Return to Rwanda

How did so many things here change in the mere four weeks I was gone? MTN has lowered the prices for their wireless Hot Spots in Kigali, and Tigo has lowered the prices for their Internet modems. Meanwhile, Bourbon, Magda, and White Horse all overhauled their menus and raised their prices. (Though Bourbon now has a rolex equivalent, which is awesome – and cheaper than what I used to get there!) Just in Nyagatare, a new shoe store and a little restaurant opened up, a bottled-drinks wholesaler appeared, and the “massage parlor” became a bar. If the definition of develop is “change,” Rwanda is definitely developing!

Anyway, I arrived at the airport last Tuesday night, and found myself without adequate cab fare, no place to exchange money, and a broken ATM. Fortunately, a kind cab driver agreed to accept the combination of $3, 5 Euros, and 2,500 Rwandan francs I had with me – and he let me use his phone!

I spent the next day running errands and relaxing in Kigali. It felt really good to be back, and all I could think about was how it just felt like summer. It was so beautiful. The following day, I made the trip back to Nyagatare – along with my somewhat excessive amount of luggage, which caused a bit of a scene. People here seemed excited to see me again, and it was really nice to be welcomed back.

While I can’t say I don’t miss hot showers, cold water, and American food, the lack of those things is nominal compared to how much the staring has already begun to get somewhat irritating again. The other thing that’s been difficult is getting used to once again living alone and spending a lot of time alone and being away from my family and friends. But, I know a couple weeks are all it will take for those feelings to mostly subside.

Plus, it has been wonderful to see my friends here in Nyagatare, and to give them their gifts from the U.S., which they’ve seemed to really like. My neighbors, Rebecca and Deborah, were really excited by the Bath & Body Works body spray and both cracked up over the little stuffed animals I brought for their babies (Deborah has a four-month-old boy, and Rebecca is due next month). My friend Alex insisted that the watch that “Brian” helped me pick out for him was “a brilliant choice.” I still have a slew of gifts left to distribute, and I hope they are all as well-received. Another plus to being back in Rwanda is that Fanta Orange and Fanta Lemon are awesome – and totally different than in the U.S. In other news, the new school year started here on Monday - meaning all my friends are finally back!

I’m also really happy to get back to work here and really excited about the new projects I’ll be working on. But more on that later – for now I’m just trying to readjust, get settled, and recover from jet lag.