I'm Joel from England...

We have FINALLY moved into a house. It has been quite an ordeal, having chosen a home and then being avoided by the landlady for 10 days. We eventually found another one, not as big as the first, but just as clean, and more than enough space for two people. The home is surrounded by a bricked wall that has large broken shards of glass sticking protruding from the top. We were pleasantly surprised by our landlord, who is a director at the local hospital, as he provided everything we needed; towels, bedding, dishes, a television, a DVD/VHS player, and furniture. It is amazing as you become accustomed to every process you go through in the day being drawn out and difficult; however, once we found the house it was a matter of two days of it being cleaned, equipped, and ready for us to move in. The house comes with two guards who tend the beautiful gardens during the day. Our first night we uncomfortable as we closed the door to our living room on the guard. He sat on a small wooden stool outside of my bedroom window. When we awoke in the morning he was working at cleaning the property. The second night we decided to offer the guard coffee (he is the only one of the two who speaks a LITTLE English – neither speak French – only Kinyarwanda). The guard took the coffee happily and returned the mug, teaching us a new Kinyarwanda word that means – I am happy.

We have a television with one channel and yesterday morning I was so happy to get half and hour with English BBC. However, this morning when I tried the channel, it was a local show in French.

The work is also improving at the University. The University has hired a consultant from Canada to map out a Strategic Plan. Last week we were involved in a two day workshop with the University staff that identified 10 goals for development and maps on how to achieve these goals. The Strategic Map being implemented by the consultant is based on a Scorecard system, where goals are identified and measures, targets and initiatives are determined. There were some very good ideas proposed by the staff; however, as dialogue ensued it was evident that the values and approaches of ‘what is education’ is very different in this country.

I have been hired by the Canadian consultant to develop the Scorecards that will create the long term Strategic Plan for the University. I feel unbelievably lucky to have come upon this opportunity to work at this stage of the University's planning. The work is MUCH more fulfilling than the secretarial work I had been assigned upon arrival. Once the consultant leaves at the end of the week I have been assigned to work with the Director of Planning and Development to develop policy and proposals for monies that will fund the 33 projects stemming from the Strategic Plan. There are very few women in leadership positions at this University and the woman I have been assigned to is an exceptional one. I look forward to learning from her. Working with the consultant has also been interesting as he has worked for the World Bank and CIDA on a number of projects around the world.

However, as I work on this Strategic Plan – based on Western concepts of development – I find myself wondering if this project will ever be implemented. The plan involves major restructuring of both administrative and academic systems – focusing in improving efficiency, productivity, and ICT infrastructure and capacity. This plan will need the implementation of time management and individual initiative – components that are missing with the staff currently employed at the University. My discussions with the consultant have broached this idea many times – the fact that development organizations pay money for consultants to come and implement development plans and expect the local population to execute the plan – a plan that counts on the values and ethics of western development models. I struggle to not be too cynical about this plan; however, I feel that without education around concepts of time management, work output, accountability, autonomy, transparency, efficiency, productivity – that these development plans will be all for naught. If I choose to do a PhD, I think that this school and a case study on the implementation of this plan would be very interesting.

We have also been fortunate to meet a lovely young man named "Joel...from England". He arrived in a frazzle on Friday (the University forgot to pick him up at the airport that is two hours away and arrange for accommodation for him) and has become a good companion. He is here as an intern working at the Center for Conflict and Management. I am looking forward to hearing what he learns about the genocide in this country. His internship started yesterday and over dinner he spoke about his experience working with two local interns who have been researching the genocide. I am very excited from him.