Makenzie/Mugenzi

When I'm not helping with kids or working on a project, I go running as often as the opportunity comes.
I find that it helps me to collect my thoughts, it gives me alone time, it gets my ticker pumping, and the endorphins that come later are soo nice.

Also, with the way that I've been eating here, any sort of exercise is welcome.

(I had many people think that I would come to Africa and starve. I'm sure they imagined I would come back an emaciated person. I can assure you, quite the opposite is happening. My hosts are making sure that I am never in want of food.)

Running also brings out some interesting experiences.
In the neighborhood I run in, every house has a wall and a guard (I've blogged about it on my other blog, here)
The guards are friendly, and sometimes yell things as I pass by. Usually it's just something like, courage, courage!  But once, one was so bold as to ask my name. ...I'm not such a fan of giving my name out to strangers, but I remembered that my name was a convenient one.
"Oh! It's Makenzie!" I said as I ran.
"No, no, your name!"
"Makenzie!"
He shook his head and laughed. I kept running.

My name sounds almost exactly like the Kirundi word for friend (mugenzi).

It's fun to mess with people's minds that way. I keep some anonymity and I'm not being rude by not saying a name.

Another time, I was running at the park (they have a nice 1 km track) and an old guy was running at my pace. As we ran, he told me that he was a marathoner, running in France and America. Now that was pretty cool. He had to be at least 60 (and don't judge my running as that slow...this guy was GOING.)

I enjoy running here, though I do get stared at openly for a few reasons, I'm sure. 1) because I am white 2) because I am a girl (girls don't run much here. They don't get out much either, it seems) and most likely 3) because I am so red faced and out of breath.

Running always makes me think of the passages about running the race of life with endurance. It's a pertinent allegory.

Walk Like An Egyptian

This past week has been lovely at the Egyptian Center.

It has been fun to make the meals for the doctors, help out around the Egyptian complex, and learn Arabic. I accepted an offer to be taught by Mrs. M.So fun!

I am finding myself bitten by the language bug. When you can actually use the language, it makes it enjoyable.

The Arabic is ever-so-slowly coming.
It is like I am again in preschool, trying to learn these letters and their sounds. As you may know, Arabic is written right-to-left.
This befuddled my brain as I was practicing my letters and then had to write something in English.
I started writing my English words backwards.
Oh, my brain!

I have, as you might know, been trying to learn Kirundi, too. It is only spoken in this small area, and it is like Mandarin in that the inflection matters as much as the phonics. It is slowly coming, but the verb tenses give one a headache. I am thinking of switching altogether to Swahili.

On top of this, I am studying French. Most people speak French here, and I think it's such a nice sounding language....if only I can get that accent. I can do a French accent, but not the LEGIT one, where you gurgle in the back of your throat as you talk.

The 8-year-old here at the Egyptian Center, M, speaks fluent French, English AND Arabic. I am trying not to turn green with envy.
She laughs at my inability to gurgle.

Here we are in the car (no A/C so therefore, we roll the windows down, therefore, looots of wind-blowing action.)


My brain is mixed up with so many languages!
I am not yet proficient in any of them, but I am trying to become so.

 My English is suffering as well. More than one local has said that my English is "too strong", which I suppose means too hard to understand.
One stranger told me, "Oh you must be American, your English is so bad."

Talk about humbling!

I find that it is harder to speak in English to people who are just learning it. I have to think about what I say, to make sure it is easier to comprehend. When I speak to someone as I would to someone who has English as their mother tongue, I am met with blank stares and, "I don't understand"s

I didn't realize that in day to day speaking with fluent speakers, I use words that are confusing to those who know little English. I feel like I am almost having to learn English over again, too!

Maybe soon I will just be unable to speak altogether.

It's possible.

Good Works Prepared

This past week, as you may have read, I spent at Discovery School. I was all over the place, two days of helping with the 2nd grade class, and two days of assisting with the preschoolers. I came home every day quite exhausted, but very glad.

I didn't quite have a niche cut out for myself at the Discovery School.

In fact, one day, the headmaster wasn't sure where to put me.
He told me that when Joy, the academic director, returned, it would be easier for me to find a way to help.

She'll be back in about a week. In the meantime, he said, I could choose a classroom and sort of observe/help. But he felt that the teachers had it all under control.

