Getting Settled to Life in Butare

It was a very busy day getting a tour of Butare (which only took 15 minutes) and learning what my responsibilities will be at the Blue Marble Ice Cream Store.  All the ladies that work at the ice cream store are really nice.  It will be a very fun job.

Laura, the person I am replacing at the ice cream store, and Zach,her friend from the Peace Corp, really were great at taking me around and helping me get settled. We went for Chinese tonight and, as we were eating, the electricity went out.  Apparently you have to monitor and buy units.  If not, no electricity.

I ended up moving to a new hotel, after all the work yesterday, because it was less expensive.  You know how frugal I am when traveling.  I saved $8 per day, which is around $180.  Once I moved in I realized, although  they said they did, they have no wireless.  I had to get a modem and minutes.  Now I am back to normal.

Zach was kind enough to give me all his bootlegged videos and PX90.  I will be up on the latest movies and in good shape when I return.  I have already read three books, so I need a new activity.

I ran out of money already with the room and the modem, so I have to find an ATM, which turns out to be difficult.  I am hoping to find something tomorrow.  Otherwise, I am out of money.  No one takes credit cards.  It is probably the most backward of all the countries I have visited, when it comes to money.

Tomorrow is my first official day working.  I am excited, but apprehensive.  I hope I can remember all the stuff that Laura has been telling me.

Will catch up tomorrow.  Paula

The first day in Butare

My first full day in Rwanda has been interesting.  It really does not seem as large as I expected. I am finding few tourists compared to other places I have been.  It is definitely more expensive than Nepal, so I will have to be careful of my budget. 

I feel really safe in Rwanda because the people are so friendly. That should make all my family and friends feel better.  I was walking to town in Kigali and a young schoolgirl came up and gave me a big hug.  I feel they are genuinely kind hearted. 

I arrived in Butare.  It is a very small town with only a few restaurants and a museum to visit. Since there are few tourists, I seem to get a lot of attention.  I haven’t met Laura yet.  She is the person who has been volunteering for the last couple months.  I will be taking over her job for the Blue Marble Ice Cream NGO.

I hope I can keep busy with the Ice Cream Store and teaching English for four weeks.  Not a lot to do in Butare.  The Internet seems sporadic so no catching up with my TV programs in the evening.  If I get bored, I may go to the University and see if I can volunteer.  It is a business school, so there may be an opportunity to do some teaching.

I had a little issue with my hotel.  My original room at the hotel was really not something I could live in for even one nigh and the next size room was way out of my budget.  I started walking to every hotel in town to negotiate a monthly rate (there are only a few hotels).  Not sure they ever had someone do that before!!  

Finally found a nice hotel with a 38% discount.  It is still beyond my means at $22 per night, but I can feel comfortable in a clean room.  The owner, Michael, is originally from Belgium, so he speaks English.

I am sitting and having a couple beers before I head for bed.  They are better than a sleeping pill.  I hope I will be sleeping soundly in the next couple of hours.

Have a great evening.  Paula

Paula Unplugged 2013

It is hard to believe that I am on my 4^th adventure.  This year it is Rwanda, Africa.  Every year it is harder and harder to leave for a long period of time, so I am limiting my journey to only one month. 

I am very excited about the opportunity to work with an NGO in Rwanda.  I will be assisting the women’s co-op to build their ice cream store into a profitable operation.  Blue Marble Ice Cream out of New Jersey started the Rwanda NGO.  Their goal is to help women become financially independent through a business opportunity, ice cream stores, as well as provide business opportunities for local farmers to supply the products that go into making good ice cream.

It has been a struggle for the Rwanda women’s co-op.  A woman from Bpeace has been there to assist for the last few months and I will be taking over her efforts, when she returns to the states.

Now you are probably wondering: “What do I know about the ice cream industry”.  I have asked myself that also!!  I hope to apply my business experience in looking at productivity and policies that will be able to make the operation more efficient.  Perhaps a new person can see things that others can’t??  I hope so.  I would feel terrible if I could not add value to their operation.

My other goal is not to eat all the ice cream.  I am hoping to lose a few pounds on this trip.  It may be hard working in an ice cream store, which is one of my favorite desserts.

I also will be responsible for teaching English. This is something I wanted to do for some time, so I am excited to be able to develop a curriculum and test it out on the Rwanda women.  I don’t know if they know they are my first students.  I do not know one word of  Kinyarwanda, which is the Rwandan language.

While I am in Rwanda I hope to visit my chickens.  Yes, I did say chickens.  Last year I gave my 6 grandchildren chickens for Easter that were given to various families in Rwanda.  I will get to meet these families and make sure my chickens are healthy and producing eggs.  If they are, I hope I can convince others to donate more chickens. 

I arrive in two days…. The airtime is over 24 hours not counting layovers.  I already had a hard day with plane delays and baggage that did not arrive.  Obviously, I can’t leave without my luggage.  I may have packed more than I need.  You think I would be getting better at this, but I am actually packing for Rwanda, Pennsylvania, and St. Thomas.  I was still able to fit it into one bag, but all the liquids required a check in.  Of course, I brought my hair dye and peroxide.  I learned from Italy.

Thanks for following my adventure to Rwanda, Paula

The Cuba Journey

It has been a few days since my last blog.  We have been on the road.  It seems to be blending all together, but I will try and remember the highlights.

