Green Hills Academy

I have always had a passion for children with special needs and God has called me here to Rwanda to share my passion with others. There are so many things that can be, or rather need to be, done for children with special needs; like an integrated school with educated teachers for children with disabilities. But before this can be done, I need to learn about the education system, the culture, find resources and the language of Rwanda.

The amazing part is, God knew I had to learn some things before He can use me to help others. He has given me the opportunity to work at Green Hills Academy. This school has created a new program called Special Needs and they have asked me to be the Special Needs Coordinator. What a perfect opportunity to learn and grow!

As much as I want to be in the village helping the children there, I have to remember that to better help the village, I need to learn some things first. God has put me here and I trust He knows what he is doing.

Tuesday is the first day the students come! I have many students on my case load and more to come. It will be a crazy day but I am excited to dive into things. Here is my classroom:It is a cirlce room with a little extention in the back and the decorations are in proccess :)

Traditional Wedding

Here in Rwanda weddings are a very big celebration. There are three parts: civil, traditional, ceremony (in that order).

Dorah's (my house-mate) best friend, Alice, had her traditional wedding today. I got a chance to go. This is when the groom's family asks the bride's family for her hand in marriage. They often offer cows, wine or money for the bride. They wear a traditional dress as well.

Me, Kaitlyn (an intern), Alice (the bride), Dorah (my house-mate)

Met some Kids!

I went to Kayonza that is the village where the school is going to go. I was able to talk to two families that have children with special needs. One child is deaf and the other is mentally handicap but high functioning. I got a great idea of who the child is and how they function at home.

The other kids in neighborhood are not nice to the children with special needs but in my short time there I was able to push back the stigma that having a disability is not bad. We are all created with a purpose and in God's image so be nice to everyone.


This is where the school is going to go!!

Tips for Moto Rides

There is public transportation here; bus, taxi, moto (motorcycle), bicycle.

The best way to travel to and from my house is by moto.

Tips:

1) hsss like a snake and wave hello like you would to a baby

2) try your best to pronounce the neighborhood you are going to

3) say 'you know ____' insert big land mark they might know

4) confirm cost (you can haggle a little)

5) take helmet and get on

6) hold on to the bar behind you (not the driver)

Because I am a female and I am white the moto drivers tend to drive a little safer with me on the bak but I do not mind that at all.

My Room

Here is a video of my room.

Click here: My Room in Rwanda

Enjoy!

Meet Dorah

This is Dorah. She is my house mate. Dorah is a few years older than me and works for the company in Rwanda that imports and exports goods. Along with her full time job she is going to school to get a degree in business. She attends the church I go to and really loves the Lord. I am excited (and lucky) to be her house mate.

Maddy Made it Safe!!!!

Maddy just called - she is safely in Rwanda - Picked up by Jen (thanks) and they took her many, many bags to her new home - Now they are at Church for end of Day camp!!!

Maddy will get a phone and internet soon - and will be posting then - but I wanted everyone to know she is there safe!!!! She slept a lot on flights and is not exhausted from travels so can enjoy the day!

Thanks everyone for all the prayers - it is hard to watch your daughter follow God so far from home but so proud of all she has done and is doing - Please post comments to her when you can so she knows how much she is loved and supported!!!!

Have a Happy Day! Sandy

Lots of Bags

~ 8 bags at 50lb each are being checked

~ 2 bags are coming with me

~ And pictures of my family and friends

I think I might be ready to move to Rwanda! Crazy!! I cannot believe it is already time.

I have been talking about moving to Africa since I was in 6th grade and in 10hrs I will be on my way. Africa...here I come.

One More Day!?

Thank you for all of the encouragement that you all have shown.

After two days of errands, one tank of gas, and five suitcases I am finally finished with my 'to do' list. Hurray!

Even though my stomach is in knots I am very excited to make the move to Africa!

Send Off

Today is a big day!

My church family prayed for what God is having me do in Rwanda.

Family and friends are coming over to say good bye.

It will be great to see everyone but will be hard to say good bye. With God's strength we can do it together.

Jr. Highers

The Jr. Highers at Bloomingdale Church are Awesome! They are very supportive of what God has called me to do in Rwanda.
Hannah and Kaitlyn even made pants saying they are praying for me!

Going to miss you guys!

Packing Already??

Yep, that's right!

I have stated packing for Africa.

It is a big task moving to another country and I am not sure if 2 weeks is enough time to pack but I will take what I can and leave or get ride of the rest.

