Thursday, July 15, 2010

I'm back from Butare, and this is the first time I've had access to the internet. BTW I've just learned it is possible to buy a modem and get internet access that way. I'll do that soon. I'm slowly learning all the little ways of coping that make it possible to get around. Probably there will be more hassles and more learning coping strategies.

The visit was a success. I got a letter of invitation from the National University which I can use in support of my Fulbright. Speaking of coping strategies, this is quite a story. When I arrived in Butare I immediately called Vincent Sezibera, the head of the department of clinical psychology at NUR (the national university). He showed up to greet me at the hotel where I stayed, said he would be right back and vanished. I called him a bit later, and he explained he didn't want to bother me, but said I could meet him at his office at 2:30. Again, he wasn't there, and again I called. It turned out he was in a meeting and arrived at 3:30. We had a good talk about our mutual interests and my teaching, and he said he would be glad to write a letter, and ask for administrative approval. He also introduced me to the Dean of the Medical School who was approving of the application. It was important that the Fulbright committee would pay all expenses, so that the university had nothing to lose by having me. The dean introduced himself as Patrick - I think everything is on a first name basis because of the way Rwandans are given names. If I want an honorific i address him as Dean Patrick.

By this time I had learned what I could count on from Vincent and what I couldn't, So I said I would write the letter myself, and have him edit it. My assistant, Sylvia, who is absolutely amazing, dug up the name and phone of the rector and vice rector and made an appointment for me the next day at 11. I actually met the vice rector at 12 - after his other meetings were delayed. His name is Professor Martin O'Hara, and he is a displaced Englishman, I think, or perhaps Irish. In any event he was enormously courteous and helpful. He told me just write the letter, bring it to his office, and they will print it out on official stationary and sign it.

I called vincent told him this, and he agreed to meet me at his office at 4:30. By now its clear what was going to happen. He wasn't there. I left a note, we drove off, and as it happened as we were pulling into my hotel Sylvia and Eric saw Vincent driving past in a green van. I said let's follow the van and we did. After a short drive Vincent pulled off the road into a small building that turned out the be the University clinic. Other people were waiting for him there, too, apparently wondering why he hadn't kept his appointment with them. He had the grace to look embarassed.

Sylvia says he is on African time. I think she trusts me enough to say this. Eric says so too, but doesn't think African time is a good thing. We joked that if he had an appointment with Kagame at 4:30 he would sleep in his office, for fear of missing it. I'm not sure why it occurs. I don't think "African culture" per se is a good explanation. Sylvia says it is a culture of come back tomorrow. She also says that in Uganda requesting bribes for services isn't done, you just simply tell people come back tomorrow until they pay.

But in any event, I finally did meet with Vincent, we did write the letter together, we took it to O'hara's office, and he signed it and gave me a hard copy and also scanned it into a file for a permanent record. I'm going to keep it in several different places.

We drove back to Butare, and on the road I had a very interesting conversation with Eric and Sylvia about the role of group pressure in Rwandan behavior. To make a long story short, they don't like it. They are aware of the pressure to follow the norm, marry just to be married, etc. Eric says that group pressure is the negative of Rwandan culture.