You may remember that The Guardian ranked my Ho Chi Minh Tale blog as one of the world's 50 most powerful blogs in 2006. I intend to surpass that accolade by getting on HuffPo or BuzzFeed. Even though their audiences can't read, it would still be great to be featured on them.
First impressions? Our awesome house is so big that our bedroom, walk-in closet, and master bathroom put together equal our condo in Arlington. When showing a potential housekeeper around, we had to use breadcrumbs to find our way back to the front door. And the views of the hills and city below us are simply stunning. A few people told me that I would love the weather and so far, I am not disappointed. Our region of the country has two rainy seasons and two dry seasons. We are currently in the latter until mid-September and it's about 80-85 degrees for the daily high with a nice breeze. Our house is near "downtown" Kigali, which is a crazy maze of confusing switchback streets on a steep hill. Rwanda is called the land of a thousand hills, and Kigali does not disappoint.
For my first post, I will try to answer some of your most burning questions, like, How are you getting all 80 of your dresses to Rwanda? And, Why is your blog address "GURL in the Mist? Do YOU know how to read?" In answer to the first question, I have sent our army of rather large cockroaches hiding behind the stove and under the fridge in our kitchen off to fetch them and bring them back. Regarding the second, while I am indeed a functional illiterate, sadly, the address I want is not available. And yes, I realize I'm using a lame blogging platform (sorry, Google), but I have no idea how much I will keep up with this, so why put the effort into WordPress or Tumblr? Besides, they are owned by the North Koreans, and who wants that hassle?
You may be surprised to hear that as in many of our postings and travels, I stand out here. I am called "sister." In Vietnam, it was "madame"; in Cambodia: "lady"; in Uzbekistan, well, it's not fit for print what I was called. So, I am fine with "sister." And it beats "mama," which is what some of the older foreign women get.
Many of you have asked about our dog, whom my husband fondly refers to as Turdburgler McSh#tsalot*. For those of you who don't know, the short version of the story is that we have agreed to adopt a dog that another couple couldn't take with them to their next assignment. It turns out that he is probably closer to 10 than to 5 years old and may be a bit more feisty with the bite than we were led to believe (which was not at all). I shall keep you all posted. We will be anxious to see how TM gets along with our gardener and Gnu*, the adorable dog who also lives in our duplex compound with another neighbor.
For now, what am I doing with my days? Toning up my calves on these intense hills in our neighborhood while running, settling into our house, and exploring the city. I will start looking for a job soon enough and when I do, look out, Kigali. I just need to wait for those cockroaches to arrive with my dresses.
You stay classy, USA,
Shannon
*ALL names in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent at their request/directive.
First impressions? Our awesome house is so big that our bedroom, walk-in closet, and master bathroom put together equal our condo in Arlington. When showing a potential housekeeper around, we had to use breadcrumbs to find our way back to the front door. And the views of the hills and city below us are simply stunning. A few people told me that I would love the weather and so far, I am not disappointed. Our region of the country has two rainy seasons and two dry seasons. We are currently in the latter until mid-September and it's about 80-85 degrees for the daily high with a nice breeze. Our house is near "downtown" Kigali, which is a crazy maze of confusing switchback streets on a steep hill. Rwanda is called the land of a thousand hills, and Kigali does not disappoint.
For my first post, I will try to answer some of your most burning questions, like, How are you getting all 80 of your dresses to Rwanda? And, Why is your blog address "GURL in the Mist? Do YOU know how to read?" In answer to the first question, I have sent our army of rather large cockroaches hiding behind the stove and under the fridge in our kitchen off to fetch them and bring them back. Regarding the second, while I am indeed a functional illiterate, sadly, the address I want is not available. And yes, I realize I'm using a lame blogging platform (sorry, Google), but I have no idea how much I will keep up with this, so why put the effort into WordPress or Tumblr? Besides, they are owned by the North Koreans, and who wants that hassle?
You may be surprised to hear that as in many of our postings and travels, I stand out here. I am called "sister." In Vietnam, it was "madame"; in Cambodia: "lady"; in Uzbekistan, well, it's not fit for print what I was called. So, I am fine with "sister." And it beats "mama," which is what some of the older foreign women get.
Many of you have asked about our dog, whom my husband fondly refers to as Turdburgler McSh#tsalot*. For those of you who don't know, the short version of the story is that we have agreed to adopt a dog that another couple couldn't take with them to their next assignment. It turns out that he is probably closer to 10 than to 5 years old and may be a bit more feisty with the bite than we were led to believe (which was not at all). I shall keep you all posted. We will be anxious to see how TM gets along with our gardener and Gnu*, the adorable dog who also lives in our duplex compound with another neighbor.
For now, what am I doing with my days? Toning up my calves on these intense hills in our neighborhood while running, settling into our house, and exploring the city. I will start looking for a job soon enough and when I do, look out, Kigali. I just need to wait for those cockroaches to arrive with my dresses.
You stay classy, USA,
Shannon
*ALL names in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent at their request/directive.
You go gurl!
ReplyDeleteOh Shannon, the dog we just rescued doesn't bite. I wish I could send him over with the herd of cockroaches bringing your dresses, but then the cockroaches would die of scabies and your dresses would never arrive. In other words, yes, your friend the debutante, has scabies.. and not even human scabies. I have dog scabies...unbelievable. My mother is so proud.
ReplyDeleteOh, Leigh, that's terrible!!!! I really wish we could take the dog. I may get them yet since the dogs here are such outdoor dogs and I have been playing a lot with the one who is currently in our yard, Gnu (okay, her real name is the same as a competitive protein bar).. Okay, debutante, god speed with getting rid of them!!
DeleteWow! I'm envious of the weather and the view. The worldwide cockroach delivery service and TM ... not so much. Keep blogging, Misty!
ReplyDeleteWe were going to name our son TM, but seeing as how it would be inappropriate to name him after your dog I guess it is back to the drawing board.
ReplyDeleteHa! Can't wait for him to arrive...I'm sure you can't either...
DeleteSorry I missed the good bye party and we didn't catch up but glad to see I have an outlet to read about your adventures.
ReplyDeleteSpeak soon and write on!