Technically, I am not posting tonight. I had a long day and have some work I have to get done for the Abana Foundation. I want to summarize my interviews with the students, and today I interviewed 8 more. I will share them and their stories later. Today Basa told me there are 40 students we will be interviewing! It is actually a long day talking with each student, asking the same questions but getting varied answers, and trying to take good notes.
I just got home about 8:15 pm for a 12 hour day. The last four hours were a Mass and celebration with the religious sisters who live right down the hill from the Cana Center. Two sisters made their first vows after one year, and three sisters made perpetual vows after three years. At least I am pretty sure they were perpetual vows; the evening was a mix of French and Kinyarwandan. There are literally moments when I am not sure which language is being spoken!
During Mass the sisters made their vows. Between the vows, a lengthy homily, and singing and clapping at every turn, Mass was a lengthy affair–probably 90 minutes. Afterward the guests were invited down to a very nice dinner. I will talk more about food in Rwanda in a separate post, but I am quite sure I ate some things tonight that my stomach will not appreciate. An upset stomach has been my closest friend down here; he is almost always with me.
It was actually a lovely evening. I wanted to post a video of two of the sisters dancing, but apparently that file type isn’t supported here. Instead, you get a picture of Sr. Basilissa and me. Sister is the principal at The Children’s Academy and Amizero preschool. She is the one in the blue and white.
Not much more to report from here. For what is supposed to be the dry season, I think it has literally rained every day since I got here, and has been very cold. There are no heaters and many spaces are simply open to the outside. Yesterday when I got home from the Children’s Academy I climbed into bed and shivered for quite a while before eventually warming up. Today I was better prepared at the Academy, but the temps were slightly better than yesterday. Don’t get me wrong…cold is in the 50’s, so it isn’t like we have freezing temperatures, but especially with it raining all day it was just bone-chilling.
Maybe offer an extra prayer for the Annonciade Sisters today. May God continue to bless and sustain their order and provide them with many vocations.
God bless us all.