The Land of A Thousand Hills

We took our second consecutive Friday off from teaching this week to travel to the west coast of Rwanda to the city of Kibuye. Also on the very western part of Rwanda sits Lake Kivu, the largest body of water in Rwanda. We had yet to hit the western side of the country, and what better way to visit than a 2-day period of rest and relaxation? We hopped on a Capital Express bus at about 10:30 to ride just over two and a half hours to Kibuye. If there's one thing that sets Rwanda apart from the rest of East Africa it is their bus and road systems. Although we, as "westerners", are not used to the seemingly quirky and complicated bus system, it is actually quite advanced for East Africa and I have come to be very appreciative of that fact over the past weeks. Traveling from city to city is simple and efficient; you just sign up for a certain time, pay, and ride. We've been traveling just about every weekend since we've been here and it's been a small undertaking for us all. Rwanda is small enough to have easy traveling (under 5 hours) from one side to the other.

Upon arriving in Kibuye we had only one thing in mind: get to the lake! Over the past couple years in Kibuye, there have been a couple newly established hotels & resorts on the lake that mainly attract tourists and foreigners. We had been recommended to stay at Hotel Bethanie over the others because it had a great location on Kivu, direct access to the water, a ferry system to travel to the islands in the lake, and happened to be the cheapest of them all. All of these aspects excited us so we quickly hopped on some taxi motos to take us there. When we arrived at the hotel it had felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. Everything was so quiet and gorgeous, much different from the Kigali city center. Relaxation immediately overcame me. We booked three rooms for the evening, two with dual twin beds, and the third with a double and a twin. This would be enough for all of us to sleep comfortably. The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to swimming and continued relaxing. The water was perfect; clear and just the right temperature to wade about. At one point in the mix between late afternoon and early evening we noticed an increasing number of military troops and officials arriving on the hotel grounds. We soon found out they were having a banquet of some sort in the restaurant, and wouldn't be around for too long. However when they were milling around and enjoying their dinner, some of them found entertainment in us. A few troops were sitting nearby the same dock from which we plummeted into the water. Most Rwandans seem to be almost fascinated by our foreign nature and, from time to time, watched us swim in the lake as they ate. As strange as it was, I paid them no attention nor mind and swam to another side of the waters edge to enjoy the beautiful scenery in which I was submerged.

The whole place seemed surreal. My descriptions cannot do the justice of what Lake Kivu is. The hotel itself gave me the impression of being on the coast of the Mediterranean in Italy or Greece. The contrast between the high hills and the water that appeared limitless was breathtaking. The vast lake had a current that made the water hit the bank with a sound that mimicked that of ocean waves hitting the beach. It was the place we all wanted to be. For much of the Florida-native group, it was home. As we ate dinner on the patio overlooking the water, we marveled in our environment and were glad to be where we were. Just afterwards we had noticed another, smaller, group of similar-aged people sitting at another table on the other side of the patio. We took it upon ourselves to strike up conversation, as it's not everyday you see other college-age people in Rwanda. We learn they are from Quebec and are on a government volunteer program to teach French & English, but are enjoying the same scenery and company as are we. We chat for a while until both groups retreat to their original form for the remainder of the evening, although this would not be the last time we would see each other.

The next morning, on Saturday, Casey and I woke up at about 5:30am for a sunrise swim. The sun usually rises at about the same time everyday around 6:00. It had not yet risen above the hills when we eased into the lake, but it wouldn't take long. The water was a little chilly but all the more refreshing as the dark blue sky soon turned a mixture of magenta and orange. We were out there for about 45 minutes to an hour before we decided to head back to our rooms to catch some more 'Z's. The day ahead was dedicated to boating out to the middle of the lake to Amahoro ("Peace") Island. The ferry ride was only 20 minutes long before we arrived to find a slew of people already enjoying the amenities - including the Canadians we had met the previous night. Amahoro looked like something out of a movie (Most of the group were relating it to the popular television show Lost, in which the series plays out on an island) because it is a gorgeous, serene getaway. It was equipped with a small restaurant, volleyball net, hammocks, swings, fire pits, and even had a number of animals. How could you ask for more? The animals that call Amahoro Island home include a dog, two turkeys - male and female, three cows, and a monkey! The monkey was non-confrontational and had been used to human presence for a while. We went off looking for the little guy ever so often and he posed for us while we snapped pictures. After being on the island for pretty much all day playing volleyball and swimming, we realized that there were camping options offered for the night. We deliberated and found that camping would cost the same amount as staying in the hotel. How many chances in our lifetimes would we get to camp on an island in the middle of Lake Kivu? One. We took the opportunity and it was fantastic sleeping under the stars with the soothing sounds of waves hitting the shore. We shared the island with two other women - one English and the other from Seattle - who were backpacking through Africa and had stopped in Kibuye for a few days.

