Rwanda Journal

1/21/05 to 2/6/05

January 21

7:10 EST Saw Al Roker at the airport. I had a really hectic day. I was a little scared going because I was concerned about the printer, but I really cannot worry about it (was not able to test). I will just do my best I can. It astounds me the devastation of the genocide. In Philip Gourevitch's book, "We Wish To Inform You That Tommorow We Will Be Killed With Our Families," neighbors killed neighbors, doctors killed patients, school teachers killed children - horrifying.

January 22

(Somewhere over Africa) asked the stewardess (Benedict) if I can charge my computer - she let me sit in Business class. I was really lucky though - both legs I had rows to myself and my vegetarian meal New York to Brussels was good. Met a woman from International Relief Fund. She is on her way to DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). She gave me some insight into Rwandan culture.

(8:30 pm Kigali time) got off airplane in Kigali, walked downstairs onto the tarmac, helped a French nun with her bag. I read a book on Rwandan phrases on the plane. I learned that hello is "muraho" and thank you is "murakoze". Anyway, when I got to my point in line entering the country, I said "muraho" to the customs agent and he started speaking to me in Kinyarandan!!! I quickly put a stop to that! Went downstairs to baggage claim - by the way no AC and bathroom did not have running water. Got my luggage rather quickly - had someone help me. When I was x-raying my luggage the customs agent noticed the printer box and wanted me to pay tax on it - Dr. Anastos hereby referred to as Kathy intervened and Monday we will pickup printer at airport. By the way, Felicity, Kathy's friend, has a cousin who is a police officer - he came over to me and said, "are you Zive". I said yes and got nervous for a minute b/c I was bringing in drugs without an official letter. We walk to parking lot and there were two 2 Toyotas waiting we drive to the house - the house is very nice - I unpacked, neatly I might add and sat down and spoke with Hanako (a researcher from Chicago) and Kathy. I made it till about 11:30, put the mosquito net over me, took my Ambien first and went to bed.

January 23

Woke up without the mosquito net over me - oops. Got up and tried to go outside - door locked. Isaak one of our security guys who was washing to care could not find the key - did my leg exercises and when Hanako woke up she found the key I went outside, walked around the back of the house and notice a shower in the back - for the servants. They would never use the inside shower!! Kathy woke up, made me tea and then myself, Hanako and Kathy talked till about 11 a.m. We then got ready and walked to the Intercontinental Hotel for breakfast. We walked up steep hills and passed President Kagame's house and the Chinese Embassy. We got to the Intercontinental and it was luxurious. We had breakfast of baguettes and goat cheese with tomato, lettuce and cucumber - delicious! We then walked past a French book store, clinic and started walking toward the Novotel. People are very friendly we say "maraho" and "bonjour" a lot. Before we get to the part of the city where local people live we stop by the "Hotel des Mille Collines" aka "Hotel Rwanda" very interesting. After we leave the hotel, we start walking and we decide to take a dirt road. Kathy meets this guy named Teddy and he takes us into the heart of local housing! I see goats, chickens and a man in front of his shanty. We also take pictures of children - I hand out tootsie pops to them and they eagerly grab them. I even saw young children bathing themselves. The neighborhood had a pharmacy, market, locksmith and sundry store. A "muzungo" or white man has not been in that area for a long time. It got very hot so we stopped at a roadside café. Some locals joined us. We got water and Fanta Citroen and then we continued our journey to the Novatel. We passed a UN Agency home and the American ambassador's home. At the Novatel, we just had water, and I brought a toothbrush. Afterwards, we got a taxi home. We came back to the house, rested and then went to the soccer stadium to see a movie on the genocide - it was movie produced by the BBC. Anyway, when we got there, we were the only muzungos. As Kathy was pulling in, kids ruan in front of the car, she almost hit them! She was pissed. The reason they ran in front of her car was to reach her first because they wanted to ask us for "protection money". I was put in charge of choosing the protector and gave the tallest one five hundred francs - about 80 cents. After walking through the crowd, we got to the front where soldiers with guns pushed us back. The stadium was full. We then went to visit Joseph who was recovering from a bout of Malaria. The hill to this house was quite steep and small by American standards. Yet it had a comfortable sitting area and a television. I met Fabrice (tall with glasses), Bosco and Marcel. Marcel and Joseph sleep in the same bed - nothing sexual just the way sleeping is done in one of the most populous countries in Africa. Bosco, Marcel and Fabrice actually help Hanako undo the braids in her hair. It was funny watching them. Then we went to a restaurant called Republica. It was quite good. I had Libuta (fish) cooked in aluminum foil, rice and something. Oh food takes time to prepare in Rwanda. I also had Vitole - soda water. There is a story on how we found this restaurant. While we were having breakfast earlier in the day, I spotted a woman with a backpack and WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) hat. I stopped her and we began talking. Her name was Anna Behm and her husband is Rwandan. They work as researchers for the zoo - some well-heeled zoo patrons paid $15,000 ot come on a tour of Rwanda. She recommended the place. Interestingly, I asked her where to go for medical treatment if I got sick - she said the King Faycel Hospital. She said she got sick from drinking milk called "Long Life" from a box.

