This morning began with our last speech therapy appointment. A “day care for children with special needs”. We had no idea what we were walking into (a familiar tune for this trip) – a physical therapy rehabilitation center for children with motor disabilities. Some come for sessions with their family during the week and are seen on the upper floors in a well equipped physical therapy clinic. Downstairs was the “day care”, which is actually an overnight program where students come and stay at the center for intensive therapy. The youngest in this program was 2, the oldest was 5. This is where we spent most of our time, but they did bring children down from upstairs to meet with us as well. The stories of the progress these children have made were fantastic! Some came not feeding themselves, not holding their heads up… and many of the children are walking with assistance in less than 3 months! The staff was desperate for training, and many sat and watched as we played with the kids and practiced sound imitations. We also did a lot of training on picture exchange systems so they can begin communicating more effectively with the students. The lead physical therapist seemed very excited to begin working with the students … those children are so lucky to have that center!
This evening, at the recommendation of fellow Mzungu Jaime, all four of us went to a new “fast food” chain here in Rwanda called “Mr. Chips”. It was an easy sell to Roger, all we had to do was share the news that they had good fish and chips – something he’s been hunting for. Now, “fast food” is not something you find here in Rwanda, because Rwanda doesn’t move fast. Remember that “Rwandan time” we referred to before? Yeah, EVERYTHING moves on “Rwandan time” … Kelly and I joke that when we are running late somewhere back in the states, we’re just going to claim we’re stuck on “Rwandan time” as a legit excuse J Upon arriving we discovered our first obstacle … parking. We did find a space in the lot for the travel agency school next door, and walked the short trek to this small building that closely resembled a Coca-Cola box. Fun fact: many building get free paint jobs here by allowing companies to paint their logos on the outside … so there are many Coca-cola, Tigo and Sadolin buildings. Inside we were greeted by a friendly Mzungu that Kelly and I instantly recognized – he’d been in front of us in line at the local butcher earlier today! He recognized us too – he’d waited for us (the only other Mzungus in the place) to go to check out before jumping ahead of us and leaving a business card at the register, hoping we’d try his eatery. Haha! Us Mzungus have to stick together J We quickly placed our order – 3 fish and chips and 1 burger and chips. A “meal” included the meat, chips (French fries) and a soda for 2000 rwf (~$3). Paul (the owner) chatted with Roger about how he got started, his vision for the place and his experiences so far. It was wonderful to see someone who was truly passionate about what he was doing! And so far, it’s working out well for him! Seating is tight, but the place wasn’t very full. Paul says lunch time is very packed, as there is a bus stop right near the restaurant and it is located right off a busy roundabout. The food arrived promptly and we all enjoyed every bit of it. The tartar sauce and ketchup were made from scratch and were quite good, the chips lightly seasoned, good fish in a light batter and real cheese on the burger (cheese is a difficult thing here…). As we were finishing our meals, Paul came by to let us try his fried chicken. Again, very good! Slightly spiced batter and juicy chicken inside – Mmmm! Two thumbs up from 3 Mzungus and a Rwandan – keep up the good work Paul!
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| Paul, the owner and creator of "Mr. Chips" |
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| Enjoying out bottled soda and yummy fast food! |
Only 2 days left... we can't believe it!
- Tara and Kelly
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