CMU/Rwanda Begins 2nd year!!

I'm interrupting Eva and Mathias's trip with the news from today. 

Today

August 26, 2013 

CMU/Rwanda begins the 2nd Year!!

 The first seven pictures were taken at a luncheon
for the students where I first met the new class.  

There are a few from last year pictured here, too....
but most are the new students. 

Lunch is the big meal of the day here. In fact, for most it is the only full meal of the day....

 So you can see that this buffet is being utilized to its full potential!

 And you can see that Rwandans really know how to
build a plate of food.  They start with a 'wall'
around the outside of the plate and build in and up from there.

These guys were great to let me take pictures of
how they built their walls!  

Yes, there are students from Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and America 

in this new class!  CMU/Rwanda is expanding.

Last week there was a dinner held for all the students...

The new class of 2015 and the returning class of 2014 

at Urban Bites downtown.

Just pictures from the evening..  

Students, Staff and faculty are all mixed together!

They closed the restaurant for this private event.

So we had the whole place to ourselves.
You can see the city in the background.

I hope I got everyone in the pictures...

 Hedda in the center is another of our great faculty---
flanked by students old and new.

The cool IT dudes!  Johnson (staff) on left..our IT guru
and our newby IT guy starting this year. 

Profs Tim and Zane taught during Oreintation! 

Cathy taught a computer programing class during orientation.

Don't you just love these smiles?

  A returning student and a new one!
There are 5 girls in this class... so they all have to stick together..
There were 6 in last years class, too! 

Some of the girls in the pictures are spouses and/or girlfriends
and it was nice to have a larger female presence at the party.

The class speaker for the class of 2014 on the left!  

There are 25 in this class... and they represent
Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and the U.S, 

Gasper said this would be his most valuable picture...
one taken with the Director of CMU/Rwanda!
Very sweet comment. 

 Two staffers!  

One student... (with the CMU shirt on) with his girlfriend.

And  Michel, Associate Director with a new student. 

Three new students... class of 2015.

Students, staff and faculty!!

Our Wait Staff... or is it 'Weight' staff... 
Guess it depends on how much we eat!

Fun Guys! 

Old and New classmates!

Flavia and her "son" as she told me...  I did a double take and then finally said he can't be your son.... You couldn't have a little one over the age of 10...
And she explained... It is her husband...  her other son!!!  ha!
Flavia is another of our Staff members at CMU!

Zane discussing things with a new student. 

Shortly after this we ate dinner... 

and during dinner Bruce just said a few words of welcome

to the students and words of thanks to the staff for 

organizing all of the events for orientation

which had taken place over the last three weeks.

Not a great picture because I was behind him when
he was speaking.. But the evening was quite nice
and a very relaxing time for everyone before the grind
starts all over again.

Last year's class had interships all over the country
during "the summer" break.  They have returned with
glowing remarks about all of their experiences..
Many were told that jobs await their expertise
and they couldn't wait until they graduated to get them back.
All in all the Internships that Michel had set up and secured
for the students were terrific opportunities for the CMU/Rwanda
Students.

The first class (the Senior class) is now beginning to understand the big picture of just what an American Master's Degree in CIT
from CMU will afford them in their future.  
They are working hard
and overcoming many obstacles... but they are doing it
by giving it their all.  Their "Heart is in the Work"... Andrew Carnegie quote.

Today... Class #2...
will just begin the journey.  The pioneers of last year have
forged the way for them and they will be great leaders and mentors for them throughout this year.  But the Class of 2015
will have to come to learn all of these things on their own
and develope their thinking and problem solving skills all
by themselves.

We wish them the very best of everything..and
as I told some of the students at the dinner.

DON'T FORGET TO GET SOME SLEEP!!

Here's to 2013-2014 -for the students, staff and faculty!
Keep doing your best... It's showing!

love,
margie 

Sunday and Monday in Kigali!

After Church at Christ's Church Rwanda we headed to Milles Collines for lunch.  This is the famous Hotel Rwanda in the movie

with the same name.

It is a beautiful place now!!  

Great fresh juice and lunch...

And a great band to listen to, too! 

Then after coffee trinken in the late afternoon,
we went to the airport to pick up Bruce..

He came back with a few things--
( some for us but most for the university).
He had been to visit his mom (and family) in Omaha and Rob & Michelle and boys drove out to be with him for a couple of days before
he went to Oklahoma City to speak at the Summit for Rwandan students studying in the US.
 But, it is good to have him back. 

Monday was market day.  A little different
than Market Day in Schools across America.
These are gourds that they convert
into traditional containers.
They are quite large.

Today they were painting them
 before selling.  I believe the
tradition is that every home
must have one of these when someone gets
married to make sure there is always
a place to store the milk. But I do need
to check that out to see if it is correct.  

 So... we entered the market.   Something new and completely different today...  The ladies were braiding hair right inside the entrance to all the African crafts.  See all the unfinished gourds 
hanging above them?

The Potato Crop was in!!!  

And these are some smokin' big SWEET POTATOES!!!
They were sort of "hairy" but I bought one and fixed it
and it really was a sweet potato!!  
Maybe sweet potatoes on steroids!

I didn't take a lot of pictures inside because I've taken so many before but when we came out.. the banana truck had just arrived.

Who eats all these?

I guess some of these folks do!  

 We talked to these little girls....and then took their pictures
and showed them to them...

Lovin' this attitude!!!    They both broke into huge smiles
when they saw themselves in the camera!

 By this time, Mathias had had enough of the crowds
and all the people in the market.  So we headed to the car.
I love the market but sometimes it can be a 
little overwhelming.

Can't believe these cloudy skies!
Looks like a cloudy day in Pittsburgh.

We took off to the Cards from Africa production area.
 They were really making a lot of recycled paper today!
Inside and out they were making paper--drying on the
large glass plates.

It starts like this... Just a bunch of used paper. 

Cut and blended in water. The final 
blending is actually done in a blender...

then laid out on forms and dried a bit...

..and then hung on the large sheets of glass...

and set out to dry.

This is the room full of all the paper that has been
textured and/or dyed to be different colors.
Eva was getting the lowdown.

The dying and drying process.

Then we entered the design room....

where all the little pieces of things cut are
put together in a picture or design.
 Recognize this scene?  They were 
working on a lot of Christmas Cards.

This new design of an Intore Dancer is so great
and this young man was pretty happy to
be its creator.

 And this "African woman" card was a new product.
Intricate patterns with a great result.

Stacks and stacks of cards are being made in this
room that is about 20 x 40 by about 40 young people.

After seeing the showroom.... we went to the room
where all the cards are cataloged and ready to sell

and we went shopping!

A great place for purchasing creative products...

Look for them in a mailbox near you.... soon!

love,
margie