Acceptable Inconveniences
I was having a conversation with one of the KICS teachers about acceptable inconveniences in Rwanda. These are things that go wrong or do not happen as expected (mostly to our American standards) and here we just shrug our shoulders and go on.
I mentioned earlier about the restaurants here. Service is horrible and slow. Someone will almost always get something they didn't order or an order will be messed up. And you ALWAYS double check your bill, because it is rarely correct. In America, there is NO WAY we would wait 45 minutes just to get our drinks. We would get up and leave and tell the manager how bad the service was and that we will never return AND tell our friends...something like that. Here, that is just the way it is. You can complain and remind them, but it won't help much. And the only fast food option is the homemade samosas (which are kind of like beef rangoon) and chapati (kind of like tortillas) at the gas station. But they are both really good and I eat them!
Utilities. In the morning in America, I roll myself out of bed and head the shower, assuming there will be power and water. When I turn the hot water knob, I expect hot water to come out. I don't even think about the off chance that it won't work. And if it doesn't work, I'm giving someone a call and getting someone out to look at it! More than once, we have lost water pressure. You turn the shower knob, then turn on the mechanism that heats the water and all you get is a trickle. I have learned that when we lose pressure, the kitchen sink maintains the strongest stream, so I wash my hair in the kitchen sink and then proceed with my wet wipe shower. And the power...it goes out for no reason a lot.
And finally using the Internet. How many people would grab a lawn chair and sit outside to use the Internet because you can't get a signal inside the house. And sometimes you have to move several time to make sure you have a good signal. And sometimes you get no signal for no apparent reason.
It is amazing what we are used to in America as the "norm", but the rest of the world would see as a luxury. I will return in one week and I know there will be so many things that I will be grateful for and NOT take for granted like a morning shower--every morning.
I mentioned earlier about the restaurants here. Service is horrible and slow. Someone will almost always get something they didn't order or an order will be messed up. And you ALWAYS double check your bill, because it is rarely correct. In America, there is NO WAY we would wait 45 minutes just to get our drinks. We would get up and leave and tell the manager how bad the service was and that we will never return AND tell our friends...something like that. Here, that is just the way it is. You can complain and remind them, but it won't help much. And the only fast food option is the homemade samosas (which are kind of like beef rangoon) and chapati (kind of like tortillas) at the gas station. But they are both really good and I eat them!
Utilities. In the morning in America, I roll myself out of bed and head the shower, assuming there will be power and water. When I turn the hot water knob, I expect hot water to come out. I don't even think about the off chance that it won't work. And if it doesn't work, I'm giving someone a call and getting someone out to look at it! More than once, we have lost water pressure. You turn the shower knob, then turn on the mechanism that heats the water and all you get is a trickle. I have learned that when we lose pressure, the kitchen sink maintains the strongest stream, so I wash my hair in the kitchen sink and then proceed with my wet wipe shower. And the power...it goes out for no reason a lot.
And finally using the Internet. How many people would grab a lawn chair and sit outside to use the Internet because you can't get a signal inside the house. And sometimes you have to move several time to make sure you have a good signal. And sometimes you get no signal for no apparent reason.
It is amazing what we are used to in America as the "norm", but the rest of the world would see as a luxury. I will return in one week and I know there will be so many things that I will be grateful for and NOT take for granted like a morning shower--every morning.
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