Blogs from Kigali, Ville de Kigali, Rwanda, Africa

After a slightly extended stay in Musanze, due to an upset belly, we traveled to Gisenyi to visit Lake Kivu. We had heard that staying by the lake was very pictouresque, but after spending one night in a rather basic guest house with no windows, a funny smell and no toilet seat, Celina wanted to give up and move on. However, we decided to give it one last try and check out another Lonely Planet recommendation. When we arrived at Paradis Malahide it really was like finding a little bit of paradise, with pretty stone bungalows, by the lake complete with it's own private beach. Unfortunately, there was no room at the inn but we had fallen in love with the place, so when the owners offered to put us up in a tent we quickly ... read more

My eyes filled with tears fit for overflowing as I began to process the shocking information at the Kigali Memorial Centre. The genocide exhibition leaves one consumed with an overwhelming sense of anger, frustration and outrage, as visitors slowly come to grips with the tragedy of the Rwandan genocide. To be honest it's almost unbearable having to deal with such an unflinchingly honest and graphic portrayal of the lead up to; horrifying reality of; and devastating aftermath of the events in Rwanda in 1994. This tiny country shocked the world during an horrific three months of madness that cost up to a million lives. The journal continues in Rwanda, dear reader , where visitors to the Memorial Centre reflect on the pervasive inhumanity that resides within the darkest recesses of the human mind. Mankind must continue ... read more

I met up with Alan and his teammate Patrick at the bus station in Kampala and boarded together. I was sitting next to Alan. He warned me when we got on the bus to put on my seatbelt. I thought that to be a bit ridiculous. The only time I had ever worn a seatbelt on a coach bus was in Australia because it's the law (and yes if they catch you without it on they will kick you off the bus). I asked him why I should put on the seatbelt and he said it's because the roads are very bumpy and it'll help to keep me in my seat. He was right. The bus to Rwanda was extremely bumpy. I'm not even sure if bumpy is the word to describe it though. Had I ... read more

Today was Liberation Day for Rwanda. It marks 16 years since the RPF ended the genocide in 1994. I arrived at the stadium at 8:30 am to observe the government ceremonies. My father was busy preparing a party for work so he sent me with his friend Jean-Paul who works with TIG coordinating community service for genocidaires, those guilty of genocide. I was a little uneasy as soon as we got there. About 200 people walked by me with RPGs. I could tell I would be in for an extrememly militatristic day. We sat until 9:45 when things got underway. Two marching bands came in. They were followed by 2 groups with AK-47s, 2 with RPGs, 2 with RPDs, then the police with AK-47s. Last was a flag guard with AK-74u guns. Kagame, the president, eventually ... read more

Here in Uganda and Rwanda I have been thinking of how my friends would relate, adapt to, and perform in the different situations here. I came up with this list of people most likely and least likely for different things. I thought it was funny, so here it is. Not as heavy as my other blogs, but I thought some people would find this funny. Person most likely to commit a cultural faux pas. Most likely: Paul Sihelnik Least Likely: The Dude Person most likely to hate bucket showers. Definitely Celinda. Being from Hawaii she doesn't do well with cold water. Person most likey to enjoy the food. Most Likely: Frumkin Loser:....Me (a little disappointing, I know) Person most likely to become fluent in Luo (Gulu) or Kinyarwanda (Rwanda) Most Likely: Tie between The Dude and ... read more

The title of this entry is probably the most useful thing I can say in French here. It means "I speak a little French." It saves me from the embarassment of stammering in English that I don't know any French, but saves me from saying one sentence and having people think I am fluent. Not really related, but I thought it was funny. Today I participated in Umuganda. Umuganda happens on the last Saturday of every month. The communtiy gets together with their local neighbors to work on different improvement projects. Often times it is filling in potholes on the dirt roads or picking up litter along the roads in the communtiy. On my project day we doubled the width of a bridge which crosses over a stream in a small ravine. The bridge was made ... read more

Bonjour (or wiriwe in Kinyarwanda) from Kigali! I haven't written much in the past week because we were mostly in transit. We spent a few days in the city of Mbarara in western Uganda to prepare for Rwanda. Things are much different here and it important we are prepared. In Gulu, the Acholi openly discuss the most brutal details of the conflict. Everyone there has been effected by the LRA. Most people have a brutal story about losing a family member or even being forced to kill their own families. The people still speak of their memories without hesitation. The genocide is a taboo subject in Rwanda. If you bring it up you could end up with an informant in tears for the next half hour. Just today I rode to work with a woman who ... read more