visiting Prez and mandatory meetings

Hi all! Just a quick update on how things are going this week, and random related thoughts! I am hopelessly behind in email so if I owe you one, I apologize....I will try to get to it as soon as I can.

Melene and I arrived back in Kigali on Tuesday and hit major traffic snarls on our way into town. Come to find out, the President (as in, George W) and his wife were visiting Rwanda for the day. We knew they were coming, we just weren't sure which day, and since we were in Kibogora all last week, we were extra in-the-dark. Anyhow. The Bushes just completed a five-nation tour of Africa, and they were very well-received here (and safely received, as well...I have never seen such a high ratio of policeman to street corners, ever). I heard from Becca, who's friends with the wife of a US Embassy official, that in addition to AirForce One, another plane accompanied the President and his wife around Africa, carrying all the vehicles of their entourage as well as a fleet of secret service agents and guard dogs. The guard dogs arrived here on Monday, apparently, and did quite well overnight in the Novotel. In case you were wondering.

That evening we eagerly watched CNN for presidential coverage in Rwanda...surely there would be at least a little clip of Bush outside the new Embassy, or shaking hands with Kigalians, or something like that. Sure enough, a few minutes into the broadcast, President Bush appeared on the screen, in Kagame's administrative chambers, sandwiched between two Rwandan flags, talking about.....Castro. Of all the days for the dictator to step down, he had to pick the same day that Bush visited Kigali. :) Ah, well. There's always next time. Oh, wait....

At any rate! That was Tuesday. The rest of the week has been a whirlwind; my focus here has shifted for the moment, from newborn health to overall child survival, and I'll explain why and how, etc., the next time I write. I am very busy with some new work, though (which hopefully will clear the way for me to return to newborn health....we'll see). I'm loving what I'm doing, though, and although I often feel in over my head I'm learning so much every day. It's crazy and fun! I have some good friends at home to thank for keeping me grounded...you're the best. :)

Friday a fun thing happened: at about 1:00 pm I got an email that said, "Did you hear about this afternoon?" from one of the WR staff people. I thought for a minute, in case I had actually heard whatever it was, but had forgotten I'd heard (does anyone else do this??). But I finally concluded that no, I hadn't heard anything about the afternoon. I responded as such.

Well, it turns out that everyone was being told to close down shop for the afternoon---like, the whole city---and all Rwandan citizens were to report to the city stadium at 2 pm for a logistics meeting about new identity cards, driver's licenses, and the upcoming elections (not for President, but for his government). Wow! An afternoon off! And with no advance notice whatsoever!! Apparently the news had been circulated late in the morning.

(In case you're wondering, I didn't go home....too much work to do! But it was a nice thought.)

I'll post this while I still have a strong internet connection. Talk to you again soon!