So, I finally confirmed the way to spell my name in the local language, Kinyarwandan. It sounds like MooZoonGoo when you say it, I guess the first U is silent. I also made a map which shows my little corner of the world. You can make it bigger or smaller, zoom in or out, or not. Some of the peaks are not visible in the clouds.
View Larger Map
I have had a picture of Murabura, the mountain peak that is the upper right peak of the chain, on a previous post. Gahinga is the second one as you move counter clockwise. These two are on the border between Rwanda and Uganda.
Over the roof of the house you can see Sabinyo, the third one in the chain which sits on the border with Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
Here's a picture of Sabinyo from the town of Kinigi, due west of Ruhengeri closer to the park boundary.
The peaks are not always clear. Our weather comes in from the east and brings moisture off of the Indian ocean. Clouds form as the moisture rises in elevation to cross the mountains. You get these really cool half-halos around the eastern peaks like rings around Saturn. It's cool to watch some times. The fourth peak, and the first to share the border between Congo and Rwanda is Visoke.
Looking west down are avenue is a nice view of the fifth peak, Mikeno, which lies in Congo. The final peak is Karisimbi which is on the border between Congo and Rwanda.
Living here has been an adjustment and there are many things that help me to realize how great things are back in the states. I read about the economy and the whole world can't stop talking about the election, but there's plenty to be thankful for. Every day that I have been here, I have seen at least one person use a cup to dip water from a puddle, only to pour it into a larger container and take it home. I can never remember a time in my life when I didn't have access to clean water. For the rural communities here, there are many who have never had that luxury. Wow, to think of a simple thing like water as a luxury.
Part of my job here with ISAE and MGVP is to organize and implement various community projects that support agriculture as an economy. That can range from education and extension programs all the way to trying to get a milk processing facility. This past week, anew friend of mine took me to see Roz Carr's orphanage at Imbabazi. The story of Roz Carr is amazing. You should google it when you get the chance. Basically, she was in her 80's when the genocide erupted. As a result, she turned her flower plantation into a home for 102 children left as orphans from the violence. Turns out, it's not technically an orphanage because she has adopted all of them. It's a tremendous legacy. She has recently passed but through the love and support from her dear friends, the facility continues to operate.
These children are mostly teenagers now. Half of them go off to school while there are still over 50 residing at the place. There is a school there and a variety of wonderful opportunities provided by groups around the world like Partner's in Conservation which happens to be based at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio. So how do I fit into all of this? Well, they have a small herd of cattle for the purpose of providing milk for the residents. It's a nice herd of Brown Swiss with a young holstein bull.
The managers of the facility do a great job caring for the children and providing health care and educational opportunities, but they are not comfortable with managing cattle so I am going to consult with them a bit and help the herd meet the goals that they have for it. I am gong to try and utilize this opportunity to make the herd a demonstration project for the local community as well. That way we can get the support of ISAE and hopefully some students from the school. The university is trying to establish the concept of agricultural extension services like we have back in the US and this will hopefully be the first step in that direction. The location is south west of here, off the southern slope of Karisimbi. From the pastures, I could see Nyiragongo, the active volcano in Congo. It's not currently spewing lava, it hasn't for 7 or so years, but in the picture you can see the steam rising out of the crater.
View Larger Map
I have had a picture of Murabura, the mountain peak that is the upper right peak of the chain, on a previous post. Gahinga is the second one as you move counter clockwise. These two are on the border between Rwanda and Uganda.
Over the roof of the house you can see Sabinyo, the third one in the chain which sits on the border with Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
Here's a picture of Sabinyo from the town of Kinigi, due west of Ruhengeri closer to the park boundary.
The peaks are not always clear. Our weather comes in from the east and brings moisture off of the Indian ocean. Clouds form as the moisture rises in elevation to cross the mountains. You get these really cool half-halos around the eastern peaks like rings around Saturn. It's cool to watch some times. The fourth peak, and the first to share the border between Congo and Rwanda is Visoke.
Looking west down are avenue is a nice view of the fifth peak, Mikeno, which lies in Congo. The final peak is Karisimbi which is on the border between Congo and Rwanda.
Living here has been an adjustment and there are many things that help me to realize how great things are back in the states. I read about the economy and the whole world can't stop talking about the election, but there's plenty to be thankful for. Every day that I have been here, I have seen at least one person use a cup to dip water from a puddle, only to pour it into a larger container and take it home. I can never remember a time in my life when I didn't have access to clean water. For the rural communities here, there are many who have never had that luxury. Wow, to think of a simple thing like water as a luxury.
Part of my job here with ISAE and MGVP is to organize and implement various community projects that support agriculture as an economy. That can range from education and extension programs all the way to trying to get a milk processing facility. This past week, anew friend of mine took me to see Roz Carr's orphanage at Imbabazi. The story of Roz Carr is amazing. You should google it when you get the chance. Basically, she was in her 80's when the genocide erupted. As a result, she turned her flower plantation into a home for 102 children left as orphans from the violence. Turns out, it's not technically an orphanage because she has adopted all of them. It's a tremendous legacy. She has recently passed but through the love and support from her dear friends, the facility continues to operate.
These children are mostly teenagers now. Half of them go off to school while there are still over 50 residing at the place. There is a school there and a variety of wonderful opportunities provided by groups around the world like Partner's in Conservation which happens to be based at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio. So how do I fit into all of this? Well, they have a small herd of cattle for the purpose of providing milk for the residents. It's a nice herd of Brown Swiss with a young holstein bull.
The managers of the facility do a great job caring for the children and providing health care and educational opportunities, but they are not comfortable with managing cattle so I am going to consult with them a bit and help the herd meet the goals that they have for it. I am gong to try and utilize this opportunity to make the herd a demonstration project for the local community as well. That way we can get the support of ISAE and hopefully some students from the school. The university is trying to establish the concept of agricultural extension services like we have back in the US and this will hopefully be the first step in that direction. The location is south west of here, off the southern slope of Karisimbi. From the pastures, I could see Nyiragongo, the active volcano in Congo. It's not currently spewing lava, it hasn't for 7 or so years, but in the picture you can see the steam rising out of the crater.
Now, as I promised mom, here are some pictures from where I live. First, is a picture from the street.
The next view is from my room looking towards the kitchen.
Here's one from the kitchen back towards my room and finally, my room. That's for you mom!