I want to talk briefly about my boss - she has made the first two days wonderful. First of all, she speaks French. She is very caring, went into medicine to help change the way medicine was delivered to underserved people. She rose very high in the ranks of hospital administration until she finally had enough. A prolific writer, she hopes tot soon become a full professor at Albert Einstein. She is compassionate yet can be tough. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is Joseph - he was 15 during the genocide.

January 24

I had a little trouble sleeping last night. It was hot in the room, and I could hear the mosquitos and the ticking of the clock drove me a little crazy and pulled out the clock's batteries at 1:30 a.m. Good news - stayed under the mosquito net.

January 25

Revisited the research building and also learned what a Rwandan security company does - not alarms and keys but supplies armed guards.

January 26

Today at 2 pm I went to visit TRAC - the government AIDS treatment organization's HIV clinic. The purpose of my visit was to see their pharmacy and how they deliver drugs. Dr. Francois gave me the tour. When I got there, he was not there so I went to the head of clinical, Dr. Kourasey and spoke to his secretary Paris. Paris called Dr. Francois. While I was waiting, I went to the TRAC reception area. Found Adene (Louis' secretary) and gave her a thank you note. Returned to Dr. Karasey's office and Dr. Francois soon arrived. He took me first to the ARV dispensing area where I met Chantal. She gave me treatment cards - wallet sized! Better than the states! Dr. Francois told me how they deliver HIV meds to patients - 1 week then 2 weeks then monthly. Very rarely do they give more than one month at a time. We then went to the pharmacy - space definitely could be utilized better. Also, I saw an order form for Camerwa (Drug Distribution Center). Unfortunately, there was a stockout. Then I went across the street to the Intercontinental, had a Vitolo and met two guys who installed power grids in embassies and other installations all over the world - Qatar, Afghanistan, Burundi and Pakistan. Then I went into the business center, typed my summary and went home. That night, Kathy and I stayed up until Midnight working on diagrams for the pharmacy. I also emailed Freedom (my computer software company in the states) with some questions, dad with some questions and made up a Thursday "to do" list for Henriette. Kathy realized the pharmacy was important and gave me 297 sq. ft. When we finished the diagrams, I was shaking. I was so excited, and when I told her, she said, "most people say they can't just do it!! I slept fitfully. Also I called Gail Wainer to speak to dad.

