Culturism #8-Modesty
In Rwanda, it is immodest for a woman to show her knees. It's no problem, however, to nurse your child in public, during meetings or during a church service (without any covering). Children are fed this way for as long as possible, and it's common, especially as you get out into the countryside, to see kids who are walking around still nursing. They just walk up to their mom, lift up her shirt, and start in on their meal. I know this because I've seen it myself.
Culturism #9-Rain
When it rains here in Kigali, it is a great excuse to stay put. Yesterday, I had only two students show up to class because it was raining, and these two work at the school. I asked one student why Rwandans are afraid of the rain, and he said that when he was in primary (elementary) school, he remembers his teacher telling the students to never go out in the rain. He thinks it could be to keep clothes nice (See blog post with Culturism #6-Clothes). All I know is that I have to have an alternate lesson plan on rainy days because I know I will have many absent students.
Culturism #10- Dogs
Many, many Rwandans are afraid of dogs. As a result, dogs make great guards. Within our small compound there are four dogs. The Thomases have two dogs, and the school has two. Rwandans who need to speak to the Thomases will often stand outside the gate/fence because they are afraid of the dogs barking. Once, when our internet was down, a man came to fix it. He came into the house, and we left the door open. The man just stared out the door at the dogs and wouldn't move until we closed the door. Another time, a friend needed to speak to the Thomases, and I told him to go over to their house because I thought they'd be home. He said, "But, they have dogs!" I tried to assure him that the dogs wouldn't harm him, but he wasn't convinced.
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