Luv is in the aire!

Alana, this one's for you!

I feel (slightly) bad about posting this one, but one of the central themes of my life here has been avoiding male "suitors". A couple of these "courtships" have involved some rather humorous SMS messages. I thought i'd share some of the more entertaining:

Bachelor number 1: The guy sitting next to us at the soccer game, who was very intent on teaching me kinyarwandan and insisted we exchange numbers so that he could teach me (he was also a friend of a friend so i felt i needed to exchange numbers)...apparently i should have offered up some english lessons as well:

1.Hi! Betsy I am sorry to dista. U that time, I don’t know. When we were watching match I was very suprised. I don’t know, I thing we shall meet again. Bne nuit.

2. (my personal favorite) Hi betsy! Let me hope that u are kept hot, u are away from coldness. I am trying, but I have failed to sleep with out sending u message. Have good night, betsy with a lot of nice dreams.

3. Hi betsy I thing you are ok! Juste to tell u hi. Have good night and good dreams.

Bachelor number 2: Relative of someone who works at Tulane, who obviously took a course in business english.

1. Betsy, would like to tell you my concerns. I have lot of feelings towards you. I think I have fallen in LOVE. We have many things in common. I would like to tell you face to face but maybe I am to shy. I would appreciate if we can become close friends and know well each other. Please tell me what you think about my initiative? Plse send me an sms. Bisous

2. Ma chere Betsy, j t’aime. I have been waiting for you sms with nice words as per my request but in vain…Even if you do not want to mean it, JE T’AIME FOR EVER. When are we meeting? Plse confirm the day. Have a wonderful night and streamline your dreams to what I told you. Bisous

Bachelor Number 3: Tricked me into going on a "date" with him, by informing me he was kuku's friend and that we would all be going together. This is the text i received the day after our "date" (which entailed driving around looking for an open restaurant-at least he let me drive which was exciting and a first for me in rwanda-and then finally finding one and him ordering brochettes for us. When the brochettes (meat on a stick) first came out i was impressed that he had splurged and ordered shrimp brochettes...a classy move. but i quickly realized my mistake when i popped it in my mouth. instead of sweet shrimp juices, i was chopping down on the local's fav. brochette of goat intestine. (gross!!) so unless that goat had recently had a shrimp meal i was foiled...):

1. I hope u fine? our time was social valued network c'se we planted a green flower, bt its was hard b'se of time. i thougt 2remind u again to put water and fertile soil on that flower. I think our mind set will celebrate if we see 2gether our flower adn its fruits. I think 2 say i love u something normal but difficult. i wish 4! God bless u.

So again, apologies if someone reading this is one of the afore mentioned bachelors, but thats what you get for trying to date a cold(away from warmness)-hearted muzungu...