The Patron Saint of Completely Legal DVDs, Updates, and Cursed Cravings

Completely Legal DVD’s:
Outside the store we go to do our internet business, buy sodas, and eat glorious masala chips (fries) there are numerous men screaming for you to look at their merchandise: power strips, traffic cones, hammers, pillows, and the much fabled, and extremely sought after, completely legal DVDs. The first several times we went to Nakumatt, the store’s name, we were accompanied by Margaret, and I longingly looked at the salesmen as the van slowly passed by. This last time, however, Tammi and I were able to sneak away and peruse the goodies. We were handed a stack of movies and on top I saw Superman Returns. How the completely legal DVDs work here is that they put 7 movies on one disc. How do they do that you ask? Two words: lackluster quality. After some haggling the disc we purchased included Superman Returns, Click, The Break Up, Waist Deep, 10th & Wolf, The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift, and Shooting Dogs.
We rushed home to check our purchase. I was eager to see Superman because I was unable to see it before we left the states and was really looking forward to it. Yeah, it was a movie theater recording, big surprise. We could hear seats creaking and people laughing throughout the film. We watched it though. I enjoyed it despite the quality.
We waited a few nights for the sting to die down, before we watched the next movie. We wanted something light after a long day so we watched Adam Sandler’s Click, another movie I wanted to see but never had the chance to. It was great (shut your mouth DVC), as an Adam Sandler fan I was completely satisfied, and the quality wasn’t horrible, probably because it wasn’t a theater recording. But as the credits began to role the screen faded into the beginning of the next film.
A black screen with the words “Rwanda, 1994” appeared. Tammi and I both knew that any movie beginning with those words would not be the lighthearted fair we had begun the night wanting to see, but being five hundred miles from the country, we were interested. The film was entitled Shooting Dogs, staring John Hurt (I had never heard of it, DVC?). Of course it was about the genocide that occurred in the nineties, and it took place at a technical school in Kigali ran by a priest, John Hurt, and a volunteer teacher played by Hugh Darcy. The story-line was much like the well-known Hotel Rwanda, except even more hopeless. It was difficult to watch, even more so with us living so close to the event and being volunteer teachers.
Afterwards we were worn out. We were completely not prepared for the film, but it was really well done and I suggest you check it out, unless you have loved ones living near Rwanda.
The next day, as Tammi and I were walking to school, Tammi commented that the film made our kids and their actions easy to deal with as long as they aren’t committing mass genocide. I tend to agree, although sometimes it’s questionable...I KEED, I KEED!
So in conclusion: I am not quite ready to give up on completely legal DVDs. I think as long as we buy older movies that have already made it to DVD in the states, or were released in 2005 or earlier, we should be fine. I see the DVD we purchased (ksh 300, or $4 US) as a mix-tape made for us by someone didn’t quite know our taste in songs. There are some duds, some gems, and some songs you would like to have in better quality. It was an experience.

Updates:
~ Last Saturday we sent out our latest newsletter via my mother, it’s pretty sweet, if I do say so myself. If you didn’t receive one and would like one, email us at mwilliamrice@gmail.com, and we will get you put on the list, or better yet comment to this post with your address, and I sure my mom might send you one, she would probably be faster than us.
~ For the last week Tammi and I have been silently observing the classes at the House of Hope School to try and find were Montessori could fit in to there already packed timetable. I have some ideas, but it will taken some flexibility on the teachers parts, but I think we can make some of work rather well. We will be introducing some materials at the home in the evening in the meantime.
~ The kids at Gateway Community Church in Clear Lake a few months ago raised money to go towards the building of a football field (or for those in the United States: SOCCER!) for the children at the House of Hope. Well the building began today, IN THE MIDDLE OF CLASSES! What the hell is it with children and heavy machinery? They see a back-hoe and they lose the ability to do the simplest mathematics. Crazy! It should be great though. It will be huge and have a track around it. The children are wicked excited.
~ At the House of Hope, every Friday evening, Margaret hosts a fellowship evening for the adults in the compound. Tonight Tammi and I are trying out more of a “small group” setting rather than the usual worship-pray-message-worship format. We are trying to have the group dialogue more rather than passively participating. We will be discussing Romans 6:1-14. Join us if you are in the neighborhood. If not, pray, please pray.

Top Ten Cravings That Can In No Way Be Satiated Until We Return To Houston, No Order:
-Chuychanga from Chuy’s...yes, this includes the full set up, salsa, and the blessed Creamy Jalapeno
-Mai’s General Tso’s Chicken, Garlic Tofu, and Tofu Spring Rolls
-Chinese Buffet, I know it’s not authentic, but I don’t care
-Bombay Sweets Vegetarian Indian Buffet
-Friends at Onion Creek, or anywhere for that matter
-Luby’s...yes Luby’s, crazy, huh?
-Batting Cages
-An Astros Game...expensive seats
-Wall Ball
-Fletch

We love all of you and wish you were here, really.

Waithara, Ken, Hannah, and Jane relieving some "stress":



Now, here’s Tammi...

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Monday 9/4/06
First day of real school, it was not too different but the things that were different makes a big impact. We decided at the teachers meeting that we would just watch and take notes for the first week then we would have another meeting on Fri. and Sat. to discuss all the things we noted. They wear uniforms to school and they all look so cute. My teacher was back and ready to go and she was much nicer to me. She said on our walk back to the school after the meeting that she had no idea that I was here a year, so that would explain her not really being all that warm to someone that she thought would be gone when she got back from holiday. So I think that helped her understand that we should work together. I think it will be ok with us. ALL the kids have tea time and lunch in the preschool class which is crazy over whelming for everyone involved but mostly for the kids that our in the preschool class because their sense of order every day 2 times a day gets all turned upside down. So that was some of the first things we noted. However I noticed the kids did very well working and they seemed to take regular term time a little bit more seriously. I took good notes on how I think the classroom should be set up and what things need to be removed and what things need to be added, so I felt like for a first day I was able to sit back and see a lot, I am sure we are going to be sharing with Margaret soon.

Tuesday and Wednesday 9/5-9/6
Well these two days were a blur because we were sitting at school all day and then coming home to prepare for activities! We made a multiplication BINGO game that Michael was going to use with a few children to help with multiplication! We did too much these two days, we are still learning how to better manage our time.

Thur. 9/7/06
We left one month ago today. Crazy to think this, I still find myself not fully understanding that we are in AFRICA!! It still sounds weird to say. Everyday it becomes more real but yea it is still weird. I have been able to hear more from God, it has been really nice. I hear him in my dreams and on my walks and well all around. I have missed him and was worried that I would not hear from him the same way I used to, I know I had to just stop to listen but he has always been here.
Margaret told us today that she was going to be out of town until maybe Sunday. So party in Nairobi and you are all invited! Kids are welcomed, wink wink! However please keep us in your prayers, we don’t want the children to be upset by this.