Muraho from Rwanda!
After spending a little over a week in Chicago for orientation with the other 60+ YAGM volunteers for this year, all of the cohorts dispersed to their respective countries on August 21st. The Rwanda cohort and the Senegal cohort had the joy of being on the same initial flight from Chicago to Brussels (flight time approx. 8 hours). From there we said goodbye to our Senegal friends, and the Rwanda cohort took another very long flight (approx. 8.5 hours) from Brussels to Kigali, Rwanda. Exhausted, a little stressed (the airline temporarily lost my guitar in transit), but the most overwhelming feeling was just pure excitement to finally be in Rwanda.
We were greeted at the airport by our country coordinator and some of the leaders of the Lutheran Church of Rwanda. They all embraced us with open arms and welcomed us home. Every person that I have met in Rwanda so far is incredibly kind, and seem intent on letting us know that Rwanda is now our home.
The past 11 days have been filled with lots of fun adventures and lots of Kinyarwanda classes (Kinyarwanda is the most widely spoken language in Rwanda). My cohort and I will spend a total of 3 weeks in orientation here in Kigali, the capital city, before we head off to our various site placements throughout the country. Some examples of our adventures include taking motorcycle taxis (motos) all throughout the city (don’t worry mom, I wear a helmet every time I take a moto!), going to a milk bar (Rwandans very much love milk and there are shops dedicated to just selling milk), taking a day trip to a nearby town of Rwamaganda to visit a bakery that is run by an American woman who has been in Rwanda for 10 years and uses the bakery to employ and empower Rwandan women, and beginning to discuss the impacts that colonization had on Rwanda and how that still plays out in the country today.
Other than a brief bout of sickness (my stomach decided to revolt against the rest of my body which was not very fun), I am doing very well. I of course miss my family and friends and will continue to struggle with this throughout the year, but I am so excited to continue the relationships that I have already started building in my new home of Rwanda.
Thank you all for your continued love and support of my throughout this crazy journey. If there is anything specific that you are interested in hearing about, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! I would love to have help coming up with blog ideas and I want to cater to what you want to hear about. Feel free to either comment on this post or reach out to me via Facebook.
Fun Rwanda things I have noticed:
1. Rwanda has SO many cool birds. Shimmery, vibrant songbirds and swooping birds of prey fly around Kigali constantly.
2. The streets in Kigali technically are numbered, but no one uses them or even necessarily knows them. Directions are given by referencing various landmarks, which makes it very confusing for someone new to the city, but so cool to see how intimately Kigali residents know their city!
3. Fanta rules here. I have never been a big soda drinker, but Rwandan people LOVE their Fanta, so I am loving it as well! They have the classic orange flavor, but also a citron flavor that is kind of a lemon-lime flavor (but mostly just tastes like sugar), and a “fiesta” flavor that tastes like grape but with another added flavor that I can’t quite place my finger on.
4. Rwanda is currently at the end of the dry season and beginning of the rainy season, and the rainstorms here are no joke. They happen suddenly and the thunder is the kind that shakes your bones, and sometimes interrupts the electricity for a bit. But the life that springs forth from the afternoon and evening rain showers is beautiful and I can’t wait to experience more of it!
Roaming Rwanda 
Hi Marie. I am following you every step,of the way. Prayers for a wonderful experience! Jeri Wright
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Hello Marie!
…Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of GOD; for they began their journey for the sake of Christ accepting no support from non-believers. Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth…John 3:5
Your blog is fascinating! Because of people like you, people like me can live vicariously through your posts.
I admire you for what you are doing, which would make me feel so out of place. Just imagine the memories you will continue to realize and the new friends you never thought you’d have in your lifetime!
I am a retired journalist living in Colorado where life is probably the polar opposite of the one you are living right now, especially the landscape and way of life.
What do Rwandans think of the USA and Americans in general? Are they as curious to learn about you as you are about them?
The rainstorms and lightning there sound frightening! We have a lot of lightning strikes in Colorado. In fact just last night we had quite a storm come through and had to comfort our dogs.
Please continue to share photographs and post as often as you can. I’d love to hear more about the food you eat there. I’m sorry you had to deal with nausea, which I hope is long gone.
Sending Many Blessings,
Mary
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