I'm on a boat!

I'm on a boat! 

This weekend, Saturday afternoon, we departed for Kibuye, a town near Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is on the western part of Rwanda, and is very close to the Congo. Our bus ride their was pretty crazy and curvy, but as soon as the lake was in sight, my breath was taken away.

Lake Kivu is one of the largest lakes in Africa, by far the biggest one in Rwanda, and actually shares water with Congo. The water sits among the rolling hills, and islands are scattered about. Once we reached our hotel, I was amazed with beauty. To compare the scenery to something a little better known, I would compare it to the boundary waters in northern Minnesota. The night sky is clear, and I have never seen starts so brightly. Although we had an agenda for Saturday, I had a feeling that this weekend would bring some well needed rest and relaxation. We had dinner, which was really served in Rwandan time, only a hour and a half past the time we ordered, and had some good laughs. I share my room with Brittany, it was nice to sit and chat before falling asleep. The connections made on this trip have been awesome. Going to a brand new place with people you don't entirely know was a bit worrisome at first, but I am glad that I have been able to know and get to bond with the incredible ladies on this trip. Knowingly or not, they have all made some type of impact on me, and it will be so strange to not be with them constantly learning, teaching, and exploring once we return home to the United States.

This was the view from our hotel balcony area!

Saturday morning started off a little rough. I somehow got sick through the night. Waking up sick was one of my worst nightmares, but after some quality time getting to know what the hotel bathroom looked like, I got myself ready, took some medicine, and headed off to breakfast. At breakfast, we were told that there was a surprise waiting for us; we were going to go on a boat tour of Lake Kivu! I was ecstatic, and prayed and hoped that I would be able to maintain a decent level of health as we headed out. 

We met our guide, John, around 10 a.m., and started to walk into the main part of town where is boat was. During our walk, I couldn't help but take in the beauty that has been surrounding me. The nature is outstanding, and the lake is so peaceful, quiet, and serene. This whole trip has really allowed me to become aware of the huge role God has played in making this world. I stand in awe thinking about how every hill, lake, stream, island, and tree has it's place. This beauty is outstanding.

Our morning transportation

Once we approached the shore, a little wooden boat came into view. We all got on, and suited up in our wonderful orange life jackets. I felt as if we were on the lake forever, but I wanted to stay there. I wanted to continue to take in the beauty. I ended up sitting near the back of the boat next to Erica. Like I said before, each woman on this trip has influenced me. Today, Erica and I had amazing conversations about growing up, families, changes, and what we find to be important in life. We made connections through conversation, and even joked about taking shameless selfless on the boat and singing the song "I'm on a boat" and laughing. 

Shameless Selfie :) Loving the lake!

After about 45 minutes, our guide stopped us on this strange island. I kept hearing him say something about birds…it turns out that I was wrong. As we started to pursue a trail, my mind went back to the countless boundary water trips I have been part of. the terrain was anything but straight, the tree branches seemed to enjoy hitting my face, and I had to be aware of every step. We started to slow down, and I could hear the man who drove our boat slapping two rocks together. Turns out the island we were on is known as the "bat island." Within a few seconds of the slapping noise, hundreds of bats started to fly and swoop. I really hate bats, but it was actually pretty cool to see hundreds upon hundreds of bats flying at once, until they started to poop on us. 

Those are a small fraction of the number of bats we saw.

We spent a few more minutes on the island, and then departed. We faced some major waves, but the crisp, cool water felt like a God-send on our warm bodies. Erica and I laughed and laughed as we took on a ton of water, but really enjoyed ourselves! After about an hour, we finally landed on the shore. Our guide kept mentioning that he would love to stay in contact and have us visit again. Day by day, hearing this becomes hard to hear. I would love to stay here longer and to visit next year, I really would. But…. I have school, and work, and a family I miss, and not to mention I don't have the money to just fly across the ocean to a different location. Communication would be an amazing way to stay connected, but it is hard knowing that there is a high likelihood that I won't be returning any time soon. As we have entered the last 10 days of this trip, I have a feeling that saying all the goodbyes is going to become difficult and almost painful. What I need to keep in mind though, is that I still have days left to live it up here in Rwanda, and that I will ALWAYS have the memories from this trip. 

We started a long walk up the hill to a hotel that we were going to eat lunch at, andI really enjoyed just walking in a landscape so beautiful. We finally reached the restaurant, and sat down to order. I felt my sickness rushing back into my body, and felt as if I was going to pass out. After a wait that seemed like forever, a full bottle of water finally in my stomach, and countless minutes of holding my cold Sprite bottle to my hot forehead our food came. I gobbled it down pretty quickly, and was starting to feel a lot better! We continued our walk back into town, about a 30 minute walk or so, and I had a super conversation about tennis with Erica. It was fun to have some of those memories flood back! :) We stopped to buy some water, side note: when I get home I can't wait to drink water out of anything that is not a bottle, and I started feeling sick again. Luckily we were only 10-15 minutes away from the hotel, so as soon as we got back, I hunkered down for a nice nap! 

Kibuye has served as an excellent place to sit and reflect about my time here in Rwanda. The still waters and the lack of the city noise has been so relaxing, but has also allowed me to start thinking about what I am going to say to people when I return home. I have often though, "How will I respond when someone asks me about my trip?" How can I possibly condense 36 amazing days into a quick response? How can I tell everyone about the amazing students and individuals I have met? How will I explain the different socioeconomic status' without painting a broad picture? How will I do this? Thankfully, I still have a few days to find out, which I am sure will come with even more amazing experiences. 

The sunrise this morning :) 

I can't wait to share my story with you. 

With my love,

Leah