The rumour has spread about us in Rwanda. It’s a good one, very good. Because of this, we started the year with a large number of students (467). We are very proud of our teachers in Kivumu. We want them to be the best so that our students will be more successful. We want to enable local teachers and all school personal so that they are able to properly teach our youth and prepare them for better and safer future.

A great number of our teachers have gone on training and professional development in different parts of the world. This time, our teacher Adolphe Iyakaremye had the opportunity to go for training to Croatia, for three months, thanks to Čulić Company from Solin.

Three guys from the same company, Joško Erceg, Vedran Jureškin and Josip Perić, have spent one month in Rwanda (14.2.-14.3. 2014.) to install transformers in one central hydro unit so I asked them to let Adolphe work with them to learn more about electricity which they gladly accepted. At the end of their work they suggested that would be good if Adolphe could go to Croatia for few months because he seemed so willing to learn more and because he was very good in his job except that he could use a little bit more training. Thanks to their suggestion, everything swung into motion.

First we needed to get all the papers, and that is not really easy when it comes to non-European citizens. Everything would have been much harder if we hadn’t came to the attention of a most amiable employee, Mr Marijan Klasić, from the visa office in the Croatian embassy in SAR. We want to use this opportunity to thank him for all his efforts and time and everything he did so that our teacher could get his Croatian visa. Of course, Adolphe could not have applied for his visa without a letter of guarantee from the Čurić Company. The owner, Nikša Čurić was willing to invite and provide guarantee for Adolphe. Everything was done willingly and attentively by Mr Tonći Čović.

So, Adolphe and I, on our way to Solin passed through Croatia. The first night we spent with our friends and doctors, Ksenija and Tomislav Pesek, in Zabok. After that we visited our “Jarani” in Osijek, Maja and Željko Garmaz, and especially little boss Grga who has started teething. That same night we flew to Dubrovnik to visit our friends, in particular, Marinela Banovac, who has done a lot for our youth, as have so many others.

Sunday’s program was full, but we took the opportunity to sightsee Dubrovnik, visit Srđ and the museum and to stroll through Stradun where Adolphe got a lesson about the town’s history and had the opportunity to mingle with the “Gospari”(citizens of Dubrovnik).

Early in the morning we continued our way to Solin, near Split where we were welcomed by “our guys” from Čulić Company, who warmly welcomed Adolphe so that he could feel as at home. It was so gratifying to witness how everyone was willing to help and were so helpful and friendly and we thank them all.

After that, I hit the road, so to speak, and returned to my home in Rwanda.

Translated by Andjelka Fitz
Edited by Vaerie Kae Ken