Blessing, Budgets, Blunders, and 3 months to go...
It's Less than 3 months to go before I move.
Time really does fly!
This month has been a month of setbacks and opportunities. I feel like I've become a bit of a capitalist (lol) as the number one thing on my mind these days, seems to be money. How I can make more, save more and spend less.
Blessings
Because I'm becoming acutely aware that even though I will be living on a strict budget in Rwanda (as I do and have done for the past few years in New Zealand) things always come up which you don't expect and have to pay for. But I am constantly reminding myself that God will provide for all of my needs as He always has! And just as expenses come up when you least expect it, unexpected money always seems to turn up.. someone paying back a debt owed to me, I get a tax refund, my work have under paid me etc etc. An example of God's provision , just this week, was the NZ government's announcement of the Pay Equity Settlement for Mental Health Workers which will entitle me to a much higher (fairer) pay rate and hopefully a whole lot of back pay! I'm not saying that God wanted the law changed just for me, but it sure feels like an answer to my prayers to me!
Blunders
The big thing that happened to me this month is my car's engine overheating (while on the Wellington Motorway) and it having to be written off. As usual, it was my own stupid fault as while I was proud of myself for having remembered to fill up the water in my car just two days prior, I however was too careless to screw the lid on properly (bringing back memories of the time I did the same thing with the oil in my car and ended up spilling oil all the way to Riversdale Beach and a farmer put a calves feeding teet and screwed it into the hole for the oil lid because the oil cap was AWOL and nobody in the district had a cap that would fit on.)
Oh the stories I could tell you all about my car dramas..each one more traumatic than the next (You can read about it in my book one day in the chapter entitled "Cars") I am happy for the day that I don't have to own a car anymore and can just manage with public transport and my own feet.
I'm the opposite of a perfectionist and rush my way through life. Usually this works in my favour that means I can literally juggle a million balls at once but the day that my car overheated on the motorway was one of the times that my "she'll be right attitude" failed me.
So I've had to drive this past month on a borrowed scooter which has been so much fun, but less than ideal! Today my scooter borrowing days are over so I have decided to suck it up and buy a car as I have a lot of people to meet/places to go to etc before my move.
Turangawaewae - A place to belong/ a place for my feet to stand
Another big expense has been securing my own slice of Rwandan paradise/our rental in Kigali and paying for the first few months rent so that Claire (my future flatmate) can move in already and doesn't have to live in the current sub-par living conditions she is living in now. Thankfully I still had some money left over from her supporters who supported her with her university/living costs (after a Facebook appeal about 4 months ago.)
I'm so excited that I have a house to live in which exactly meets my criteria. I wanted a house with at least 2 bedrooms (this house has 3), with space for a vege garden (it already has an established garden) and close to my work (its 5 minutes walk to my job in Gikondo, Kigali.)
I know my new neighbourhood Gikondo very well as I previously worked there in my first stint in Rwanda 8 years ago. It has the feel of small town living and is semi rural.
I also wanted to live in a house similar to that of 90% of the Rwandan population (or at least similar to all the families who I will be working with).. which is a concrete plain house with bedrooms "chambers" and a main room "sitting room" with an outdoor kitchen (although actually some houses don't even have this) which is basically a room where a charcoal stove is put, an outdoor toilet (long drop) and "shower" (which is an empty cubicle with a drain where you can have bucket baths in.) The house I will be moving into with Claire will meet this description exactly.
The organization I am working for were very helpful and helped Claire to find this home. They also had some criteria that they wanted met , primarily around my safety. Apparently they were satisfied with the security of the house and the gate around the perimeters of the house. We will be sharing a "compound" with the landlords who live in a much larger house on sight. They are an elderly Rwandan couple with health problems and according to Claire are "very good people." So even though safety wasn't a priority for me , I'm so glad that my Rwandan colleagues feel that they are looking after me and doing their duty by me.
Budgets
We will be paying 80,000 rwf per month (about NZ $127 at current exchange rate) which includes electricity and water costs and security costs.
With food for Claire and I, and food to share with our community and friends, transport costs for Claire (about 1.5 dollars a day to get to university) and then other costs associated with the house such as cooking fuel, clothing, basic medication, cleaning products etc I am budgeting around $300 NZD a month for general living.
