A few things I've noticed concerning Burundi:

Concerning Traffic:
The traffic laws here are simple to understand, but complex to follow: basically, don't die.

Pedestrians are never given right-of-way. Cars come very very close to people. It's not the best place to take a stroll.

Stop signs are merely suggestions. As are crosswalks.

Motos (motorcycles) are available as a "taxi service" …but people don't wear the casket (their word for helmets, ha!) properly. One person was wearing his helmet on his elbow! Some people wear the helmet, but don't take time to secure the strap. Eek.

There are "buses", which are like mini vans. They cram people in to the hilt. I have not and hopefully will not, ride in one of those.

There are larger buses, which are actually like buses in the states. I have ridden in one of those. It was an experience, but I'm pretty sure a bus ride in this states would be the same way.

There are many bikes here as well. People load these babies down to the hilt. I can't imagine people in the states riding bikes in this way…carrying doors, huge bags of cassava... it's astounding what these people can do!

There are also many taxis that drive like maniacs. If they see you are white, they jack up prices, of course. And they don't service their cars very well…these things ride like they're about to fall apart!

It is also funny to see what they write on their buses and vans.
Various ones have read: "Ponny Express","Jack Bauer", "Let's God Decide"... it's so funny to read the vehicles. I'm pretty sure that most people don't realize what they are saying in English (It reminds me of how Americans get tattoos in Chinese characters)

Thankfully, traffic is in the 20-40 mph range. Not that there's a speed limit, but the cars here are so worn out, they can't go much faster.
Also, many of the roads are full of potholes. The dirt roads have ravines.

If they had emission inspections, there would be almost no cars on the roads.

Concerning Shopping: 


Shopping is vastly different from shopping in the USA.
There is no Walmart, or any all in one store. Prices are different at different places.
The shops have shelves behind the counter, and you tell the shopkeeper what you'd like. There is little in the way of organization in the stores.

There is also haggling. Things that one takes for granted in the States (like, eww, Bran Flakes) are really expensive here. The box up there was going for 19,400 FBU (around $15 USD).
Dog Shampoo was 39,850 FBU (basically $30 USD)
Dogs here are mangy and mostly guard dogs...so I have no idea who would spend that kind of money on a dog. Human Shampoo was 23,000 FBU.  Seriously?? What do they think expats are made of?

Alternately, fruits and veggies are really cheap here. I was able to buy 4 yummy avacadoes for 1,000 FBU. What what?


Note that ~1,400 FBU = 1.00 USD

Here are some more pictures I was able to snag with my phone (pray that my camera cord gets here safely so I can show you the gorgeousness of this place!)

some of the discovery school kids on the bus ride home

The really bumpy road...some spots had some SERIOUS potholes and "rivers"

A short-ish summation of the week

Hello my friends!

Today has been an utterly amazing week. I am feeling that if I were to bring you up to speed, it would take a good deal of verbiage. I'll try to keep it concise as I listen to some uplifting music and muse over the week thus far…

Saturday was quite crazy. Dad and I went with Rachel to the market and walked around town. The market was…not something I really want to re live. It was crowded, people simply push and shove. The avenues are very narrow and twisting. The market is an enclosed space, and it's also dark. And it doesn't smell so great. People yell at you, at each other, and maybe just for the sake of yelling. …I don't even know.

We also went to the lake again. It was lovely.

I know it is sounding like I'm just chilling all the day long! One big vacation, right? haha…just wait, I have been doing things.

Sunday was great. We went to a French-English church, and the speaker was spot on in his message. He hit on points that I will blog about soon…what great things God has been trying to get in my noggin!

Monday:
Melli drove me out to the mission.
Now, the mission was started in Bujumbura by Mr. Ken's parents. It does so many wonderful things for the people in the area. One of the things it has is a primary school, called The Discovery School (for ages 3-10)
I have been looking for a niche. I've been praying that the right opportunity would come along.
I like it there very much. I was given a tour, and the students all clamored to give me hugs! What sweetness. 
They made a structured schedule for the next day for me (teaching grammar and singing with various grades) Yay schedule!

It is definitely different from schools in the USA.
The class size is about 50 to a teacher. Holy moly.

 Many of the teachers there are University students, so they are close to my age.They are incredibly friendly and they speak English (and they're teaching me Kirundi, the local language)
In the afternoon, we went to the park. It's beautiful.
I was able to run! Joy!

The Burundian drummers were there practicing. (Burundi is famous for their drummers) They gave us a full performance and told my Dad that they would give him a lesson if he came on Saturday. So, I'll go on Saturday in his place, haha.

