It’s been a while since I have written an entry on this blog. Perhaps it’s because I’ve gotten into a routine: work – study – eat – sleep – hang out with friends. It’s not at all a bad routine, but a routine nonetheless. So, last week when I struck up a conversation with the night guard at our house, Aimé, I realized that there is nothing routine about Rwanda.
A few housemates and I went for dinner, and upon our return had a conversation about what appeared to be bullet holes on the brick wall surrounding the house, and dents in the gate. Aimé, the night guard, confirmed that these were in fact from the fighting in 1994. He explained it like this:
Our house is situated very near to the Parliament building. In 1994 the RPF forces made their way to Kigali, and took over the parliament building. Fighting ensued between the former Rwandan army and the RPF forces at the Parliament and in the surrounding areas. (In fact, you can still see bullet holes and damage from mortar fire at the Parliament building.) As fighting continued, it expanded beyond the perimeter of Parliament, and made its way down the streets and dirt roads that existed in 1994 – one of which was the street where our house is situated. Aimé explained how the RPF forces pushed back the army, who took cover behind walls, trees, etc. – all the while pointing out the areas in front of our house where this happened.
The conversation, and the inner reflection that ensued, were a reminder that there is nothing at all routine about being in a country that is only 16+ years post-genocide.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Life at the Supreme Court - 20 Sept. 2010
I'm told I need to blog more. Rightly so.
So, I'll start with tonight. I was invited by Justice Mugenzi of the Supreme Court to attend a dinner hosted by the Supreme Court. If I recall correctly, it was at a restaurant called the Country Inn. Dinner was fantastic. It was buffet style, but there was a variation on the theme of steak au poivre, which is always a hit with me. The dinner was as a thank you for the several judges from lower instance tribunals who spent several months working at the Supreme Court to gain experience. And, I had a brief introduction for those who didn't know me, and what I was doing at the Court.
The majority if my night was spent speaking in French, and trying to follow along with the Kinyarwanda. But, it was fantastic. I'd say there were about five or six Supreme Court Justices, and the remainder of the ten or so present were judges of the first or second instance tribunals. The most embarrassing part of the evening was after explaining that the law degree conferred in the U.S. was a Juris Doctor, I was called Doctor Brian. Believing that the epitome of egotism is a lawyer who insists on being called a doctor, I spent the rest of the evening trying to convince my Rwandan colleagues that I was in fact just Mister Brian. Despite the confusion of my title vis a vis my academic credentials, it was a nice evening spent with excellent jurists.
As for the rest of my job, things are very busy. I have found myself involved with more and more administrative projects at the Court. Recently I was brought in to consult with the group working with information technology advancements in the Court, and am working with consultants and software developers to ensure that the needs of the judiciary are met with improvements in technology.
Perhaps the coolest project that I am involved with is the publication of Rwandan Law Reports. In brief, Rwanda is in the process of a reform of its judicial system - transitioning from a civil law country to a hybrid civil law / common law country. For those not in the know, here is a very remedial explanation: common law countries (like the U.S.) are those where judges 'make' law with their judicial opinions, creating precedence for lower courts to follow. Civil law countries, on the other hand, do not rely on jurisprudence and rather handle each case in a vacuum, regardless of prior court decisions that relate to the same subject matter.
So, Rwandan is starting to publish select judicial decisions on general points of law. The force of these decisions will be tantamount to secondary legal authority (i.e. not law per se). So, I am advising the reporters of these cases on certain best practices, the manner in which to publish the reports, and how they will be used. In doing so, I am also developing a system of citation for Rwanda, something which will become apparently necessary with the advent of citing to case law. Basically, in a very nerdy way, it's the coolest thing I have yet to do in my young career.
As I get more exposure to the Court, more projects filter in. I'm still working about 50% in French, and 50% in English, which I don't mind.
My week ahead will be filled with meetings and reports, and will be extremely busy. I've been asked to write about the food I'm eating here, and will do so this week. Stay tuned . . .
