Reality

Reality is a funny thing. At some points it is so mystical and elusive, and then you will all of a sudden come face to face with it and it stops you in it's tracks. That has been the story of our time at orientation. Our training, for all its intensity and scheduling, can be likened to camp or college. Everything from meals to classes and trips is already set for us. It feels like we are living in this fake sort of life, apart from the rest of the world, even from the rest of Rwanda. We have this little bubble. And, I know it will eventually break and we will have to go our own separate ways, but right now we are stuck in this collective, dream-like mentality. Even learning Kinyarwanda seems like just another class that we are learning. It school, you learn. That's what you do. So, we go along from day to day doing what they tell us, and then you will get these blinding flashes of reality. The reality that will be the next two years of my life. The reality that I will be living on my own in some random Rwandan village doing who knows what. Sometimes these bolts come in the middle of class when we are talking about the reality of the poverty in the country. 60% of Rwandan households live on less than $1 a day. And, when meals cost around 300 - 400 RWF which is about the equivalent of 75 cents, there isn't much leeway. That means that more than half of families can only provide one meal a day. That doesn't even take into account their nutrition. It's difficult to listen to these statistics without the sinking realization that this is what is in store for us. This is everyday life. Other bolts happen while staring out the bus window, seeing small towns flash by. We are going to be there. There is still a level of excitement about starting our actual projects and getting involved with the community, but the longer we stay in our safe bubble of orientation, the less tangible that idea becomes. We are getting all this training but it is almost getting harder to see the end of that tunnel. Luckily, we are scheduled to find out our site placements fairly soon and will actually spend a few days visiting. Maybe that will change this odd perception we have about our reality.