Welcome to Rwanda

To get to Rwanda, I had to fly through Nairobi, Kenya. I was there for only about two hours, so I didn’t get to see the city at all. But when you get on your plane to leave Nairobi, you walk onto the runway without escorts or anything. Next to the plane, all the passengers’ bags are lined up, and you have to point out which bags are yours. The bags you point out are moved onto the plane. I thought it was cool.

However, I didn't think it was cool when only one of my two bags was there for me to point out. The bag that is missing has a laptop, two cameras and ten rolls of film, a webcam for Skype, a cell phone, and a bunch of other small things. I filed a report at the Kigali International Airport and they are going to contact me when the bag arrives, but as you can imagine, I am a bit skeptical.

Despite the unfortunate fate of my bag, I have arrived in Rwanda safely. From the plane, the country seemed beautiful. Everywhere there were rolling hills with houses and buildings on the side and dirt roads. It is warm, but not hot. The temperature may be the same as in Boston, but it is not nearly as humid.

We drove by a lot of the places I have read about in books about Rwanda, like the National Assembly and the Ministry of Justice, as well as the huge Ministry of Defence. It's difficult for me to grasp that so much violence took place here years ago. It seems so small and peaceful. I asked Top, the Finance Administrator for ARC, on the way if people talk about the genocide at all, or if they prefer not to discuss it. He said they talk and are very open about it; even still, I would never ask somebody about it. At least not yet anyway. One piece of advice I received before coming is to never ask the Rwandan people about their families (which is considered casual conversation in the US) because of the genocide.

For now, I am staying with Top. His house is very nice, and I have my own room. Last night, I took a sitting shower using a bucket of warm water and a cup for the first time in my adult life; and this morning, I took a cold standing shower. When the shower works, I think the water is cold. It is hard to decide which shower I prefer right now.

Today I am off to meet with Jessica in the Nyabiheke camp, where I will meet and greet the staff and explore the camp. I will be driven by an ARC employee who happens to be going that way. It is only about two hours away.

I’ll take pictures of all the above as soon as I recover my suitcase. I hope you are all well at home.