Glass Half Full?

Since there doesn't seem to be a pub open in Italy for me to watch my boy (Nadal) win another Wimbledon title (oh, my aching feet!), I'll update you on my time in Italy.

Upon leaving Denise in London, I hopped a flight to Tuscany. Yes, there was a LOT of time under the Tuscan sun (I am super tan)!

Since it is harder to get around Italy than Africa (and seemingly less English speakers), upon arrival on a Sunday I had to spend the night in Pisa. I've seen the Leaning Tower before, so I wasn't overly thrilled about the idea, but I stayed at a lovely spot with cool 300+ year-old stained glass windows and yummy pizza and lemoncello nearby.

I also oddly met a couple of girls from Temple at the guesthouse-- strange to meet someone from Bristol, PA in Pisa!

As you can imagine, it wasn't quite the same without Kerry here to take my picture holding up the Leaning Tower, but I tried to make the best of it ;-)

Since I'd already been to the limited sites of Pisa, I did spend some time watching Italy v. New Zealand with the locals in the square (and eating gelato, of course)--- if they knew what was to come they probably would have been more upset with that tie.

The next morning I was ready to make the trek to Castello di Potentino, the vineyard I would be working at for the next couple weeks.

The vineyard is outside of Seggiano, not exactly on the Tuscan tourist route since it required a train ride to Grosseto, a bus to Castel del Piano and a short drive to the vineyard. I didn't quite know about the drive part, so when I arrived during siesta and asked someone for a taxi they laughed and said the town had no taxis (oops!).

The hours of travel were certainly worth it once I arrived in the beautiful, unspoiled Tuscan countryside and Castello di Potentino.

Home for the next few weeks- a castle dating from 1042 where Saint Catherine of Siena was once a guest. Yes, me and Saint Catherine!

Castle living ain't so bad! The views from every window were amazing and it was SO quiet (except for our cabaret night). At night all I could hear from the bedroom was the sound of a waterfall from the nearby river.

There were all sorts of outdoor spaces to just sit and stare off into the distance at the tiny towns atop the hills (Seggiano being the one we would hike to for World Cup watching at Caffe 60 with the old Italian men) and the vines and olive trees all over the place.

Apparently the castle was in complete disrepair until a British family, the Greene's, purchased it in 1989. Restoration was complete in 2000 and they've been producing wine and olive oil ever since (they had made wine at their former property in Tuscany). It was fascinating to hear the stories from the ladies of the house-- Sally Greene and her daughter, Charlotte Horton.

Sally, who is married to Graham Greene (a successful British publisher and nephew of THE Graham Greene), grew up in the oldest house in England (1066, the Battle of Hastings!). I loved hearing her childhood stories about the governess, riding side saddle, etc.--- it all sounded like a Jane Austen novel.

Sally also spent time living in East Germany with her former husband who was the Reuters correspondent. She's led a fascinating life, from what she can remember, and is a lovely, charming woman.

We learned a lot about each other (Sally, Charlotte and the seven other volunteers, three of whom are from the Philly area as well-- all these Philly people in Tuscany?) over the long lunches and dinners we prepared as a group. I was mostly an assistant, but I did make polenta all by myself and it was yummy. The food was delish- it is incredible what you can do with fresh veggies/herbs and some olive oil.

Just a few ingredients made for the most scrumptious meals. In fact, one such ingredient was stinging nettles! Yes, they sting!!! I can't say I enjoyed our 2-hour foraging session in my impractical outfit (flip flops and dress), but the walk/wade back through the river when we got a little confused (aka lost) was pretty hilarious.

I did feel I needed to stick up for America at times with the Brits (you know how they can be a little superior at times) but all in all it was really very pleasant. One thing I did learn is that the Brits think "sure" is a very rude response when asked a question that could be answered with a "yes, please" or "no, thanks"--- I must say, when you think about it maybe it is a little rude?

Of course, to answer my own question--- yes, the glass was almost always full. We drank a lot of their Etruscan wine, which is made by foot (I so want to do that in the fall!). It was really nice, and since it has NOTHING (aka sulfites) in it, never was there a headache to follow :-)

Of course, we had to work to get all this great food and wine...

Each day we woke early to start work in the vineyard at 6am, before it got too hot. Perhaps obvious to most-- working in a vineyard for 7 hours a day is tough work (made a little easier by listenting to opera or singing full volume to cheesy music on my iPod). For a few days we trained the vines, which basically means tucking the stray wines between the wires so they grow straight. My arms were super achy from holding them up all day, but that was nothing compared to task 2!

For days upon days all we did was weed around the bases of hundred of rows of vines. After my calves hurt from crouching I leaned over, until my back hurt. Next position- bum, until that hurt from sitting on the rocky and weedy ground. Arms covered in scratches and the start of a nice glove tan, at the end of the day I was exhausted. Wine, please!

Mission accomplished- I have a much better appreciation for wine. I will never drink it again without my back hurting! ;-)

Working in Rwanda

I've been in Kigali, Rwanda for about 2 weeks now, volunteering with a local organization, Faith Victory Association.