We returned back to Kigali on Sunday after an amazing weekend out in Kibuye and Lake Kivu. I am so glad we made the trip, because we now have only one free remaining weekend before we end our English classes and take our week-long trip to Uganda. Eight days of English class remain, three weeks until I fly home. I've loved every minute of being here and I plan to soak up every remaining minute of my time. I've learned so many things about Rwandan culture and about myself. I guess that's why I enjoy traveling so much - learning every instant. If something doesn't turn out the way we had planned, we learn from it and move on to the next thing. Teaching has been a learning experience in itself. I had never taught English before, and it's helping me understand the language in ways that would have otherwise been impossible. This trip has been a time for self-reflection and organization. I've had time to gather my thoughts and continue to explore the world I want to live and work in. There has been so much clarity for me over the past five weeks, and I'm forever grateful to the opportunity I have been given. Although I'm writing as if the trip is coming to an end, but it is far from it. I look forward to every new day that brings another experience for myself.

I haven't posted pictures in a long time because it has been difficult to upload them to a computer. I will try to do so in the coming days to show a little of what I have been doing.

The gang took their first day off from teaching this past Friday (July 10) to do some traveling, as we do almost every weekend. The last time we took a trip to Gitarama and the nearby town of Byamana, we were hoping JP would come with us. When we went to the boys home JP unfortunately could not join for he had previous arrangements to attend to, so we wanted to plan another visit to have him with us the next time. This opportunity was 'the next time' and again JP had other obligations to which his time was dedicated.

We wanted to go into Gitarama to spend another day at the boys home, but since it was a Friday, the boys were in school all day. JP mentioned that we would be able to visit them during their lunch break around 1:30, but we decided to just visit another time for a longer period. We reorganized our plans and continued into Gitarama for different reasons. Our first stop after getting off the bus was to the local university, just a few hundred meters from the bus station. In the Summer of 2010, GPE had organized a project in this university and we wanted to check up on how it had progressed. Like most places in Rwanda, the university was gated, although we were able to walk through the door with no trouble. Inside sits a small cobblestone parking lot, with capacity of just a handful of cars, as well as a well-kept garden and flagpole. We meandered between multiple classrooms to find our way to our destination in the back left-hand side of the university grounds. Last year's team worked to build and establish an all-English resource library, complete with a computer lab, book library, and ample seating arrangements. Just before you enter the library itself sits an overhead sign reading that the library came from efforts of Florida State University's Global Peace Exchange. It was very nice to see physical evidence of GPE's hard work. I look forward to seeing the same type of evidence later on with the establishment of the Kigali Express Cleaning Services. I took a picture encompassing the sign over the entrance, and proceeded inside. The main room in the library is a very spacious area that contains a few desks for the attendants, as well as a few couches and tables of magazines. Behind the attendant's desk in the back corner is a room that houses all the donated books, by both GPE and the state. On the right-hand side wall after you enter, there is a door labeled "Language Lab". Inside are dozens of good-conditioned computers, as well as a chalk board that lines the far wall. We explored the facilities for a little while and relaxed on the comfortable couches reading over some of the laid out magazines. After talking with a few of the library attendants, we headed back to the same restaurant we visited the last time we were in Gitarama for some grub; This time I stuck with the lunch buffet instead of ordering off the menu.