Tuesday my schedule was like this:
6:00- up
6:45-off to the school
7:30- at school, singing warm up songs with the kids
8:00- Worked with two preschool classes (120 kids total!) There were four adults to all of these kids. Whew. I was going to do duck duck goose… We pretty much played "corral the children"
9:30- The preschoolers took tea, I talked to teachers and the kids
10:30- taught English 50 students
11:30- sang with another class
12:15-came home on the bus
1:30-lunch!
After that morning, I was rather wiped out. I took a little nap.
At 3:30, Dad and I went down to a cafe that has internet and coffee around Dad's borrowed phone wouldn't work, so we got to walk back! What an adventure. It was a good walk. For some reason, I thought Dad was going back on Thursday, but, it turned out to be WEDNESDAY! Shock.

Wednesday:
It was very similar to yesterday, aside from the fact that dad was leaving. He left after lunch. I hadn't felt too terribly homesick up until this point, but after he said goodbye, I felt like I was definitely quite a ways from home. The Johnsons are really lovely people.
This afternoon we went to the park, and I was able to run a few more kilometers and play with some kids there. It's a very community-like atmosphere, everyone plays together. 

Here is a major praise! Ken and Melli have the official adoptions for the kids here in Burundi, but they want to make their kids US Citizens. They were going to send the papers off with my dad. There were many roadblocks and delays, and many many prayers lifted up. Everything came together sooo perfectly at just the right time!

Thursday:
Up at six, off to the school, planned out the next week with the teachers. I worked on straightening the school's resource room…it's a wee bit crazy in there. Then more singing! I am starting to feel like I'm in a musical! haha! I love singing and teaching.

Today is Friday, and I have the day off of teaching. I bought some fabric at a shop, and ran errands with Melli and Carly. It's fun to see how you have to travel to five different stores to get the shopping done. It makes you appreciate Walmart….as much as I hate to say it.

Well, God is so in control, He is working on me, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity. I have just a moment to write all of this… so do excuse the run-on sentences and such.

Much love!

Makenzie

Crazy African food

I must tell you about this stuff, Bugali. Or Ugali.

Here in Burundi, they make a paste that has the consistency of a cross between mashed potatoes and a gummy bear. It doesn't have much of a flavor, but it's interesting. You roll it in a ball and scoop out sauce with it.

It's just fun!

But the crazy thing is, this stuff makes you sleep really well. Really deeply. It gives very vivid dreams. I kid you not, last night I had some of the most intense dreams ever. I woke up very confused.

Lake Tanganyika!

Yesterday we took a holiday to go to Lake Tanganyika!

We wanted to go before my dad had to leave. Since next week is exam week for the kiddos, and this weekend would have been way crowded, we went today.

The lake is the 2nd deepest in the world, fun fact.

Bujumbura is on the lake, but the part of the lake it's on is not fit for swimming because of pollution, hippos, and crocs… There have been a few horror stories about the crocodiles.

We drove out about two hours to a resort called Blue Bay. It was a perfect day, the sun was out, and the lake had some nice waves.

Okay, I know that my doctor told me not to swim in the lake, but I did.
So far, I'm okay. And it was so fun! The beach is made up of tiny stones. Banana trees are everywhere.

We ate lunch, and it was interesting to see how the African system of service works.
…sloooow. But it was a fantastic place to be stuck at waiting for food. And the food was really good!  Fish kabobs!

I have some great pictures to share, but sadly, they are on the camera. In a week or so, this blog will be overwhelmed with pictures (hopefully. Please pray the package with my connector cord comes soon!) I was able to use my phone to snap a few pictures.

On the way down...

Andy!

Blue Bay

Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. There is a lot God is teaching me through this whole experience. Reliance on Him being the big one.

Do write me! My internet isn't very frequent, but I will do my best to reply!

Much love in Him,

Makenzie

Through Tuesday!

I wish I could upload my pictures so you could see what I see.

God is doing some neat stuff here! After my first day of teaching at the rainbow centre, I was so tired. I was able to Skype my mom, she said she would pray. I was reminded that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. As the evening progressed, I was filled with an energy and so many ideas! I know it was a God thing, because I was a little discouraged.

Today I have a cold. Pray it goes away quickly!

This morning, we are going to the mall. Haha, I go to Africa, and there is no escaping the mall! Later this afternoon, I'll be going back to the rainbow centre to teach english. Praise God that I have been encouraged!

Oh the mall! It was crazy.
At the "mall" thrift stores from around the world send big bundles of clothing. Vendors buy the clothes and put them in piles. The people sort through them to find something good.