Well, I earnestly asked God what He would have me to do this next week before Joy returns: go back to Discovery School, help out at another school, what?

It turns out, it's a good thing that Discovery School doesn't really need me this next week.

Here's what happened:

On Friday, we had Dr. Noble, Dr. Morgan, and the Morgan family over for lunch. They are all from Cairo, Egypt. They also are all very sweet. I'm sure if you ever meet them, you'll love them too.

After lunch, they started talking about a team of doctors and specialists that would be coming from Egypt here to work free of charge in the hospitals for a week. They would be arriving on Saturday.

As soon as it was mentioned, I got a strong urge to offer my help.

It took me a minute to get up the nerve to ask if I could help out.

Looking back on it, it all seems silly that it would be hard to offer to help, but it was! 

I was attacked by a fit of shyness.

But something kept prodding me to Ask, ask! Ask if you can help! Here's an opportunity!
So I finally did ask, "Would you need any help this next week? Could I help with anything?"

It was met with a, "Really? Oh yes!"

I was elated to hear such a response.

Guess what?
Mrs. Morgan told me that it was an answer to prayer! The last time the team came, it was just her in the kitchen, preparing all of the meals for the team of doctors.
She said it was an overwhelming experience, and she would be happy to have my help!
What a God-thing!

I had been praying for a task for the next week, and it fell right into my lap.

It reminds me of the verse:

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do.  ~Ephesians 2:10

God does have good works planned for us to do!
It's amazing timing: the doctors coming to visit, Mrs. Morgan needing help, and my open week of wanting to help somewhere.

This little event gave me a big lesson and much encouragement. Trust God, because He'll take care of everything.

A quick update!

Fun Fact: Here in Burundi, to be told, "Wow, you're fat! Have you gained some weight?", is a compliment. If you're thin here, it means that you're potentially an aids patient. It's a very different mentality from the USA, where one always asks the opposite. You always tell someone that they look thinner.

Just, you know, a fun fact/warning.

This week has been encouraging! God is teaching me much about service and wisdom and asking Him for things.
It is so essential that you actually ask God to supply your needs. Of course He knows them, but there is a sense of blessing and more of a connection with Him when you acknowledge that all good comes from Him.

ALSO, a prayer request!
Ken and Melli have been working to naturalize their 6 youngest children (you know, all of the US Citizenship stuff). They have everything paperwork-wise in, but they are finding out that the processing time is going to be longer than expected. 7 months as opposed to the 2 that they were told. Please pray that everything goes through, and that it all works out. 

I have been given some new nicknames...the preschoolers call me Ma-makenzie.
 SO CUTE. Ah, it's fun. So rewarding, too!
As they have still been calling me muzungu (white person), I have been correcting them by saying "Muzungu hehe?" (where is the white person?) and then saying "Jewe nitwa Makenzie!" (my name is Makenzie)

Also, if you haven't read the Space Trilogy books by C.S. Lewis, (Out of the Silent Planet, That Hideous Strength, and Perelandra), I highly suggest you do. They are really well written, and give a great spiritual allegory. So if you're looking for some fresh reading, seek those books out. It's a very good read.

School is back!

Yay! School is back in session!
Today I was able to be a substitute teacher for the third grade all day.
I so loved it.
We worked on Language Arts, Science, Kirundi (though I wasn't too much help with that!), and Bible.  I so enjoyed my day, and it left me praising God for His provision. I was worried that there might not be a good opening for me to help out.

The last two weeks have been filled with adventures with the Johnson family. I've been playing with the little ones, helping out around the house, and recovering from some bad viruses.
I was glad to get back into more of a routine today, and I am constantly praying for opportunities to serve and be a blessing to those around me.

As I have been doing my quiet time, I read Luke 11:9-13 (Jesus speaking)

   “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
   “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

It reminded me that God will supply every need. 
He wants to give us good gifts. 

What a thought! 

Not so strange as it once was...

When I first came here to Burundi (and it has now been over a month!) I didn't know what to expect. There were certain things that were "shockers", that now I don't think so much about. I'm finally acclimating.

1) Women don't have legs. At least, they never show them…especially outside of the city. In the city, there are more "scandalous" people, wearing pants, shorter skirts…I've yet to see anyone but a mzungu wear shorts. It's funny that one could be shocked by an increase of modesty.