So, I'll start with tonight. I was invited by Justice Mugenzi of the Supreme Court to attend a dinner hosted by the Supreme Court. If I recall correctly, it was at a restaurant called the Country Inn. Dinner was fantastic. It was buffet style, but there was a variation on the theme of steak au poivre, which is always a hit with me. The dinner was as a thank you for the several judges from lower instance tribunals who spent several months working at the Supreme Court to gain experience. And, I had a brief introduction for those who didn't know me, and what I was doing at the Court.
The majority if my night was spent speaking in French, and trying to follow along with the Kinyarwanda. But, it was fantastic. I'd say there were about five or six Supreme Court Justices, and the remainder of the ten or so present were judges of the first or second instance tribunals. The most embarrassing part of the evening was after explaining that the law degree conferred in the U.S. was a Juris Doctor, I was called Doctor Brian. Believing that the epitome of egotism is a lawyer who insists on being called a doctor, I spent the rest of the evening trying to convince my Rwandan colleagues that I was in fact just Mister Brian. Despite the confusion of my title vis a vis my academic credentials, it was a nice evening spent with excellent jurists.
As for the rest of my job, things are very busy. I have found myself involved with more and more administrative projects at the Court. Recently I was brought in to consult with the group working with information technology advancements in the Court, and am working with consultants and software developers to ensure that the needs of the judiciary are met with improvements in technology.
Perhaps the coolest project that I am involved with is the publication of Rwandan Law Reports. In brief, Rwanda is in the process of a reform of its judicial system - transitioning from a civil law country to a hybrid civil law / common law country. For those not in the know, here is a very remedial explanation: common law countries (like the U.S.) are those where judges 'make' law with their judicial opinions, creating precedence for lower courts to follow. Civil law countries, on the other hand, do not rely on jurisprudence and rather handle each case in a vacuum, regardless of prior court decisions that relate to the same subject matter.
So, Rwandan is starting to publish select judicial decisions on general points of law. The force of these decisions will be tantamount to secondary legal authority (i.e. not law per se). So, I am advising the reporters of these cases on certain best practices, the manner in which to publish the reports, and how they will be used. In doing so, I am also developing a system of citation for Rwanda, something which will become apparently necessary with the advent of citing to case law. Basically, in a very nerdy way, it's the coolest thing I have yet to do in my young career.
As I get more exposure to the Court, more projects filter in. I'm still working about 50% in French, and 50% in English, which I don't mind.
My week ahead will be filled with meetings and reports, and will be extremely busy. I've been asked to write about the food I'm eating here, and will do so this week. Stay tuned . . .
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Photos
As it turns out, there IS a way for people without facebook accounts to view my photo albums that I keep in facebook (thanks dad!). So, here is what I've been up to so far:
Kigali, 4 Sept. 2010
Presidential Inauguration, 6 Spet. 2010
Other random photos since my arrival on 8 Aug. 2010
I will be writing about this Inauguration this weekend, followed by my week in review.
Cheers!
Kigali, 4 Sept. 2010
Presidential Inauguration, 6 Spet. 2010
Other random photos since my arrival on 8 Aug. 2010
I will be writing about this Inauguration this weekend, followed by my week in review.
Cheers!
Friday, September 3, 2010
What AM I doing here?!?! (3 Sept. 2010)
Don’t worry Janet (or more importantly yet, mom) – the title of this post is not meant to question my decision to come to Kigali! It is meant to answer the most frequent question I have been asked during my month or so in Rwanda. What are you doing here?
It’s humorous, at times, especially when expats encounter each other for the first time, and one of them invariably asks “what are YOU doing here” – almost with an air is self-righteousness, as if to say “I’m here on a mission of great importance, what could you possibly be doing here that’s worth a damn.” Of course, none of us mean this, and usually laugh off the tone with which we inquire of one another.
But, the question is often asked (and with the illustrious Associate Dean of Students at the Pettit College of Law, a one Mindi Wells, having advertised my blog to the masses, it may be an appropriate time to give a bit of background to what I am doing here . . .
It all started with the cola wars in the mid-1980s. I was in primary school, and was pondering the international law implications of two multi-nationals battling it out on the global stage, and the effect of one foreign domestic court’s decision in another tribunal. Okay, that’s not it at all.
