FRUIT, SUGAR AND VEGETABLES!

So many people have been asking me what it is like here and it is really hard to explain.  So, I thought I would put some pictures up of the market where we get veggies, fruit, and assorted food to help give an idea.  It is an amazing place, that is like a buzzing beehive all the time. Full of life, culture and color.  Sam, who keeps us happy and fed here in Rwanda goes twice a week, so I went with him and snapped a lot of photos.  The lighting was not so great there and I was a little self-conscious taking pictures, so they are not the best, but you get some idea.  There is nothing like really being there though, no photo could give it justice.

Sugar, salt, flour, etc.

Beans

Sam getting the kids a healthy snack!

Um...kinda obvious.  Veggies!

More veggies!  There are so many here.  Actually, 

I have never seen some of them before.

I think if you stand here long enough, you can find the real Waldo!  

There are a ton of booths like this.  I should do a series!

MORE CATCHING UP.

Gonna do some catching up here, as I have meant to post about this for awhile now.

The Cup Of Excellence competition recently took place here in Rwanda. Coffees are first scored by a national jury, then an international jury scores the best of these to determine the winners. This was the first COE competition to take place in Africa, and not only did it take place in Rwanda, it happened within a month and a half of our arrival! I was pretty excited, as I got to see a lot of folks I have not seen in a long while from the States. I also had the opportunity to meet lots of new people from all over the world that were here for the competition. Most importantly, I was able to cup a lot of fantastic coffee! It is a big deal for the winners and runners up in this competition, as the farmers fetch really high prices for their coffee once it goes to auction. This can have a positive effect for years to come.

The cupping all took place in Butare which is about two hours from Kigali. I went down for a couple of days for both the national and the international cupping. One of the best days was when I had the opportunity to ride a coffee bike through the mountains to visit some farms and a washing station, with 30 other people from all over the world! Surreal is one word I would use to describe it. The bikes were rented from farmers here and it was a blast to ride through the villages, as people flocked around us, and children chased us down the road. If I did this every morning I would be fit as a fiddle! Alas, I have never taken a mountain bike ride through the mountains to a coffee farm, much less an eight foot long bike, and I felt fit as a busted tuba when it was all said and done. It was worth every minute! How they do this with stacks of coffee on the back of the bike is beyond me.

I had a great time over the course of the two weeks, and felt very lucky to be there.

COE Rwanda!

Table two

Table assignments for judges

Coffee Bikes!

All smiles!

 Little girl

Pig on a bike! (photo: Geoff Watts)

...yes it is still alive.

Busted tuba on a bridge.

(photo: Geoff Watts)

How do you spell "COMPETETION" anyway?

IAN IS THREE!

Sunday  the 14th was Ian's 3rd birthday.  On Saturday we had some friends over and the kids all watched a movie.  The birthday celebration was a little more mellow than in the States, but we had a good time and Ian is excited because when he woke up Sunday he was "so big!"  All day he kept saying how much bigger he had grown.  "Look at my feet Daddy!  They are so big now. My hands are bigger too!"  Pretty funny. This is all he needed for a great birthday, to grow bigger overnight!

SCHOOL!!

Ava and Ian started school last week!  A pretty big deal in our life here. Although they both went to a small camp for a few weeks, this feels much bigger in scope.  They are both doing well and Ava is already learning a small bit of French.  The hardest part has been the morning drop off, the first day or two was really hard.  Ian cried a lot, but this seems to be getting better every day.  Ava is already making friends and has told Jaime and I that the boys "really" like her.  I bet! ... and so it begins.  

The teachers seem very nice. Ava's teacher speaks English, but Ian's does not, so the daily update is a little harder to understand.  He seems to be doing ok though.  His teacher says he lays back and keeps to himself most of the time, but I think this will change soon.  He is pretty social and has a big personality so I have no doubt that he will have the run of the class in no time!

All and all things are pretty great.  The kids are going to school with other kids from all over the world!  This is one of the things we were really excited about when we decided to make the move here.  What an opportunity!  I have to say that I am amazed at how quickly we have adjusted to so many things here, and just gone on living our lives and going about it all, but not one day goes by that I don't stop for a second and think..."We are living in f*&%@#$ Rwanda!" Decatur, Georgia it ain't!

We miss you all terribly, but are excited about the future.  Come visit!

So, here are some pictures of school!

 

                 Ava and Ian first day of school!

         Walking to class.

        Ian, before the flood.

      Ava, all smiles at drop off.

                Ian, still not so sure at drop off.

      Ava's cubby and art work.

     More art work...

          Work on display in class.