Muraho from Kigali

So I have been in Rwanda for three months as of today (my how time flies!), and doing a poor job of blogging about it! Mainly because the last few weeks have been a roller coaster ride of trying to decide if I should stay or if I should return to the states. Lots of factors have been at play in this decision (some will remain unmentioned....), but my 90 day visa was running out, I am now homeless, and I am pretty much out of money as I have had some difficulty finding full time work here. Well a quick trip border hopping into Goma (in Democratic Republic of the Congo) solved the visa issues and some generous friends have welcomed me into their home for a couple weeks until I figure out my plans... so now there is just the money/job dilemma to tackle.


Fortunately, things seem to be looking up in that department! I have a few leads on contacts for various organizations that I have reached out to that may be promising. But the most exciting part is that I have had, and hopefully will continue to have, the opportunity to work for an organization called Project Rwanda (PR). Led by National Bike Director Kimberly Coats, PR aims to help improve the economy of Rwanda by helping rural coffee farmers throughout the country run their businesses more efficiently. They do this by supplying them with “coffee bikes” that are designed to transport harvested coffee cherries. In conjunction with the organization is Team Rwanda, the nation’s professional cycling team lead by coach Jock Boyer.

Throughout the year coach holds training camps for the team in Musanze, a region in the north of the country close to the Ugandan border. Jock and Kim wanted me to team up with their cook to develop healthy meals for the team during one of the first training camps of the year. So, last week I took a 2 hour mutatu (public bus) ride up to Musanze and got to work for two long, but very fun days! With a team of 16 very hungry riders, we had a lot of cooking to do!

Each day would start with a trip to the local market, a large open air building similar to the one here in Kigali, and purchase tons of fresh ingredients for the days meals. Back at the house armed with fresh veggies, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, and whole grains, we spent the day cooking a healthy lunch to feed the team after a morning of riding, only to start all over again for dinner once they were all satisfied.

Four meals and two days later, and an exhausted, sweaty mess, I prepared for my trip back to the city while watching coach run tests on the riders using a stationary bike hooked up to his laptop. According to Jock’s recent Facebook status, the team’s performance level has improved during this camp... for the first time a rider put out 400 watts during his test ride, and another 370 watts. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I know it is good! And I would like to think that home cooked, healthy, nutrient-dense, whole foods had some help in the matter!!

All in all it was a wonderful experience working with the team. I am just sad that my camera has broken and I was unable to document my time with them, but I am hoping to be invited back for more camps, and I hope to witness more improvements with the riders as we feed them nutritious meals. There is nothing I love more than finding the freshest ingredients and preparing healthy meals that feed the body and the soul. There is certainly something to be said about the power of food and I am beginning to wonder who is being nurtured more, me or the team!

Check out Team Rwanda, Project Rwanda and the work they are doing: http://projectrwanda.org

Farm to Table

All the people that asked me before I left for Rwanda if I would be able to eat here obviously have never seen the Kimironko market in Kigali. I was often asked this question because I follow a vegan and gluten-free diet, which can be difficult even in the states where so many things are accessible. Admittedly, I packed a few things in my suitcase that I could not live without (quinoa, agave, Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar!) but for the most part I was not concerned. I was actually looking forward to living in a society that lives mostly off real food.

One of the books that I brought with me was Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, which surprisingly I had not yet read. I started reading it this weekend and realized how appropriate it will be to read while I'm here. In my opinion, one of the biggest problems that American's face when it comes to nutrition is industry is the lack of real food. Between factory farms and processed and refined foods, most American dinner tables rarely see whole foods. Yet we wonder, why in places around the world where diets may be heavy in fat or starches the people are still so much healthier.

Its amazing to be immersed into a society where there is such a direct connection between the people and the foods they eat. Their are no fad diets or diet books, no factory farms, no cows pumped with steroids and antibiotics. The food here is real. It is whole. It is local. Every inch of the Rwanda landscape is covered in land that is being harvested for one crop or another. You can not go anywhere in this country that I have seen thus far without seeing local women walking the streets, transporting huge sacks or baskets on their heads full of fruits or vegetables.

I just returned from the Kimironko Market, a huge open-air market a few miles from our home in Kimironko. You can find nearly anything there. For probably the length of a football field, stretched tables are filled with all types of produce. I found fruits from bananas to papayas, pineapples, mangoes, oranges and my favorite - avocados. I found vegetables, from beets to cauliflower, broccoli, garlic, onions, eggplant, zucchini. Starches such as rice, white potatoes and sweet potatoes. Beans of every variety, meats, eggs, milks. All grown here in Rwanda. John, our gardener and housekeeper, who escorted me to the market asked me if we had anything like this market in my country. I laughed out loud as I imagined the typical American grocery store in comparison. Even a typical Jersey farmer's market is light years away from anything quite this extensive.

But this is the way of life here. In some ways so simple, and so the omnivore's dilemma is not such a burden. When an American goes to the grocery store they are faced with shelves and shelves of brightly colored packages boasting all sorts of health claims and advertisements, making it difficult to decide what you want to eat and especially, what you should eat. Here what you eat is what you grow or what you raise. Simple as that. Part of the beauty of it is that food is so much fresher and more flavorful when it is eaten at its source! Food goes literally from the farm to the table - it does not get much fresher than that! The bananas are so sweet. The avocados are huge and delicious. And I can take pride in buying them (which at 100 Francs each, roughly .20¢, yes please!) because I know that my money is going directly to the farmer to feed his family, and that in general I am supporting the economy of a country that is so in need.

I can not wait to see more of how many Rwandas live and eat as I start working with Gardens for Health. Gardens for Health is an organization that connects families living with HIV/AIDS with co-op supplied land to in order to grow their own produce, which will provide food security and nourishment. I will hopefully be assisting them in conducting surveys in households affected with HIV and then contributing to their plans for nutritional counseling for those households as well.

I will continue to post about my experiences here with the organization, the people, the culture, and of course the food, so please stay tuned. Now it is time to decide which of these wonderful vegetables to cook for dinner!

Bon Voyage!!

Tomorrow, one of the 3 Healthy Chicks is embarking on an incredible journey.

Jill is leaving for Kigali, Rwanda to spend time with her significant other and for 8 months of volunteer work. Jill will be updating the blog about her travels and experiences remotely. It will be an incredible journey to follow.

Keep it Jersey Fresh in Rwanda, Jill!
We love you and will miss you so very much!
xoxoxo