Kigali, December 27, 2013.
This morning I ended the second week of dance workshops with a super enthusiastic group. I arrived in time but for once the dancers were waiting for me. They jumped and lifted as young foals...what they are! Next week we will make the 'Agaciro' movie. Monday we travel with the seven principal dancers to Murambi where we will visit the memorial. For them it's the first time they will be confronted with the genocide atrocities over there. I think it will be very confronting but they absolutely wanted this to be able to dance their role in the movie.
This morning I ended the second week of dance workshops with a super enthusiastic group. I arrived in time but for once the dancers were waiting for me. They jumped and lifted as young foals...what they are! Next week we will make the 'Agaciro' movie. Monday we travel with the seven principal dancers to Murambi where we will visit the memorial. For them it's the first time they will be confronted with the genocide atrocities over there. I think it will be very confronting but they absolutely wanted this to be able to dance their role in the movie.
The last couple of days I miraculously
recovered from flu by dancing it away and the exceptional good health care in
this country. I tell you, Dutchies of the world... you should envy it. Let me
challenge you; on Sunday 8.30 pm we drove to a general practitioner unit a few
streets away, no I didn't had to make an appointment... , and ten minutes later
I sat with a doctor after a nurse had measured my fever and taken my blood
pressure! Instead of talking to a computer screen I was confronted with a human
being who was not afraid of examining me and, at least giving me the
impression, being concerned by my too high blood pressure. Another fifteen
minutes later I got my medicines in again a local 24/24 h. pharmacy, staffed by
a charming lady pharmacist (yes I know... I have that uniform fetish and as in
Africa, black is really black and beautiful, white uniforms have even a bigger
impact on that particular deviation of me).
In this country everyone has a proper medical insurance adapted to
his/her income and as a matter of principle I will not hesitate to declare the
stupid low amount of money I had to pay to my insurance company in NL. So less
than 45', read: forty five, minutes
later I could take my medicines without be confronted with a cumbersome
administration aimed to refrain me from searching for care rather than helping
me to cure a.s.a.p. Since I'm living in the Netherlands I always thought that
'la médecine de la brousse' was better than the Dutch health care... la preuve
est faite!
The next day, despite the worries of my foster
friends I took the way to the Stadium to teach. I tell you, dance teaching in
this condition is not recommended...
sweating like a bullock I gave my class and I hardly reached the seat of
my car afterward. Sometimes it feels right to have your personal car with
driver, this was such a moment! Once at home an ice cold shower and a few 'Mützig
bien tapées' (my favorite local pale lager beer, ice cold too!) in combination
with paracetamol, antibiotics, coughing syrup and a blood lowering medicine
provided a miracle.... I was almost my normal self again.
We have spent Christmas evening at Egide's
favorite aunt's place. If Christmas means family well than I fulfilled all the
modalities with also a visit to Françoise's sister Espé on Christmas Day, since
my last visit married and the proud mom of a very active son... a family
gathering with a fantastic view on Kigali from the terrace, a non disturbed nap
on the luxury coach.
Boxing Day in Kigali hangs somewhere between a
normal working day and a normal working Sunday as busy life never ends here, so
I had my own schedule for the 26th of December. First I attended a meeting in
the old Bourbon Coffee with a film maker of pre-colonial movies. Celestin is
driven and passionate about the history of his country and even plays as a
warrior in his historical movies made to show the well structured society
Rwanda was before the colonial period. We discussed some projects he's involved
in and he will look to find me some cameramen for the dance movie we will
create next week. Meanwhile already one of them confirmed.
I met with Carine K. and we had lunch at one of
my favorite places in Kigali, eating chicken and fries with salad. Mmmmm... a
'Poulet, frites, salade' at 'La Galette, a
German Bakery & Butchery, restaurant, supermarket in the center of
the city, I tell you, heaven is not far
in Kigali for the Belgian who I am, after all.
Heading for home... enjoying the rest of a
peaceful Christmas break.
Rest. La vie est belle!
 |
| Jumps and Lifts class |
 |
| La Galette with Carine K. |
 |
| La Galette |
 |
| La Galette with Carine K. |
 |
| La Galette |
 |
| NouNou's siesta. |
 |
| Christmas at Kigali. |
No comments:
Post a Comment