After lunch we continued on to Byamana to visit a place other than JP's boys home. We traveled by foot down a long dirt road in Byamana to arrive at a primary and secondary school - another site of last year's GPE projects. As usual, we caused a stir in the school grounds as students gathered at windows and talked to his or her neighbor about the seven Mzungus walking about. This school was one of the nicest looking ones I have seen in Rwanda. The perimeter of the grounds is lined with classrooms, surrounding the garden and football pitch (or soccer field). One of the teachers in charge showed us to the library where GPE had worked to help create a system to better organize the books. We were told that the original library had to be shut down due to roof leaks, but had been relocated to a building closer in to the main school. We toured the new library and found multiple desks piled with various textbooks for primary and secondary school students. I recognized familiar publishing names Pearson and McGraw-Hill from textbooks I have once owned. We toured the school for just under and hour and continued on to do a little bit of walking around the town. We walked up and down some paths of Byamana's vast hills that lead away from the village, but turned back after about 30-40 minutes in order to catch our bus to Kigali at 6:00pm. We did trek to the top of a large hill where there was, at one point, a steady 45-degree slope. At the quasi-summit you could see the specks of people playing on the football pitch below. It was a very beautiful scene and we took some team photos - much of which were both silly and hilarious. After shenanigans ensued, it was time for us to make our way back to the bus stop. To our bad luck, no bus that was headed to Gitarama was empty or even spared a few seats, so we walked about 45 minutes to the nearest bus stop to catch a ride into the city. By splitting up and taking taxi motos (motorcycles) and buses, we all made it to Gitarama in just enough time to catch our bus home.

On the hour-long ride at night, I always seem to fall asleep despite the jarring and swerving roads. I could always use the nap after a long day. Listening to Radiohead on my iPod helps facilitate my sleepy feeling and I soon succumb. We are planning another return to the boys home on one of our remaining free weekends with JP accompanying this time.

As of this past Thursday we are now into our last months stay here in Rwanda. Every time I think about it, it seems increasingly hard to believe for some reason. It's just going by too quickly for me too keep up. The deoxycycline pills I take everyday for Malaria give me very lucid dreams. No real night terrors like they have been known for, but just dreams I remember when I wake. At first about various things and topics, but now they've started to become more about my return home. I don't feel as though I am at all homesick, but I do miss many people and certain aspects from home. Most of my dreams are about seeing the people I miss most that are my family and friends. It's a kind of bittersweet experience in a way. I am able to see people in my dreamworld whom I'm unable to see (at this time) in the real world. But then again, it all ends when I wake up in the morning. Being busy doing projects and other activities here takes my mind off these things during the day. This is good because I focus on our tasks and I remember why I love what I'm doing, no matter how much I miss certain things back home. The past month has truly been an eye-opening experience that expands and continues as the days pass. I have many things to look forward to in this last months stay that include teaching, traveling, and ultimately returning home. This trip so far has made me realize how much I want to continue to be involved with many aspects of international work. Before I left in May, I had been researching many volunteer opportunities in Central America - a region among many I have yet to set foot in to explore. This trip to Rwanda has strengthened my desire to volunteer in many places, especially at a wildlife sanctuary in Costa Rica that I've been looking into. This trip has helped me realize many things about myself and continues to amaze me day after day.

A few Fridays back, I posted about our trip to the southern part of Rwanda to visit and see many things. One of which was an NGO called "Mabawa". I later found out that I misspelled the name, it is actually "Mababa", which is Kinyarwanda for "wings". I often have a hard time understanding what some people say, whether it be because of the accent or the fact that 'b's sound like 'w's and 'l's are pronounced with an 'r' sound. But that's neither here nor there.

In 1998, a Swiss woman by the name of Katherine Keller visited Rwanda. Upon her few-month visit, she notcied how well the country was started to develop, and wanted to put forth her own efforts to assist. She became aware that she had the financial means to to help small communities in rural areas that were having a harder time rebuilding. At first she bought cows and other livestock and donated them to the most affected villages of the genocide. She only stayed for a couple months at first, but returned years later to established the NGO of Mababa in 2004. During the six or so year in between, she was able to fundraise for her future projects.

