one final post, not from Rwanda

I’ve been trying for over two weeks (and failing up until now) to write a post to close out this blog.  My tardiness stems in part from how busy I’ve been since I returned to the US. To blame my schedule, however, would be a incomplete explanation.  I’ve had enough time to write, plenty of internet access, and even some fresh Rwandan music to inspire me to author the greatest blog post in the history of blogs. What then, kept me from writing?  Put simply, I was overwhelmed by the depth and extent of the experience that I was trying to “sum up” in a few paragraphs.  I was at a loss for words, a state I rarely find myself in as anyone who knows me will readily acknowledge.  I don’t really have the words now, but I’m going to write anyway. Now, lets get on with this post……

I learned a great deal during my 4 weeks in Rwanda—about the country, its people, and myself.  I picked up a few words of Kinywarwandan, the most important being “amazi” (water).  I acquired an appreciation for Rwandan music.  Personal favorites: Kitoko, Dream Boyz, and King James.  I witnessed affluence and poverty, often side by side. I saw images that will remain etched in my memory for years to come, some beautiful, others horrific. I heard stories of violence and conflict, brokenness and division.  I heard stories of unity and hope, redemption and reconciliation.  I confirmed that I do, in fact, want to pursue a career working on issues related to peace and security in Africa.

Since my flight home wasn’t scheduled until 1am, my final day was a long one.  It started with packing, then goodbyes at NCV.

Next Chris and I went to Kigali to meet up with a few of our new-found Rwandan friends  We did some  shopping, enjoyed a relaxing dinner and then met up with the NCV staff at a Chinese restaurant. After another round of goodbyes, Chris and the NCV crew took me to the airport for the final sendoff.  When it came time for me to go through security, the entire group walked me up.  And then I was off.  Actually I waited 5 hours at the gate for my flight to take off (4am by that time, thanks Turkish Airlines)

As I conclude, I want to offer a word of thanks to you, the faithful readers of this blog.  Chris and I thoroughly enjoyed checking the stats on our posts. We were pleasantly surprised to top 1000 views.  Then again, my mom may have accounted for about 500 of them…

Everyone at NCV seemed pretty confident I’ll be back in Rwanda at some point. Sounds good to me!

-DO

 

Some final thoughts

Welp, it’s my last full day here at NCV. My flight leaves tomorrow just before 2:00 pm for Kilimanjaro. There are a few odds and ends things here for me to finish in the office. The women have basically finished hoeing in the orchard so I spent some time this morning clearing away excess brush from the area (with no gloves I must add). Yesterday we successfully fixed the plumbing. The vision for NCV’s expansion is definitely underway.

As I take in my last full day here are some thoughts to sum up this leg of my adventure.

Rwanda is a place that I hardly knew anything about before I came here. I knew that genocide happened but that was about the extent of my knowledge. Now I think that I probably know more about Rwanda than 95% of Americans. It has reaffirmed in me that I/we should never stop learning. Every place in the world has different lessons that we can learn from. Even if traveling isn’t your thing, pick up a book and learn about different areas of the world. There is always new knowledge out there for you to gain.

Rwandan kids are tough. Obviously they’ve been through a lot emotionally, but I’m talking physically. They will fall down, get hit in the head, or split a lip and bounce right back up. If they shed a tear it is short lived. It would be such an easier job being a baby sitter here because you don’t have to deal with so many tears.

Bananas can be served so many different ways. First off, did you know that there are two different types of bananas? There are ones for cooking and ones for eating raw. They were a staple in our diet here and I have grown rather fond of them in cooking.

Working at an orphanage or similar place is tough. Inside the walls of the orphanage, the kids have it pretty well. They get 3 meals a day, have multiple changes of clothes, watch movies, and have craft supplies. However just outside the walls and in the surrounding community kids are shoeless, have to walk miles to get water, and are always dirty. It is tough as a volunteer to see the contrast in living conditions. I have come to the conclusion that places like NCV are ultimately good because it has given 17 kids a leg up, and as it continues to grow, it will be able to help even more. Still, it’s tough to know that you can’t help everyone, especially when it hits so close to home.

I may have found my honey moon destination or least one place to consider. A couple weeks ago we went to Gisenyi (great timing too because the conflict with Congo has picked up recently and Gisenyi is a hop skip and a jump away from the border). It is an utterly beautiful place situation right on Lake Kivu. As you know if you have been reading our blog, Daniel and I got to share a king-size bed in our own private hut complete with outdoor restroom and shower. It was the kind of place you want to want to spend with a significant other not a friend (sorry Daniel).

I really appreciate what the Daniel Owens’s of the world do. I say this because A: I hate research and B: I don’t think I could make policy decisions that could potentially lead to war and death. However I have the utmost respect for people that can do that. It is clear to me now that aid in general doesn’t necessarily help the way it was intended and in many cases it can make it worse. That being said, aid can be good thing, but we need the Daniel Owens’s of the world to make sure it is directed in the right way.

