Hello friends, it’s been a few days since I’ve blogged but that does not mean we haven’t been busy or doing exciting things. Today is Friday, March 15 and I just finished an 80 hour module with the level 4 (seniors) physiotherapy students on health service management. That’s right – 80 hours in 10 days! I can honestly tell you that teaching here in Rwanda is a grueling event. An event that should be considered an endurance Olympic sport! In fact, that schedule is the main reason why haven’t been able to blog…, or check emails, or go the bathroom, or eat lunch… But it’s all good… Next week I have no modules to teach! Party time for me!
 |
| Me and the Physio-seniors after our last module! |
I can honestly say I had a wonderful time with the seniors! I even think it made a few friends! In fact, there’s one or two of them who I would love to see come to the states to get their graduate degrees… But, none of them thinks they are capable. That is unfortunate because they are capable and Rwanda would benefit from what they could learn at BGSU! For the most part they were all very engaged and thoughtful learners and they put forth a very good effort to understand and ask questions about the content. I also refreshed and revived several of my dormant lecturing skills – it’s amazing how much of our training as educators in America revolves around integrating technology into the classroom and other “cutting edge” pedagogical methods. The skill it takes to educate someone face-to-face through storytelling and Socratic method is a lost art! Getting back to basics with a blackboard and a podium as your only technology requires you to engage the students in a different way. Perhaps all the technology we have available to us in American universities has made many faculty members lazy. The students here don’t even have textbooks to use – assigning them reading is very difficult. Hmmm? Anyway… Like most students they also tried to get away with as much as they could – and most of their questions were based on some version of, “Will this be on the test?” But that I can handle!
The most difficult thing to deal with – again, was the logistics and distractions. For example, last week during my lectures power went out three times. Just imagine lecturing and in mid-sentence all of the power going out, light shutting off, the PowerPoint going black, everybody just sitting there waiting for it to come back on… It was truly a unique experience. I also realized that I don’t have keys to the department hallway so when I get there before everybody else does its never opened and I just have to sit on the floor outside in the elements and wait one of other faculty members to show up and let me in. So, on the days when on the other faculty members do not have morning class, I can’t start until somebody else gets there. So regardless of how punctual I am I still have to wait to teach until somebody arrives and lets me in. However, the most frustrating thing has been the construction that they’re doing to the rooms directly under my classroom in the dental department. There is a tremendous amount of construction happening and since everything is solid concrete demolishing walls with sledgehammers is extremely loud. It seems that they only get out the sledgehammers and bust down the walls when I’m trying to talk! The echo of that noise – everything being concrete – is incredible. I wish I would’ve brought a recorder to class to record it because there’s no way my description can do it justice. Imagine that you’re trying to talk and several people are right next to you with sledgehammers busting down concrete walls – and you have to try to talk over that – in a situation where it’s already difficult for your listeners to understand you.
A Visitor
The best news is my mother is coming to Rwanda to visit us and she will be here on Tuesday! Of course we are all elated! We have tons of great plans for when grandma arrives. Not only is she bringing with her a suitcase devoted entirely to stuff we need – saving us a ton on shipping, but we have tons of fun planned! For the five day she will be here we have two major events planned? Number one Angie and I are going gorilla trekking at volcanoes national Park. Apparently this is one of the most beautiful places on the planet – and this is been reported to be so not by Rwandan propaganda, but global travelers! Angie and I will be trekking the gorillas and my mom will be taking the boys to see the Golden monkeys in the wild! We would all like to see the gorillas but you must be 16 years old in order to trek gorillas. Apparently it is an extremely grueling trek up the mountainside and they let you stand within a few feet of wild gorillas. After we trek gorillas (and Golden monkeys) we’re going to the beach! That’s right apparently Rwanda also has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – on Lake Kivu! Who knew? We’re going to spin the weekend trekking gorillas and lying around the beach – should be tons of fun. We are all very excited to see grandma!
On other exciting news – the president of the medical commission for the national Olympic and sports committee invited me to do a presentation to physiotherapists, physicians, and sports medicine staff. I will be discussing the role of the sports medicine team in the holistic healthcare of athletes as well as teaching a practical workshop on preventative taping and bracing. I am actually extremely excited about that and look forward to it. It just so happens that March – in America – is national athletic training month. So I will be celebrating national athletic training month by promoting athletic training and sports medicine to the national Olympic committee of Rwanda! I plan on taking lots of pictures and as soon as I have them I will post them on the blog.
I’ve still been collecting quite a few pictures of people carrying stuff on their heads – every day I am surprised by what else I see being carried on someone’s head. There are a few more pictures along those lines.
 |
| Never gets old... great balance |
Other Stuff
Let’s see, what other exciting news is there… I know… Manu the head of department is leaving Rwanda for Canada in a couple weeks. Very exciting news for him and his family, but bad news for us. Manu is a wonderful man and it is obvious from the very short time that I’ve known him he is also a very capable leader, we will miss him! Manu is the one who initially contacted me about this Fulbright scholarship and was the one who I’d worked with for the previous several months organizing the trip, organizing the course modules, helping us get adjusted to Rwanda and the Rwandan teaching culture, etc. Two weeks ago – in preparation for his departure – he turned over his head of department duties to Nuhu. Nuhu is also very capable, but as you all know any change in leadership means changes in lots of other things too. So it will be exciting to see how things evolve and change once Manu is physically gone.
 |
| sorry for the poor quality... Manu is in the center of the pic. Nuhu is at the table... Ann is left of Manu and Baptis is against the back wall. This is a pic of one our famous faculty meetings... |
Nuhu and I have been working on several research projects together… We have two epidemiology studies going on right now looking at the descriptive aspects of sports injuries to Rwandan athletes. There is literally zero research on injury rates, injury types, injury severity, prognosis, etc. and Nuhu is the head physiotherapist for the national Rwandan football (soccer) team so he has access to tons of data! Between the two of us we are collaborating on about eight different studies right now. Ironically, I am here on this Fulbright grant as a teacher only – and not as a researcher, but I can’t turn down the opportunity to help him get some research published.
 |
| Nice chicken... |
The next blog will be after our gorilla trekking and Lake Kivu trip… So we hope to have tons of pictures for you all. In the meantime have a great weekend!
