Happy 6 Months!

6 months ago today, I left my parents at the airport and met 47 strangers that I would go through the hardest experience in my life with. Sadly, after this week we will be 37 volunteers, but every one of us have been through more than we could imagine. While this was the scariest, biggest leap of faith I have ever taken, so far it has been pretty amazing. I have experienced things that have challenged me, made me cry and pushed me to my limits. I've called my friends and family crying more than once and laughed non-stop about crazy things. To this day, I have killed 2 turkeys, 5 rats, a countless number of spiders and mosquitos and I am hoping when I return home tomorrow another rat will be dead. I've learned enough Kinyarwanda to communicate effectively at the market and to most children and adults I see in my community. I have lived and adapted to a different family and culture and have moved communities twice while in Rwanda. None of these things were easy, but I figured it out. I've learned to solve problems I never thought I'd face and to communicate in ways I never thought I'd need to.

While this 6 month mark is a huge step in my 27 months in Rwanda, it also means I have 21 months to work in my community. This week I had a training with my Rwandan co-teachers and on different projects I can do in my community and I am walking away feeling empowered and motivated to work even harder for the next 21 months. I have so many hopes for my community and how it can grow and become even better. That being said, I need to stay realistic that most of the things I want to start may not be possible or sustainable for my village. There is a saying:

This saying could not be more true. Behavior changes and sustainable projects take time. I may be able to start a fraction of my goals in my community and even when I leave these projects will be passed down to the next volunteer to ensure sustainability or even start the process to create a sustainable project from a simple idea I helped plant at my school. That being said, I have goals and hopes for my next 21 months in Rwanda no matter how big. When I return to my community to begin the long stretch of my service, enjoy a video of my first 6 months in Rwanda!