Well, I have not actually put things into bags yet but I have started to stage my belongs to decide what stays and what goes......in other words I am making a big mess of all my stuff :)

Home Again

I am back home from Alaska and hit the ground running.

For those of you that do not know, my sister had brain surgery this past week. The doctors took out the part of her brain that was causing her to have seizures. She woke up after the surgery and is doing very well. After a week in the hospital she came home today!

There will be a recovery period; learning a few things over again but, she is doing great.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for her. Please continue to keep Mallory in your prayers.

Mallory and Me

Maddy Face

You may or may not know but there is a silly face named after me. Yep, that's right, it is called The Maddy Face.And after just a few days with Lexi she learned the Maddy Face! She is so cute :D

Up in the Mountains

This is the plane I got to fly in: My uncle flew it and I was the co-pilot. I even got to fly for a few minutes!
We flew through the mountains. It was beautiful!

Snow...

Grass...
Glacier...

It was so cool!! Thanks Uncle Steve!!

Ely the Eagle

This is my uncle's Golden Eagle named Ely. No, you cannot just go to the store and buy an eagle; you have to have a license and trap one from the wild. My uncle has had Ely for 19 years (that is most of my life). Today I finally got the courage to hold him!

That is right, I am holding a Golden Eagle named Ely. (he is 13lbs and standing on my arm!)

Lexi!

This is Lexi...She is my cousin Amy and Andy's daughter. She loves me! Lexi is 21 months and she can say my name!! It may sound like Manny but that is ok.

I love her :)

Off to Alaska

I am on my way to Alaska!

I have family and friends that live in Alaska. It will be nice to see them all!!

We get to spend 4th of July together.

Last Paper....Done!

I just finished my last paper for my online class!

This was the last portion of the training with International Teams and it is completed.

That means I am done with papers...at least for a while :) Woot!

June Newsletter

The June Newsletter has gone out. If you would like to receive newsletters via email let me know.

Shots!

I got my last shots for Africa!
No more shots for me... well... until 2013

Swamp Water

I found a swamp on the side of the road and decided to try out my new water filter water bottle.

That is what it looked like inside my water bottle.

I actually drank it!

It tasted like clean water. And good clean water for that matter!

Uncle's Wedding

My Uncle Bruce got married! He married a find lady named Beth. It was a B & B Wedding. It was wonderful!
Welcome to the family Beth!

Watch the wedding video I made for them.

Water Bottle

I just got the coolest water bottle!

It was made by a missionary in Uganda that did not have clean water. He designed it so he could scoop up river water and as he sipped his water bottle it would filter the water for him. Amazing! It will last forever as long as I clean it...now that is a good water bottle.

It came in the mail today! Next time it rains I am going to find a puddle and try it out :) I'll let you know how that goes.

To Do List

So I have this list of 'Things To Do'. I make these lists often and usually with some time they get shorter.

I started this one back in March and gave it some time to get shorter. Today I realized this 'To Do' list just keeps getting longer and longer.

Growing up is a lot of work and on top of that, moving to another country is a lot of work too.

I am hoping with more time this 'To Do List' will get smaller.

I'll keep you posted...

May Newsletter

The May Newsletter has been sent out

If you did not receive it and would like to please email me at: maddy.manden@gmail.com

Village Life

This is the village of Kayonza. It is about 1.5 hours away from the capital city.
A Home:

Sheep Herder:

This is where I will be spending my weekends.

*photos by Karyn Makins: to see more visit www.karynmakinsafrica.blogspot.com

Mother's Day

I got an opportunity to honor my mom at church this Sunday.Take a look:

www.bloomingdalechurch.org/category/stories/international

Capital of Rwanda

The capital of Rwanda is Kigali and it is right in the middle of Rwanda. It is a developed city with buildings, cars, taxi, stores, and even a mall.

Here is a typical day in the city:

Round-about:

Mini-bus, also known as a taxi:


*Pictures taken by Karyn: more at www.karynmakinsafrica.blogspot.com

Rwandan Skyscraper

Welcome to downtown Kigali.I was looking at God's beautiful creation.

The nature and plants were so pretty but then...there...in the distance...a skyscraper...man's beautiful creation but the design was instilled into man so therefore it is still God's creation.

And a little taste of home :)

First Graduation

Jean Paul's High School GraduationJean Paul is the first street kid that has graduated in Jen and Serge's program.

I was so excited to be there to witness it.

