I have some odds and ends that don't really fit anywhere that I will share with you.
This is a woman doing her laundry outside her front door. Note the yellow container. Water is carried in those for everything they need in the home. I saw lots of clothing hanging on lines, even in the more well off parts of Kigali, but not a clothespin in sight.
The nicer homes all had what I would call a cistern in which they stored water and I am sure gravity gave them pressure for the house. We didn't have much water pressure in the guest house, nor did we have much hot water. Even the hotel in Huye with its nice shower had cold water.
Woke you right up in the morning!
I saw many places where mud bricks were being made in the front yard. How they ever got them dry enough to use, I'll never know. But they made homes from them. It would seem that given a short time the torrential rains would wash them away. And we did see some that had sort of melted. Suppose it is not much different from the sod homes that were build on the prairies in the mid-west at home. You use what you have.
Bicycles and motor bikes were the preferred transportation. It was not unusual to see them loaded down with anything they might need: 8-10 of those water cans, mattresses, wood to make charcoal, or charcoal itself in huge sacks. Sometimes they rode, often times they pushed. One family we visited, the mama had fallen from her bike and broken her arm. It had not been set and the chance of seeing a doctor was months away. Medicine is available but too far for her to get to without transportation.
There were lots of living fences in Kigali. Covered with ivy or bushes which had been clipped, they were beautiful. In the rural areas, you saw these living fences. the plant seemed to have no leaves. I'm not sure if it was a succulent of some kind or what, but it didn't have any leaves. But it did make a sturdy fence. In the city, most homes in the poor areas were surrounded my corrugated metal. I was warned to not touch for fear of cutting myself. Note the mud brick building in the background.
There were bananas everywhere. If the women in school had to, they would hawk bananas on the streets to be able to buy food for their children. That was strictly illegal, and they faced jail time if caught. Desperation will cause you to do most anything.
I ate banana's fried, mashed, baked, and one dish looked like they might have been BBQ. Who knew they were so versatile? I think I will take mine just plain, peel and eat. Banana trees were everywhere. Sometimes in groves but mostly sticking up here and there.
Everywhere you looked, there were these little red huts or yellow umbrellas. These were places to buy time for your telephone. I noticed that most of the girls in school had phones. I suppose it is a necessity if you have a job or are enrolled in the program. I think one home we visited had a small television set. There were none at the guest house. And I didn't miss it.
This was taken at a mall. I told you everything was up or down. There were a couple of times I was glad someone was holding on to me as I transversed the uneven steps. And it is humbling to have someone hang on to you like you were an old lady! Duh! And like these steps, many are tiled. Which would make them really slick when it rained... I would think. Maybe that's why they mop them. Each sidewalk has a little dip in it for water to funnel away. They make it work.
I am still processing my trip. There is so much to work through in my mind. I plan to give you my "take away" once I get my ducks in a row. So, watch for that. And then it will be off to the next adventure....figuring out how to publish a book. Or whatever adventure the Lord has in mind for me.