5 days in… my home life & my canine friends

Today is my 5^th day in Rwanda (4^th day in Gatagara) and I already love it here. I am living in a guest house owned by an American family with their own nonprofit org here (it is called City of Joy and it is a religious preschool). They are currently stateside, but they will return to Gatagara in early February. They are a family of 4: Todd, Andria, and their 2 young children (ages 1 and 3). Their house is a few doors down on the same gated-in compound.

The guest house is very impressive: it is much bigger than I had anticipated and I feel comfortable here. I just want to express my gratitude for having such a nice safe place to live. This enables me to focus on my work and ease my mom’s concerns (you know how mothers worry).

Todd and Andria have 2 “American-ized” dogs living on the compound. They warned me that the dogs may have become “wild” in their absence, but the dogs are very affectionate (I think they have missed Todd & Andria a lot). Before I came, Todd told me that Topie (the female dog) is more affectionate and friendly and Buddy (the male dog) is a little more skittish. Todd said Topie comes inside their house occasionally (and during every loud thunderstorm), but Buddy prefers to hang out on the porch (near people, but not quite as close to them).

Topie

 Topie n Buddy hanging out on my front porch

 Buddy

Surprisingly, Buddy has not been shy at all. In fact, he is quite gregarious. He is always wagging his tail and eager for me to scratch behind his ears. He does this cute thing where he steps in front of me and stretches (ironically, a downward dog position, with his front legs straightened, head down, and butt in the air) to signal he would like me to pet him. I don’t see Topie as often (one of her back legs has been hurting her), but she licks my hand and gently requests affection. Last night was the first time she laid on her back and had me scratch her belly. It is nice to know they trust me already.

There is a new puppy on the compound as well. Its name is Puppy (appropriately- LoL!) and it looks like a mini-Buddy. It lives at the pig farm downhill from the guest house, but it prefers to follow Buddy around everywhere he goes. Tracy says Buddy used to pick on Topie playfully, but now the puppy pushes him and nips at his hind legs (Karma, Tracy says.) The puppy is beautiful, but not well-behaved. It likes to jump up on people and it gently nips at your hands (luckily, he does this gently, but it can be annoying sometimes). The one command I would like to teach that puppy is “down” so my clothes don’t get so dirty.

My next door neighbor Belise is so sweet! She already showed me the printouts of the ingredients she requires to make her infamous pizza, and has offered to make it for me. I have offered to teach her some simple card games (which we will most likely play on the front porch or on the kitchen table). She is 25 (only a couple of years younger than me), which makes her great company. She speaks English quite well, but is eager to improve. Plus, she wears a Denver Broncos beanie/hat every day, which was a great sign, because I come from a family of hard-core Broncos football fans. 

Perhaps my biggest fear before coming here was loneliness. I prepared to spend a lot of time entertaining myself, but I don’t think that will be as much of an issue as I had anticipated. When I spoke on the phone with Todd, he made me feel so welcome to spend time with his family (which really means a lot to me, as I am very close with my own family).

Sending love to my family & friends stateside,

Stacy, Buddy, & Topie