Rwanda

Border Cross #1

9:00pm, Kampala, UG: Our overnight bus leaves the station, right on time! Very unAfrican... Belinda (Aussie), David (USA), Daniel (Kenyan), and I all settle in for the 9+ hour bus ride.

3:30am, Katuna, UG: We bid farewell to Daniel at the RW border as he heads back to his project site in Rukungiri. A few short minutes later, we exit the country without incident! They did not even look at my expired visa, and they were laughing and joking with us. Praise for the nicest immigration officers ever. Downside is that it's really cold here! Apparently it's at high elevation.

4:00am, Gatuna, RW: Immigration officer, "Belinda, where is your visa?" She proceeds to explain how the website stated that Australians can get visas at the border. He says no. You must go back. Across the border, at 4am, by yourself. Americans don't require visas for Rwanda, so David and I are let through without issue. We are the last ones in line, so the three of us wait by the window trying to be humble but asking as many questions as possible. "We are together; we work together; we are sorry; we did not know. Is there anything you can do? Any way she can cross with us?" Immigration officer calls Paulette, our Rwandan contact through eMi. (It is 4am.) Cue fervent praying, "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, please change this officer's heart! Let her in, Lord, please! Don't make her travel back to Kampala at 4am by herself!!" He hangs up. Still says no. A few more explanatory sentences, and suddenly he asks, "Belinda, do you know that you have made a mistake?" A humble yes, and Belinda and I know. (David took a few more minutes to realize it...) "Since you are traveling together, I will make an exception for you." Our prayers were rapidly answered. All THREE of us made it into Rwanda!

A Day in Rwanda

We finally arrived at the bus park around 6am (RW time) to a glorious sunrise. The drive in through the hills with the sunrise was breathtaking. Rwanda is the country of a thousand hills. And they are all beautiful. At the bus depot we book our return trip, exchange some money, and are then picked up by our angel, Paulette Baraka. She is dear friends with EMI staffers Jeff and Jen Austin. She and her family offered to host us for the weekend, and basically took us in. They hosted an EMI project trip before, and told us that we should feel like we are coming home. Paulette picked us up, brought us home to essentially our own little apartment, fed us breakfast, and gave us a place to shower and relax after a long night's journey.

Paulette's family live in a village called Rugazi, in the Ndera sector, Gasabo district, of the city of Kigali. This weekend is really my first time in an African village. In Uganda my time has primarily been in the city of Kampala or Entebbe. Village life is awesome. Cows, goats, chickens, sheep, and all kinds of crops are everywhere. This place is beautiful, and everyone is so friendly. They are also appreciative of even the slightest effort at language. Here the primary language is kinyarwanda. Also, they are very appreciate of mzungu women. Belinda and I quickly learned the best response to any man's inquiry (regardless of his age) about our relationship status is "Married" or "Spoken for." A more entertaining response would have been "How many cows am I worth?" (Dowrys are paid in cows...) But I was never brave enough to try this one out...

Paulette and her dad took us back into the city of Kigali on Saturday and we visited the Kigali Genocide memorial. Have you seen Hotel Rwanda? It's a true story...and it is difficult to fathom. Especially the fact that this genocide occurred so recently. Paulette was 11 and remembers it well. Her family fled to the Congo during that time. Now, she works with IJM (International Justice Mission) and Gate of Hope (an EMI project) doing counseling and training for sexual violence and trauma victims, like so many suffer still from the genocide. Very cool to hear her story and about her work; but also very sobering and depressing to realize how the great need.

A bit more shopping in the city and then we head back to Ndera. We had some free time to walk around the neighborhood and met some family friends, Jado and Ephraim. Jado and Ephraim are both recent University grads, and they are great guys. After a delicious family dinner, we sat down to tea and also got to share some stories by candlelight (surprise: power went out!) Paulette speaks wonderful English, so she helped translate for most of the conversation.