Upon arrival at 1am from Nairobi, I met a Canadian woman, Devon, who reminds me so much of Piper Goodspeed. It's been great rooming with someone that seems so familiar and delightful.

In the morning we joined the other volunteers, Amy and Jonny from England and Daniel from Singapore/Germany/USC, for orientation.

No surprise, the orientation was heavy-- giving us a good overview of Kigali, our volunteer assignments and the 1994 genocide when over 1 million Rwandans were killed, including the families of many of those we are working alongside.

Following orientation we drove to the city center for lunch (they eat the same thing for EVERY meal- no more rice or french fries please!) and a visit to the Kigali Memorial Center.

The Memorial Center is quite moving and informative. I learned a lot--- I didn't realize how easily the genocide could have been prevented as there were killings starting as early as 1990. I also had no idea that the French were (knowingly) involved in arming the hardliners that would later commit the murders. The genocide was well planned with lists of Tutsis to target and where they could be found. So many signs that the international community chose to ignore since there were no interests in this small African nation.

The unrest all stemmed from Belgian colonial rule when they divided Rwandans into tribes- Hutu and Tutsi. Until then, Rwandans had been living peacefully together with no distinction between groups. In just a short 30-year rule, Belgium certainly did a lot of damage.

As you might suspect, the memorial had mass graves, skulls, clothing and pictures of the victims. There is also a wall with an incomplete list of the victims where you see whole families listed (it is incomplete since they are still finding human remains).

However, the real tear jerker is the room dedicated to children. There are a ton of pictures of kids killed with a list of their favorite drinks, sport, friend, last words and/or cause of death.

For example, the picture of Francine stated that her favorite sport was swimming (yes, that got to me), she liked eggs and chips with milk or Fanta tropical and was hacked to death by a machete. A 2-year old Eillette was smashed against a wall and a 4-year old Ariane was stabbed in her eyes and head. It is horrific to think that people could be so heartless. Needless to say, many tears were shed!

Having read a few books on the genocide before arriving, and recalling pictures and the movie Hotel Rwanda, it is hard not to picture the devastation of 15 years ago while looking out over the beautiful green hills of Kigali

Speaking of Hotel Rwanda, over our first weekend break, we stopped for a drink at the Hotel Mille Collines, the site where so many people were kept safe.

The story of this hotel seems to be a little different in Rwanda, as noted by a complete lack of acknowledgement in the Memorial. The locals claim that the heroic hotel manager was less that altruistic, charging people to stay and kicking people out of hotel rooms in favor of those with more money. Either way people were protected, but maybe the facts are a little less Hollywood than we've been led to believe. Regardless, I quite enjoyed the pool!

Rwanda really is a beautiful country. Very different from the other African countries I have visited--- cleaner, paved roads, well landscaped and orderly. Kigali is extremely hilly, with red dirt, jungle like vegetation and terracotta roofs dotting the hillsides. It also feels much safer, perhaps due to the quantity of guards on the streets with AK47s?

It is also really easy to get around- just 180 Francs (less than 40 cents) for a bus into town. Getting into town is pretty easy, crammed into a mini bus, but leaving town is a little more of an adventure--- there is so much pushing and shoving you can't help but laugh it's so ridiculous (sure the locals thought us "Muzungus" (white people) were crazy).

On weekdays I am working. I was supposed to be helping women start small businesses, but in fact I don't see the women much. Instead I am working with kids at a before and after school program.

The kids range from 7 to probably 15-years old and are really cute and heartbreaking all at the same time.

We've covered all sorts of daily topics including shapes, body, World Cup, weather, etc. We've had good fun making play dough (which all turned green when they mixed up the colors), paper snowflakes, paper plate masks, and playing Twister, musical chairs, hot potato, duck/duck/goose, tic tac toe and lots of football (soccer).

Despite the fact that they speak very little English and my Kinyurwanda is limited (to say the least), it isn't so hard to communicate.

The cute part is obvious, but the heartbreaking part becomes evident pretty quickly as well.

One problem- school in Rwanda is not free, so not everyone can afford to go to school. The saddest part- it is only $100 a year to send a kid to school. I'll be sponsoring a kid for sure!

Then you have a smart little boy Rodrique who asked me what a bed was- I guess he had never seen one.

Alfonse is the one that makes me the saddest (picture with me). His mom has AIDS and is in the hospital suffering from TB, unlikely to make it. Right now 11-year old Alfonse is taking care of himself and his 12-year old mentally challenged brother all alone. He is around a lot, so we've spent a lot of time together and he is so starved for some affection- it breaks your heart!

On the plus side, many do have both parents. While poor, they seem to enjoy the time they spend with us and learn a little. They LOVE to see themselves in pictures, as you can probably tell by them hamming it up for the camera--- Aline, Emmanuel and Ami (L to R) are among the cutest of the bunch and are often attached to some part of me.

Rwanda isn't exactly what I imagined it would be, but it's been a great experience.