August 2011
21 posts
Donc, mon père est un pasteur.
In French class today, I learned a sentence that every pastor’s child should learn when living abroad in a religiously zealous country:
Quand j’etais jeune, j’allais beaucoups à la messe. Donc, maintenant, je vais a la messe quelque fois.
(When I was young, I went to church too much. So, now, I go to church only sometimes.)
Thanks Aline!
Did I really think this would be easy?
(Otherwise known as, Leah: buck up!)
So. Adjusting to life if Bujumbura has been hard. Well, harder than I expected. What do I mean? Well:
1. Bujumbura is a more of a sprawling village than a capital – but it’s certainly not a picturesque village. It’s a trash-filled, traffic-clogged town. At times I’m hit with jealousy as friends living in rural Burundi or Uganda describe...
WatchA little glimpse of Kampala.
“I was once a few aisles away from Museveni. Now there’s a man who needs...”
– Cori and I have developed a new game we like to play. It’s called “Dedo or Paris Hilton?” Here’s our first installment. Ok, I guess this one is pretty obvious.
Some things I kinda sorta knew about Burundi, but...
-After emerging from a long period of war, Burundi is now ranked the 4th poorest country in the world.
-The percentage of people living below the poverty line increased from 33% to 68%, from 1990 in 2004.
-Today the national rate of HIV/AIDS infection in Burundi is above epidemic levels. In some regions such as Kamenge, where the FWA Center is located, infection rates are estimated to be...
WatchThis is Kiriku, Dr. Alexia’s youngest son. He’s only a teeny bit of a ham. A teeny bit.
Dedo: "There's a bitch party Saturday at Bora Bora. Let's go."
Leah: "WHAT is that?!" (As I picture a Burundian take on the American pimps and hoes theme.)
Dedo: "Ah... bitch? Beech? Beach? How do you say it?"
Ha.
Love is a ... Nissan?
I’d heard about a famous “lovers’ tree” on the edge of town that stands in the middle of a roundabout, leading to the airport and the beach resorts lining Lake Tanganyika. It was worthy to be included as a landmark on the map of Bujumbura in the book on Burundian history I have been reading, with a note that it’s a place where newly married couples pose for photos. So...
WatchQuick trip to Kamenge — the neighborhood where the clinic is based. Oh, and check out this kid’s rad shades.
More on Kamenge later.
WatchPart II of Dedo vs. crocodile. My favorite part of Burundi? Probably my co-fellow.
