.

Murakoze cyane/Thank you very much.

End of Week One

Well, midnight last night marked the end of week one in lockdown. 

Doing okay. Found myself randomly dropping messages to old friends I hadn't spoken to in years, and receiving a few from people I hadn't heard from in years. Spent a lot of time looking at bugs. Found this visitor above in the garden the other day and it obligingly sat very still whilst I took a few pictures. This little fella tried to help me fix a piano action today so I relocated him to the garden.

Also discovered my first Rwandan centipede. I've seen loads of millipedes, but this was the first speed walker I'd seen. A tiny thing having a lot of problems navigating the slippery tiles.

Staying home hasn't been any hardship, though I miss make-up a bit. It was only a couple of weeks ago I was dressing up to go out. Certainly don't miss bras or shoes, but maybe missing the glittery eyeshadow just a smidge.

The only people I've seen the entire week are my neighbours, who dropped by - at a safe distance - last night. They came to cut amaranthus from my back yard, which is a type of leafy green. They explained how to cook it, so I can have some too. They also offered rice and potatoes in return, but I've still got a good supply. It's so lovely to have neighbours who check on you and offer to share. My avocado tree is slowly fruiting so, once it's ripe, there will be plenty of avocados for everyone. The government has also started distributing food to poorer households. We've only got 70 cases so far, but it's rising slowly. Definitely a shame that this has happened just as they've announced the Ebola crisis is over.

I'm very lucky that one of my closest friends is a doctor. I've been asking him pressing health questions...

Apparently the struggle is real and I should probably rest.

Cleared out my handbag the other day and found £450.

My aunt sent these out a year or so ago. I smiled politely at the time as no one tends to use it. I'm now smiling with extreme gratitude as I'm definitely using it. 

Been working away on pianos a bit as I have a friend's action at home and some of the keys need fixing. Took the opportunity to empty out my kit and sort through it all. It's nice to have something to tinker with.

Also been lighting some candles in the evening. Talking to my imaginary voices. Been doing a bit of writing again, which is nice. Conjuring characters. I hope everyone else is making it through the isolation okay and has enough to eat and drink. The initial lockdown was for two weeks, but I expect it will be extended.

Pastie Point of No Return

 

Almost one week in lockdown. Feels longer but really not suffering for it. Rather enjoying the peace and quiet without traffic or bars, although aware of the human cost of this. 

Decided to pass the time by attempting to bake. Set up a baking table in the back yard. At the same time I found the muffin tin, I also found a plastic pastie shaper, so thought I'd give that a go. It was a nice sunny day, and the equipment was easy to clean - just throw water over everything.

 

Started out by putting a bit too much filling in, but got the knack of it. Kidney beans and cabbage with ginger, garlic and soy sauce. 

 

 

 

Clockwise from the top you can see the improvement in my technique. All baked in the bucket, as always. Entertaining way to pass an afternoon. Also resurrected the crepe maker and have been eating a few of those.

I've decided that cabbage is the way to survive an apocalypse. They're huge, if you put them in the fridge they don't seem to go off, and you can slowly peel your way to the centre. I've been eating a lot of stir fries. Again, with tons of garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, honey and soy sauce, fried up in a bit of butter. Trying to ration the chocolates and biscuits since I can't go swimming anymore. In the evenings I tend to put on a playlist and throw myself around the room for a while. Usually whilst cooking. My friend set up a group where we just post songs that make us happy.

In other news, there was a bit of a stir on the internet yesterday when a news story broke that police had shot two people for breaking the C19 lockdown. The police quickly responded with the tweet below and the story has since been changed. Apparently the police were attacked. Though, coming from the UK, the sight of so many guns on the street does make me feel very uneasy, especially during times of heightened tension.

However, it does appear that one guy was eaten by a crocodile whilst breaking the rules. No mention of why the crocodile was out and about. Serves it right if the guy he ate had Covid-19.

These are indeed strange times.

I've come down with a cold, but just your standard head cold. No coughing or fever, just a bit bunged up. Things just plodding along. We're having an emergency Skype meeting next week at work to try to figure out what to do. We run a few elderly care homes, some health clinics, lots of workshops and youth camps. Most of our funding is to conduct community work, which we can't do much of at the moment. It doesn't affect me directly very much as I mostly deal with the paperwork, but when there's no activities, there isn't much paperwork either. 

Passing the time playing the piano, playing Call of Cthulhu, cuddling the cats and making endless cups of tea. Broke into my supply of UTC milk today. Everything is going to be just fine so long as I can make a nice cuppa. 

Full Lockdown

Well, that's interesting. I was having a chat on WhatsApp with a friend and saying that we still had some freedom of movement. Went out to get a beer. Came back to this. No freedom of movement at all.

Don't mind. Completely sensible. Was just a bit sudden. On full lockdown for two weeks.

I can't help feeling slightly fortunate. I did a little bit of shopping last week. Not masses, but I have some tinned and dried food to see me through. Enough for a couple of weeks. I also had my cleaner over today, which seems ridiculously fortunate as she won't be able to come now. So I'm sitting in a really nice, clean house. Good way to start a lock-in.

I help out a lady with her sewing business. She just paid off a loan for a sewing machine, so I made another loan and she gave me some nice pillow cases as a thank you. She's really lovely. My cleaner made the bed with the new pillow cases.

  

So, clean house and a freshly made bed.

I wasn't expecting this to happen, but I feel like I'm prepared for it. Really going to miss swimming, though. There was never anyone else at the pool first thing and it was so relaxing. Have to find another way to get the endorphins. Plenty of time to practise the piano, and Harris pointed out Gog has a sale on, so stocked up on games. Lots of old classics on there like Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle. Got my Netflix subscription.

 

Though had a tough evening. The electricity went out for ages and my laptop died. Felt a bit apocalyptic sitting here in the dark, waiting for zombies to appear at the window.

Finally got electricity back but lost freedom of movement. Ahwell, can't have everything.

Let's hope these measures kick the virus and people stay safe. As one meme pointed out, the longer it takes people to comply with the rules, the longer we're going to have to stick to them.

Seems our Last Brunch was kind of prophetic. We were only joking about it at the time.

Before Rwanda had any cases, my friend was joking that it was good news for local consultants because Rwanda wouldn't be flying in any external ones. Essentially, we'd get all the work. Then we got a case and the party ended - yes, we'd get all the work, but there wasn't any work! Bitterly ironic. Christmas lasted a day.

You've got to laugh really, because there's been some awful stories coming out of places like Italy and parts of the US. I already know someone who lost a family member to it. Another friend's wife and child are stuck on another continent. Starts to drive it home when that happens. Fingers crossed Rwanda's quick reaction and consistent policies are going to pull us through with minimal damage.

Stay safe everyone.