What REALLY happened is that I focused the majority of my elective studies in law school in the field of international law. Enough that I was awarded a certificate of study in the subject, and garnered enough credits to add one year of half-time study to earn my LL.M. in Ohio Northern’s program in Democratic Governance and Rule of Law. But, this still doesn’t explain how I got to the Supreme Court of Rwanda, or what I’m doing here.
As graduation was looming, and my esteemed peers and I anxiously searched for post-graduate employment, I kept finding that most careers in international law require some sort of experience. It was almost paradoxical that all jobs I found required experience, but I could find little opportunity to gain the experience needed to apply for these jobs. “Who do they even hire” I wondered, as I continued searching, frustrated with the fruits of my labors. Finally I spoke with my professor, Jean-Marie Kamatali. He himself is Rwandan, and frequently travels back here to assist with various projects, this time a USAID Justice Strengthening Program. I spoke with him shortly before a trip to Rwanda, and I was promised that he would see what he could come up with. Sure enough, upon his return, and correspondence with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I got a one-year post as a clerk to the Chief Justice. The rest, as they say, is history. Well, recent history – I’ve only been here one month.
Of course, you’ve realized that I’ve still not answered the question – what am I doing here? Well, I thought it fruitful to explain how I got here. It makes sense to me, which is frankly all I care about in authoring this blog! But, I digress . . .
For those who aren’t familiar, judges in the U.S., and many other legal systems have the benefit of having one or more paid law clerks. These people are often, but not always, recent law grads, and in their first legal employment after graduation. Their tasks are similar – research and draft memos, opinions, orders, and other documents at the request of their assigned judge. Despite some legal minds engaging in academic discourse over whether the clerk has too much influence over the judge, it is generally agreed that the law clerk has become an integral part of the justice system in the States. At least, any law clerk will tell you this, which is good enough for me.
At the Supreme Court of Rwanda, we have a Chief Justice (known in the French vernacular as “Presidente”), an Associate Chief Justice (“Vice-President”), and twelve other Justices of the Court. However, as opposed to the U.S. Supreme Court’s model of four clerks per Justice, here there are four or five attorneys who work is a loosely similar role to that of a law clerk.
And then there’s me.
So what I do is work as a law clerk. Because the cases accepted by the Court are primarily in Kinyarwanda, my workload consists of cases that are filed in French. But, besides legal work in French, my English fluency will be well taken advantage of (even despite my public education). As Rwanda is transitioning from French to English as its operating language, Justices and Court personnel alike are happy to have a native speaker around to practice with. I have yet to develop a plan for one Justice a day to take me out to lunch or dinner for the exciting prospect of English conversation with yours truly, but I will let you know how that develops.
My other primary role is what is lovingly referred to in the development world as “capacity building.” Perhaps someone can comment and explain to me what this means!!! But really, I’ve been researching and preparing reports recommending changes to the operation of the Supreme Court, and the justice system as a whole that will help with a more efficient administration of justice. This is especially exciting because the justice system is in the middle of a transition from a civil law system to a hybrid common law / civil law system (for the non-lawyers out there, fear not, I will explain this in a future blog post – surely to be the most exciting yet!).
So, I’m acting as a law clerk and, I guess you can say consultant, to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, as they are in the midst of a (slowly) transitioning justice system. Pretty cool I think!
It’s humorous, at times, especially when expats encounter each other for the first time, and one of them invariably asks “what are YOU doing here” – almost with an air is self-righteousness, as if to say “I’m here on a mission of great importance, what could you possibly be doing here that’s worth a damn.” Of course, none of us mean this, and usually laugh off the tone with which we inquire of one another.
But, the question is often asked (and with the illustrious Associate Dean of Students at the Pettit College of Law, a one Mindi Wells, having advertised my blog to the masses, it may be an appropriate time to give a bit of background to what I am doing here . . .
It all started with the cola wars in the mid-1980s. I was in primary school, and was pondering the international law implications of two multi-nationals battling it out on the global stage, and the effect of one foreign domestic court’s decision in another tribunal. Okay, that’s not it at all.
What REALLY happened is that I focused the majority of my elective studies in law school in the field of international law. Enough that I was awarded a certificate of study in the subject, and garnered enough credits to add one year of half-time study to earn my LL.M. in Ohio Northern’s program in Democratic Governance and Rule of Law. But, this still doesn’t explain how I got to the Supreme Court of Rwanda, or what I’m doing here.
