Rwanda isn’t much like we thought it would be. From the exceptionally polite immigrations officials, to the busy streets of Kigali that remind us of Mumbai (only cleaner), we’ve been pleasantly surprised for most of the way.
Kigali is considered pretty safe – underscored by the many armed security guards that unobtrusively walk the streets to ensure things stay that way. In Ruhengeri where we are, we have a group of men who patrol the neighbourhood at night – one of their additional chores is to ensure neighbourhood kids don’t throw stones over the fence to get a reaction out of Max, the dog at the house we live in.
That brings us to Max. Apparently Rwandans don’t do well with pets – and a dog or cat on the street is likely to get stoned mercilessly by children. Max stays within the confines of the compound, which doesn’t stop the kids from throwing stones over the fence to torment him. Which is why we were surprised and impressed when the Imam in the mosque beside the house included Max in his sermon one day. ‘You all come here and pray’ he said ‘and then you go home and throw stones at the dog. Stop throwing stones at the dog’. Possibly one of the most relevant and timely sermons I’ve heard in a long time.
Other surprises include:
1. The lack of mosquitos thus far. It’s been 6 days and I have one bite to show for it and we haven’t event been using our net all the time while we sleep
2. The food – we came here expecting veggies and rice and have eaten all sorts of yumminess, including meat, cooked at Cathy’s house. We had planned to lose some weight in Rwanda – I don’t think that’s going to happen
3. The general feeling of safety while walking through the street of Ruhengeri. People are nice.
4. The availability of Ribena, a blackcurrent cordial I used to drink as a kid in Dubai – it’s really helped me down water much better during our stay.
5. Being woken up 3 times each night by the Imam beside the house as he says his Ramadan prayers on the loudspeaker…and then sometimes lectures his congregation at 2 in the morning.
So far so good.
Dal
What an incredible experience so far after only one week!!. You must feel so content at the end of each day knowing you're making a difference. And don't those kids smiles make it all worthwhile? I can visualize it all having experienced something similar in Kenya. Can't wait to read your next entry - they're fantastic!! Keep well. S.
ReplyDeleteHallo!! Love the regular updates - keep safe!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you prefer being woken up by the Imam, or by pots and pans??