Interns

The team in Rwanda gets a lot of interns throughout the year.
Left to right: Karyn, me, Nicole, Mike

Karyn is a photographer from Canada, Nicole is a student from the UK and Mike is a construction worker from Canada. They have all come to help Jen and Serge as well as the people of Rwanda.

It was great to have them there because they showed me around town, helped me learn the culture and we had some fun too.

Kamari Family

Meet the Kamari Family: Left to right: Prince, Serge, Beni, Isabella, Jen

They are the International Teams missionary family in Rwanda. Jen is from Canada and come to Rwanda about 7 years ago. Serge met Jen the first week she was in Rwanda and from then on it is history :) Now they have three kids and are living out what the Lord has called them to do.

They work with street kids. Now when I say street kids, the majority of what I am talking about are boys ages 12-25 years old that live on the street. Serge and Jen teach them proper living skills, find them a foster home, and get them into school.

They also work in a village called Kayonza; about an hour and half from their house. They train people to farm and the important of education. At the local church they have helped start a group that teaches crafts to people that have been affected with HIV/AIDS so they can make an income for their families.

All that and they still have family time! They are all lots of fun and I am excited to be a part of their team.

Traveling Time

I had a few extra stops along the way...
I started in Rwanda
hopped over to Uganda
then to Ethiopia
9hrs to Rome and then 9.5hrs to DC
I had a 7hr break at the airport and then to Chicago
Slept for almost a full day and back to work

More stories to come!

On My Way Home

My two week vision trip is over and I am now on my way home.

In one hour I will start my adventure back to the US. It is about a 38hr trip to get home.

I will post pictures and more about this trip when I get home.

Special Needs...Beginning Stage

In just two weeks in Rwanda I have been able to meet with many people and have gathered much informatoin about educating children with special needs. I have met with parents, teachers, students, pricipals, professors, governors and associations...

As a result I have concluded that there is a start of special education in Rwanda but it is at teh very beginning stages.

There is no nationwide sign language for the deaf; out of the 66 thousand blind people, only 30 are taught a 6 month vocational training program at a time; there are no docotrs to help children with the medical conditions that come with down syndrome and autism; there is one short course at one of the universities on special education/counseling (and it is just blind and deaf); there are no adaptations for children that are dyslexic or struggle with reading and math...MY HEART IS RACING! SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!

Some sort of national frame work needs to be established, but where do you start??

During my converstaion with the big private school in Rwanda they asked me if I would be willing to help adapt the curriculum for children with special needs, train teachers how to teach students with different learning styles and bring awarness to parents...wow what an opportunity!

In order for a national frame work to happen it needs to start somewhere and what better place than the big private school in Rwanda!

The dream to educate all the children with special needs in Africa has a chance!!

Beautiful Country

We took a drive through the country and I got to witness Rwanda's beauty first hand. Ok so pictures just do not do a justice but this place is gorgeous!

Beads

I got an opportunity to sit with a group of people from the church and learn from them. It is a group that was started by the church to help the members of the congregation that are affected by HIV/AIDS. They learn how to make beads (you know those fair trade ones) and sew to bring in an income for their families.

When I arrived they were grateful to have me. I do not know their language and did not know how to help with the beads but they were willing to teach me.

First thigns first...langugae...They taught me how to greet in Kinyarwanda. I am not sure if I was saying it correctly but I tried very hard and at least they understood me :)

One woman taught me how to make beads. She was patient through the language barrier and with my lack of small motor skills to make the bead tight like she could. By the end I almost go it. I did not make as many beads as she did but it was fun.

Needed a Jacket

Right now in Rwanda it is rainy season. That means it is about 80 degrees during the day but about a half hour before it rains the temperature drops, a breeze coems and then rain. It actaully gets cold. I put on a jacket! It rains for about 15 mintues andthen stays just a tad coolder for the rest of the day.

At night I seep with a comforter, liek a real blanket. I am sure it is different durign dry and hot season but I know during rainy season I need to carry a long sleeve shirt or a jacket with me at all times.

You never know when it will rain until it starts to cool off and then wind starts to blow. Once it starts raining the whole city pretty much stops until the rain stops.

A Taste of Rwanda

After being in Kigali (the capital city of Rwanda) for a day here are some observations:
It is gree, hilly and beautiful (pictures to come).
People are welcoming.
Everything, including internet and spell check all in French.
Therea re no animals running around the streets.
It is quiet and quit peaceful.
The city is very clean.
There are not many people selling thigns from bowls on to of their head.
They have cheese (for all of you that was apart of the Ghanaian adventure:))
Not everyone speaks English.
Peopel are very affectionare: hand holding, long hand shakes when greeting, and lots of hugs.