As graduation was looming, and my esteemed peers and I anxiously searched for post-graduate employment, I kept finding that most careers in international law require some sort of experience. It was almost paradoxical that all jobs I found required experience, but I could find little opportunity to gain the experience needed to apply for these jobs. “Who do they even hire” I wondered, as I continued searching, frustrated with the fruits of my labors. Finally I spoke with my professor, Jean-Marie Kamatali. He himself is Rwandan, and frequently travels back here to assist with various projects, this time a USAID Justice Strengthening Program. I spoke with him shortly before a trip to Rwanda, and I was promised that he would see what he could come up with. Sure enough, upon his return, and correspondence with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I got a one-year post as a clerk to the Chief Justice. The rest, as they say, is history. Well, recent history – I’ve only been here one month.
Of course, you’ve realized that I’ve still not answered the question – what am I doing here? Well, I thought it fruitful to explain how I got here. It makes sense to me, which is frankly all I care about in authoring this blog! But, I digress . . .
For those who aren’t familiar, judges in the U.S., and many other legal systems have the benefit of having one or more paid law clerks. These people are often, but not always, recent law grads, and in their first legal employment after graduation. Their tasks are similar – research and draft memos, opinions, orders, and other documents at the request of their assigned judge. Despite some legal minds engaging in academic discourse over whether the clerk has too much influence over the judge, it is generally agreed that the law clerk has become an integral part of the justice system in the States. At least, any law clerk will tell you this, which is good enough for me.
At the Supreme Court of Rwanda, we have a Chief Justice (known in the French vernacular as “Presidente”), an Associate Chief Justice (“Vice-President”), and twelve other Justices of the Court. However, as opposed to the U.S. Supreme Court’s model of four clerks per Justice, here there are four or five attorneys who work is a loosely similar role to that of a law clerk.
And then there’s me.
So what I do is work as a law clerk. Because the cases accepted by the Court are primarily in Kinyarwanda, my workload consists of cases that are filed in French. But, besides legal work in French, my English fluency will be well taken advantage of (even despite my public education). As Rwanda is transitioning from French to English as its operating language, Justices and Court personnel alike are happy to have a native speaker around to practice with. I have yet to develop a plan for one Justice a day to take me out to lunch or dinner for the exciting prospect of English conversation with yours truly, but I will let you know how that develops.
My other primary role is what is lovingly referred to in the development world as “capacity building.” Perhaps someone can comment and explain to me what this means!!! But really, I’ve been researching and preparing reports recommending changes to the operation of the Supreme Court, and the justice system as a whole that will help with a more efficient administration of justice. This is especially exciting because the justice system is in the middle of a transition from a civil law system to a hybrid common law / civil law system (for the non-lawyers out there, fear not, I will explain this in a future blog post – surely to be the most exciting yet!).
So, I’m acting as a law clerk and, I guess you can say consultant, to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, as they are in the midst of a (slowly) transitioning justice system. Pretty cool I think!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Experience Worth Sharing (29 August 2010)
Bourbon Coffee. It’s as about Western as things can get in Kigali. A coffee house with a coffee menu to make any Seattle native at least comfortable, and a dine-in menu with such things as a goat cheese baguette sandwich, various panini, and a selection of five variations on the hamburger. To top it all off, an internet connection suitable for a relatively stutter-free Skype video chat (well, at worst we have to switch between who uses video, but we get to see each other).
There are multiple locations of Bourbon Coffee (as there would be for any good western-style restaurant). One of the locations is at the MTN Centre, about a 30 minute walk from where I am staying. The Centre houses three floors of bars, restaurants, shopping, and offices for MTN, a telecommunications company. Janet and I planned a “Skype date” at 4:00 p.m. Kigali time, and I set out a bit after 3:00 p.m. to make my way to the MTN Centre.
