Sunday 3rd April Mothering Sunday in UK

Mothering not smothering! Motherhood is an amazing privilege and an awesome responsibility, but also a source of great joy and fulfilment. The girls and boys here are mothers from a very early age – they look after their siblings whilst mum is busy cultivating the land for food to eat and to sell. If younger children aren’t available to help with childcare the work goes on anyway. The babies are fastened to mum’s back with strong cloth that will not break. Babies are very peaceful because they are so physically close to their mothers, they are safe and secure. The children also carry the babies in this way. I  haven’t seen fathers doing this but I have seen very proud and loving fathers cuddling their young babies and children.

As one of my daughters will tell you the early years of a child’s life are very important . It is the time when attitudes,  values  and social habits are being formed, a time when the brain is actually developing in its own unique way, when it is learning to learn if you like. The education system here is only just beginning to realise the importance of the Nursery years and there are some teachers doing great things with few resources. However, most of the time the young children sit quietly not being stimulated, with a consequent effect on learning development. My job is to focus on Primary Education but there is a great need to focus on Pre Primary schooling. http://treasurelearning.co.uk/ 

I started my garden today – we have  a garden at the back of the house divided into 4 vegetable plots and I have asked for one of them. I am planting beans, broccoli and a variety of herbs . I have no idea what will grow but I’ll spread the seed and see what happens. I realised that the garden faces the same way as my garden at home – it gets shade in the morning and blazing sun in the afternoon – wonderful sunsets from the verandah too! – so a slightly different direction I think because my sunsets at home are more to the left!! I know... west!

On Saturday I was in the shopping precinct in Kigali and I could’ve been in any ‘bar’ in UK. Not because there were loads of white people – there weren’t – not because the beer was flowing – it wasn’t – then why? There was good natured socialising, there were soft drinks on the tables, there were lots of men all with one aim – enjoying the football match between West Ham and Manchester United. And boy! Did they enjoy it!!!! Every time there was a goal – and there were plenty – uproar – cheering, jumping up, thumping the air, clapping, big, big smiles. Fantastic! Meanwhile what were most of the women doing? Answer – shopping – see, just like home!

I am not a keen football fan but I wish I was. I can teach football skills but I have never supervised a match in my entire teaching career – well, not strictly true – I have supervised many matches but relied on the players to give me guidance on off side rules etc! I know!  What an admission – it gets worse – I used to run a chess club and we had some excellent players in our school. We won many matches and had champions who represented the North West. And all the while I pretended I could play very well – I can’t – I know the basics and I can teach the skills but my brain doesn’t work in the way that chess requires!! But this strategy has taught me that a good teacher needs to be able to facilitate and encourage, she doesn’t need to be expertly skilled at everything but she does need to be able to take pleasure in the skills of others.

Here in Rwanda the people have many many skills and I am looking forward to learning about them in the next two years.

April 7th in Rwanda marks the beginning of the time of mourning which lasts 100 days. This week is Memorial Week in which Rwandans gather together for 7 days of national mourning. I will be going to Uganda for a short holiday with some other volunteers. I decided to do this is as a sign of respect; it seems to me to be a time when Rwandans can have their country to themselves and grieve in their own way. I grieve with them in spirit but cannot ever know their pain. I am not afraid of being here, on the contrary I respect and admire the people for their courage.  Purple is the colour of mourning.

With much love to you all, don’t forget to comment! T xxxx