A couple of weeks ago we created Rwanda's (and possibly Africa's) first terra preta coffee plantation! It is where all our coffee came from and it was good to spend some time wandering around and generally looking after the trees. It was quite expensive to do (£90 for 200 trees) but I figured I can make cups of coffee and sell them for £2 and then will be back to square one. Naturally we made it an experiment, applying 1 kg per tree, 2 kg per tree and leaving some as they were. We tied ribbons to them so we know which are which – it's right by the main road to Kigali and already many people have noticed the ribbon and hopefully in the future they will notice the difference between the trees. Funnily enough, we also accidentally created the Rwandan flag with the layout of the plots and ribbons! We went back to share a beer with the Grandma too – she got a lot more energetic afterwards!
Had a pleasant surprise this week when I bumped into (literally) a girl who is an air stewardess with Rwandair in a club in Kigali. The first good thing was that she bought me beer and then to make it better, she invited me to her house by a lake! Naturally I couldn't turn down the offer so I spent a few days this week relaxing there. She had a speedboat as well which was a cool as we could visit islands. The lake was beautiful and the best part was that some random Dutch guy was paying for everything! Unfortunately I don't think there is much chance of that happening when I get home! Had a few problems getting home though as the town isn't as well connected as Butare. Had to wait 3 hours for a bus and then change halfway, but then there were no tickets on proper buses left (Friday isn't a great day to travel) fortunately there were still minibuses so I managed to make it back which was lucky as it was my goodbye party. I was only about half an hour late which is pretty reasonable I think!
Still haven't managed to get round to roasting my coffee yet... Think it's going to be Monday's task. We went to the coffee board's roaster last week and explained our “experiment” to a manager. When Mario explained that I was from England and going to start my PhD he decided that that wasn't possible because I didn't have a masters – he was very persistant even when I explained that it is pretty normal. He wasn't having any of it though and was certain he was right – I should probably check with the admissions office to make sure they haven't made a mistake, because surely he must know more than me right?! Anyway hopefully I will arrive with plenty of coffee! (Did I tell you that already?) We got some from the plantation we went to a few weeks ago which is in transition to organic (essentially it is) and that is in the Cup of Excellence. I gave the owner my photos from the trip for his website, so hopefully we can negotiate a good price!
I've been writing up what I've been up to as well since I've been here. Not finished yet (my unplanned holiday didn't help) but it should be done by the time I leave.Sure I've been up to something else, but my mind is a little fuzzy after partying last night... As promised, here is my definitive list of what will be missed, what won't be missed and what I have missed:
Miss:
Brochettes – when they are good they are one of the best foods ever. The fact that they vary so much from place to place and time to time, makes them exciting to eat.
Flexibility in general – it's nice when you can change plans constantly and at short notice.
Travelling for 2 hours for £3
Big bottles of beer for £1 – doesn't need much explaining.
It never being hot or cold – Rwandan weather is just perfect!
Bella Bella Bella - it's a song which is played almost constantly (certainly a few times a night) and that I hear even when I'm at home, coming from somewhere. I have an mp3 of it for anyone who wants it.
Having a maid – not having to wash up, wash clothes or cook – I guess it is a bit like
Motos (motorbike taxis) – being able to get from one side of a capital city to the other for 50p on your own personalised transport is awesome!
Being able to take a bottle of spirits to a club or pub
The buckets – having become a bucketeer in the last few months, being a flusher again is going to seem a terrible waste. I'll convert back to bucketeering one day I'm sure. (Below is the result, currently at ~55 C)
My friends – for making Rwanda very fun and for teaching me many things.
Eating with my hands.
Not having to go to the bar to get a beer.
Won't miss:
Not being able to plan beyond an hour in advance (kind of a contradiction to my second point above, but it depends on who is changing the plans!)
Everyone always wanting amafaranga (cash)
There being one girl to ten guys in clubs – not many Rwandan girls are allowed out after 9
Waiting an eternity for food to arrive – over an hour is not unheard of (even when you are the only customer).
Cold showers – admittedly if tired and hungover they are almost refreshing but normally they are just spine chilling.
Cycling up hills – The 30 m climb into town is going to make Castle Hill seem like a small bump!
Foam mattresses – the first night I woke up in Rwanda, I thought I had broken the bed as I was in a foot deep dent in the bed.
Having to pick half of every meal out my mouth with a toothpick.
Fizzy drinks not really being fizzy – I think they would explode if they were as fizzy as at home going over the bumps.
Girls having fake hair – first because it's disappointing when what looks like beautiful hair is in fact plastic, and second because girls can change their appearance remarkably quickly, making them unrecognisable!
Steam powered internet connections.
Wax matches – they are crap!
Missed:
Family and friends (of course)
Pig's ear – lager is nice, but it really gets boring after a while!
Cooking
Bread
Cheddar
Spices
Drinking tap water (it's so annoying to be hungover and have no water).
Washing machines (before I had a maid)
Last but not least, here are some random photos:
Thanks for reading! See you all soon!