As I was walking, about ten minutes from my goal, I spied walking towards me on the sidewalk three lovely ladies. The first, was a two-year-old girl, walking with choppy but excited steps as someone just shy of mastering the art of being a biped. Just behind her, wearing what presumable were her Sunday church clothes was who I presume was her mother, perhaps a woman aged in her thirties. Finally, as you may guess, the last woman of yet an older generation was in tow, wearing a most exquisite traditional African dress. As we met on the sidewalk, and wanting to respect my elders (the two of them, that is), I stepped off the curb just inches onto the roadway so they could comfortably pass, without maneuvering around some lumbering rugby-player sized expat clumsily hiking the streets of Kigali.
As I stood there, watching the delightful family pass, the most wonderful thing happened. This little girl, adorable in anyone’s eyes, changed course and aimed her happy deliberate steps right at me! Without a hesitation, she opened wide her arms, and gave me the most welcoming hug a two-year-old could give. “Miriwe” I said in reply (meaning hello) and we adults all shared smiles with one another. It absolutely made my day, and gave a wonderful story to tell Janet when we connected.
There are multiple locations of Bourbon Coffee (as there would be for any good western-style restaurant). One of the locations is at the MTN Centre, about a 30 minute walk from where I am staying. The Centre houses three floors of bars, restaurants, shopping, and offices for MTN, a telecommunications company. Janet and I planned a “Skype date” at 4:00 p.m. Kigali time, and I set out a bit after 3:00 p.m. to make my way to the MTN Centre.
As I was walking, about ten minutes from my goal, I spied walking towards me on the sidewalk three lovely ladies. The first, was a two-year-old girl, walking with choppy but excited steps as someone just shy of mastering the art of being a biped. Just behind her, wearing what presumable were her Sunday church clothes was who I presume was her mother, perhaps a woman aged in her thirties. Finally, as you may guess, the last woman of yet an older generation was in tow, wearing a most exquisite traditional African dress. As we met on the sidewalk, and wanting to respect my elders (the two of them, that is), I stepped off the curb just inches onto the roadway so they could comfortably pass, without maneuvering around some lumbering rugby-player sized expat clumsily hiking the streets of Kigali.
As I stood there, watching the delightful family pass, the most wonderful thing happened. This little girl, adorable in anyone’s eyes, changed course and aimed her happy deliberate steps right at me! Without a hesitation, she opened wide her arms, and gave me the most welcoming hug a two-year-old could give. “Miriwe” I said in reply (meaning hello) and we adults all shared smiles with one another. It absolutely made my day, and gave a wonderful story to tell Janet when we connected.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Week in Review (23 Aug. 2010 - 27 Aug. 2010)
I turned in my first case assignment this week. It was an appeal from the High Commercial Court (a relatively recently established specialized court in the justice system). The assignment came my way because the pleadings were in French (though, some court documents were still in Kinyarwanda). Working in French in terms of legal documents came a lot easier than I expected. With the aid of a French-English legal dictionary that I brought with me, and a very handy online dictionary, I was able to get through the assignment in a good amount of time (although far less productive than I am used to in the States, working in my native language and having Westlaw and Lexis to assist with research). The absolute most fascinating part of the assignment was that Rwanda is still in a civil law system, so there was no precedent to guide the outcome of this case (which, in the states, would have been quite simple). For example, the pleadings, after citing to the relevant law, used persuasive authorities like law textbooks to support their positions and interpretations of the law to the facts of the case. It seemed like a classroom academic exercise more than resolving a commercial dispute at the highest Court of the country.
What I can say about the case is that it involved contract law, and that Rwanda uses essentially the Belgian Civil Code from the 1880s. Yes, you read that correctly. There have been some modifications to the law, but seemingly not many. In the end, the Code is much like the U.S. common law of contracts, with fewer defenses to enforcement of contracts, and less specificity. And for all you MPs in Kigali reading this . . . take a look at the Uniform Commercial Code and think about it . . . think about it . . .
My other work at the Court consists of policy-based administrative reports, which is a vague way of saying “trying to make the justice system more efficient.” At all levels of the judiciary, access to the system is seemingly not a difficulty, but backlogs of cases are a problem. Hopefully this will improve in the coming months.
The week ahead . . . more research . . . more reports. I also start my continued coursework for my LL.M. degree, and two afternoons will connect via Skype (or try to) to the class to participate remotely.
More updates to come soon.