There are also vendors who sell fruits, vegetables, and mattresses.

One lady told me to take a photo. So I did.

After I took the photo, she asked to see it. So I showed it to her.

She then held out her hand to ask for money for the photograph. She rambled something off in Swahili…

The photo wasn't that great.

Also...

Today has been great fun! I got to go to the rainbow centre and work for the morning....I taught the toddlers for an hour, English, counting, and singing. They taught me French as I asked Then I played with them for another few hours and went home for lunch. It was a bit overwhelming.
Dad has been working on the plumbing here, there's a lot to do! The people who have put it in don't really know how to lay pipes, and the valves, etc. are bad quality...

Anywho, tomorrow we are going to market! So exciting!

Sunday's post

I wrote this yesterday, but now I have a chance to post it at Aroma cafe!

Okay, it is Sunday afternoon, and naptime for everyone, so I have some time to just sit and type about my experience so far.

Internet has been very slow, I think this is because it's the weekend, so I will try to upload this on Monday at the coffee shop, where coffee is 2000 francs.

During my free time, I have been playing with the little Johnsons. They are oh so adorable and remind me of my little cousins. It goes to show that it doesn't matter what continent you're on, little kids are the same!

Also, I can't upload pictures :( because I don't have the computer connector cable! I had a memory stick adapter, but wouldn't you know, it doesn't work with this memory stick! Oh frustrations.

So far my trip has consisted of acclimating to the climate, culture, and time change. I feel terrible for feeling drained and doing so little to warrant it! Soon, I will make up for it.
I try to remember that I have four months to get used to all of this, and I've only been here three days. I also catch myself every so often thinking, wow, am I really in Africa?!? Seriously? because going almost halfway around the world is an exciting venture for me, something I've dreamt of, and my mind can't quite grasp it. I have been feeling very dazed.

As far as the culture goes, here in the capital, you can see many different nationalities represented and many types of dress. There are two main tribes, one is tall and the other is petite. The petite ones make me feel like a giant! The atmosphere is very laid-back, much more so than the rush-rush of the States.

My wardrobe consists of long skirts, tank tops, and loose pants. I've wondered about shorts, but I haven't seen any other women wearing them…and if I were to wear them, I'd probably blind people with my whiteness. So, no shorts.

The climate here is humid and balmy. Not quite the intensity of North Carolina summer, but maybe late spring in North Carolina is the overall feeling. Around 80 degrees and 65% humidity.

The diet here is great! The base food is rice and beans, but everything is tasty! The doctors I talked to before I left told me to be very careful of what I ate. Here in Ken and Melli's house, there are no worries as far as food goes. Ken and Melli eat some American foods with African twists. I know many would think that I'd lose weight in Africa…it's doubtful.

On Monday I get to start actually doing stuff! Monday morning I am going to teach the little ones at the Rainbow Centre. The Rainbow Centre has changed over the past 10 years. Now that people understand about AIDS, there are more women willing to foster the babies! It is great news, and I know that it is better for the babies to have individual attention.
Now the Rainbow Centre is a daycare to help to generate income to buy supplies for the foster babies. They have a clinic twice a week for mothers who need help.

I am also going to be (hopefully) helping at the Discovery School, which is a French-English school out at the Mission. I am not sure when I'll be going there to help.

I have been trying to pick up Swahili/Kirundi/ French. I am thinking that French will serve me the best. I've been able to grasp more of it than of the other two languages. Three days is not long enough to really absorb a lot of it, but I am trying to make my mind a sponge.

This morning, Dad, Ken and I went to the church at the Mission. It was very large and the service was all in Swahili/Kirundi. The service lasted 3 1/2 hours without any breaks! Wow.
A kind guy named Claude sat next to me and translated the prayers, songs, and sermons. Hearing the languages and trying my best to decipher it made my brain hurt, just a bit.

But there is a very cool feeling that comes from knowing that others worship God all around the world in many different languages. I mean, in the States, you know this, but seeing it firsthand is really neat.
God doesn't just speak English.
I felt very small, and I better understood what it would be like to be a non-english speaker going to an English service. As an English speaker, I assume that of course everyone can understand English… HA!
If someone had assumed that I understood Swahili and tried conversing with me, it'd be a mess.

Also, AMAZING COFFEE AND TEA! It's sooo good! I'm glad that I'm in such a country, where coffee is soo cheap and good.

Also, I am getting used to being stared at. I'm a muzungu (white person) and those are pretty scarce...

God is soo good!