Couple o' photos

Apologies for the long delay since I last posted. It wasn't because I didn't have the time, although I have been getting steadily busier since my return from London, but because nothing very exciting has happened. Which I suppose is somewhat interesting in itself; it's feeling a lot more like home here, as I build routines and make friends.

Three activities that I've been doing pretty regularly- Ultimate Frisbee on Sunday afternoons, quiz night on Monday nights, and boxing class 1-2 times a week. I've met some cool people at all three, which has been nice. There's a decent expat community here in Kigali- lots of interns/aid workers/volunteers, but also embassy employees and businessmen. (Visitors' tip: the embassy people are the ones with sweet apartments. Go to their parties.)


Work has been going well. This last week I did a one-day training blitz from Gikongoro in the South to Ruhengeri in the North. The picture at the top is one of the volcanoes near the border with Uganda/DRC.

The other pictures are flowers at my house.

Jolly Olde England

I just got back from two awesome weeks crashing with Andrea and Dave in Wimbledon. The best part was obviously hanging out with Georgia Ruth, their brand new daughter, who is an exemplary baby. She has convinced me to drop everything, find a woman, and have one for myself. The Wallaces are just a couple stops away from London, so I went down several times to see the sights, such as the British Museum, filled with glorious, glorious plunder from ancient civilizations:

The Rosetta Stone

And also the Tate Modern, filled with unwashed masses of art students and if-you-don't-like-it-it's-because-you're-not-smart-enough-to-understand-it art.

The plaque next to this one had a complete paragraph talking about how it represented Adam and Eve and something about sex.

In all seriousness, the Tate was pretty sweet. I actually spent more time there than at the British Museum. They have a lot of the cool pop art like Warhol and Liechtenstein, and the weird stuff like Dali. My favorite was this German portrait photographer named Sander who was taking pictures of everyday people in the 30s. Hadn't heard of him before this visit.

I also visited Chipotle.

Other notable places we visited: Hampton Court Palace, where 400 yrs ago this year King James commissioned the first English translation of the Bible. Westminster Abbey for Evensong service. Herrod's to marvel at all the things I'll never be able to afford. Regent Street to marvel at all the things I'll never be fashionable enough to wear. More than a couple pubs. Wimbledon Common. Kingsbridge. Hyde Park. Buckingham Palace.

I'm working on plans for when I can return. It's a super place.