Living in Rwanda, nature is a much stronger force in my life than it ever was in the U.S. What I do, where I go, whether places are even accessible, how safe I feel, it all depends largely on whether the sun’s out, whether it’s raining, whether it rained the day before, whether it’s a full moon, etc. I’m noticing and depending on things I rarely paid any attention to at home.
Perhaps the most obvious is rain: a rainstorm has the potential to destroy most of the productivity that might have been taken place on a given day. When it rains here, students and teachers miss school, meetings get cancelled, people skip work, and Peace Corps Volunteers typically hole up inside their houses. Basically, if it’s raining hard, it’s acceptable to not do anything. In Nyagatare, most people walk to get everywhere, or perhaps take motorcycle taxis. It rains hard, so if you’re walking in the rain, even with an umbrella, you’re going to get soaked. The same is true of riding a moto, which is also a safety hazard: it often rains too hard for drivers to see well, and the mud becomes too slippery for them to retain control of the moto. Most of the roads here are dirt, so if you venture out following a big storm, you’re inevitably going to get filthy, which is not acceptable in Rwanda, particularly if you’re heading to work or school. Finally, some of the dirt roads get completely washed out during the rainy season, making it impossible to even access certain places for a time. During the rainy season, it rains nearly everyday, sometimes more than once, so plans are continually disputed. During the rainy season, I sometimes dream about how nice it would be to just hop in a car and drive to wherever I need to be, rain or shine!
I’m also at the mercy of the sun, which is typically up from about 6am to 6pm. Because Rwanda is so close to the Equator, the time of sunrise and sunset doesn’t vary much throughout the year. I normally walk everywhere when I’m in Nyagatare. But, as a safety precaution, being that I’m a white female and all, I try not to walk around alone late at night. I’m frequently out in the evening, but that means either ensuring that somebody can walk me home or taking a moto taxi back to my house, which can be difficult to find at night. Like the rain, nighttime also elicits dreams of having a car that I could safely drive around alone in whenever I wanted!
Finally, the phases of the moon are something that I never paid any attention to at home. In Rwanda, however, I keep pretty close tabs on the new moon, full moon, etc. The moon doesn’t affect my actions as much as the sun and rain do, but it definitely affects my comfort level. In a town with relatively little lighting, a full moon produces a hugely noticeable amount of light. During full moons, I feel much more comfortable walking alone in the early evening (I still don’t go out alone too late, but walking around at 7 or 8 becomes much less of a issue). I even feel more comfortable going out to the latrine or to fetch water late at night. And, as it turns out the moon’s phases in Rwanda match what’s marked on my calendar from home, I also learned that they’re the same all over the world!
Ironically, the dependence on nature forces me to plan some things more carefully – according to the sun – but also forces me to be more flexible – according to the rain.
Nature’s effects on Rwandans, however, are a million times more substantial. Droughts and floods can devastate entire communities, while a good rainy season means more crops and healthier livestock. Those living without electricity are almost entirely dependent on the sun for light. You learn to do certain things in the dark, sure, but others are extremely difficult. I’ve particularly seen the effects on students, who essentially cannot study after the sun goes down. Nature affects my schedule and decisions and can make life more or less convenient; but it can bolster or destroy the livelihoods of Rwandans in ways I can’t even fathom.
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