Time really does fly. I can’t believe I have been here just under five weeks. I have seen and done so much and yet it seems I only just arrived. Pretty soon I’ll be back at OU living on Mill Street. Don’t get me wrong, I am super excited for senior year, but that means I only have one year left. The real world looms and I will continue run from it faster than Derek Brockman from a stray dog.

Thanks to everyone who has made this trip possible! Thanks to the NCV staff and thanks to Hope College for giving me this opportunity.

-Lampe

Hospitality

Today we attended another 4 hour church service (our second since being here).  Unlike last month’s, there was no translation done over the microphone.  Instead, Daniel and I were given our own personal translators.  It was a bit uncomfortable for me since I was taller than my translator and I had to strain my neck.  However I really appreciated the gesture.

Daniel and I have both talked and written about how it feels weird to be treated special because we are Muzungos.  However this was something completely different.  It was all about making their guests feel welcomed.  It wasn’t about special privileges.

Last night we were at our driver’s house.  He offered us food and drink, so to be polite we of course said yes (plus, who turns down free food).  Therefore he proceeded to leave his home to go buy some sambusas and Cokes.  I would have felt bad if that wasn’t the culture here.  Multiple times we have been places where the hosts leave go buy whatever we want to drink.  It’s something that would never happen in America.   Here its completely normal and I actually like it.  It is such an open culture that they people go out of their way to accommodate guests.

As Daniel’s trip ends tomorrow, and my time at the orphanage ends on Friday, I think that is one thing that I will try to bring with me back home.  I hate how in our culture it’s rude to take extra food at a buffet, or ask for something to eat/ drink when at someone’s house.  Here, if they run out of food, they bring out more.  That is just the expectation.  I have learned so much from living in this culture for a month, and I will be sad to head home.

-Lampe

what’s your name?

If you’re a faithful reader of this blog you might remember that Chris and I are often called “mzungus”, the Kinyarwandan word borrowed from Swahili for “white person”. The prevalence of the term is magnified in the rural area where we are staying because there are only a handful of white people in the entire district, making us true novelties.

Having the term mzungu directed at me so frequently has been frustrating in several respects. First, the term is widely associated with power, wealth, etc—all things that inhibit my ability have open, honest conversations with a broad cross-section of the local community. That I’m usually riding in a car when I pass by people walking or pushing bikes along the road only reinforces this dynamic. Second, it forces me to represent “white people” as a group rather than just myself. Finally, I, like most people, prefer to be called by my name rather than objectified.

Two weeks ago we took NCV’s kids out to a nearby field for a soccer game. Much of the neighborhood soon joined, and, not surprisingly, “mzungu mzungu!” rang in my ears as I traversed the field. In response, I began telling the kids “my name is Daniel, what’s your name?” Despite their limited English, nearly all of them responded with their name—many were shy, some hesitant. While I only remembered a few of the names (there were SO many, and most were difficult to pronounce), this exchange of names helped me feel less like an object of fascination and more like a kid out playing soccer.

As I walked through the same field a few days later, I heard “Daniel, Daniel”. When I turned around, I realized it was some of the kids I had met during the soccer game. I waved; they waved back. Progress.

On an unrelated note, I only have four days left here in Rwanda. Tempus fugit. (Latin phrase for “time flies”)

Some Photos

Being introduced to the congregation

Learning the correct form

We got dressed up for a wedding… Didn’t quite make it there

Everyone wants to be in a picture with a Muzungo

The “freshness” of independence

Over the past few days I’ve found myself thinking a great deal about how the“ freshness” of independence interacts with national pride. Rwanda attained its independence 50 years ago, but, as speakers constantly reminded me during the anniversary celebration on Sunday, “liberation” for Rwanda occurred just 18 years ago

It is nearly impossible to drive anywhere here without passing a Rwandan flag. Billboards stressing national unity line the highways, and if knew how to read Kinyarwandan I suspect patriotic messaging would be even more apparent. Such an emphasis on national pride is not unlike what I experienced last fall while studying in Durban, South Africa. When my study abroad group visited schools, we were often given a rendition of the country’s famed national anthem. South Africa’s national teams—soccer, rugby, and to a lesser extent cricket—captured the nation’s collective attention whenever they competed.

It is not surprising that efforts to promote national pride tend to be highly visible and pronounced in these post-conflict countries. As in South Africa, Rwanda has only recently emerged from a period of intense internal strife, and the restoration of national unity is an ongoing process. Anniversaries, anthems, teams, and other forms of national expression offer an opportunity to forge a “new” identity, one that is inclusive rather than exclusive.

As an outsider, it has been fascinating to observe how expressions of national pride and identity both differ and, in some ways, relate to my own experience in the US.

America’s Birthday

Yesterday was the 4^th of July!  Well sort of.  The American Embassy in Kigali had an Independence Day celebration for all Americans living in Rwanda.  Why it was on the 6^th of July I am not sure.  Nonetheless, we decided that it would be a fun thing to attend.

At the event, there was a dunking booth, corn hole, 4^th of July decorations, hats, pizza, corn dogs, burgers, ice cream, donuts, and cotton candy.  Needless to say we were very excited because although the food here is amazing, we have been dreaming of our fatty American dishes.  I had some pizza, donuts, and ice cream.  It was good, but the pizza was cold so it didn’t quite satisfy my desire for American food.  At the end of the evening there was even a fireworks display (on a projector thank goodness).