What I can say about the case is that it involved contract law, and that Rwanda uses essentially the Belgian Civil Code from the 1880s. Yes, you read that correctly. There have been some modifications to the law, but seemingly not many. In the end, the Code is much like the U.S. common law of contracts, with fewer defenses to enforcement of contracts, and less specificity. And for all you MPs in Kigali reading this . . . take a look at the Uniform Commercial Code and think about it . . . think about it . . .
My other work at the Court consists of policy-based administrative reports, which is a vague way of saying “trying to make the justice system more efficient.” At all levels of the judiciary, access to the system is seemingly not a difficulty, but backlogs of cases are a problem. Hopefully this will improve in the coming months.
The week ahead . . . more research . . . more reports. I also start my continued coursework for my LL.M. degree, and two afternoons will connect via Skype (or try to) to the class to participate remotely.
More updates to come soon.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Weekending (20 Aug. - 22 Aug. 2010)
Working for the weekend – it has never been so true. Although, my mantra these months will be “Working for 18 December,” which is when I will be re-united with my Dearest. Until that happy day, however, it’s the weekend that gives the greatest pleasure. As opposed to life in law school, as a summer associate, or many of my colleagues practicing back home, we are expected not to work on the weekends. Yes, that’s right – not to work on the weekends. In fact, most government ministries and private offices end work at 1 p.m. on Fridays for employees to engage in “sport” (or some other leisure activity). Perhaps this is something the ever-increasing-waist-size American populous should consider . . . but I digress . . .
The weekend. My second in Kigali. After dinner at the house on Friday several of us expats decided to take a beer on the town at one of the more popular and upscale establishments – Papyrus. First lesson about Papyrus - if you’re taking a taxi or moto-bike, you have to say “Pop-ee-roos” or they won’t know where to take you. Second lesson about Papyrus, or any of the nicer Kigali establishments – expect to pay more, at least twice more, for what you’d get at a local bar. Granted, the food is generally considered to be better, and by better I mean Western (e.g. a stone-fired pizza oven at Papyrus). The restaurant had a rather large patio filled with about half expats and half locals, and a small dance floor that was jam packed like sardines in a can (which was altogether surprising given the ineptitude of the D.J.). It was a nice place to hang out, and to my greatest delight was situated right next to a cheesemonger – someone with whom I shall become familiar during my stay here!
After Papyrus, a couple guys and I ventured on to a Kigali night club – The Cadillac Club. It was about midnight, and the place was slowly starting to fill up. Dancing is dancing, or so I thought. Much like weddings in the U.S., I quickly found myself as part of a circle with my mates, and some local Rwandans. In fact, upon surveying our small group, the circle was comprised of most if not all guys. Okay then, we dance.
Now, I have spent some nights watching the television show “So You Think You Can Dance” with Janet, and it (perhaps wrongly) inspired in me some confidence that I actually knew how to dance. I would like to think that I held my own. The shock of the evening, however, was when, at one moment when I was dancing in the middle of the circle, a Rwandan guy moved into the circle with me. “Oh, yeah, I got this” I thought, remembering SYTYCD episodes where dancers “battled” with each other, a sort of rhythmic back and forth hip-hop fighting by way of dance. My new friend, however, had another idea . . .
So, it seems that, with a purely, shall we say, “innocent” intention, guys dance with guys, in a way that would make you think it was not, shall we say, “innocent.” How did I discover this you ask? Why, when I was taken by surprise by a local Rwandan who tried to engage in such dance with me. WHOA! It was a surprise. I politely backed off, smiled, and cried a little inside.
No, but really – it was a fun time, and interesting to experience yet another cultural difference while I am here.
Saturday was a relaxing but busy day. I spent the morning walking to the market in the Kimyoronko district with a housemate, Sam. It is a giant open-air (covered) market, with vendors of food, clothing, and other wares. On the shopping list were bath towels and an umbrella (to prepare to the upcoming rainy season). The name of the game is negotiation, and what a lesson. The rule, as I have come to find it, is not to hesitate to walk away. You’ll find someone to sell at the price you want, and the adage of “a bird in hand is better than none” is no truer than when you’re walking away with money in hand. I have to say I am quite pleased with my skills, and left satisfied with the cost of my purchases.
