Ryan Comes to Rwanda

My boyfriend Ryan came to visit Rwanda for two weeks in August. Here’s what he had to say about his first experience in Africa.

I differ significantly from the average Peace Corps Volunteer. Before this trip, I had never spent time abroad, much less in Africa, or been involved in any type of social work. So, this was my first experience seeing true poverty. I’m well aware that Rwanda is considered a success story among African nations; there’s an exquisitely developed infrastructure when it comes to roads and telecommunications, among other things. Once we left Kigali, however, it became readily apparent that Rwanda has two different sides: a country that is rapidly developing and has many modern amenities (which are often used by foreign aid workers) and a much more poverty stricken people who must watch as their country passes them over.

One possible factor to the poverty of Rwanda is its population density. As someone who grew up in a fairly small town (55,000) and went to college in an even smaller one (35,000), I was taken aback by how crowded some places were, especially near the bus stations in Kigali. However, one thing that I did not expect was how organized this dense group of people would still be. The buses ran on time for the most part, the roads were free of accidents (with one exception I saw on the first day there), and my flight even left on time from Kigali (which could not be said for a few places in the U.S. and Europe). This was very different from the vision of Africa that is perpetuated in the U.S.

In Jen’s town, Nyagatare, the gap between the have and have-nots is more obvious. Here, mud-brick houses stand across the street from elegant ones that would be seen as somewhat upscale in the U.S. The government plans to make changes that would make this one of the more modern sectors in the country, by adding an athletic stadium, eco-tourism sites, and numerous infrastructural improvements. They also plan to create a “knowledge city” around Umutara Polytechnic, the university there. I find this last addition to be a bit questionable, as the scholarships of many university students are being revoked in favor of increasing funding for primary education. At any rate, Nyagatare should be receiving a considerable amount of funding in the coming decade, which will attract more people to it. Whether these improvements will reduce the stark contrast between rich and poor remains to be seen.

Possibly one of the most interesting experiences I had in Rwanda was attending a church service in Nyagatare. Everyone has a script for what they believe an event will be like, and it helps us to prepare for the actions that will take place during the event. My script for church did not exactly fit what a Rwandan church service would be like, though. First of all, I felt comfortable during much of the sermon, as it was very similar to church services in the U.S. (it was in Kinyarwanda, but a young guy sitting next to me translated the whole thing into English, so I had a good understanding of what was happening). Every once in a while, however, a song would start up. When this happened, the whole front section of the church burst into some pretty intense dancing while very upbeat music was playing. The liveliness, though very enjoyable, was a bit more than I was prepared for. Never before have I felt as white and self-conscious as I did then, in my inability to dance with the Rwandans there.

One of the trips Jen and I had decided to take while I was in Rwanda was to the beautiful Nyungwe National Park. The forest is known for the chimpanzees, among other primates, that reside there. As part of our trip, we were going to stay with two other Peace Corps Volunteers in the village of Banda on the edge of the forest. On our way down the nearly 1,000-foot descent from the road to the village, we were able to spot a group of (I’m estimating 100) Colobus monkeys jumping from tree to tree. It was my first time seeing a monkey outside a zoo, so seeing close to a hundred of these little black and white bearded monkeys together was pretty fascinating.

As someone from Montana, I have always loved the outdoors. So when planning my trip to Rwanda, seeing the beauty of the rainforest was definitely one of my top priorities. However, once I arrived at Nyungwe, I realized that I was markedly more interested in the fascinating people and culture in Banda. What I saw in Banda was a very different picture of Rwanda than I had seen in Kigali. Here, for example, there was very little medical attention available for the people of the village, and a great demand for it, as far as I saw. Until a few days before I arrived, there was no cell phone coverage in the village valley, in stark contrast to the rest of Rwanda. Despite being one of the less developed areas in the country, the people in Banda were incredibly upbeat. Walking from the Volunteers’ house to the school where they work involved a bit of a hike through the valley. This hike started with maybe three kids walking along side us; however, by the end, I’m estimating a hundred children were involved in the trek. This became a bit strenuous, as the children began to hold our hands to point of having six or eight kids hanging off of me at any one time. Regardless of the extra weight we had to pull up the hill, it was really enjoyable, especially since the hike ended with all children singing and dancing for us.

My journey to Rwanda was one of the most exciting and eye-opening experiences of my life. I think anyone who is interested in taking a vacation should consider what Africa and specifically Rwanda has to offer. Though the cost of getting there is quite steep (around $2,000 from the U.S.), it is a relatively inexpensive affair once you’re there and is well worth the money. The culture differs greatly from the Western lifestyle that we are accustomed to, but the people I met were amazing. I especially enjoyed spending time with the children there. I wasn’t really able to communicate with them, but the language of fun is universal (for some reason they absolutely loved playing with my hair and beard). The people are incredibly generous and hospitable to the point that I sometimes felt a bit uncomfortable having come from a much less welcoming culture. Many Westerners choose to believe that Africa is desperately poor and incapable of ever overcoming its poverty. Rwanda stands in direct opposition to this mistaken belief.