Today is the anniversary of when the massacres in 1994 reached this part of Rwanda. Some patients and hospital staff were killed. It is really difficult to imagine those terrible events happening at this place. It is so peaceful now. Attached is a picture (which Lucas took) of the hospital and mission complex. It covers the better part of a hill overlooking a beautiful lake (Kivu).
I was talking with the English teacher (Edward) at the hospital this afternoon. His job is to teach the hospital staff to speak and write English fluently, and eventually they will convert the medical records to English as well (he says it will be "soon"). He asked where I was from. He had heard of Tennessee, and when I mentioned that Memphis was on the Mississippi River, he asked if it was near the city that had flooded. So he was pretty knowledgeable, though he has never lived outside of eastern Africa. I mentioned that Memphis was famous for Elvis and the blues. He was curious about the blues, so I downloaded a BB King video for him on YouTube. It was a pretty interesting cultural exchange ;) I told him that if he ever got to Memphis, I would show him around. I would like to feed him some BBQ and cole slaw, and see what he thinks.
Jill -- sounds like you're getting along well. I've been thinking about you quite a bit, and I'm so glad you're keeping the blog rolling so we can keep track of you!
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