2) Processes take a long time. People here take time to enjoy the moment. Patience, patience. I've had a few of the locals laugh at my impatience. They say, oh, you mzuungu and your time, time.

Dudu, one of the workers here, told it like this:
"In USA, wife tells husband, go go go, so that they can sit later and do nothing. Here, they take time so there is no sitting around later with nothing to do."
 
In the government, if you're a pushy person, trying to get papers shuffled…they're going to go even slower. The late Mr. Johnson could out-wait them, to the point they gave up trying to be slow and just did their work instead.

3) being stared at openly. I'm not sure if I'm just used to it or if people are slacking off in yelling at me, but when I was first here, I'd have people on the street shout out, "mzungu! mzungu!" …maybe to warn others? Maybe because it's just a sight to see? I have no idea why…

4) There is a lack of 'political correctness'. It is refreshing to have a culture where you can say what you will, and there's no group telling you that you're offensive. The Christian school here can forbid Muslim head-coverings and the like in their school, and there's no UCLA, etc. to start a lawsuit.
People also are very honest.

5) In the light of no lawsuits, some things that in America would be forbidden/have to have a safety fence/sign, are totally open. On the route that I run, there is a huge hole in the middle of the sidewalk, about 7 feet deep, where a pipe meets the gutter. It's a good place to break a leg.

6) They have gutters here. Real gutters, uncovered. I had read about gutters in books, and about people falling into gutters… but in the States, all of the gutters are covered. I never realized how gross they were. People wash in them…*shudder*

7) Squeezing into cars. I think the most I've squished into a car is about 9 people to a 5-seater Toyota Corolla. I've seen people squished in even more than that…it's just the way it is.

8) Pedestrians not getting right of way. If you walk places here (and there are a good many pedestrians) you have to be very careful about your surroundings. The sidewalks are narrow/non existent.

do feed the animals...

On Saturday, we took an excursion to the zoo!

It was a memorable experience.
There were 8 of us, all squished in the Corolla. Me, Melli, and six of her kids. Three were under 6.

We arrived at the zoo, and we had a tour guide. He spoke okay English. WE started at the Crocodiles…he first showed us a baby croc. It was in a cute little walled-in area. The walls were maybe 3 feet high, but there was no way that baby could get out. Then he showed us other crocs, in separate little walled-in areas. These crocs were bigger…6 or 7 feet.

The cages weren't so cute anymore.
What do you know?
Our guide took a stick and started poking one of the huge crocs sitting in a pool of water. This one was about 45 years old and massive.
It leaped from the murky water!

For a moment. I was sure that it would be able to jump out of its cage.
Praise God, his head cleared the top of the wall, he settled back into the water.


Our guide kept asking us if we wanted to buy a guinea pig to feed to the crocs. HA! Not happening.
I did see a man with two tow-headed boys who bought a guinea pig.
"Here boys, pet the guinea pig! Isn't it soft and cute?"
After they had petted it for a while, he gave it to the bigger boy of the two (he couldn't have been more than 5)
"Okay! Let's toss it in the pit!"
…and the kid did.
The Croc jumped and swallowed the pig whole.

Yuck.

Then our guide told us about Gustav, the man-eating croc that had escaped a few years ago…he hasn't been captured yet, but he has killed over 40 people.
…how comforting.

Anyways, we next saw a beautiful leopard, and a chimp with some serious issues.
Our guide told us she smoked and drank beer.
He said that after her mate died, she just fell apart.
Who knows?

Then we visited the serpents. They were kept in a dim room. We first saw the harmless green snake.


I held it.
It's cute and green. Even if you don't like snakes, you would like this snake.


We saw snakes in increasing deadliness.
Having a group of little kids around these snakes was what made me more jittery. Snakes don't bother me too much. But little kids, despite how they try to be quiet (and we had told them to be very quiet and calm in the snake house) have a hard time of it, bless their hearts.

Something that added to the comfort level was the fact that the cages had no locks, just simple latches.

We saw a black cobra, a spiting viper, a regular viper, and big fat pythons.

Then there was the snakes that were small and brown. I can't quite recall their name. They had perfect camouflage, they looked just like thin vines. They were no bigger round than a ballpoint pen. As the little kids inquisitively approached the cage, the guide said, "Careful! Their venom can kill in about 12 minutes"
Oh yes?
…and was that a crack in the cage? Indeed.
The cage door wasn't very well constructed, in that there was a crack in the door about the diameter of the snakes. There were at least 5 of them in that cage…we corralled the children and backed up.

