Simply Rwandaful!

These past few days have been filled with many stories, and now that we are finally back in Kigali, and I so thrilled to finally tell you all about my past few days in Rwanda. I'll start with Friday, before we left Kigali for our short weekend away.

We finally made it through a full week teaching here in Rwanda, and what a week it has been. I have loved ever second that I have spent with the children here, and they have already touched my life in ways that I cannot even begin to explain. At first, I was wondering, "Will they really grasp on to what I was telling them? Even though I have only seen a few classes once, will they remember who I am?" These questions were answered for me on Friday, when I had a group of about 10 children hanging on to me in any way they could. Shouts of "teacher Leah" were ringing, and the students were telling me about how much fun they had with me, how they were loving their neighbors, and how they wanted me to be back in class with them as soon as possible. My heart glowed with love for each of them, and I really started to hate the fact that within a few weeks I would be leaving this place, leaving their kind and gentle hearts, leaving the little hands that reach out for mine on my way to class and on my way back once school has finished. I know that they will all have a very special place in my heart for the rest of my life, and it is hard knowing that there is a very good chance that I will not see them again once I come back to the United States. 

These are just a fraction of the beautiful kiddos I hang out with every day

Once school was done on Friday, it was time for us to eat lunch and then depart for our weekend trip to Butare. I was very excited to explore other parts of Rwanda, and with my backpack packed and ready to go, we left to the bus station at 2 p.m. When we got to the bus station, my eyes were opened to the chaos of life, but also to extreme poverty. As we waiting on the bus, ready to depart, poverty seemed to be the only thing in my line of vision. In the United States, I know that poverty is existent, but I  tend to not think about it because I am not constantly seeing it. At the station poverty became real. As we waited, men and woman, many who had a disability affecting their life, poked and prodded at us to buy things or to give them money. Looking away, I only saw more people who were crippled, on the ground begging. My heart ached, and I felt physically sick knowing that I have spent time looking away instead of helping. It is hard to know that their livelihood measures up to that some days, begging for a chance, a job, food, etc. Thoughts flooded my head as to why poverty is so existent, and why, in our culture, do we seem to brush it under the rug as if it wasn't so real. Also, why do I live a life never having had to worry about where my next meal will come from, whether I will have a job? As this trip continues, I find my heart and mind wrestling with this daily. I hope that as the days continue, I can come to learn more about poverty and social justice, but also about really treasuring the things I have and making sure that I do not thane them for granted. 

Once the bus started, I then found myself admiring the beauty of Rwanda. Throughout the whole drive, I was awestruck with the nature…the land of 1,000 hills. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The driver had the music playing, and the station, every commercial break, wound mention that the station was "simply Rwandaful" which obviously caused the pun-lover in me to burst out! Two hours later, I found myself finally in Butare. We checked in to the place we were staying, grabbed a Coke, and talked about our plans for the night and for the rest of the weekend. 

After our quick talk, it was decided that I would go into the main hub of town with our professor and Erica, one of the girls on the trip, to buy more bottled water to help us last through the weekend. This brief 10 minute trip would be the first time in Rwanda where I have really missed home. In a place where I honestly thought nobody was speaking English, we walked, Erica and I both feeling everyones eyes on us. It was dark, and we were two white girls walking around. A man came up to us and started following us. t man repeatedly asked us questions, all not in English, so we continued walking but the man continued to follow.  Our professor, Bill, was fantastic about trying to make the man go away, all while Erica and I were devising a master escape plan. The man finally left, and we made it back to the place we were staying, Erica and I feeling relieved. We then settled down for dinner. 

Once we all returned to our rooms, the power in each roomed failed to work. We were all a little weirded out not being at the place in Rwanda we call home, so this little obstacle was not making us feel any better. We were brought to different rooms, once that were working, but none of us were able to relax enough to sleep. We ended up pairing up, all uncomfortable with this new place and the new sounds that accompanied it. My bed buddy for the weekend was Liv, and it took us a while to finally get comfortable enough to sleep. What an adventure. 

This was our humble abode for the weekend

The next morning, we started off our busy day by going to the museum! I LOVED IT, and…. I learned a lot about all aspects of Rwandan history. The guide at the museum was also fantastic, and lead us on a little extra tour outside of the museum. She brought us down to a fishery surrounded by rice paddies, and gave s a glimpse into that part of life for many Rwandis. After the museum, we set out for lunch. 

Lunch was pretty good, and we finally had the opportunity to see and watch some Rwanda news on TV, some of it in english, and enjoyed being able take a quick rest from walking. After lunch, we set on our way to the ice cream store, with a quick stop at an art/craft market. We all love shopping while being here, so this was a fun stop. 

Then it came…. the stop we were waiting for. It was time for ice cream! I don't think there has ever been a time in my life where I have craved ice cream so badly. The hot Rwandan sun had been beating down hard all day, beautifully I note, but something cool was in order. While grabbing ice cream, some of the best ice cream I have ever had, we had a conversation about service. I have always known that service would be really important in my life, but now I don't know if I can go a single day without reaching out to help others, and to really learn from them. 

Yummmmyyyy Ice Cream!

Once we were done with ice cream, we walked back to the craft shop, some girls still had some items they need to buy, while Erica, Bill, and I headed to a little coffee shop. For starters, I like coffee, but it isn't my favorite thing in the whole entire world. When we entered this little coffee shop, I realized that the drinks were pretty decently priced, so I said, "Why not?" Rwanda is known for their coffee, and now I understand why. After one sip of my small cappuccino, I was in love with the rich coffee flavor. I don't think that I will ever have coffee as perfect ever again. Ever.  We ended our night with a dinner at 7, and lots of reading until falling asleep.

Today we made our venture back to Kigali at 9:30 a.m. Although I had enjoyed our time in Butare, I could not wait to get home, home being our place at SOS. As soon as we arrived, so much peace surrounded me, and it felt like I had never left. It is crazy to think that It has not even been a full 2 weeks, and this place so far away from the United States is a second home. Leaving will be so difficult, but I know that I will always have a very large spot in my heart for SOS in Kigali. We walked to lunch, and now have some time this afternoon to relax and prepare for our lessons tomorrow. Tonight we might venture somewhere new for dinner, and I am sure that I will have a story or two to share tomorrow. I can't believe that only two weeks have passed, but what is even crazier is that I have less than 25 days left in this beautiful place. Where has the time gone!?!?

I can't wait to talk to you all soon! 

With love,

Leah