Kids in Rwanda: An Interview

This month, I am living with a family that includes two boys in elementary school. I asked them if I could interview them so I could let my friends in America know what kids in Rwanda are like. They were happy to share their lives with you!

Meet Prince, age 9, and Joshua, age 8!

 

This is their house.  It contains a dining room, living room, and five bedrooms.  There is a separate kitchen building outside where their mom cooks, and a separate building that has a toilet and water for bathing.

 

 

Me: What grade are you in?

Prince: P3 (third grade)

Joshua: P2 (second grade)

Me: What subjects do you study at school?

Prince: There are many! French, English, and Kinyarwanda (the language in Rwanda)

Joshua: Social, English, and French

Me: What subject is your favorite?

Prince: English

Joshua: English

Me: What time do you leave for school in the morning, and what time do you come home?

Prince and Joshua: Leave at 6:00, return at 1:15.

Me: How do you get to school?

Prince: Sometimes we take the bus, and sometimes we drive.

Me: How many teachers do you have?

Prince: 5

Joshua: 3

Me: What do you like to do for fun?

Prince: Play football! (In Rwanda, kids call soccer “football.”)

Joshua: To go out to lunch.

Me: What is your favorite sport?

Prince: Football (soccer).

Joshua: Tennis.

Me: What is your favorite food?

Prince: Chips (french fries).

Joshua: Ice cream.

Me: What is your family like?

Prince and Joshua: There are 5 sisters and 4 brothers (including us).

*Prince and Joshua are the youngest of 9 siblings!  Four of their older sisters, ages 16-23, live at home.  Two older brothers and an older sister have grown up and moved away.  They both said that they enjoy visiting their grandmother, who lives nearby!

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Prince: I want to be a doctor.

Joshua: I want to be a pastor.

Me: What is your favorite animal?

Prince: Dog.

Joshua: Lion.

Me: What do you do to help around the house?

Prince: I wash plates.

Joshua: I help to escort (show people around).

Me: What would you say to kids in America?

Prince: That I love them.

Joshua: I love them and God bless them!

I hope you enjoyed getting to meet my "little brothers!"  If you have any questions for them, let me know, and I will ask!

 

Love,

Miss Jacobs

African Safari

Hi everyone!

I recently had a fun adventure in Uganda! My friends and I drove about 3 hours to go to a place called Queen Elizabeth National Park. This national park is a place where wild animals can live in their natural habitat and no one is allowed to hunt them. It is a huge place – 1798 sq km. You can drive for hours and hours and still be in the park. People can come and ride around in a vehicle to see all the different animals. It's not like a zoo because the animals aren't in cages or enclosures, they just roam around freely. So you have to be on the lookout to find them! I also went on a boat ride to see even more animals. Here are some animals (and people) I saw around the park:

Baboons

When we were paying to get into the park, one of these baboons went through a window into our car and stole some food! Then a bunch of his buddies started coming out of the bushes. We got to see them eating leaves off of the bushes. Some of them even had babies!

Antelope

In Uganda, they call these animals kob, but you might know them as antelope. You can tell the age of an antelope by the number of rings on his horns – one ring for each year.

Elephant

Elephant herds are mostly made of females and young. Elephants can use their trunks to grab food, drink water, smell, fight, and breathe. They have great memories. Female elephants are pregnant for 22 months. A baby elephant, called a cub, spends five years with its mother.

Water Buffalo & Cape Buffalo

A herd of buffalo is led by a dominant male. When he gets old, the females kick him out of the herd. He then lives a solitary life, or joins up with other males in the same situation, creating a “bachelor herd.” Female buffalo are pregnant for 11.5 months and then give bird to a single baby that breastfeeds for one year. They can live for about 25 years in the wild. There are 9000 buffalo at the Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Lion

We spotted one lion on our drive – a male with a full mane! It is rare to see males, since usually female lions are doing the hunting while the male sleeps.

Warthogs

Pumbaa! Baby warthogs are called piglets.

Nile Crocodile

The Nile Crocodile is the second largest crocodile in the world. It grows up to 4.5 meters long and weighs 500 kg. Nile crocodiles are coldblooded and they eat fish. They have a good sense of hearing. The reason they often sit with their mouths open is to expel excess heat!

Hippopotamus

Hippos are the third largest land mammals in the world. They spend much of their time in the water because they are hairless and sunburn easily. Hippos can hold their breath underwater for 6-12 minutes. They also give birth in the water, but need to be near a shore so the mother can push the baby onto land to take its first breaths. Female babies are taken back to the group of hippos (called a “school”) after a few days, but male babies are kept separate from the group for 1-2 years so the dominant male in the group won't kill it. They can live for a little over 40 years. The water where hippos live turns green because of the color of their poop!

Pie king fisher

This cool little bird makes its nest underground. The nests look like holes in the side of the mountain. The pie king fishers also make fake nests in order to fool predators!

Fish eagles

Fish eagles mate for life. Their eggs take 45 days to hatch. The female sits on the eggs most of the time, but the male guards them when she goes to eat. They work together to feed their young. Fish eagles start looking like adults when they are 3 years old.

Egrets

There are a few different varieties of egrets in the park. You often see them near buffalo because they eat bugs off their fur. Female egrets choose their mates based on who has the best nest.

Nile monitor lizard

Nile monitor lizards use their tails to defend against predators. They rarely bite...but I would recommend keeping your distance anyway. :)

Fishing Village

There is a fishing village located within the park. These families were living in the park when it was established in 1952. The fisherman leave in their canoes around 4:30 pm each day and fish all night. They need to watch out for hippos, which are extremely dangerous in the water. At least one person is killed or injured by a hippo each month.

Mongoose

These little guys ran around the outdoor restaurant while we were eating!

In total, there are 95 mammal species and 612 bird species in the park. It was awesome seeing a few of these animals in their natural habitat!

Which one is your favorite?