Day 12: Signs, Signs, Everywhere Are Signs.

Kitabi, Rwanda – Today is just another (chilly) work day in Kitabi, though it's the first day I've had reliable Internet access (hello, photo upload).

As systems are not as developed as I'm accustomed to, things can take a lot longer to accomplish. Case in point: Jethro had to return to Kigali today just to transfer money from his FRw account to his USD account, which are at the same bank. Yes, that's a three-hour drive away. Not only that, he is going to have cross the street to another bank in order to first exchange the currency, before returning to his bank. Sound complicated? It can be.

People who know me are aware of the small enjoyment I get from signs, products and other forms of marketing that offer some form of double entendre, or a funny inconsistency. In visiting countries where English is not the primary language, these are not uncommon occurrences. Here are a couple I’ve seen thus far.

Throughout the country, you can find several places to get your hair cut on every block. Many Rwandans take their hair pretty seriously and it's a business that seems to have flourished in cities and rural communities alike.

Throughout the country, too, you see signs like the one above and the one to the right, advertising "saloons". It’s a place to get your hair cut, not a place to enjoy intoxicants with your friends. Frankly, if you’re involved in the latter, please keep the scissors away. When I first got here, I had begun to wonder if they had all just used the same sign maker. While many list the traditionally proper "salon", I gather from the prevalence throughout Rwanda that these instead merely reflect a regional morphology of the language. It makes me chuckle just the same.

Given its mountainous topography, Rwanda is not the warmest African nation. That said, it’s certainly not what one would normally refer to as cold – particularly for someone coming from Canada. As such, I found it quite humorous that this Coke ad describes the “Brr Season”. And yes, that is an African Santa Claus. As well as another “Saloon” beneath it.

Last night, I wasn't sure if I should be reassured or alarmed when I discovered that my bottle of "pure" water had a best before date. Of less than a year from now.

While not a sign, I got a particularly good laugh at the expense of a reporter I heard on BBC Africa while driving through Nyungwe. I kid you not, he actually asked his interviewee, as a follow-up question: “So, what’s up with that?”

So?

Yes, I am the Foreigner in the Group, Thanks.

Cyangugu, Rwanda – In anticipation of the start of more formal work at a team retreat that begins tomorrow, we arrived in time to meet with KCCEM staff for dinner at the La Petite Colline Restaurant. Located on the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cyangugu is also on the shore of Lake Kivu.

Dinner was comprised of chicken, two enormous whole tilapia, rice, peas and chips. There I was, trying to be all polite by removing the tough chicken from the breast bone with my fork and knife. The woman who runs the restaurant came over, reached into the giant platter of chicken and scooped one out for me she figured I could handle: a drumstick.

I immediately started using my hands as everyone around me had been doing.

It’s a Small World, After All.

Kigali, Rwanda – Funny story: so there we are, sitting at the Karibu restaurant in downtown Kigali. Apparently, it’s an extremely popular spot for lunch among locals and foreigners alike, feeding approximately 1,000 people a day. Think Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Africa edition.

I’m enjoying the nice buffet with a full plate (in Rwanda, one serving only, please) of fried cauliflower, beef, carrot salad, fried plantains, spaghetti and a few other things, wondering if the clouds that hang over the city are going to bear rain. And something on the television in the corner of the restaurant catches my attention.

The programme features interviews with researchers speaking about tornadoes, hurricanes and extreme winds. Seems basic enough until I realize it’s a programme I’ve helped BBC and Discovery Channel pull together that includes researchers involved with the “Three Little Pigs” project at The University of Western Ontario.

And that I’m in it.