Rwanda

Some of you might have noticed that there hasn't been a general email from Elder Buyers for a few weeks. Rather than leaving this blog in the dark we decided to pull some fun stuff that he's sent in some of our personal emails over the last few weeks. The stuff in italic is from one of us and the red is his response.

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Well you have passed 7 months in Africa.  When you live in a United State for a year you officially become a resident of that state.  So in 5 months you will be an African.  Of course I suspect that you are already in your heart.  I know you have come to love the people there.

I became African quite a while ago.  Sometimes when I look in the mirror I surprise myself and remember I'm white.  I guess that's a good thing though.  You really forget that there is a big difference like that.  Race isn't even noticed on my part anymore.

Are you working on learning a new language?  You mentioned there might be a need when you first got to Rwanda but we hadn't heard anything more.

Not too many people here speak English so every day in order to get things done we have to work with a member to translate for us.  They speak Kinyarwandan and some speak French.  I'm trying to learn it but it is a slow process.

So, tell us about the food in Rwanda.  Is it still beans and rice and beans and rice and beans and rice?  Ha Ha!  Rwanda seems to be a little more modern than the little town of Lira.  Does the electricity go out in as often as in Uganda?  Is the laundry situation a little less primitive?  Do you have a washer and drier in your house?  Or at least better service from the members. 

Food isn't rally rice and beans.  You get a plate of rice beans, noodles, matoke, greens, cabbage and a few other things.  There is am food but it's too spendy for a missionary.  Power is pretty stable.  We have a washer but the plug started having issues and now it doesn't work.  Back to hands.  I haven't seen a drier since I left the MTC.