I have been teaching 7th grade English and literature at Sonrise High School in Musanze, Rwanda since January. I also work on SAT and TOEFL prep with the older students to prepare them to apply to universities in the US. I am also constantly approached by students to help them with various other things: posting their dancing videos to YouTube, helping revise an essay for a competition, advising them on typical teenager issues, even finding a place for one of my orphaned girls to live during school breaks. Every day is definitely an adventure! I have grown to know and love many, many students.
I have also had the pleasure of developing relationships with many other people: other ex-pats who are working or volunteering in various capacities around the country, the teachers at Sonrise, the waiters at the restaurants we frequent, a colony of visual artists, even the Regional Police Commander! It is these relationships that have sucked me into the vacuum that is Rwanda.
I know you were all expecting me to come home for good in November, but this beautiful country and its people continue to beckon me. I have been offered the chance to teach in Rwanda in a different capacity for the next school year and accepted the task wholeheartedly! In August, I started to split my responsibilities between Sonrise High School and Kigali International Community School (KICS). KICS is an international school that serves mostly the children of missionaries and other cross-cultural workers but also admits Rwandese students. I am having a blast teaching PE to students from dozens of different countries! Upon the completion of the Sonrise school year in October, I will be full-time at KICS until at least June 2011.
While it is difficult to leave my precious children at Sonrise, I am very excited about living in the “big city” and teaching very small, diverse classes. My sphere of influence has increased dramatically, and I look forward to learning even more about myself, Rwanda, and the world in general.
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