Back in town!

After a great holiday in Uganda, Kigali is now our new home...

On Monday we went up to the CHUK (Kigali University Hospital) to introduce ourselves to the direction (handing in our letter, socializing a little bit, you know 'the African way' ;-) And then we had to go to the other side of town to go to Muhima, ie the district hopital where the Center of Gynaecology and Obstetrics is that's part of the University Hospital. There we talked to the secretary -socializing once more- and through her the Head of Department told us to come back the next day at 7 am for the staff meeting.
So then we had the time to take care of our Multiple Entry Visum! (once the travelling vibe has gotten into you... As Mu said: Congo and Burundi here we come!) So up to the Immigration Office (socialize, socialize... ;-)) to hand in our passport and motivational letter for a ME visum, and suprisingly he told us we could go and pay in the Revenue Authority (other side of town, once more -paying in the same place wouldn't be logical, now would it??) right away, and that our visum would be ready in the afternoon! (normally you would have to wait for approval and come back at least one day later, but I don't know, maybe they like us, maybe we're just lucky,... anyway we always manage to get what we want here in Rwanda! -At the end we might just become religious! (almost, that is... ;-))
So up to the Revenue Authority to pay, then a coffee, some internet and there it was, our ME Visum, our ticket to all the neighbouring countries!

So where do we live: in Rue du Progres number 16A, with Jane (she's Rwandese, lived in Uganda, so speaks perfect English -with a cute accent of course-, works as an accountant for the VVOB -Flemish Organisation for Developmental Aid; office just across the street-, and she's the sweetest, we have loads of fun together!) and Jonas (our guard, 22y old, very kind and helpfull (don't try cooking yourself, he'll take over right away!), unfortunately only got to finish the 3rd year of Secondary School, is earning money for himself and his family so that his brothers and sisters get the opportunity to study in school...). So a cosy home, lovely people (also friends and family of Jane that drop by, like her 13y old son that lives with his aunt in Uganda -better job opportunities for Jane here in Rwanda (she is a single, working mother) and better education for her son in Uganda, is what she told me)

Tuesday, 7am -we were there, but the rest came dripping in around 7.15am-, staff, then 'tour de salle' with Dr John -not really our type, so a little bit dissapointed on our first day, really only just getting used to the bigger hospital, with a lot of docters, missing our Congolese crew in Kabutare of course, so maybe that really was the reason-, but we met Aline, 6th year student at ULB in Belgium -really nice girl- and she showed us around the hospital.
And later in the afternoon we went to organise our Gorilla trip (!!) for Tuesday -first of May-, and yes, we got it, half price! -don't ask us how we do it, it just comes naturally, haha :-)
And at night, Champions League on Big screen, great match, wasn't it?!

Wednesday getting up at 6 am -daim, we're tired-, staff, then OR and delivery room (busy busy, assisting in 2 cesarians right away, and Mu assisting in about 7 deliveries; yeah, it is a 'baby factory' as they call it here in Rwanda!), friendly staff and docters, getting to know the people -we'll fit in, that's for sure. A busy day!

Thursday and Friday -thanks to Do & Phil, who went up to the TRAC centre (Treatment and Research AIDS Centre) here in Kigali to ask about upcoming seminars- we got the opportunity to attend the 'Consultative meeting on Infant and Child Nutrition in the context of HIV in Rwanda', organised by TRAC and sponsored by Unicef in the Novotel Hotel in Kigali. So we got recent info on Nutrition Recommendations for children of HIV + and - mothers (report by TRAC on the situation in Rwanda, experiences from neighbouring countries) and we actively participated (!) in formulating recommendations for the future... Really the first time to attend an official meeting like this (with representatives of UNAIDS, WFP, UNICEF, the Rwandese Ministery,...) and we learned a lot!

Quite a first week!
So yesterday we allowed ourselves to sit down, have some drinks (a little bit to much, as we noticed this morning! Ouch, my head; sooo not used to alcohol anymore!), and this weekend is going to be a lazy weekend (with massage in the Novotel on Sunday, offered to us by Phil and Do for Mu's and mine -yet to come- 25th birthday!)

Big hug for all of you,
Mutja

PS: new photo's are being put on!