Saturday July 24, 2010 - Welcome to Rwanda

Saturday July 24, 2010 - Welcome to Rwanda

Saturday morning, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I can’t hear traffic anywhere! My night has been spent in a small bedroom attached to a small house on the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project compound where Jan Ramer, the main on-site veterinary advisor, lives. Jan and I have been friends for a long time so we sit in our pyjamas in her lounge, which is decorated in African fabrics and local products, and drink and eat toast (real toast made from bread baked by Leon, the cook). What a pleasure!

The MGVP compound is a walled plot in a Ruhengeri suburb (actually the name of the town has been changed recently but I don’t know the new name. I was told they are changing the names of many of the places where a lot of genocides took place) with a central U-shaped single story building around a garden courtyard. There is a lab, offices, and a residence with kitchen and lounge where a vet student, a vet technician student, and one of the contract partners are currently living. Plus 5 dogs, including 2 puppies, one cripple in a doggie wheel-chair, and one dog that mostly likes whites but has a tendency to bite people in the butt. The outer area of the plot has several small buildings, including Jan’s tiny house, and some pretty gardens. It is a lovely spot to be parked for a while. Wireless internet and all! I’m sitting drinking tea in the courtyard, catching up on some email, trying to get this blog updated, and waiting for Jan and Mike to finish staff meetings so the grand trimming session can commence. I’m not in any hurry, this is much more pleasant than slicing bits of formalin infused gorilla bits.