Rwanda Part Three: Random things we did...

(Note:  Sorry for the lack of detail in the post, but I figured you would prefer pictures over writing!  Pictures for this post will follow)

The next few weeks passed quickly.  We had a fairly relaxed schedule.  Nancy and Lloyd did most of the teaching.  We, the rest of the team, were there to learn and be support.

I was sick two of the days of the first week, but was able to get back on my feet by Friday.   The first week we had a group of lay leaders, and the second it was Catholic priests and nuns.  Because of the language barrier it was challenging to communicate and form good relationships, but I did my best.  I even picked up a tiny bit of Ikenyrwanda.  It’s like Runyankore in many ways. 

 On the 17^th, which was a Saturday, we had a large mass which had probably more than 3,000 people attending!  The colors across the hill were beautiful and the many bright, expectant faces, hoping for physical, emotional or spiritual healing. 

There we met Polish Franciscan nun and the group she was with.  She invited us to the orphanage where she serves the next day, it is in Kibeho, which was where we were going to go. 

Sunday we went to Kibeho, and sang most of the way.  Kibeho is a small town in the south of Rwanda, where an official, church approved, Marian and Jesus apparitions have occurred.  Three have been officially approved, and there are up to 20 people still in the approval process. 

When we got there, I jokingly said I could understand why Mary decided to appear here.  The place is incredibly beautiful!

Mary’s message was to warn the people of Rwanda against the genocide, and the world against upcoming wars.  If you read what she said and showed the visionaries, it is a little freaky how accurately she showed them what was going to happen if people didn’t change.

The place is small these day, though someday it will be huge I am sure.  We were some of the only pilgrams there.

After a visit around, we had lunch with the Paletine Fathers, who have the BEST view in the whole world.  Then we went to the little shop, run by one of the visionaries who still lives at the site and who receives visitors.  We got to spend some good time with her.

Then we headed to the orphanage we’d been invited to.  It’s a home for blind children.  And it is incredible!  Their view was amazing too.

If anyone in interested in a positive volunteer opportunity in Africa, this would be a good one!  Get in touch with me.

Finally, we stopped at the site where thousands of people were killed, both during and after the genocide, people on both sides of the conflict.  It was a solemn church, where, inside praying, people had been murdered. 

Both on the way, and on the way home, we stopped at Francis’s house.  He was out guide, contact, doctor and friend.  We had met his family the weekend before, but it was wonderful to sit and laugh and talk with all of them again.  I am truly part of the family now.  I hope to go back to visit in January.

Photo Post...

Rwanda's hills are breath-takingly beautiful.  And just as elusive to cameras.

One of our views

Maureen and Siva in class

Development levels are better in Rwanda, this house is an example of that.

Team member Kevin, from England, teaching

Sunset behind our classroom

Dancing the Mukiga!

Group One:  Lay people

Nancy did the majority of the teaching, but with her side kick Lloyd (her husband), the make a great team!

Rwanda Two: Children's City

I arrived to the guest house on Sunday morning.  We all had individual, self contained rooms (meaning it has a bathroom).  To me this is the lap of luxury!  My shower was broken, and so for a few days I shared with Maureen before switching rooms.   But the bed was incredibly comfortable and there was desk.  The food was well made and delicious most of the time.  We were very well cared for.  

 

That afternoon, we went to visit a “children’s city” established by Pope John Paul II, when he visited Rwanda.  The place was beautiful.  They have a number of great income generating activities too!  That made me very happy.  The houses are designed to be like little families, which is exactly how I would do it. 

And I made a friend.

We were able to stay and pray that evening with the young people.  There were many!  The teenagers loved talking to the white people, the team spread out and chatted with the kids.  I love that.  They ask some funny questions.  

Rwanda: The way there...

Africa can be a challenging place to travel, and my trip to Rwanda was no exception.  I arranged to take a 9 am bus to Kigali, so that I could go with our contact to the airport to pick up the team.  It was a perfect arrangement.  Too bad perfect arrangements often don’t work out here.  

I arrived at the bus station at 8:50, ready to go.  And I read a book for a while, I noticed a tall white woman who came in and sat a ways down the hall.  Eventually, I went into the bus station and asked where the bus was.  No real answer.  By 12 pm, I was annoyed.  I went to see the manager, along with the African who was with the tall white woman.  Finally the bus arrived at 1:30.  By this time I had met and started chatting with Jane* and her boyfriend.  Finally at 2:15 pm the bus pulled out, with very few people on it.  Jane and I chatted for a while, about everything and anything.  She’s a peace and reconciliation specialist, working in Uganda and Rwanda.  She is a really great lady. (*Jane isn't her name, but I figured she'd prefer a name change)

We both napped, read, and did different things.  The tv installed at the front of the bus played terrible Kenyan worship music videos, I drowned it out with The Postal Service.  Because of the emptiness of the bus, we had to stop and pick people up at every step of the way.   By about 5 pm, we were making slow progress.  I texted my contact in Kigali and because I was going to arrive so late, I decided to try to find a place to stay in Kigali.  I asked Jane if I could stay with her, and she said yes.  In America, I would never ask some random stranger to stay the night with them, but in Africa I find things work very differently.  Perhaps it isn’t that I wouldn’t stay the night at a strangers house, it’s that I never am in a position to need to.  

Finally we crossed the border, late at night.  Jane sat next to me the rest of the trip, as the in bus video entertainment played a Mr. Bean actor police drama with Chinese subtitles.  It was an amusing combination.  We chatted about the idea of “home” and our various experiences throughout Africa.  

It was 1 am Uganda time, 12 am Rwanda time when we finally arrived in Kigali.  We got a private hire and ran some errands... like getting money and buying food.  We reached Jane’s place around 1 am, then feasted on a huge round of cheese, mango juice, and French bread.  It was delicious, and especially good since neither of us had eaten all day.  Jane’s house was incredibly comfortable, and had a full wall sized map of 

Africa, it was super cool!  She even had a small room for me to stay in, it was great.  

probably a whole season of this, played at an almost un-hearable volume, with Chinese subtitles.  Yes. TIA

The next morning was fresh coffee, and more bread and cheese.  We sat outside on the step and looked out at the beautiful view of Kigali.  My ride was running late, so after breakfast we sat in Jane’s room and she packed up her stuff while we talked. 

At about 10 am we went and met Francios at the top of the hill.  We gave Jane a ride to her meeting and then continued to pick up Bishop Kizito.

Meeting Jane was an incredibly experience. She is kind and generous and a good conversationalist.  I hope that we can hang out again sometime.

Bishop Kizito is a tall, thin, incredibly happy Rwandan man.  The whole car ride we all laughed and shared together.  It was wonderful.   Finally arriving in Gitarama (sp?) I met the team and we settled in.  

A bit of Rwanda