abg shanks

Well, we have hit the ground running and have barely had a minute since.

It's been almost 2 months since we arrived in Kigali (hard to believe) and boy has it been packed. We have already moved from the 1st house we were moved into, have purchased our private vehicle and bid farewell to Aly's Country Director. We are finding our way, connecting with old friends, getting hooked up with internet at home so we can continue our communication with the outside world, have discovered a good daily 1-hour walking route, determined which time is best to leave for work, and have been prioritizing our play time...all parts of the game of getting accustomed to living in a new place.

our walking route--a 1 km round-about not far from our home

views from our walk

Buddy with new friends along one of our walks

a neighborhood road just around the corner from our house
just coming and going

a popular means of transport--a 'taxi stand' corner
they even provide helmets for passengers-a law

colorful uses of the sidewalk

Adrien and Buddy--a long time friend of ours from Burundi

Caritas and Aly--another long time friend from Burundi

Aly and Buddy out at a local Chinese Restaurant

Our house is nice...we like it-we have lots of windows and plenty of light. With 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, we can lose each other if we wanted to. The front porch has a lovely view of the city...you'd really never know that this city has ~1 million people. There are no freeways or interstates. It's fairly quiet and very safe for a big African city, (for any city really). We're often interrupted by singing song birds with their lovely melodies and the bright colors of flowers and fabrics are like candy to the eye.

our house with a view

front porch with a view

side garden

back porch

kitchen

dining room and living room in the background

living room

fresh fruit -- total cost for all above $2.50

view from our house

our producing garden

There is a smoothie shop literally out our gate and across the dirt road (puddled and pot holed). $2.20 for a smoothie with all fresh fruit and/or veggies. They are delicious. The Rwandan woman, Chantal, who owns it really has a good business...it's the only smoothie shop in probably hundreds of miles (that's a few countries)! Next door to her shop and just around the corner is a very small fresh fruit and veggie shop...the woman who owns that, Genevieve, gives us good prices on fresh produce after Aly barters in the local language. So far, we can find most everything we need, and prices aren't that bad. Some things (imported and pre-packaged) are much more expensive, but other things (avocados are less than 30 cents, tangerines are $1 for 2 lbs and bananas are less than $1 for a bunch) are super cheap.

neighborhood signs (saloon & massage) i think they mean salon!!

yep, even a bowling alley in the neighborhood

corner shops where you can pick up a last minute need

fast food in Kigali

neighborhood shops

Genevieve and her fruits and veggies

Hero Smoothie shop

Kigali has changed a lot since our last visit here and for the better. Burning of rubbish is not allowed, sidewalks have been built-aiding in the ever-busy passenger lanes along most roadways, plastic bags are banned all across the country (luckily we are used to bringing our own bags--if you don't have a bag, the vendor will charge you for a paper one), most drivers obey the traffic rules (there are traffic police at almost every major intersection and they WILL stop people and ticket them if they run a red light or do other illegal actions), and the city is clean and orderly. It really is an African country which is working and trying hard to move past their history and become a leader in business and technology. The government even provides an Ombudsman whose duties include prevention and fighting of corruption. There is zero tolerance to corruption and if found it is handled seriously. The last Saturday of every month is called Umuganda. It's a local day to 'clean up and contribute to your neighborhood'.

Aly works about 5 kms from home (less than 3 miles) and it takes about 10 minutes for her to get to work. Her offices are neighborhood homes (2 of them side by side) turned into business offices (popular in these parts).

front office

JFK greets all visitors

Aly's office

Esperance, our Exec Assistant

Irene and Harriet, part of the Admin team

Leonard, our Admin Asst

Sam, Aly's Deputy

Theophila our volunteer liaison

There will be more to come as time progresses. Hope to see some of you sooner than later. Come visit. Enjoy spring and keep your hats on and your feet on the ground. Our love.

Happy 2014 y'all. After years of wonderful travels and quality time spent together on the Texas prairie, we decided it was time to do something again, a little different...okay, a LOT different. Following a number of interviews, a couple of months of paperwork, intensive medical and background security checks, Aly got a job. She will be working in Kigali, Rwanda with the US Peace Corps as Director of Management and Operations. This is the same job she did while we were based in Chad and South Africa. If you're not familiar with Peace Corps or what it's all about, check out this link...www.peacecorps.gov

We both have lived and worked in the East Africa region in the past and Buddy lived in Kigali for 6 years from 1994-2000. Aly visited and traveled through Rwanda a number of times, so the area is not new to us. We are both looking forward to meeting up with old friends, making new ones and for this great opportunity and new chapter in our lives.

So, yes, we are both moving to Rwanda, Africa. At the end of January, Aly will head to Washington, DC for a months' worth of training while Buddy closes things down at our house. We'll then both head to our new home probably in early March. Our dearly beloved Gravy will stay with Aly's mom, Gravy's grandma, in southern California and she'll be with her cousin dogs, will have daily walks and is also excited about the new chapter in her life. Thanks mom--we love you a lot for helping us out with this. We will both miss her extremely, but know this is the best decision.

In case you're a bit confused as to where on the map Rwanda is, see below...

Africa at a glance

Rwanda by region--Kigali in the center of the country

Kigali, with a population estimated at one million, is located in the center of the country and is the capital of Rwanda at approximately 5,100 ft above sea level.

downtown Kigali

another shot of Kigali

The country is often referred to as the land of 1,000 hills. With a total population of roughly 12 million people and the size of Maryland or Haiti, Rwanda is situated at fairly high altitude. The lowest point is 3,100 ft and the highest peak is 14,787 ft in the Virunga National Park where the famous Mountain Gorillas live.

one of the volcanoes in the Virunga's

Our house, though we've not yet been there looks very inviting...so, if you're in the neighborhood, stop on by.

our new house in Kigali

living area in the new house

driveway of our new place

Regardless of if you are thinking of visiting or not, click on the below link and enjoy this 18-minute virtual visit to Rwanda, it's gorgeous...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke9A7zjduBY

We're going to miss our family and friends and wanted to share a few recent Texas photos...