The final snake we saw was the green mamba, an aggressive snake that charges as opposed to running away.

This snake does not follow the adage that everyone tells you, "they're more afraid of you than they are of them."
This snake has venom that kills very quickly, in about a minute.
There was no lock on the cage.

We also saw a broken cage. The glass on the front was shattered. Our guide explained that the janitors like to swing their brooms around to fight in the snake house.
And these snakes had escaped.

I looked down and saw that one of the kids was very close to stepping on a long snake-like thing.

I started.


…it was a hose, tangled on the floor. I'm not sure if the clean-up people were lazy or if they were trying to play a sick joke.

Overall, the zoo was a great adrenaline rush, and a reminder that I was not in the land of the lawsuits.

In America, you know, they have huge walls of glass separating you from the animals, and fences and wires "for your safety". One feels very isolated from the creatures.

I definitely felt closer to the animals here.

Survival phrases

Just in case you ever find yourself in Burundi or Rwanda...
(they pronounce it guwanda, in Kirundi, fun fact),
here are some survival phrases.
…Or what I know.
Or really what a teacher at the school deemed important for communication…
(and I'm finding out that some of his advice wasn't so very correct grammatically…)

Yes -- Ego (like leggo my ego!)
No -- Oya (like saying 'oh yeah!', ...except it's opposite day)
Thank you -- Urakoze (or murakoze, if you're thanking a crowd)
Sit -- Icara
Down -- Hasi
Children -- Abana
Come -- Ingo
Here -- Ngaha
There -- Hariya
Go -- Genda

Can I take your picture? -- Noshobora kubafotora? 
Try -- Gerageza
What is your name? -- Nitwa nda?
My name is ____ -- Jawe nitwa ______
Friend -- Mugenzi (pretty much pronounced like my name!)
How are you? -- Nisawa?
Good Morning -- Mwaramutse
Good Afternoon-- Miwiriwe
It is peace? (as a greeting) -- N'amahoro?
It's fine/ok/good -- Sawa.
Let's go! -- Tugende!

To speak -- kuvulga (the command, "speak!" is vulga)
To sing -- Turirimbre
to look -- Kuraba
To be quiet -- Guhora
Me -- jewe (jay-way)
You -- wewe (way-way)
this -- iki
that -- ico
Where? -- hehe? (hay-hay)
I don't know -- Sindabizi
What is this? -- iki n'igiki?
What is this in Kirundi? -- Iki n'iki mu Kirundi?

Also, it's taboo to take pictures of policemen... well I was sneaky.
This is a policeman when he stopped us for papers (we were stopped twice, just to make sure our papers checked out!)

Burundian time...

Thank you thank you my friends for your notes of encouragement and your prayers!

This week, since school is out, I'm spending time with the Johnson kids. It's a fun, rambunctious crew!

Next week, the real work will start. It's like I'm getting a pre-work vacation. 

In other news, I'm having two dresses made!
This is a new experience for me.
Last Tuesday, after a good lunch (the food here is just too much goodness! I will come back quite…healthy)
[Fun fact: to be called "fat" here is quite the compliment.  It means you don't have AIDS...and that you have lots of money]


After lunch, I was sitting and discussing dress designs with the girls.
We doodled a few ideas, and we decided to use them!
One friend here knows a great tailor who charges reasonable prices and makes good quality dresses.

Since I've been here, I have bought quite a bit of fabric.
I really love fabric shopping. You see a pretty print, and you think of the so many things you could make with it. Headwraps, dresses, purses… and fabric is not so very expensive here.

There is some lovely Indian filmy stuff and some hardy African print that's pink and blue.
I had the sketch and I had the fabric, so we decided to go visit the tailor.

Here's how it went:

We drove to Rue de Mission, where there are many fabric shops and many tailors.

We approached an awning where there were a few seamstresses set up with old-fashioned push-pedal machines.

They were just sitting there, under the awning, beside the street, sewing away.

For some reason, I would have thought that a tailor would have their own private area/shop.

Nope, this was all happening on a street corner.

We stood in the blazing sun for thirty minutes, sweating away, and tried to communicate with the tailor, who only spoke Kirundi.

