Photos

"Life is like a camera. Focus on what's important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don't work out, just take another shot."
– unknown

I've never been much of a photographer, but a number of people have asked for pictures from my time here. Below are some glimpses from this year. Not every photograph featured here was taken by me. They are posted here more or less chronologically, with the older ones at the bottom, and this page will be updated regularly.

We watched the sun set over Lake Bunyonyi from atop one of the hilltops. The view was incredible!

The equator passes through Uganda. The only thing to do there was take a picture.

This is Belinda and her baby doll, aka mandatory ethnic baby picture.

A lion. It looked like a stuffed animal.

The six of us spent a few days in Uganda, at Queen Elizabeth National Park (safari) and at Lake Bunyonyi. This picture was taken soon after crossing the border to Uganda. 

A mountain gorilla with one of its kinderlach. There are only about 700 remaining mountain gorillas in the world, nearly half of which live in the Virunga Mountains, at the intersection of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mountain gorillas and humans share about 96% of their DNA, a fact somewhat apparent when one sees how "human" they look and behave. [Note: I couldn't find any pictures of gorillas from my trek. This photo was taken by Arielle Sokoloff, another volunteer, during her expedition.] 

During one of my breaks, my friend Sigal came to visit. We spent a day trekking mountain gorillas in the Virunga Mountains. It took about 3 hours before we found any.

A giraffe from Akagera national park. We couldn't get too close, as its kick can kill you. I have also heard that giraffes can bend their legs in every direction, but google has provided me with no official information to support this claim.

July 4th is both America's Independence Day and Rwanda's Liberation Day (marking the end of the genocide in '94). The volunteers put on a skit to teach the kids about America's path to independence. I played a British soldier who, though having fought gallantly, was defeated by the American militia....

I walked into the ASYV library one afternoon and found Eugene, one of my James Watt boys, reading The Iliad. I would estimate his chances of understanding it as minimal, even if his smile indicates otherwise....

Sharon, Maxim, and Frank preparing a rebuttal during one of the debates.

Maxim, one of our star debaters, arguing passionately for the need for Rwanda to reform its education system. Other debate topics have included gender equality, social media's contribution to democracy, whether South Sudan should be admitted to the economic bloc of the East African Community, and the role of Swahili in East Africa. 

In May, I went with the Agahozo-Shalom debate team to a regional competition in Kampala, Uganda. The team works tirelessly, sometimes into the night, researching and practicing. And even when they get eliminated during a competition, they show up to every subsequent match, taking notes and learning from their rivals. My involvement with the team is one of the most inspiring and rewarding parts of my experience here.

A cheap and exciting way to get around Kigali, and Rwanda, is by moto. Every time it turns a corner, I feel like I am going to fall off. During my spare time, I sometimes ride motos for fun. 

Four of the volunteers at the village, myself included, are part of the JDC Global Jewish Service Corps fellowship. In the middle of the year, the four of us were flown to Israel to engage in a midyear seminar with the other fellows from around the world. We had the privilege and honor to meet with Ralph Goldman, the Honorary Executive Vice President of the JDC who seemed to be somewhat involved in practically every global Jewish concern of the past century. Speaking to him was one of the highlights of my trip, as I left with a refreshed passion and concern for my brethren around the globe. Ralph (we are on a first name basis) celebrated his 100th birthday this year, making him as old as the JDC itself. 

Every night before bedtime, each family returns to their house for Family Time. The hour can be spent in a variety of ways, with the aim being to grow, think, have fun, and feel like a family. We have played games, gone on scavenger hunts, watched movies, and had family discussions, among a host of other activities. 

My family a few months into the year. Note the contrast in their expressions between this photo and the one from the day they arrived. By this point, we were known as the James Watt family, named after the kids' role model.

During rainy season, I sometimes wake up to a river outside my front door. 

Twice a month, the entire Informal Education staff gets up early for a morning of working out and sports. Physical activity is somewhat more challenging in Rwanda due to the altitude.

Twice a week, I lead the Carpentry enrichment program. Here are Darius, Emmanuel, and Thelesphore building a shoe rack.

My house at the village, for the greater part of the year, has been prone to plumbing issues. I climbed on the roof to try to realign the pipes, but mostly ended up covered in bird feces....

Some first-year students during one of my English enrichment classes. The first few weeks at the village focused on intense English immersion programming. Throughout their four years at the village, the kids study English, French, and Kinyarwanda. The goal is that, by graduation, they will be fluent in all three, ready for university and/or the workforce.

After almost two weeks in Rwanda, I finally met my new family for the year. They came from all corners of the country. At the beginning, most were either scared or confused. Few spoke English. It is truly amazing to see how much they've grown in such a short amount of time! 

Within my first few weeks of arrival, I found myself at a Rwandan wedding in Kigali. Celine, the bride, is the Director of Human Resources at Agahozo-Shalom. Part of traditional Rwandan weddings involves negotiations between the two families as to how much livestock will be exchanged. In Celine's case, the negotiations took much longer than I had anticipated....

Our first day in Rwanda was spent in Kigali with some fellow ASYV staff members. Two students, Jackie and Paci, surprised us as well.

Rwanda security does a pretty thorough job inspecting luggage, and sometimes items find themselves in the wrong bag. In my case, my luggage was sealed with someone else's lock. We needed a pliers to access my belongings.