Since Mababa's establishment, it has successfully helped the small village atop the high hills of Rwanda rebuild and move forward in such a way that would have otherwise been impossible. The main projects Mababa have completed include hill terracing for farming, housing rennovation and addition, the establishment of a boarding school for secondary school students, and lastly, a bakery in the village. The bakery was thought of in order to help generate income that has since been absent. The houses in the village all share the same pale yellow color and inside accomodations. Mababa's headquarters is up the dirt road on the highest point of the hill and has one of the best views of the surrounding landscape. The scenery is nothing short of spectacular. Headquarters itself can house about ten volunteers at one time, and even has space for a volunteering couple. There is a fully furnished kitchen, dining room, and luxurious living room that has capacity for 15-20 lounging helpers. Alan has his own room here where he stays when he is working. Alan explained that he works part-time by driving, translating, and performing other various tasks. Although there was no one currently living at Mababa when we toured their facilities, it still sees many volunteers in the Summer months, with professions ranging from teachers to doctors to engineers; all people who enjoy making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

We made a pretty fun-filled and exciting outing on Sunday, May 29, to a small village called Byamana, just outside of Gitarama. Gitarama is the second most populated city in Rwanda, after Kigali of course. JP had invited us when we first arrived to visit the boy's home that he co-founded with his brother in 2002. We had arranged to make the trip on this date, and stuck to it. We had planned to be out the door at 8:00 so we could have the day to tour the orphanage and just hang out in Byamana. As it turned out, we didn't leave until about 9:20 (we might be stuck on "African time"), but we were still able to board one of the express buses at 10:30 and got into Gitarama at 11:30. Everything was going well despite the late start. The weather has been exceptionally gorgeous lately with little cloud coverage and a gentle breeze. I think we were all pretty happy about getting out of the city for the day, relieving our noses and lungs of smog and exhaust fumes that linger in the valleys of downtown Kigali.

We decided to stop in for lunch at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant hidden underneath a four story building on the corner of the main street. This was our only chance to eat before we continued on to Byamana, so we took the opportunity. Like most restaurants here in Rwanda, they served primarily traditional Rwandan 'serve yourself' buffet. Although I really enjoy Rwandan food, it feels like we've been eating the same starchy meal for lunch and dinner - breakfast just consists of bread and tea. We've all been so used to having a wide variety of cuisine for every meal in the States that it's still hard to continue eating the same thing here. That being said, I turned down the buffet and ordered regular ol' spaghetti with cheese and a goat kebab. What I sometimes forget is that meals that are not Rwandan take longer to prepare in Rwanda. But I thought, "it's just pasta with cheese!" The hamburger that someone ordered took less time than did mine. After a good hour and twenty minutes passes, the food arrives. It was now close to 1:00 and we haven't made it to the boys home yet. We quickly pay our bill and head to the minibus stop where we take a 15 minute ride to Byamana. We were greeted by some younger villagers who then lead us to the orphanage about half a mile away. Along the way, children who live near the orphanage come out to greet us, latch onto our hands, and will continue to be by our sides for the remainder of our visit.

The day was very pleasant and relaxing as we were treated to a performance of traditional Rwandan dance and song by the Byamana boys and girls dance troupe. JP and his brother, whose name I can't remember for the life of me, started this home in 2002 with only a few orphaned boys, but now the home has grown to house over 30. We were able to tour the facilities with children still attached to our arms. The orphanage consists of four buildings that include dormitories, living area, kitchen, and a separate house for their livestock. The livestock on the property - mainly cows, goats, and chickens - has been donated by support groups in both Rwanda and the United States. I learned that GPE helped to build one of the buildings of the orphanage a few years ago. The property was very pretty, and the people were, as always, so welcoming and happy to know of our support. After a few hours of watching performances and socializing we headed down to the village football field. It was approximately a ten minute walk down a dirt path through some woods that opened up to a spectacular view of five or so miles of green hills. I swear it never gets old. I stopped for a moment to take it all in and to snap some pictures, then onwards to the football fields. Down on the fields there were a couple games going on: one for the high school league, another for an adult league. Next to both fields was another quasi-field with only one goal post and shin-high grass. Not the best for playing football. I've started to use "football" for "soccer" because that's what it really is; you use your feet. American football is American football, but soccer is a misnomer. The kids were running around passing the football back and forth, and we joined in for a bit. The sun was getting lower while we were playing, and almost fell behind the hills when we were done. The sun tends to set around 6:00 here and we knew it was time to start heading back up the hill to the bus stop. We said our goodbyes and promised to return in the coming weeks.