It might be my naive western midset but I assumed Ghana and Rwanda woudl be a little similar but let me tell you...it's not. There is a difference going from city to city in America; chicago to LA to Boston to Huston. Of course there is a difference from coutnry to country; Ghana to Rwanda.

Many adventures and learning to come.

In Rwanda

The travel time was a little longer than expected due to an extra lay over in Uganda but I made it to Rwanda.

I got a chance to get to know the missionary family that I am staying with today. Jen is the mom and Serge is her husband. They have three kids; Pricne (13), Isabella (4) and Beni (1.5).

Now for a good night sleep....

Heading to Rwanda

I am finally finished packing! I am heading to the airport at 3am on Monday March 14th.
Trip: Chicago to Washington DC to Ethiopia to Rwanda!
I will arrive in Rwanda at 3:30pm on Tuesday March 15th.

This is Rwanda. It is in East Africa. I will be staying in Kigali with a missionary family. Kigali is the capital city.
Rwanda is 7hrs ahead of Chicago time.

I am way excited!!

Master Packer

You would not know it by looking at me but I have become a great packer.

I asked the missionaries in Rwanda what I could bring to them from the US and the mom, Jen, gave me a pretty big list; brown sugar, some caned products, shoes, movies, books, contact solution, Easter candy, a few fun things for her kids. I got it all...

Today I pulled out my suitcase and started to pack well everything fit perfectly in my cool orange suitcase. I mean everything; Jen's whole list and all of my clothes, sandals and bug spray! Just call me a master packer.

Then I tried to list my cool orange suitcase...and well...I couldn't. I am guessing it weighted over 100lb. Needless to say I need to now unpack and pack everything in two suitcases. I hope my skills work when there are two suitcases...

We Graduated

I graduated from training! Whoa...that was a lot of information in a short amount of time. I learned so much and much more prepared than I did before.

Here is the class when the interns were with us.
In the middle is the coordinator of training. He was great!

Now I need to start getting ready for a short trip to Rwanda. I leave on March 14th! I am very excited.

Boy's Dorm at Wa Blind

I just got an email from one of the teachers at the Wa School for the Blind in Ghana. That is the school I taught at when I was in Ghana.

I found out that last night the boy's dorm burnt down. No one was hurt but I do not know how bad the damage is.

Here is a picture of the boy's dorm when I was there:

Please keep the school, teachers and all the students in your prayers.
If I get more news I will keep you posted but thank you for your prayers.

Language Training

I have been in language training for one week now and look what I have learned...
Korean!!
I am really learning linguistics which means, I am learning how to learn other languages. I am learning to listen for sounds that I did not know existed and moving my mouth/tongue in ways I did not think were possible. It feel a little silly and probably look and sound a little silly but it is very helpful!

I will have to learn Kinyarwanda when I move to Rwanda. One of the official languages in English but people only know it if they went to school.

I have been told I am doing great but the one sound I can not make is one of the basic sounds in Kinyarwanda... figures... but I will keep working on it!

Snow Day!!

We got so much snow!! It was awesome!

Can you find my car...?

It is the red bug :)

Even though all schools and most businesses were closed, we still had training. But afterwards we all played in the snow!

Karen, Gale, Katharine, Necia, Me, Ashley, Heather

It was great!

Roommates

Here at training we all live at the International Teams base. It is in Elgin, IL.

I am really enjoying living in community; it is like college again :)
I have three roommates: Gale, Karen, and Heather

They are great!

Karen is going to Uganda, Africa. Heather is going to Athens, Greece. Gale is still open as to where she is going.

It is so cool to hear every one's stories of where they have come from, how they got here and what they will be doing. God really uses each and every one of us and all of our skills, strengths, desires and even weaknesses. He is an awesome God!

Week One of Training

It was a great first week of training.

The days are jam packed, starting at 8am and finishing at 5pm (and then we have homework) with small breaks in the middle. It is a long time to sit in a classroom and learn but the information we are learning is great.

Here is everyone that I am in training with. We are all serving for two or more years.


This past week we focused on cultural difference. We learned more about our own American culture so that we will be aware of what is different and how to deal with it once we get to our destinations. The skills we learned on how to adapt to a different culture will come in handy.

There are four more weeks of training and I am excited to learn more!

Back to School...

The holiday season has come to a close and all of the college students have now gone back to school. It was nice to have everyone home for the holidays though.

