Birthday Celebrations

On June 11^th I celebrated my 23^rd birthday in Rwanda. Thank you all so much for the birthday emails/calls, they really made my day! 

With my coworker, Yvonne

The day was a pretty “normal” Saturday. I taught my weekly English class to the secondary school teachers, I set up my hammock for the first time (thanks Max!!), and in the evening I invited my boss, my new landlord, my former roommate, and my counterpart for a beer.

The highlight of my day, and the best birthday present I received, happened rather casually. I was sitting with my friends at the bar waiting for order, trying to follow the conversation. At one point someone asked me if I understood what was going on, to which I responded honestly, “a little bit”. As usual, this made everyone laugh.

My boss, a man of few words, looked straight at me and quietly, but certainty, said: “by October you will know everything”. The comment was a huge vote of confidence for me. I’ve been struggling a lot with the language because 1) it’s hard, 2) I generally work well when I receive positive reinforcement, not daily reminders of how fluent the previous volunteer was, and 3) the truth is it is possible (not easy) to communicate in Rwanda with only English/French.

The small comment was just the push I needed. Assurance that someone else here believes in me was just the birthday present I was looking for.