January 27

I got up and stayed in bed going through email and talking to Rupert (a visiting ID specialist from Toronto). Kathy and the We-ACTx team were negotiating with the landlord. We just stayed in the room, and I wrote a thank you to Leon. Kathy then called us in for breakfast. After breakfast, I went back to the room, took a shower and met Telesphore at the American Embassy. For lunch, when I picked up Telesphore, I stared straight ahead and walked past the girls by mistake. We came back, got in the car, made introductions and went to the Centenary building. This building had a guard with a gun as most businesses and financial centers do. Henriette was late - 30 minutes because she had to pick up her son. Meanwhile, Telesphore, Felicite and I talked about Rwanda, the printer situation, visas and when we spoke about cars, I taught them about "shot gun" and "pimp my ride". We then went to visit 2 private pharmacies. First, Pharmacie Conseil. It is a small, clean independent owned by a man; his son Denny - who loves the San Antonio Spurs; and his wife who also works there. We then went to the new building (new location for We-ACTx headquarters) where we saw Kathy and Rupert. The space is beautiful but the pharmacy space is only 186 sq ft and the ceiling will be lower - too small. I negotiated gingerly with her. Maybe I'll have Denny come out and look. We then went to Kip Pharmacy - a big pharmacy and very well run. The pharmacist who ran it was really a businessman - he was not thrilled we were there. Why are physicians dispensing, he asked. I had to set him straight and defend Kathy. And he is pissed at the government for not letting pharmacies buy ARVs (antiretrovirals - AIDS drugs). He said working with Camerwa (Rwanda's drug distribution center) is dangerous from a drug supply standpoint (stockouts), and I believed him because I saw a Camerwa stockout sheet at TRAC. It was getting late and Kathy wanted to set off for Lake Kivu. Henriette's car had a flat, so we started walking. Eventually, one of the drivers met us, we got home, had a quick dinner and drove about 1 ½ hours to Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is huge and located in the western portion of the country. The lake comprises a significant part of the border between Rwanda and the DRC. On the drive up, I saw the landscape change from urban to rural. When we stopped for gas, the attendant liked my watch. We passed brick factories, oxen, hilly Rwandan landscape, a prison (prisoners wear pink) and small towns. The road was quite good and drainage culverts were well thought out. Oh yes, the farms were built into the hillside. One scene we saw was a shepherd had his flock literally hanging off the hillside! We got to Lake Kivu - The Kibuye Guesthouse and initially there were no rooms. We sat down for dinner anyway and shortly after we were called back. We got rooms and then went to dinner. My dinner was a delicious, fully grilled Tilapia with an incredible crispy marinade. I had a Vitolo but did not eat the salad and mayonnaise. I ended my meal with a crepe. In addition, I learned about Kathy's life and education. Also, I learned about Hanakos's life and her travels. Oh, I forgot. I fell asleep going up to Lake Kivu. Hanako and Joseph took pictures of me. In addition the music was great - country, James Taylor "In My Mind I've Gone To Carolina" also Craig David and an Ugandan group singing about the British soccer team Arsenal. Our room is Spartan but functional. It has a beautiful wooden hanging of Africa. I actually slept pretty well. We had to plug in the water heater before retiring. Finally, I had to go out to the car to get something. I had trouble opening the trunk. Suddenly I hear voices and two men walk up. They are the guards of the property and one of them is armed!! From a distance it could have been construed that I was breaking into the car. Fortunately, my bad French and friendly demeanor saved the day.

January 28

7:30 am Lake Kivu is beautiful. Birds making noises I never heard before. I am sitting outside my guest house writing this entry.

(Addendum to Tuesday night: On the drive up Joseph pointed out a church where people fleeing the genocide went. The church did not protect them, and they were killed.)

A funny cultural event happened. An employee was walking by, and I waved to her. She actually came over, Kathy spoke to her, and I did not know why she came to us. Since she spoke better Kinyaranda, we had her speak to Joseph. After briefly speaking to her - he determined by bending my fingers while waving hello, I summoned her!!

Before we ate breakfast, I took Joseph into the lake and started teaching him how to swim - he blew bubbles, and I started teaching him to float on his back. Kathy videotaped and we even had a crowd watch. For breakfast I had bread, jam, mango, passion fruit and African tea with milk. The trip back was uneventful. I feel asleep again; but we did stop to buy honey.