Today is now the First of June, and marks our almost third week in our journey, although it hasn't really felt like it. Time seems to just fly by. It's no good that I've been able to feel the effects of all the pollution emitting from the city. I'm also not the only one who's complained about it either. I often wake up in the morning and walk out to our porch to see a heavy haze waiting to descend upon Kigali. The city is nice, however, because there is a lot to do, but we really enjoy getting out into the rural areas for obvious reasons: less pollution and more greenery. As I mentioned earlier, the weather has been very nice to us recently, after 3 days straight of rain in the second week. I think we're officially in the dry season now. This has been quite the ride and gets better with every day. The English lessons are working out much better than when we began and the kids all enjoy our presence, and seem to be more engaged. We're half way through our second teaching week and I hope we can continue to teach new material even without the use of a textbook or other supplementary materials. Wish us luck!

On Friday, May 27, I awoke to Allie telling me to get my passport and come out to the living room. Drowsy and confused, I complied and joined the rest of the group sitting down with the same look on their faces. There were military officials outside the gate of our compound asking for JP to gather our identification. I hand over my passport while the group deliberates over the situation. The previous night we were greeted by a man wearing a suit who we were told holds the position of leader of Gatenga, which is the neighborhood in which we live. This guy was basically the man in charge here, but holds one of the lower positions in the chain of command. He didn't speak much of English so JP was our interpreter for his short visit. In short, he wanted to meet us to know what we are doing during our time in Rwanda. The man, whose name I fail to remember, is the lowest link on the power chain of the government, and was probably sent to our home by one of his successors. I just thought of the visit as a formality and moved on. That is, until this morning.

JP was the communicator during this time, and was bombarded with questions from the military officials about us and our stay. Questions such as 'who are the visitors,' 'what are they doing in Rwanda,' 'why didn't they stay in a hotel,' and so on. JP answered truthfully, saying that we are just visiting, we are allowed to be in the country for two months, and we are staying where we are due to financial troubles (i.e. it is cheaper to stay with JP than in a hotel). JP asked the men to come inside to meet us, but they insisted that it was not necessary. None of us actually saw the men outside, but from what JP told us, they were high ranking officials. JP continued to play the role of the messenger coming back and forth from outside to inside. The men then asked us for our travel itinerary next, looking for our departure date. We complied, handing JP the documents. After reading over the documents, they then asked JP to relay us a "thank you", and departed. The situation seemed to be an ordeal at the time, but was no real inconvenience to us other than the fact that we were awoken so abruptly. Now I can say that I am officially on file in the Rwandan Government database.

Both the local official who joined us briefly the night before and these military officials recommended that we hire a security guard from one of the local security companies. I've seen these guards all over town as we walk by, usually in front of banks and other businesses. They all pretty much wear the same uniform - an all-grey uniform with black military boots, black beret, company patch on the chest and sleeves, and wielding either an automatic rifle or a 12 gauge shotgun. All officials insisted that our guard carry some sort of arms for safety reasons. Of course, we agreed the previous night, and agreed again. We'll look in to arranging it. GPE has been coming to Rwanda for a few years now, but this is the first time the organization has been met by local officials. Maybe because this is the first time we've stayed in the capital city of Kigali. Or is it because of all the political unrest we've witnessed in North Africa and the Middle East? Or are they concerned for our well being and want us to be more safe? Who knows, could be a combination of all three, but for some reason I don't think this will be the last time we are greeted by officials at our door. JP mentioned that the government sent some sort of a "spy", as he called it, to our neighborhood to ask the neighbors and locals about us; What they've witnessed, what we look like, what we've been doing, ect. This could just be national security measures, just to make sure we aren't trying to start a coup or something. I personally don't think we look the part, but how do they know?

We have yet to be checked up on over the following weekend, and I'm hoping it stays that way. I appreciate their concern for our safety, but now they know our business and hopefully we won't have to explain ourselves again. Don't be under the assumption that we are being hassled day in and day out because that is not the case. We are simply foreigners who go through much of what is considered to be a formality. We have truly enjoyed our now two and a half week stay, and keep looking forward to the adventures the next day brings. Today marks our second week of teaching, and I will be writing about it in the coming days.