Hello hello everyone! I am ending out my second week here in Kigali and this marks the halfway point of me being in Kigali as in 2 weeks I will head to Musanze to be stationed at Ruhengeri hospital. This week was interesting as lots of different emotions hit and acclamation to city has really increased. Friendships have strengthened and I have been learning so much about my own personal growth through them. The week was normal with class, playing soccer with our host kids and getting meals but I will explain in more detail below!

Last Sunday we spent the day becoming more culturally aware of Rwanda’s history during and after the genocide in 1994. Our first stop was the genocide memorial which was located in a catholic church where many woman and children were hiding from the oppressors. On the churches exterior you can see the bullet holes used to forcefully enter the area. Inside the church were clothes, items, bones, skulls and coffins of all the victims from the attack on the church. The memorial was one of the most powerful places I have ever visited. Hearing the stories and history of the genocide were more intense than I had previously realized and really gave me a sense of perspective on the knowledge we know about other countries and their history. After the genocide occurred, many of the pastors in churches visited Hutu and Tutsi in jail and at their homes asking for healing and forgiveness of the two groups, and to encourage them live in harmony. For 25 years Rwanda has been extremely community focused and dedicated to healing through interactions and talking. This brings us to our next three stops of the day which are incorporated into the Millennium Village which is village set up to encourage healing and growth. We visited a farm where we were fed lunch of local Rwandan food; rice, beef, potatoes, casava and other vegetables. Next we visited the Women’s Cooperative where the women use the weaving of baskets to spend time to talk about their experiences of the genocide and heal through vocal expression. The women taught us how to weave baskets and we were able to purchase some of their work. Lastly we visited the Millennium Village where 54 families Hutu and Tutsi families live in unison as community. When we arrived we were welcomed with a children’s choir and dancing from the older girls. They were incredibly talented. Then we met the village leaders, and got to hear stories from a man that was an oppressor and a woman who was oppressed during the genocide. We were given the opportunity to ask them questions about their experiences, their answers and stories were truly eye opening about how much they have healed in the past 25 years. They then served us banana wine, and the little girls came out and danced. They finished the day off by getting us to dance with them, my heart was so full from their love, growth and generosity throughout the entire day.

Monday was a normal day of class but Tuesday was Eid al-Fitr which is the end of Ramadan so we didn’t have class on that day. Monday night we went to a place called Best Bar and played some cards and mafia which was a really fun bonding time! Tuesday was amazing as I had the opportunity to see my dad while he is here in Rwanda. We walked around downtown Kigali, and got dinner at Heaven which was a much needed change from my usual food. I got fish tacos *drooling* they were so good. I also got to shower at my dads hotel with hot water and use a hair dryer which was such a luxury that I have been missing.

Wednesday consisted of class like normal, then at night a few of us went downtown to get some clothing made at the tailor! We went to a fabric shop downtown and picked out our desired pattern and took it across the street to a tailor. This lady was a friend of one of my friends house mom that they had previously visited to get stuff made. The tailors areas are pretty hectic and I am glad some people knew what they were doing, and we brought our friend Pascale to translate for us. The hallways are all full of different shops stuffed full of different sewing machines, however we easily found who we wanted. She measured me to make me pants, and a few other things that I got as gifts! Super fun experience.

Thursday is our day to visit the hospitals in Kigali, and this week our group went to King Faisal hospital. This hospital is premier in the country and is a resource for many countries in the surrounding areas. It was really exciting to see all the different equipment and procedures they have in place compared to the past hospitals we visited. Typically our hospital visits are supposed to consist of a quick hospital tour and then we begin to work on equipment that are in the equipment graveyards or broken on the floor of the hospital. However, the BMET at Faisal was supper detailed and informative in our tour so it took the whole day. It was very helpful as he explained many of the different machines, how they worked, and reaffirmed us to make sure we knew how they worked and the common problems they have so that we knew how to fix them. The BMET took us to every part of the hospital, including being able to sit in on a CT scan, MRI scan and into the OT (operating theater). Also super coincidentally I saw my dad and his students touring the hospital as well, such a fun surprise. Thursday ended back at the IPRC campus and was super peaceful. I just called some friends and family, read my book, and journaled. 

Friday was a super normal day of class and not much happened at night other than going to Simba, the grocery store, to get some snacks for Saturday. 

Saturday, by far my most favorite day yet. WE WENT ON A SAFARI! At 5am we headed out to Akagera national park to go on our safari. We were in 3 different safari cars and it took about 2 and a half hours to get to the park. In the park we got to see giraffes, elephants, 12 different species of antelope, baboons, monkeys, hippos, buffalo, water buck, so many birds, zebras, and so much more!! We concluded that zebras are the squirrels of Akagera, there are so freaking many! The safari drive got us all COVERED in dust, and showering last night was such a blessing. Later Saturday night we met up again at a coffee shop and hung out until we needed to be home.

Sunday! Today was super nice and peaceful day. We woke up, had some breakfast, then I went straight back to sleep for another hour. Then my roommate and I washed some clothes and met up with our friends at a craft market. We spent a good amount of time there buying gifts and things for ourselves. We have gotten pretty good at bargaining which is helpful. After that we went and got some burgers and chips at a spot close by, YUM! Taxis were hard to find today and once we did there was a bit of confusion with the driver and the cab but overall a good day. Now I’m writing this post and need to do some textbook reading for the week! TTYL LOVE YALL