We had breakfast the next morning with the family, and then walked to church with Ephraim just down the road. The church, planted by Paulette's Dad, meets in the Gate of Hope building. The choir and worship was so fun and the message was kindly translated by a compassionate church member who realized the mzungus were clueless. This was my most "African" church experience to date: vibrant singing, dancing and clapping, and 3+ hour long service. Very cool. 

After lunch, again provided by the most gracious host family EVER, Ephraim took the three of us for a walk to go visit Jado. On the way, we stopped in at a little shop for some fresh bananas, and luckily ducked in right as the rain started. It poured! We were stranded for a little over an hour, and then made the soggy trek down the road to reach Jado's place. He lives on the same compound as Mercy Ministries International. The campus was beautiful, and we spent time just sitting and talking. So much fun talking about culture and about future and who knows what else. It was unique to hear perspectives from people my own age from Rwanda.

After a relaxing and fun afternoon, we walked back to Paulette's home and packed up. It was sad to say goodbye! I felt like I was leaving dear family and friends, even though we had only know each other for less than 36 hours. We had to leave before we got the chance to learn to make Casava bread with Paulette's mom, so we all agreed we will have to come again and learn next time. I pray that I will have the opportunity to visit Rwanda again. And I thank God for the blessing of all the wonderful people I met!

Border Cross #2

7:30pm, Kigali, RW: David, Belinda, and I are terrified for a few moments at the bus depot when they tell us we have the wrong tickets and a guy takes all of our tickets away from us. "Is this what it feels like to be conned? Did that guy just steal our tickets?" But within 10 minutes all is well, and we are safely on the bus back to Kampala. And, almost on time, the bus leaves a little after 8pm!

9:30pm, Gatuna, RW: This time we reach the border at a reasonable hour and it is not yet freezing outside. Shops are open, people are happy. Life is good. Rwanda bids us a kind farewell as we walk the couple hundred feet across the border snacking on mendazi (a yummy pastry...). Yes, I said walk. The bus drops you off at one office, then drives across the border as all of the passengers walk across the bridge. Why aren't the people allowed to get back on the relatively warm bus for the couple hundred feet that the bus has to travel anyway? I don't know. TIA baby.

9:45pm, Katuna, UG: Guess who is working the immigration office tonight? The same "nicest immigration officers ever" as before! Belinda capitalizes and launches into a jovial exchange with our dear friends from two nights before. 3 months visa? No problem. David has a bit of a struggle because his crisp, clean, $50 bill has a smudge on it. Thankfully Belinda has an extra. Why are Africans so picky about clean American money when their francs and shillings can be oily and dirty? TIA. My turn. Falling into step after Belinda, the immigration officer and I have a nice chat about university, and do I do private consulting yet? (I think he almost offered me some work?), and oh you like children (because I smiled at the baby next to me in line), and 3 months visa?
No problem.
And there was much rejoicing. PRAISE THE LORD. And thank you for your prayers.

5:45am, Kampala, UG: Home sweet home. Rwanda was beautiful and such a great experience, but driving back into Kampala felt great. I couldn't believe how comforting it felt to be back in the streets of Kampala. That this place already feels like home after less than two months. Don't worry, Mom, not HOME home. Just sorta home. And THEN, we all went to sleep for a few hours before work.

Praises:
-We all got the maximum time on visas!
-The huge blessing of Paulette, and her family and friends.

Prayer Requests:
-Now it is time to submit a work permit application! As soon as I get my background check back from the US...
-For my focus and stamina this week. We are busy with project design reviews, and finishing up one project design before a project trip to Jinja next week for Amazima and Good Shepherd's Fold!

You May be from Kampala, Visiting Rwanda If:
-It seems really strange that people obey traffic laws
-It seems even stranger that people drive on the right side of the road
-It seems strangest that there is evidence of city planning, there are really clean streets, and there are no street vendors.
-You begin to wonder, is Kigali, Rwanda really in Africa?
-You make it to the village outside Kigali and get many marriage offers for being a mzungu woman. Yes, Rwanda is in Africa.

Blessings!
SForbes