January 29

Kathy left tonight. As she said goodbye to me, she said, "you might think this an opportunity but it really is a gift." I will miss her and try to carry on.

January 30

Today John and I spent 7 hours tracking down and buying an electrical stabilizer and surge protector in Kigali. Here is how the day went:

  • 9:00 am: leave house to meet a community pharmacist who is helping me assemble my hardware system
  • 11 am: after visiting 3 computer places, getting an idea of what I need, I discover I have to order the parts I want from Nairobi - possibly a two day wait. I call the guy at noon, not done yet; he says call at 3 pm
  • 11:30 to 2:30: walking the streets of Kigali trying to find this specific adapter. Decide to go a different route. I buy a good surge protector. Then I look to buy a electrical current stabilizer SEALED AND IN THE ORIGINAL BOX. It is a good thing I did this because I would have otherwise purchased knockoffs out of the box at twice the price. I stopped by and spoke to a contact in the U.S. Embassy. I was told to bring 50 dollar bills for currency exchange. What I was not told they should be dated 2000 or later - otherwise they would not accept or give me a poor exchange rate. He took my 1990 $50 bill and gave me Rwandan francs with an excellent exchange rate - God Bless America!
  • 2:30 - 2:45: we finally buy and test the stabilizer. We also tried to hook up with a pharmacy that sells prescription envelopes - not open
  • 3:15 - 3:50: go home and change into my suit
  • 4:00 - 4:30: meet with the Minister of Health; he gives us good information on Rwanda pharmacy regulations. Also, we have had a printer held up in customs and he said he would place a call if we need his assistance.
  • 5:00 - 5:45: eat a quick dinner at the house; it is a nice time of day because the team eats together, discusses the day and plans strategies
  • 6:00 - 8:00: meet with a drug rep at Hotel des Milles Collines (Hotel Rwanda) to discuss medications and ways to possibly help the clinic
  • 8:30 - 9:30: tried to hook up my hardware system; the router does not work; I will have to figure it out tomorrow

February 1

Tonight I went to watch the Arsenal game with Joseph, Bosco and Fabrile. They were playing Manchester United. We went to Caribou restaurant for the game. I had fish brochette and chips. I actually had the waiter thinking I spoke French! The satellite died so we went to the Intercontinental - nice place bad outcome - Arsenal lost 4-2 to Manchester United. On the way home I drove. Earlier that day I drove Henriette's car. A lot of fun but the the directionals and the washer controls are opposite what I am used to.

February 4

Today, I had an IT specialist come and give us a quote on upgrading. Also, I showed Joseph more stuff on the computer. He is quick and very smart. Later, I took a driver and tried to find a box for the shield (I bought a Masai shield - it is huge and there were no boxes big enough to pack it in). The days go so quickly here, like sand in an hourglass. I eventually was able to buy one on the streets; John and Marcel found one and negotiated 500f for me (about 85 cents).

Finally, I had to go to the airport to retrieve my printer. The guy they hired was such an idiot. When I finally got the printers on the wagon, I bolted for the nearest entrance. Unfortunately, it was the opening where the metal detector is located. The alarm went off and soldiers came over. In a perverted sense of justice, the woman who took the printer the night I arrived got yelled at for not watching me.

I got my Craig David and Mr. Nice CDs from a store that is a copyright lawyer's nightmare.

In these last two weeks, I accomplished the following for the nation of Rwanda:

  • Learned about their HIV program and available treatments
  • Learned something about the nuances of their drug distribution system
  • Learned about their healthcare goals for the future
  • Learned about how pharmacies operate
  • Shared my knowledge in helping to create a blueprint of a pharmacy layout that possibly could be replicated throughout the country - thus alleviating suffering for thousands or even millions of people
  • Began teaching Rwandans what is possibly the most sophisticated pharmacy dispensing program in their country

February 5

I could not sleep my last night in Kigali. I did not want to - I was sad. So I spoke with John and he came over about 11:30. We walked to Executive Car Wash where I got beat in pool, got hit in the face with a pool stick by a drunk Rwandan and had some good BBQ. I got home around 2 am and went to bed.