The first highlight was getting locked in the bathroom.  The bus was ready to leave and I decided that I needed to use the bathroom one last time.  I went to the grocery store and they pointed to a bathroom.  It looked a little suspicious with all the buckets inside, but, what the heck, I went in anyway.  I was in the middle of peeing, when a woman was banging on the door yelling at me.  Now, she was yelling in spanish, so I did not understand anything she said.  When I tried to leave the door was locked.  Panic set in quickly!!  I was yelling at her in English and she was yelling back in Spanish.  You really need to be there to enjoy the humor of the situation.

Finally I looked around and noticed some keys.  They unlocked to door and I ran out with her yelling at me.  Never did figure out what she was saying.  No one in the bus noticed I was gone for a long time.  So much for friends watching out for you!

We finally got to Santiago after a very long winding road.  The bus is broken and the driver, Soto, needs to turn it off and on while we are moving.  Doesn't leave me feeling safe.  He is a very fast driver and one time we almost took out a bicycle rider.  I am sitting up front and get to see all the close calls.

Santiago is a big city, so we took a tour.  Jose was a historian, so he was able to give us all the facts.  All the revolutions were fought in Santiago.  Although our room wasn't great, it had a balcony overlooking all of the city and ocean and the sunset was amazing.  We were happy to leave the the big city and go back to the more quaint cities like Baracoa. 

We stopped on our way to Baracoa and was mobbed with people selling chocolate.  The chocolate in Baracoa is excellent.  We bought many bars and Eric kept eating.  The people are pretty agressive to get their products sold, so it is really overwhelming when the attach you. 

Today we took an all day hike to the caves.  We bought more chocolate!!  It was a beautiful hike but tiring.  Afterwards, I taught a few people how to play my Nepali card game.  We sat and drank beers and played cards. 

Everyone is out in the park.  We can't figure out when people work or if they do work.  I definitely have some views on Socialism.

Sightseeing Overdose

We have been traveling across Cuba and it is getting hotter and looking the same. It has been a long week between the driving and the sightseeing. Cuba is definitely a place to bring you back to your childhood.

One thing that is so sad is how the people seem to be surviving, but just barely. It seems that everyone is trying to make some side money because they are paid so little. You constantly have to be careful about trusting them not to take advantage of you as a tourist. It makes you appreciate the things we take for granted in the US and other countries.

For example, today we went on a sightseeing tour of Santiago de Cuba, which was to be $12 per person. They took us to a restaurant that was very expensive and then asked us to pay for their lunches, including a person who did nothing on the tour but drive in the back seat with us in a very old jeep. It ended up costing us double what we were told. This seems to be standard for the people of Cuba.

The weather is getting very hot, but we are off to the beach area. I am going to be smarter and wear sunblock this time. We are anxious to be out of the big city.

We found some great ice cream last night and we have been hunting through the streets to find it again. Most of the ice cream is Nestle. The fish and lobster have been fantastic. But we are sharing meals because of our money dilema. For those not reading my blog everyday, I budgeted money for one person instead of two and we have no way of getting more money. So we have to count our money and keep within a daily budget (it gets tough when things cost more than planned like above). I guess I am so use to traveling alone, that I forget that there are two of us.

Overall it has been a great vacation and I would definitely return to Cuba.

Namaste, Paula

Camaguey

We are now in Camaguey, a very artistic community and the third largest city in Cuba. Each region is unique and we are really enjoying the quaint cities. It is difficult to imagine how Cuba has been able to stay in a time warp for so long.

It continues to be a challenge touring with a group. It is my issue because of my fast pace nature, although we have one person that continues to be a problem for everyone. It is amazing how negative some people can be. I believe it is my karma to learn how to be patient with others, so I am taking it on as a learning experience.

I really have suffered from sunburn, which is really unusual for me. I did not use sunblock on my body and sunbathed after my snorkeling adventure in Trinidad. I am paying the price. Also, my cut on my leg is not healing and I am not sure what else to do, other than go to the pharmacy. I can´t believe we were staying with a doctor in Trinidad and I never asked him. I will continue to see if I can heal it myself.

I finished all the books on my kindle and let Eric use it to read. That was a mistake!!! He can´t put the kindle down because he is reading a Ken Follet book. He is already asking how to buy a kindle. That will teach me a lesson.

We are half way through our trip and are really enjoying Cuba. The people are wonderful. The food is so so, except for the lobster and catfish.

I am definitely feeling tired and am looking forward to being in my own house and not out of a suitcase, although I am only home for 6 weeks.

Namaste, Paula

The Cuba Coast

We have had a great time in Trinidad. Today we went to the coast.. snorkeled and enjoyed the sun. I was a real dork and wore a life vest snorkeling. But Eric had a hard time keeping the water out of his mask because of the waves and I was gliding on top of the water... who is the smart one now.

Life in Cuba is really slow paced. It is amazing how many people are in the streets during the working hours. I believe there is a high unemployment rate or people do not work the hours that we do in the States.

Everyone has side jobs in order to support themselves and the family. The typical salary is under $100 per month. On our street there are people selling goods like a flea market. This is just one example of trying to make ends meet. One of the ladies we are with received a marriage proposal. There is definitely a feeling that people would like a better life.

The food has been really good.. lobster, catfish, pizza, etc. We have been trying to keep our food intact down, so we try and split meals. Also, when I calculated the amount of money to take, I forgot that there were two of us... how bad is that.... I am so use to traveling alone, I did not double the recommended money to bring. Remember that we can not use credit cards or ATMs in Cuba. So we are on a budget per day.

Namaste, Paula