The rest of my day can pretty much be summed up with the phrase “beer and brochettes.” Lunch and dinner with friends consisted of beer (Mützig) and brochettes (goat) accompanied by either chips or bananas (chips are thick cut fries for the American-Anglophiles out there, and bananas are the starchy plantain variety, boiled or fried). A bit of time in between meals to watch British Premier League Football made for entertaining delivery of more beer, and a Rwandan house-party birthday celebration continued the trend after dinner, and well into the evening.
In total, it was a great social experience, and a well needed one to combat the occasional home-sickness that will hopefully occur with minimal frequency during my time here.
By the end of this weekend . . . a summary of my week at the Court and some exciting projects that are keeping me busy!
The weekend. My second in Kigali. After dinner at the house on Friday several of us expats decided to take a beer on the town at one of the more popular and upscale establishments – Papyrus. First lesson about Papyrus - if you’re taking a taxi or moto-bike, you have to say “Pop-ee-roos” or they won’t know where to take you. Second lesson about Papyrus, or any of the nicer Kigali establishments – expect to pay more, at least twice more, for what you’d get at a local bar. Granted, the food is generally considered to be better, and by better I mean Western (e.g. a stone-fired pizza oven at Papyrus). The restaurant had a rather large patio filled with about half expats and half locals, and a small dance floor that was jam packed like sardines in a can (which was altogether surprising given the ineptitude of the D.J.). It was a nice place to hang out, and to my greatest delight was situated right next to a cheesemonger – someone with whom I shall become familiar during my stay here!
After Papyrus, a couple guys and I ventured on to a Kigali night club – The Cadillac Club. It was about midnight, and the place was slowly starting to fill up. Dancing is dancing, or so I thought. Much like weddings in the U.S., I quickly found myself as part of a circle with my mates, and some local Rwandans. In fact, upon surveying our small group, the circle was comprised of most if not all guys. Okay then, we dance.
Now, I have spent some nights watching the television show “So You Think You Can Dance” with Janet, and it (perhaps wrongly) inspired in me some confidence that I actually knew how to dance. I would like to think that I held my own. The shock of the evening, however, was when, at one moment when I was dancing in the middle of the circle, a Rwandan guy moved into the circle with me. “Oh, yeah, I got this” I thought, remembering SYTYCD episodes where dancers “battled” with each other, a sort of rhythmic back and forth hip-hop fighting by way of dance. My new friend, however, had another idea . . .
So, it seems that, with a purely, shall we say, “innocent” intention, guys dance with guys, in a way that would make you think it was not, shall we say, “innocent.” How did I discover this you ask? Why, when I was taken by surprise by a local Rwandan who tried to engage in such dance with me. WHOA! It was a surprise. I politely backed off, smiled, and cried a little inside.
No, but really – it was a fun time, and interesting to experience yet another cultural difference while I am here.
Saturday was a relaxing but busy day. I spent the morning walking to the market in the Kimyoronko district with a housemate, Sam. It is a giant open-air (covered) market, with vendors of food, clothing, and other wares. On the shopping list were bath towels and an umbrella (to prepare to the upcoming rainy season). The name of the game is negotiation, and what a lesson. The rule, as I have come to find it, is not to hesitate to walk away. You’ll find someone to sell at the price you want, and the adage of “a bird in hand is better than none” is no truer than when you’re walking away with money in hand. I have to say I am quite pleased with my skills, and left satisfied with the cost of my purchases.
The rest of my day can pretty much be summed up with the phrase “beer and brochettes.” Lunch and dinner with friends consisted of beer (Mützig) and brochettes (goat) accompanied by either chips or bananas (chips are thick cut fries for the American-Anglophiles out there, and bananas are the starchy plantain variety, boiled or fried). A bit of time in between meals to watch British Premier League Football made for entertaining delivery of more beer, and a Rwandan house-party birthday celebration continued the trend after dinner, and well into the evening.
In total, it was a great social experience, and a well needed one to combat the occasional home-sickness that will hopefully occur with minimal frequency during my time here.
By the end of this weekend . . . a summary of my week at the Court and some exciting projects that are keeping me busy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)