SOMA Volume 9, May 2012
Interview with Anne Smith, RPCV, By Allison Radke
Kurandura Malariya, By Ashley Williamson
Expectations and Truths, By Andrew Kinton
Education for a Just, Sacred and Sustainable World, By Allister Stanton
Traveloge: South Africa, By Deanne Witzke
Horoscopes, By The Great Mentok
Contributors
Heather Bing was born and raised in Big Sky, Montana. She lives in the South of Rwanda, in a village called Mamba. She enjoys the out-doors: running, skiing, and swimming. She loves receiving yambis (hugs) from small children in her village.
Meghan Costello is an Education 2 volunteer, living in Nyanza district. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Political Science, minoring in Peace Studies. She teaches English Communication, General Paper, and computer studies, and likes working with her afterschool English and GLOW club. She loves the way the mamas that we taught in Musanze wrote, "I am" as "Ayamu," and she‘s always up to boogie.
Megan Foster is a health 3 PCV who is from all over Oregon. Her site is Kitabi in Nyamagabe district, right outside of Nyungwe National Park. Her free time is spent trying to overcome her completely rational fear of monkeys, in spite of the terrifying baboons that hang around the area, and even on the windows from time to time.
Sara Gaul, an education 3 PCV, is from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. She went to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where she studied journalism and then, after graduation, worked at a bird zoo. Her site is in Kirehe district and she teaches English in Gatore, and enjoys eating raisins and tiny bananas.
Katie Hall comes from the Bay Area in California, and went to university at UC San Diego. Living in Rwanda she likes to count the number of children that she has made cry by startling them, and her largest fear is that she will drop her phone down a latrine. She currently lives in Zaza, in the Eastern Province.
Devin Johnson is an RPCV readjusting to life in America. She re-cently got a job as a server at a local Greek restaurant, where she is cur-rently trying not to spill anything. She plans to attend law school in the fall.
Andrew Kinton is an English teacher in S1 & S2. He lives in the Northern Province, Rulindo District, Kinihira sector. He likes to play sports and take all day hiking treks in the mountains near his village. His proudest accomplishment is teaching 90% of the students at their primary and secondary school to say "Good Afternoon" and "What‘s up."
Danae Paterson grew up in the small, mountainous town of Sonora in rural California. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a bachelors in Comparative Literature at UCLA. Her dream is to work at the International Criminal Court. She plays seven musical instruments including, yes, the tuba. Nothing beats a rainy day, Moroccan mint tea, and a sad Russian novel.
AJ Rikli gets made fun of for his shrink-to-fit 501s all the time but knows they're just jealous of the comfortable, contoured fit and the security of a button fly. When he finishes in Rwanda, he and Rihanna are getting married and making beautiful
children.
Allison Radke, an Education 2 PCV, works in Bugesera District in the Eastern Province. Originally from Wisconsin, she enjoyed spending her childhood summers swimming in Lake Superior. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she majored in Spanish and Social Work. Allison‘s interests include singing, listening to VOA, reading, laughing, and teaching her students songs.
Allister Stanton was an education 2 PCV living in the scenic moun-tain-top community of Kagogo, surrounded by Lake Burera. A native of Palo Alto, California, he is every bit the tree-hugging hippie one would expect him to be. His hobbies include social activism, poetry, hiking, beach combing, reading, making groovy tie dyes, cooking tasty curries, and writing snail mail letters to his friends.
Ashley Williamson was a PCV in Mauritania and Rwanda 2008-2011. She started out as an education volunteer working in secondary schools and went on to create the English Education for Judges and Court Staff program with Ellie Frazier. In her third year as a PCV she joined the Stomping Out Malaria in Africa initiative and began working with President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). She now is nomadic and is looking for work in Belize or Kansas City until she eventually goes on to get her masters degree.
Deanne Witzke is an Education 2 PCV living in the Western Province, Rutsiro District in the middle of "that road" no one wants to travel on. She loves yoga, ultimate frisbee, reading good books, preparing circus-like lesson plans, mentoring GLOW girls, and cooking crazy food. She enjoys good market finds, window seats, good chapatti, and ice cubes.
Meghan Costello is an Education 2 volunteer, living in Nyanza district. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Political Science, minoring in Peace Studies. She teaches English Communication, General Paper, and computer studies, and likes working with her afterschool English and GLOW club. She loves the way the mamas that we taught in Musanze wrote, "I am" as "Ayamu," and she‘s always up to boogie.
Megan Foster is a health 3 PCV who is from all over Oregon. Her site is Kitabi in Nyamagabe district, right outside of Nyungwe National Park. Her free time is spent trying to overcome her completely rational fear of monkeys, in spite of the terrifying baboons that hang around the area, and even on the windows from time to time.
Sara Gaul, an education 3 PCV, is from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. She went to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where she studied journalism and then, after graduation, worked at a bird zoo. Her site is in Kirehe district and she teaches English in Gatore, and enjoys eating raisins and tiny bananas.
Katie Hall comes from the Bay Area in California, and went to university at UC San Diego. Living in Rwanda she likes to count the number of children that she has made cry by startling them, and her largest fear is that she will drop her phone down a latrine. She currently lives in Zaza, in the Eastern Province.
Devin Johnson is an RPCV readjusting to life in America. She re-cently got a job as a server at a local Greek restaurant, where she is cur-rently trying not to spill anything. She plans to attend law school in the fall.
Andrew Kinton is an English teacher in S1 & S2. He lives in the Northern Province, Rulindo District, Kinihira sector. He likes to play sports and take all day hiking treks in the mountains near his village. His proudest accomplishment is teaching 90% of the students at their primary and secondary school to say "Good Afternoon" and "What‘s up."
Danae Paterson grew up in the small, mountainous town of Sonora in rural California. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a bachelors in Comparative Literature at UCLA. Her dream is to work at the International Criminal Court. She plays seven musical instruments including, yes, the tuba. Nothing beats a rainy day, Moroccan mint tea, and a sad Russian novel.
AJ Rikli gets made fun of for his shrink-to-fit 501s all the time but knows they're just jealous of the comfortable, contoured fit and the security of a button fly. When he finishes in Rwanda, he and Rihanna are getting married and making beautiful
children.
Allison Radke, an Education 2 PCV, works in Bugesera District in the Eastern Province. Originally from Wisconsin, she enjoyed spending her childhood summers swimming in Lake Superior. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she majored in Spanish and Social Work. Allison‘s interests include singing, listening to VOA, reading, laughing, and teaching her students songs.
Allister Stanton was an education 2 PCV living in the scenic moun-tain-top community of Kagogo, surrounded by Lake Burera. A native of Palo Alto, California, he is every bit the tree-hugging hippie one would expect him to be. His hobbies include social activism, poetry, hiking, beach combing, reading, making groovy tie dyes, cooking tasty curries, and writing snail mail letters to his friends.
Ashley Williamson was a PCV in Mauritania and Rwanda 2008-2011. She started out as an education volunteer working in secondary schools and went on to create the English Education for Judges and Court Staff program with Ellie Frazier. In her third year as a PCV she joined the Stomping Out Malaria in Africa initiative and began working with President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). She now is nomadic and is looking for work in Belize or Kansas City until she eventually goes on to get her masters degree.
Deanne Witzke is an Education 2 PCV living in the Western Province, Rutsiro District in the middle of "that road" no one wants to travel on. She loves yoga, ultimate frisbee, reading good books, preparing circus-like lesson plans, mentoring GLOW girls, and cooking crazy food. She enjoys good market finds, window seats, good chapatti, and ice cubes.