I am kind of going back to school as well. On Saturday I leave for training with International Teams. Last week I was finally finish my online class. For the next month I will be living in Elgin, IL at the ITeams base and will be going through extensive cultural training.

I am pretty excited! I hope to learn how to adapt to a new culture quickly and much more.

Long Distance Phone Call

I was able to talk to Fuseini today!


He was one of my students at the Wa School for the Blind.

Fuseini told me how everyone was doing. Haruna and Issahaku are both in the vocational class. They are learning trades so they can support themselves. Everyone else; Ajara, Razak, Iddi, Ahabadeen, Rasheek, Patricia, Laticia, Mane, Jowa, Peter, Amina, Decimal; they are all doing good. Micheal, their homeroom teacher, now works at a different school.

They all graduate in 2014 and I hope to go see them walk.

He asked me to greet all of you so 'Hello' to everyone from Fuseini.

Your Culture

I just finished reading this book all about culture. It made it a little more easy to understand culture and knowing where people are coming from. The book over all theme put culture into two different categories; hot-culture and cold-culture.

Hot-Culture:
Relationship
Feel-good Atmosphere
Indirectly Answer Question
Group-Oriented Inclusive
Hospitality is spontaneous

Cold-Culture:
Task Oriented
Time and Efficiency is important
Direct, Short and to the point
Individualistic
Private
Schedule events and gathers

What type of culture do you come from?

(if you are from the northern part of America you are probably a cold-culture but if you are from the southern part of America you might be a hot-culture)

Snow!

Welcome December, Welcome Winter, Welcome Snow

It snowed today! I love snow!

It was the first snow fall of the season. I love snow! Ok, so I really do not like the cold but I love the snow. This year I am going to do every winter event I can think of: sledding, making a snowman, ice skating, make a snow fort, snowboarding, snow ball fight, shovel...

I am going to enjoy this winter because after this year I will not see snow for a while.

If you have any more ideas of winter fun let me know!

Troop Drama

(Emily knows the 'Maddy face' oh too well)

Emily and I got all dressed up and had a great night on the town. We went to see 'Jungle Book' as a play. It is a great movie and even better as a play. But what made the play were the actors.

The actors and actresses were adults with special needs. They all worked very hard memorizing their lines, songs, where they stand and when to move. All their practicing paid off; the play was a hit!

The set and costumes were made by volunteers and looked great on each actor. Here is a picture of them taking their final bow at the end of the play.

Reading....?

Can you believe it... I am reading!

To tell you the truth I went through high school without reading very many books; spark notes was a great invention. And then in college, I had a lot of friends... :)But now in the 'real' world I kind of have to read.

It is not exactly for fun. It's for training but I am actually doing the reading. I have about 7 books to read for homework. I may be reading because the books are not on spark notes, or because no one else is taking the class with me or because I like to keep busy or because I am really enjoy it or because I'm just growing up. Well what ever the reason, I am reading.

I read one book, listened to another and read/skimmed another. Ok so to you that may not be reading but for me that is reading :)

3 down... many more to go. I am determined to get through them all. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

'Grown Up' Doctor

It is that time of year again; the time of sharing and caring and being sick. There are few things my students like to share... but their cold, runny nose, cough, and flu they always love to pass along.

I tried hard to prevent it but it was bound to happen. I got sick. Usually I treat myself; taking cold medicine and sleep but not this time. This time I needed a doctor to take care of me.

This did not seem too bad at first. I loved my doctor; I had been going to her since I was a baby. She was patient and kind to me. She even gave me all my shots for Africa :) And let me tell you that was not an easy task (I am not a fan of needles)

Then remembered the promise my doctor made me, 'I could go to her until I graduated from college, then I needed to go to a 'grown up' doctor.'

Well, today was the big day... My doctor kept her end of the deal and now it was time to keep mine. I went to a 'grown up' doctor today! Even though I was a little nervous I knew I had to get medicine to get better.

Turns out this doctor was very nice. She practiced medicine overseas and was excited about me going to Africa. As we talked for a little bit she gave me some medicine to get over my sickness. Now I would not want to visit her all time, she was a great lady. And I am starting to feel better already.

Training

Ok so I am back in school now... well sort of...

I have started the online training for International Teams (ITeams). I have books to read, papers to write, research to do and worksheets to do.

And I thought I was done with school for a while...

I have started some of the assignments and it is very interesting. I am learning more about ITeams, myself and other cultures.

Oh, and good news: I found one of the books on tape :) That will help a lot!