Hello everyone welcome back! this week was one for the books, lots of fun and crazy adventures for sure.

Monday – Wednesday: Nothing too special happened. We had language class, technical class and lab like normal. Lab actually was very difficult these days as we had this power supply lab where we were making a transformer… it defeated us all. The days ended by going to play soccer and hanging out with the squad.

Thursday: Our lab group went to Muhima hospital and we had the best time! We got to fix two different infant warmers, a pulse oximeter, and a few other devices. It is so rewarding to actually trouble shoot the device, find the problem, and fix something that the BMET staff thought was irreparable. After our day at the hospital we traveled to Kigali Heights and had a good GNO getting gelato and pizza. Emphasis on the gelato. I kid you not, my first ice cream related thing in 3 weeks, I was so lacking and it was so good. Pizza so good and so worth it as it was buy one get one free! My stomach wasn’t a fan of the grease and cheese but ya know YOLO! Then we met up with the boys after to go to an art gallery called Inema for the rest of the night! A baller of a time!

Friday: We were supposed to have language class but our teacher John let us a have a game/free day before we went we went to the Youth Village, so kind of him. Around 1:30 we went to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village which is a place where students in upper grades, that grew up without parents can come succeed in a loving environment. The students here can stay for up to 4 years. They have family houses with a mom that takes care of them, game days, life skill classes, 3 different major school focuses and much more to help them succeed in their future endeavors. When we were there we put together a pressure sensing kit, an ECG kit, toured the campus, watched the talent concert and had dinner with them. Every student and staff member that we interacted with welcomed us with open arms and were so warm and kind to us. The talent concert was maybe the best thing I have seen in awhile. My favorite things where the fashion show, the modern dance, and the a capella group. The girl in these pictures is Hugette, who I got to work with while I was there. She is such an inspiration, loves chemistry, basketball, and is full of pure joy.

Saturday: Oh man what a day. I need to stop getting up at 4am on Saturdays. But anyway we got up at 4am to go to Volcanoes National Park and hike the Bisoke Crater Lake hike, one of the five volcanoes in Rwanda. I am not kidding when I say this. Hardest thing I have ever done in my life. The SAT does not even compare. We got to the base and we had high hopes for everything when we saw everyone in nice hiking gear, boots and gators as we were rocking our running shoes and tshirts! We had a nice bumpy ride for 40 minutes to the base of the hike, got some walking sticks and were on our way. The first 30 minutes were very nice in a farm land type area and we saw a 2 day old lamb… so beeping adorable!! Then we got to the gate that keeps all the buffalo and gorilla in the park, and we started. For 2ish hours we were in straight mud, and it only got squishier and steeper the more we climbed. Thankfully we had these incredible guides, it was a 1-1 ratio pretty much and Emmy legit saved my life. There was this sketchy little river part, and the guides all had rain boots so they were all in the river and trying to help us across. Didn’t work. I fell in. I tried to get out and it was just not working, I look and felt like a fish out of water. That’s okay though, I got out eventually and we kept going. Our guides were all about getting to the top and we barely took any breaks and I almost cried as I just a few breaks and my shoe kept coming off in the mude. The mud was everywhere and Emmy was pulling me up by the end of trail. But hallelujah we made it to the top, and it was the most rewarding thing ever! Took lots of pics, ate lots of pringles, and laughed a lot. I am so thankful for the girls I went on the hike with as though the hike was so taxing, there was not a single complaint from anyone. We tackled that mountain with joy, laughter and enthusiasm and I am FOREVER grateful for my mushiki’s (sisters)! The way down was very scary, as again it was pure mud and very steep. There’s a part where it is straight rock and has eroded areas where people continually put their feet, so grateful for that honestly. But lets not lie, I fell on my butt a few times. But good news, didn’t fall in the river this time! We ended the hike caked in mud, but with full spirits and citron fanta’s in hand. Will miss those in the states for sure. Our drive back was nice and quiet and our day was incredible, I FREAKING CLIMBED A VOLCANO IN AFRICA!!! I am jealous of myself honestly. Sad note, didn’t have running water when I got back to the house so my hair has not been washed in a week, I have a hard time washing it with the bucket so its just gonna have to wait. But ya know life be like that and the bucket got the mud off my poor ankles so we good.

Sunday: Wow, a jam packed day. We got up and I asked my house lady, Frieda if she could wash my shoes from the hike. She did, an icon! We went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial which was much more modern memorial than the one at the millennium but just as powerful, and maybe more as over 250,000 people were buried on the site. There was a lot included at the memorial about different genocides that have occurred in the past such as Holocaust, Cambodian genocide and a few more. Pictures of the ones lost were hung on wires, and quotes from children that survived the attacks broke my heart. Those kids are heros and know the true meaning of unity in Rwanda. After the memorial a few of us went to lunch, and then to the tailor. I picked up my pants, scrunchies and ties and they were all wonderful! I have so much fabric left so I need to find another tailor in Musanze to make me some more clothing items. Once we left the tailor, we went back home for a little bit and it was CRAZY! At IPRC there is a big football/soccer stadium and they were having a game so we had to run around all the traffic and crazy fans to get to our house. Honestly so dope and fun to see all the energy and excitement for the game just out of our window. Laura (one of my roommates) and I adventured to Question Coffee which is a coffee company fully run by strong and empowering woman. Also so cute and wonderful, it boosted my mood a lot to read, listen to music and drink some good coffee. Went home, washed my under garments (Frieda washes our normal clothes, but all under garments you wash yourself). She has never been there when I have washed my stuff, and I was doing it all wrong… RIP. But she laughed at me a little bit then showed me how, basically doing it all for me. Again, such an icon she deserves all the praises. Made a mistake by doing it at 5pm because the sun sets around 6:15 but glad its done for the week. Supposed to go to karaoke later tonight with some people and their home stays, but it’s been a long day so we shall see.

Conclusion: Ending this post is so bitter sweet because as I look onto this next week I see tons of different emotions, experiences and memories. We have one more week in Kigali, then we will all be traveling to different cities to make HUGE impacts in the rural cities of Rwanda. I am so excited to move slower in these cities, and have some time to breathe and reflect on my own. The relationships I make with the locals the next month will be so rewarding and teach me so much. However, leaving the relationships I have made and the city I have grown so fond of will be very difficult. All of us are going to have to work hard to keep in contact, and make an effort to see each other on the weekend in our different cities or in Kigali. For now, I am living in the present and cherishing my time in class, in my homestay and our quirky adventures as a group. We have freaking full week ahead of soccer scrimmages and a full on competitive game, a supply scavenger hunt, a concert and dinner, and a few more trips to the city center (prayers for gelato)! This time next week I will be settled in Musanze, so in my next post you will probably hear about my travels there and my first day. But I may post again earlier or later than Sunday depending on the wifi situation, as I am going to have to figure that all out all over again tehe.

N’aho mukanya (see you later!)