AIC Coffee!

Great Coffee morning at Edna's with about 60 members of the AIC! 

The Africa International Club!

Natalie and Mary Claire in a discussion.

The sons of new member, Angie!  Fresh from the States!

 Eva and a guest visiting with another member. 

 Coffee and great food and friends!

Baby in the center with two new members,
Clementine and ?  I  have just forgetten the sweet girl on the right. 

Josephine and Ceren.

 Petronilla and Roselyn... another new friend.

 Roselyn and Isabelle
This is Isabelle's last day with us.  She and her husband
 who is a U.S. Marine are heading to Burma.  We will
 miss her and her beautiful shoes!! 

Just before it was time to take off! 
Plates empty, tummies full!

Samilla said the way we are growing so much as a club
that perhaps we should have the next one in the
stadium!   No.... we aren't that big yet!

But we do have a lot of fun together.

Until next month,
love,
margie

The Japanese Ambassdor's Wife's Party

This is Machiko, the Japanese Ambassador's wife and

today... February 13th she heads back to Japan

after being here in Kigali for 3 years.  

This was her going away party!  

She brought this beautiful platter of food
because she said it would be the last time for
her to make food for her friends here! 
That's the kind of person she is.... always thinking of others!

The party was at Baby's place... Her husband is the head of the EU here
and this "porch" is an incredible place for parties!  She had everything
set so perfectly! 

Folks started arriving and many of us hadn't seen each other
since Christmas so there was a lot of noise!

 This is Baby with the little green ball in her hair.. For some reason
it REALLY shows up in pictures! 

 Machiko and Baby... in a serious conversation.



And then this beautiful picture of both of them....
A funny story about Baby... She is very tiny and obviously
beautiful.  (She also attends church were we do.)
When she was in Uganda, she said it was strange.. no
one was "noticing" her... like in Europe. 
She thought something was wrong with her.
 So, finally she asked someone
why that would be....And whoever answered said "Oh... the men won't
notice you here because you aren't fat enough... When you are so
skinny they think you must be doing drugs"... hahahahaha~

So, maybe this is the real reason I like Africa..

Another girl told me this week.. (she is heading back to the States
soon, too) that she dreads going back because she feels so good about
herself and her body image here in Rwanda.  She is very tall and has a great figure...
so i don't know why she'd even think twice about it... but the truth
is if you are "heavier" here people like it.  So, yes, I love it here. Ha!! 

More friends having a chat together!

Emi, was the emcee so she got things started. 

She had her crazy self on!

She was recapping all the fun things that have happened with Machiko.

And then, Emi started doing the dance!  An inside
joke with some of those at the party.

Then the serious thank yous and we'll be missing you thoughts.
And we will miss Machiko! 

The overflow table with even more food that folks had brought. 

Lining up for the international cuisine!

The huge Poinsettia in Baby's backyard.

And now the presentation of a gift and picture cards! 

 Cute pictures of some of her times with AIC on the cards.

Can't really see the pretty silver bracelet... but it was nice.

Sitting at our table towards the end of the party and talking
about old times and funny stories...
my 3 Japanese friends: Machiko, Emi and Kyoko!
Love this picture of them.

This will be a rough year since many of my new
found friends are nearing the end of their time
here in Kigali.  While i am happy for them and
the fact that they get to go home or move on to other
places,  I will miss them here with us.
We have such a great group of friends through the AIC
and it seems to be growing weekly.  We are up to 117
members now... In 2010 there were 20.

So, this charity group continues to provide things for
people in need and it continues to grow more and more
friendships with ladies (and a few guys) from around the world.

Best wishes to you Machiko!
You will be missed!!

love,
margie

Kids at School, Critters and Construction!

This was the day!

Not only are Kofi and Cynthia in school...

but today Patrick joined them.  The kids have exams

after 6th grade and they have to wait to go to school until after 

the results come back.  So... the results are back and Patrick

can finally start this school year.  He is in 7th grade and the other 

two are in 8th!

Check out these hand signs! ha!

 I was so excited for them... but hadn't take into account
how much i would be missing them in the days ahead.  

 Kofi, Cynthia, me and Patrick. I haven't seen them
since the first week in February.
The school only allows visitation days on the 1st sunday of the
month... So it will be March 3rd before we are back together. 

In the meantime, the birds are moving in for 

a new rainy season and I'm back to "shooting" them. 