It was a somewhat comical experience. She was very gracious and kind, though my Kirundi was laughable.

You see, Oya is Kirundi for no.
It sounds just like oh yeah!, and well, I slipped up a few times saying, "oh yeah!" when she drew her sketches. She looked confused, and I hastily corrected myself.

I showed her my material and my sketches. I explained all of the details that I wanted in the costumes using gestures and a smattering of French, Kirundi, and English.

One dress is going to be an indian sari-type and the other will be a fitted Congolese-style dress. It's hard to explain...

A Burundian-style dress may come later… it is such that you have four pieces: a blouse with poofy sleeves (and I have seen some redonkulously big ones!) a skirt, a headwrap, and an extra piece of fabric for tying on a baby to one's back or for use as an apron.  I haven't decided if I need one of those outfits.
I just don't see myself using one in everyday life in the States…not that I would be so inclined to use a sari, either…

She took my measurements, and sketched what she envisioned it would look like. I was impressed. She took my material and half of her payment, and all was good to go!
She said that everything could be ready by Saturday.

I was filled with anticipation. So excited to see the dresses.

I thought, I have an exciting something to look forward to for Easter Sunday!

Saturday afternoon, we went by her table. She looked surprised to see us, and told me that neither outfit was ready. A lady nearby asked her for me when I should come again. She said to come Monday at 11 am.

So Monday, at 10:55, I came by her table again. She wasn't done! She said that she needed the 5 minutes, so we ran some errands and came back two hours later…
And it still wasn't ready.
She complained about Muzungus and their pushy time time time.
Africans are very relaxed when it comes to time. They'll even be a few hours late to their own wedding.

Needless to say, Burundi time is much different from American time. Everyone takes time to just enjoy the moment.

Also, I went to the ZOO on Saturday. Oh man, it was a great experience. You will hear all about it shortly... and here are some iphone pics.

I'm praying that my camera cord gets here soon!

This kid is going to be the best pilot ever. He's obsessed with planes!

This is the traffic in Burundi

This is my tailor! (you can kinda see my dress she's making)

musings

Burundi is a beautiful place to be. The sun shines every day, the temperature is never unbearable, and the landscape is gorgeous.
Waking up here and walking out onto the balcony is a treat. The house is situated on a hill, near the University of Burundi. As I inhale deeply, I see in the horizon the high mountains of Congo and Lake Tanganyika. The city sits along the lake, peaceful and picturesque from my scope. The balcony is a perfect place to sip some of the fragrant Burundian tea or one of Melli's amazing frappucinos and spend some quiet time with God.


All of the Johnson kids are home now for 4 weeks of vacation! The past week with them has been great fun. I'm rooming with Sarah, the oldest, and we have a plan to be in great shape by the end of the four weeks…running almost every day.



The Discovery School is also closed for the next two weeks, but I've had a few opportunities of service come up. I'll be praying that I can be a useful tool for Him! He has got a plan, and I hope that I can be servant and become an even better one.

At the school on Thursday, I was speaking with a few teachers during recess. Ishmael told me of the economic situation of Burundi.
Lately there have been manifestations (protests) against the rise in prices and taxes. So far, it has been a mostly peaceful protest. Just to be safe, I didn't go to the school on Tuesday, the day they set for the protests. When I went to the school on Wednesday, they told me that all was business as usual at the school. But you can never be too careful. Ishmael told me of how great the disparity is between the rich and the poor here. Many people eat just once a day, and that is but Ugali, which has almost zero nutritional value, and simply fills the stomach (and gives CRAZY dreams, as I have learned).

Something I have Noted:

It is terrible how Burundians handle garbage. There are two options. The first is the most popular: burn your trash.
Burn it and give little credence to how you build your fire and when. At all times of day, you can see smoky trash fires. Often, one will walk past a trash fire, and it is a gross thing to behold. They burn everything, including plastic, which is oh so good for the air quality. That and the cars with terrible emissions…eek!

The second option is to pay money for the city to take it. They will place it in a large swimming pool of refuse...
…and flush it into the lake, the main drinking supply! Good plan.

Choose the lesser of the two evils. Thankfully, many Burundians are thrifty and the ultimate re-users. What most people in the states would deem unusable, these people work to their advantage. One man's trash is another's treasure. Quite literally.

running view

view from the balcony