Back to Rwanda

I’ve been back in Rwanda for about three weeks now, and things have more or less gotten back to normal here. I spent the first couple days in Kigali, which was a nice transition to ease me back into Rwanda. My first few days back in Nyagatare, though, were difficult. I just felt like I wasn’t ready to be back yet, and I was particularly unmotivated since I didn’t really have any work to do that week. Fortunately, those feelings have subsided, and I’m pretty much back into the swing of things now.

Since coming back, I’ve been able to see many of my good friends in Nyagatare, which has been wonderful. I brought presents back for several people, as well as some donated items for the primary school, and everyone seems to appreciate them so far. School started last week, and my students and fellow teachers seemed very happy to see me again, which felt really nice. I taught my first few classes last week, and it was great to be teaching again. So, all in all, I think I’ve readjusted to life in Rwanda.

Much like going from Africa to the U.S., I think going the other way also gets easier each time, at least in terms of handling living standards and physical difficulty. I’m back to bucket baths, moto taxis, and plantains, back to boiling my drinking water, hand washing my clothes, and waiting an hour for my e-mail to load. Yet, though sometimes annoying, none of these things really seem like a huge burden at this point.

It’s really hard for me to believe that I was actually in the U.S. just a couple weeks ago. It feels a little bit like the refrigerator, Starbucks drinks, carpet, gym, washing machine, and shopping mall were just a weird dream. On the other hand, while I was in the U.S., it sometimes felt like I’d been there all along and like my life in Rwanda had just been a strange – and vivid – dream.