This may seem like not a lot but I assure you that I am making the choice not to live like other expats in Rwanda, instead consciously choosing to live a little simpler life to make more of an impact on my community and the people who I work with. But at the same time this money is much much more than a lot of much larger families have at their disposal per month, in Rwanda.
This budget is not taking into consideration any costs associated with the two other young people who may be living with us, the on going schooling costs for the boy who I (WE) support and any extra costs that will crop up for helping/feeding/accommodating anybody in some type of need.
There may also be unexpected medical costs and costs associated with gaining a VISA and Registering with the Professional Body in Rwanda.
There will also be start up costs such as buying furniture for our home. Claire only owns a mattress and I would really like to buy her a bed. I would need to buy a bed for myself (I do want to live a simpler life but the idea of sleeping on the floor with lizards and potential snakes really does not appeal to me!) And I would need a spare bed for whoever finds themselves in our home. I would also like to buy some couches (or as in Rwanda they call it a "Setee" ) and a table so that our home can be hospitable for guests. Also I would like to have a large vege garden (which we can bless our community with) and there may be costs associated with equipment/plants etc. I imagine the start up costs will total about $1000
FUNDRAISER MARKET
How am I planning to fund this? Well obviously working a lot, scrimping and saving, and already a few kind donations... and also my fundraiser market on May 5. Being slightly crazy means that while brainstorming with my sister we decided to organize a "last hoorah" and to have a fundraiser charity Market.
The market will based in Carterton Main Park on May 5. We are looking for as many stall holders as we can get who will pay a $20 fee which goes straight towards finances needed for Rwanda. There will also be a garage sale stall with all proceeds going to Rwanda and a few other stalls run by family and friends who are offering their services free and are donating their profits to Rwanda.
I've already had a lot of interest with the Carterton Council, Rotary Club, newspapers and the Rwanda community of Wellington getting on board.
If you are interested in being a stall holder or donating goods for the garage sale please let me know (find me on Facebook or email kimkje_123@hotmail.com.) It would be great to have this event be a success but not just in terms of financial success but also getting people interested and excited about what is going on in Rwanda. The only way this will be a success is if the sun is shining (prayers appreciated!) and we have a lot of stall holders.
Have loved your responses on my previous blogs! I will be updating my blog monthly in the lead up to my move, God bless you all :)
Time really does fly!
This month has been a month of setbacks and opportunities. I feel like I've become a bit of a capitalist (lol) as the number one thing on my mind these days, seems to be money. How I can make more, save more and spend less.
Blessings
Because I'm becoming acutely aware that even though I will be living on a strict budget in Rwanda (as I do and have done for the past few years in New Zealand) things always come up which you don't expect and have to pay for. But I am constantly reminding myself that God will provide for all of my needs as He always has! And just as expenses come up when you least expect it, unexpected money always seems to turn up.. someone paying back a debt owed to me, I get a tax refund, my work have under paid me etc etc. An example of God's provision , just this week, was the NZ government's announcement of the Pay Equity Settlement for Mental Health Workers which will entitle me to a much higher (fairer) pay rate and hopefully a whole lot of back pay! I'm not saying that God wanted the law changed just for me, but it sure feels like an answer to my prayers to me!
Blunders
The big thing that happened to me this month is my car's engine overheating (while on the Wellington Motorway) and it having to be written off. As usual, it was my own stupid fault as while I was proud of myself for having remembered to fill up the water in my car just two days prior, I however was too careless to screw the lid on properly (bringing back memories of the time I did the same thing with the oil in my car and ended up spilling oil all the way to Riversdale Beach and a farmer put a calves feeding teet and screwed it into the hole for the oil lid because the oil cap was AWOL and nobody in the district had a cap that would fit on.)
Oh the stories I could tell you all about my car dramas..each one more traumatic than the next (You can read about it in my book one day in the chapter entitled "Cars") I am happy for the day that I don't have to own a car anymore and can just manage with public transport and my own feet.
I'm the opposite of a perfectionist and rush my way through life. Usually this works in my favour that means I can literally juggle a million balls at once but the day that my car overheated on the motorway was one of the times that my "she'll be right attitude" failed me.
So I've had to drive this past month on a borrowed scooter which has been so much fun, but less than ideal! Today my scooter borrowing days are over so I have decided to suck it up and buy a car as I have a lot of people to meet/places to go to etc before my move.