Overall the event was fun and as more people arrived we played most of the games.  I can proudly say that I successfully won at the dunking booth, while Daniel had his struggles.  Daniel however did get a chance to talk to some girls that were interning at the US Embassy.  Hopefully he’ll get a chance to set a meeting before we head back.

I know for me, the event caused me to realize I’m not ready to come home yet.  I’m still enjoying Rwandan culture, and I am excited to still have plenty more time here.

-Lampe

Rwandan Independence Day

Yesterday (Sunday) Rwanda marked 50 years of independence from Belgium.  As one might expect, it was a day full of celebrations across the country. We joined in, waking up at 530am to drive into Kigali for the main event in the national soccer stadium. By the time the festivities started around 10am the stadium was filled to capacity with tens of thousands of Rwandans, several Presidents/VPs and “distinguished guests” from around the world.  While the military parade, traditional dancers, and artists were impressive, the highlight for me was listening to President Kagame speak about Rwanda’s past, present, and future.

The military on parade

President Kagame inspecting the military

A trip to Gisenyi

After spending our first 10 days in Kigali and the area around the orphanage, we ventured to Giseyni, a city in the northwest corner of the country, for few days this week. Tucked away in Rwanda’s northwestern corner, Gisenyi is serene and spectacular. Its signature feature is Lake Kivu, a sizeale body of water similar to our beloved Great Lakes.

The trip was, in some ways, a mini-vacation. We enjoyed breakfast steps from the lake—crepes, omelets, the BEST bananas ever, and Rwandan coffee, took a boatride around part of the lake (free ride thanks to Floriane’s friend!), and drove to see the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  Don’t worry, we didn’t try and cross it. On our way back to NCV yesterday we stopped at a resort situated at the foot of 3 extinct volcanoes.  This also happens to be where Rwanda’s famous gorillas live. No, we didn’t see any. If only we had $500 laying around to take the official expedition to see them….

Here’s a few quick thoughts on the trip

1. Borders matter. Seems obvious, right? But I never appreciated how important an imaginary line can be.  On the Rwandan side of the border we were able to enjoy a relaxing few days at a nice resort and walk around the city freely in the evening. Yet just a few miles away, across the border in DRC, armed conflict is not a distant memory; it’s a daily reality. Displaced Congolese continue to stream into Rwanda, as evidenced by the refugee camp we passed on the drive to Giseyni. Due in large part to Rwanda’s cleanliness, it was all the more striking to see the depravity of the camp.

2. To begin to understand a country, even one as small as Rwanda, it is crucial to see different regions. This trip was invaluable in this regard, and I’ll try and write a bit more about this in a later post.

3. Rwanda is beautiful. Seriously.

Sadly our internet connection isn’t fast enough right now to upload photos here, but hopefully we can get some up soon. Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of Rwanda’s independence from Belgium. Celebrations will be going on nationwide, and we are planning on attending some of the events in Kigali. Should be an interesting day!

-DO

Olympic Day

Yesterday we had an absolutely awesome day.  It was easily the most fun I have had since I have been here.  We started the day off by attending Kigali’s Olympic Day.  This was an event designed to get the country excited about the upcoming Olympics.  In the morning we took part in a 12k walk/run and received free t-shirts.  Needless to say we did mainly walking however I found that I actually had lots of energy and ran a little bit on the way.  We were accompanied by another Daniel, a 13-year-old Rwandan boy, who walked with us the whole time.  His English was very good and I talked with him a lot.

After the walk there was ceremony in the gym.  We were given VIP status with floor seats that were right behind the Rwandan Olympic Chair as well as the British High Commissioner.  Check the internet to see if I made it in the background of their photos.  The event started with a dancing/stretching session followed by performances by popular Rwandan music artists, Dream Boys and Kitoko, performed.  There were also some short speeches and race results.

Although this experience was very cool, it still feels awkward to get VIP status everywhere just because we are mazoongos (spelling is probably wrong but it basically means white person).  We haven’t done anything to deserve this celebrity status.

After the Olympic day, we got a chance to meet Prosper, the wonderful assistant director of NCV, ‘s mom.  It was a nice relaxation period for the events to come.

When we returned home we played with the NCV kids for a bit but Nicole had a great idea to move our game outside to play with the neighborhood kids. We played a game of “futbol” with at least 50+ kids until it got dark.  It was so fun, although I think we were lucky to avoid injuries with so many people playing and uneven terrain.  We will definitely be engaging with the neighborhood kids more often after this awesome experience.

After soccer, I stupidly thought the fun was over for the night and took a shower.  Little did I know that a dance party with the NCV kids was to ensue.  I broke into another sweat making my shower moot.  We followed the dance party with a viewing of Cool Runnnings.  Perfect end to a perfect day.

Tomorrow the orchard project is getting started and we have numerous visitors coming to NCV.  I can’t believe a week has gone by.  Pretty soon I’ll be attempting to summit Kilimanjaro!

-Lampe