Pottery Class in Kigali

For those of you who know me, you know that I love my arts & crafts.

Unfortunately, one of the hardest things about being overseas for an extended period of time is the inability to find an outlet for my creativity when I'm feeling antsy, or stressed, or downright bored. Though I have seriously considered it, it's a bit impractical to lug my sewing machine and my XL moving box filled with scrapbooking/card making/all craft related materials across the Atlantic (I do, however, have my eyes set on a mini-sewing machine that may alleviate this problem for any future overseas living). In the past 10 months, I've tried to make do with what I have - I've shredded up t-shirts to try some up-cycling projects, invaded a friend's house to use her sewing machine to make tote bags, tried to get into patterning since it only requires a pen and paper, and in my desperation one evening, super-glued some fabric scraps to a beer bottle to beautify our makeshift candle holder. Believe it or not, those things haven't quite hit the spot.

So, you can imagine my utter joy when I found out that Kigali was starting a Traditional Pottery Class! 5,000RWF (about 8USD) got you a morning of unlimited pottery making in a small group environment and a trainer to assist in learning the trade. And, the best part of it? The proceeds are going towards helping the Cooperative Moderne de Poterie purchase a glazing kiln, in hopes that it will help increase sales and production. I don't know about you, but spending money that has a "good cause" attached to it always makes it easier to justify my expenditures (especially when those expenditures really shouldn't be there in the first place). I, of course, signed up for the first session available.

Needless to say, the experience was quite enjoyable. And therapeutic! There's nothing like getting your hands dirty working with clay that has been brought from a local river, sitting in a secluded area of the city surrounded by hills and pastures full of goats and cows, and doing something that requires some level of creativity! I still haven't retrieved my pot, vase, bowl, and candle holder from the two sessions that I have attended, but I'm excited to bring them back to the house so they can be utilized for the purpose they were created for! I can't say that this pottery class has completely filled the void that has been a result of months and months of mediocre crafting opportunities, but its a great start and I'll take what I can get. Until I arrive back in the US (in only 5 weeks!), I don't have any other other choice but to be content with what is available to me and to keep updating my list of project ideas!