Turangawaewae - A place to belong/ a place for my feet to stand
Another big expense has been securing my own slice of Rwandan paradise/our rental in Kigali and paying for the first few months rent so that Claire (my future flatmate) can move in already and doesn't have to live in the current sub-par living conditions she is living in now. Thankfully I still had some money left over from her supporters who supported her with her university/living costs (after a Facebook appeal about 4 months ago.)
I'm so excited that I have a house to live in which exactly meets my criteria. I wanted a house with at least 2 bedrooms (this house has 3), with space for a vege garden (it already has an established garden) and close to my work (its 5 minutes walk to my job in Gikondo, Kigali.)
I know my new neighbourhood Gikondo very well as I previously worked there in my first stint in Rwanda 8 years ago. It has the feel of small town living and is semi rural.
I also wanted to live in a house similar to that of 90% of the Rwandan population (or at least similar to all the families who I will be working with).. which is a concrete plain house with bedrooms "chambers" and a main room "sitting room" with an outdoor kitchen (although actually some houses don't even have this) which is basically a room where a charcoal stove is put, an outdoor toilet (long drop) and "shower" (which is an empty cubicle with a drain where you can have bucket baths in.) The house I will be moving into with Claire will meet this description exactly.
The organization I am working for were very helpful and helped Claire to find this home. They also had some criteria that they wanted met , primarily around my safety. Apparently they were satisfied with the security of the house and the gate around the perimeters of the house. We will be sharing a "compound" with the landlords who live in a much larger house on sight. They are an elderly Rwandan couple with health problems and according to Claire are "very good people." So even though safety wasn't a priority for me , I'm so glad that my Rwandan colleagues feel that they are looking after me and doing their duty by me.
Budgets
We will be paying 80,000 rwf per month (about NZ $127 at current exchange rate) which includes electricity and water costs and security costs.
With food for Claire and I, and food to share with our community and friends, transport costs for Claire (about 1.5 dollars a day to get to university) and then other costs associated with the house such as cooking fuel, clothing, basic medication, cleaning products etc I am budgeting around $300 NZD a month for general living.
This may seem like not a lot but I assure you that I am making the choice not to live like other expats in Rwanda, instead consciously choosing to live a little simpler life to make more of an impact on my community and the people who I work with. But at the same time this money is much much more than a lot of much larger families have at their disposal per month, in Rwanda.
This budget is not taking into consideration any costs associated with the two other young people who may be living with us, the on going schooling costs for the boy who I (WE) support and any extra costs that will crop up for helping/feeding/accommodating anybody in some type of need.
There may also be unexpected medical costs and costs associated with gaining a VISA and Registering with the Professional Body in Rwanda.
There will also be start up costs such as buying furniture for our home. Claire only owns a mattress and I would really like to buy her a bed. I would need to buy a bed for myself (I do want to live a simpler life but the idea of sleeping on the floor with lizards and potential snakes really does not appeal to me!) And I would need a spare bed for whoever finds themselves in our home. I would also like to buy some couches (or as in Rwanda they call it a "Setee" ) and a table so that our home can be hospitable for guests. Also I would like to have a large vege garden (which we can bless our community with) and there may be costs associated with equipment/plants etc. I imagine the start up costs will total about $1000
FUNDRAISER MARKET
How am I planning to fund this? Well obviously working a lot, scrimping and saving, and already a few kind donations... and also my fundraiser market on May 5. Being slightly crazy means that while brainstorming with my sister we decided to organize a "last hoorah" and to have a fundraiser charity Market.
The market will based in Carterton Main Park on May 5. We are looking for as many stall holders as we can get who will pay a $20 fee which goes straight towards finances needed for Rwanda. There will also be a garage sale stall with all proceeds going to Rwanda and a few other stalls run by family and friends who are offering their services free and are donating their profits to Rwanda.
I've already had a lot of interest with the Carterton Council, Rotary Club, newspapers and the Rwanda community of Wellington getting on board.
If you are interested in being a stall holder or donating goods for the garage sale please let me know (find me on Facebook or email kimkje_123@hotmail.com.) It would be great to have this event be a success but not just in terms of financial success but also getting people interested and excited about what is going on in Rwanda. The only way this will be a success is if the sun is shining (prayers appreciated!) and we have a lot of stall holders.
Have loved your responses on my previous blogs! I will be updating my blog monthly in the lead up to my move, God bless you all :)
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