Questions Answered

We have received a list of questions from family and friends and we are going to answer them here…incase others are wondering too. Hope you find them interesting!  If you have any more, please let us know and we will be happy to answer them.

 

1. Can you explain the condition of the water and the filter system? The filter system isn’t necessarily a filter system per se. It is a rain catchment device in the rainforest. It catches the water and then sends it to 4 different locations around our village. It isn’t really filtered…it simply runs at all times through these spigots. We then go and fill a 20L jerry can and bring it to the house where we dump it into a 120L trash can. We then boil the water and put it into our filter. It is a stainless steel filter with 4 candles on the inside. (Not candles you burn, but filtering candles). Eventually, we drink it.
2. Why do you cook on wood or charcoal when you have a kerosene stove? Well, we bought 2 stoves but weren’t really knowledgeable about how to use them and used up all the wicks.  We re-wicked the smallest one but it is very different from the larger one so we can’t figure out how to re-wick the large stove. Therefore, we use the small kerosene stove for pretty much anything small and the charcoal for anything requiring a lengthy cooking time.
3. Exactly what does it mean when you say you have a full kitchen if you don’t have electricity or running water? We have a charcoal stove, a kerosene stove, a shelf that holds all of our food and a table for preparing food. That’s a pretty full kitchen. Full, not complete. L
4. What is a “shower room” since there is no running water? We have a room that has a pipe running out of it. We literally shower in there. We stand in buckets, dump the water all over us and then squidgy the water into the pipe. It’s literally a room that we shower in. It used to be a tiny bedroom.
5. Are candles beneficial and if so are they easy to get? Yes, they are beneficial. They are available in the capital. Yummy American candles, absolutely not. But we obviously are managing just fine.
6. Is it safe to catch and eat fish from the lake? It is not close. We could catch and eat them, but it is too far to go and transport them back.
7. The animals in the forest, can they be killed and eaten? Um no. Yes there are many animals in the forest and yes, we would go to jail if we killed one. Almost went to jail for stepping foot into the forest without paying. So that’s a big fat no!
8. What does your “house girl” help you with? Obviously, the simplest things are hard here. We have to walk over 10 minutes one way to get water. Then the jug is about 40ish pounds so it’s tough to carry back. She gets water. She cleans the floors. She kills the spiders, because I HATE those. She pulls weeds in the yard. She helps cook as beans and such can take well over 3 hours. She washes dishes and all of this is literally a full time job. She gets here at 8:00 and leaves around 6:00.
9. How many people attend the church you go to? Is it structured like ours? Probably close to 1,000 people and definitely not. We come in and sing. And then sing. And then sing some more. And after about almost 3 hours of singing the preacher preaches. Then, they give offerings and then they make announcements for what is happening in the village that week. It generally takes about 4 hours. We sit on a bench that is about 5 inches wide with no backs and want to just fall over by the time we leave.
10. How is it going with the language?  Umm…it is going good I would say.  We are both able to express basically all our concerns and communicate about most things with the locals.  However, the difficulty comes when they are the ones initiating the conversation.  It is very difficult to understand them when they start speaking fast.  But, we are getting there and I suspect by the time we’ve been here a year we will be able to understand them much better.  It was also asked if we can understand most of what the preacher says during church.  Umm….this is a definite no.  For those of you who have heard my father preach, I think it is difficult to understand him when he gets worked up and gets going.  The same applies here, but in one of the most difficult languages on earth.  So, that is a resounding NO.  But, give us time…we will get there.
11. Can you have a lengthy conversation with the Rwandans in your village?  I would say yes we can as long as we are the one leading the conversation.  When they are the ones leading, then it gets a little tricky and we have to ask them to speak slowly and repeat what they said many times.
12. Could you please take a picture of a moto?  Ok I am sorry to inform you we have no picture of a moto but just imagine a scooter or for the nicer ones, a street and trail bike.  The one Kageno owns is basically the same as the one I had when I was 14.
13. We would also love to see some pictures of the variety of lotus/orchids in the forest.  On this subject, sorry but we don’t have pics of this as well.  You have to pay to enter the forest and even though we do walk through a portion of it to get to our village, the orchid species is rarely if ever seen on that path.  Looks like you will just have to come visit for yourself to see them…I hear they are amazing!!!
14. How do you keep things cool that really should be refrigerated such as Velveeta and jelly?  Well, I think you would be surprised with how many things can go a long time without refrigeration.  Velveeta has lasted us 4 weeks.  Jelly has lasted much longer than that and is still lasting, eggs seem to be fine a month later and the mayonnaise is still kicking nearly 2 months later.  But in the future we may make a make-shift fridge if we see it is necessary or needed.  You can dig a hole in the ground, place a clay pot inside, fill it with water and it is said to keep things as cool as a refrigerator as long as the pot stays covered in the shade.