Got up at 7 am and did some work. I waited for Joseph the IT guy to come - 45 minutes late. I am trying to get the printer to work. First, we changed the plug to 110 voltage. We did not have an owner's manual so we had trouble with error codes - thank god for the Internet. Joseph was able to figure out which operative to use. We got the error code and I figured what was wrong! We were about to test a label when the power died. He had to leave. The I spoke with WE-ACTx's Joseph. He got me a driver. Marcel and Frank took me to a genocide memorial. The road was dirt, very bumpy and I saw African villages - some homes without electricity or running water - got some of my best video and pictures of Third World countries - so much to describe - Oxen, women carrying stuff on their heads.

The genocide memorial was chilling - bones, fractured skulls everywhere. Some skulls still had a headdress on. In the first church I went to 10,000 people were killed. The barricaded themselves in a church and the government soldiers and Interhawee (name for wild gangs of young men) threw grenades (the shrapnel punctured the roof) They used various implements - machetes, poles to kill people. There are piles of bones and piles of clothes scattered around the site. Two survivors were there - she survived because she was between the pews, numerous bodies were on her and she was bathed in blood. The reason why she was in the church was when a similar uprising occurred in 1959, churches were refuge. Whe the killing started, government radio told people to stay in their homes for protection - actually it was to make killing them easier. They also told people hiding in the bush to go to the churches - again easier to kill. Three people gave this tour - two survivors and an army officer who chose to hide people rather than kill them. I gave the woman my red bracelet. The next site we went to had 21,000 die there. Again, there were holes in the ceiling due to grenade shrapnel. The white tablecloth on the altar was mostly black due to spattered brains and blood. There was a section of the church where babies were mutilated and clubbed to death. We went downstairs where they had bones on display and a coffin - in the coffin was a beautiful Tutsi woman who was raped 100 times, cut open from her vagina to her neck and hung in the church for everyone to see what kind of women Tutsis are. Chantal (our guide) then took us outside past a coffin of a priest and then a coffin containing a nun killed in 1990 for telling the world what was going on. We went into another underground display - in there were coffins of people who were thrown into a latrine and clubbed to death (?). Across from this monument was a coffin with lots of names on the headstone. They were identified by their wallets in this pit - 56 were not identified. Afterwards, I snapped pictures with Frank and Marcel and we "burned rubber" back to Kigali. I taught them that phrase. I also taught them YI-YAH. More on that later. ON the way back to Kigali we came up on a wagon pulled by oxen. I got out and snapped pictures and video. I forgot - before I left for the genocide memorials _ I GOT A LABEL TO PRINT!!! Anyway, we get back and I tried to give Joseph further lessons - but due to the heat and humidity the printer overheated. So I showered, ate dinner and got ready to leave for the airport. Henriette started crying. Henriette, Joseph, Marcel, John, Frank, Christine, Felicite and Frank saw me off. I got through customs - I had a little problem with the cane.

It is time to get on the plane. As I am on the tarmac, I hear from the roof of the terminal "YEEE YIIII" They are screaming and waving goodbye. I felt like a celebrity. Anyway from Kigali to Nairobi I sat in the middle seat - thank god I could rock to Craig David. Called Ellen from Nairobi to let her know I was safe - loved this satellite phone. On the flight from Kigali ot Nairobi and from Nairobi to Brussels the stewardesses sprayed the plane with this compound: 2% d-phenothrim. This a pesticide used to kill any mosquitos carrying malaria.

When I arrived in Kennedy, I told the customs agent I was glad to be back in the United States. Met Ellen and the kids after I left customs - they were glad to see me. I gave Jacob and Rachel some Rwandan currency. You cannot get this currency in the U.S. On the 5000 franc note is a beautiful illustration of the native mountain gorillas. Jacob liked the illustration. I said to Jacob, "next time I go back, I will take some gorilla pictures for you." Ellen said, "next time?"