Popsicle is back.....and in modeling form. 

 She loves to swing on these wild branches.

 Great Form!

And then she came down right before me on the ground where I was
sitting having coffee!  Sweet! 

But as I was sitting there this giant yellow jacket bumblebee started
flying quite close around my head.  It finally got too
close and I knocked it with a paper into the window.
But then i discovered it wasn't a bee at all...
It was a beautiful (?) beetle.... 

 now resting on my pen.... I think i'll find another one to use.

 Down the street right a block and within view of our balcony the former

mayor of Kigali is building a very large house.  It seems it will tower way over

the other houses around us.

One house unfinished, one done and one just begun... but i wasn't looking
at that... i was looking at the sunset.

                        This house is coming.... they have taken down the scaffolding.

Behind us when we moved there was just the house on the far right
and on the far left.
Now there are 3 more coming up and almost done.
The workers have been quite busy and noisy, too!

That's our wall closest and the clothesline.... The empty lot behind us

and across the street are just growing grass and some crops.

I wonder if they will ever build there?  Sure hope it isn't while 

we are here.  I like the privacy! 

Today our Land lady came over because our lease is up! 

It has been one year since Bruce signed the lease.

THAT doesn't seem possible.  

But he made the right decision when he rented this house.  

It has served us well and is a great place to entertain and live. 

So....we will sign the lease for another year...

love,

margie

Romayne and the Braids!

And so... on one of her many trips to Kigali that Romayne has

made from Pittsburgh, THIS was the trip she decided to have her hair braided. 

So Crystal found some ladies to do it for her and Innes drove them over to our house.  

They said it would take about 4 hours....

So with that Romayne sat down on a little cushion on the floor

and the process began at 2:00pm.

All the hair that would be "attached" to her hair 

is lying in each of their laps.  She starts out smiling!  

Decisions, decisions!

They asked me for toothpicks so they could
part the hair and pick up little fine wisps of
Romayne's Mane! 

Th decision was to do 2 braided strands and not 3---to save time. 

 Romayne checking out the tiny braid.

The long braids start to form on her shoulder.

Now you can see them.

This braiders hair is all "braided" too!

They are really starting to form now. 

We are about 2 hours in.....

Moved porches, too... Because the breeze was too
 much on the other side of the house.

Miss Endurance still smiling!

Here is a real close-up!

Can you imagine someone working on your hair like this? 

Actually we were supposed to both get our hair braided but they couldn't find enough 

braiders....I think about now that I am happy about this outcome.  Sitting still this long

would almost be torture!

 Still a lot of hair to go... in about 3 hours now.

Finally starting up the back of her head. 

Stretch break!  Progress is happening.
Romayne only took a couple of these... so she is really smiling
to be up and about!

Wow, from the back it looks awesome
but still a lot to go. 

 Cute picture of everyone... Finally after about 5 hours Romayne gets to
sit in a chair and the ladies start work on the crown. 

Innocent was getting a great view from atop his house.

Our Fiddler on the Roof!

As the girls were working they were amused at their dark skin
against Romayne's white skin.  

So, we took some "black and white" pictures-
in living color!  

Since the women knew hardly any English,
Innocent was our interpreter all day.
But now... it is getting dark.. We are well
past 4 hours and our other guests were at
the house to go out to dinner....

They kept telling us that at 7:30 they'd be done... 

 Then at 7:30 they said 8:00.
Getting a "bang" out it!! 

Looks like a cascade!

                                        ok... so now it will be 8:30...

Nothing like being behind the waterfall! 

Looking good, huh?

Ok...maybe 9:00?

The flashlights are all out and the work is getting harder since
lighting is dim here. 

The ladies are going more fast and furious and I don't know
how... They had to be exhausted, too.

It is almost 9:30 and the last braid is going in! 

Look how long her hair is!!!!!   

And then she had to stand up so the braiders 

coud cut the bottom of her hair. 

It is all done... and she can still stand up!
And the best part is she is
 STILL SMILING
after 7 1/2 hours!!!!


ROMAYNE  YOU WIN
 "THE MOST PATIENT PERSON
I KNOW" AWARD!

THANKS FOR LETTING US "PICK" OUR
WAY THROUGH WITH YOU!

Now the fun begins.. when she heads home to her family and
friends to get their responses!   Go WOW them, Romayne!

love,
margie