Ever since meeting our guard, I wanted to know more about him. Most of the guards (domestics) live on the property in a small room attached to the house. Francois is no different. About two weeks ago, I was out back and saw his little room. It is about 8ft. x 6ft. and includes a piece of cardboard for a mattress and another piece of cardboard for a blanket. He has very few clothes and two pairs of shoes, but he does have a cellphone…which, everyone seems to have.
Our landlord is a young Rwandese man (Jamie) in his mid-20’s and speaks very good English. He came by last week because we had a couple things that needed fixin’. As we waited for the repair man to show up, I asked Jamie if he knew much about Francois…he did not. He found him through a cousin’s friend and just knew that he had a good work reputation. Therefore, I asked him if he would mind translating some questions for us to Francois. So…he asked Francois to come in the house. When he came in, he looked petrified and really didn’t know what he was coming in for. Jamie preceded to ask him questions like where he was from, how old he was, how many siblings he had, etc.
Francois is 26 years old and is from a village that is about an 1 1/2 walk (that was how he knew to describe it) from Butare, which is about a 2 hour drive from Kigali. Some of his brothers and sisters were killed in the Genocide but both of his parents are still living in that same village. His father is a sustinance farmer and Francois worked on the farm full-time, especially after the Genocide that claimed the lives of some brothers and sisters. Therefore, he never had the chance to go to school and is completely illiterate. My roomate Susan, then asked if he would be willing to learn English…and without hesitation…he was. Ever since last week, we have been giving Francois English lessons and it has been a treat. Today, I taught him “Jump, Walk, and Run.” Susan continued work on the alphabet and simple words to reinforce letters…she has put in quite a lot of time with him, even if it means sitting on his wooden bench outside. He has warmed up to us and now feels comfortable coming in the house.
I also taught him how to use my camera. He needed a couple practice shots but not bad for the first time ever.
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