The van zoomed down the dusty streets of Kigali, the expert driver navigating through Rwanda’s capital city with ease. Motorcycle cabs cut off the van filled with thirteen young teens, three American volunteers, and of course our driver Paul. We soon left the extremely congested city and headed towards the eastern providence of Rwanda, the scenery quickly changing from dirty streets to lush rolling hills. Rwanda’s used to be called “Land of 1000 hills”, which is very real. From the mini-bus window my first perceptions of Africa were basically exactly what you see in pictures. Woman holding huge baskets on their heads, people carrying water, and little children pointing at the white people in the van. We made our way onto a bumpy road, and after fifteen minutes of harsh bouncing, we reached the entrance to Agahazo-Shalom youth village. After three flights, thirteen hours of travel, and countless preoperational meetings, we made it!
The village is literally in the middle of nowhere. As far as the eye can see there are a few other villages, large mountains, and one lake in the distance. It is about an hour and a half drive from Kigali, through the rural countryside Africa.
When we first got to the village I did not feel very well, but was still able to unpack my stuff. We are staying at the guesthouses, which are actually pretty nice. Of course it is Africa though. There are frequent power outages, many bugs, a very hot sun, and questionable hot water. Dinner was rice and beans, with some delicious fruits. The kids here are all very smart, and love talking to us. I will go more into detail about that tomorrow, as I have to wake at 6am. Rwanda is amazing. Go pats!
Can't wait to hear about everything Alex! Make sure you practice your basket carrying technique for future trips the the laundry place in Bat Yam :)
ReplyDeleteHaha will do. I'm learning from the best here
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