I've been back in America for almost a week now and it's not at all what I expected. I thought I would have some kind of "reverse culture shock" that we had been warned of, but instead it's just life as usual. I loved my time in Africa. I didn't kiss the ground when I got … Continue reading One Last Thing
Tag: rwanda
Family
The concept of family can take on many different forms. For most people, when they hear the word family images of a mom, dad, siblings, grandparents and the like come to mind. But family can be your best friends. Family can be your favorite pet cat. Family can be a group of people you've never … Continue reading Family
Bananas, Beans and Rice: A Tumultuous Love Story
My relationship with Rwandan and Ugandan food is best described as an emotional rollercoaster. From the honeymoon phase where I fell in love with the delicious fried bananas, fresh from the earth tomatoes, and the ever present mystery vegetable sauces to the fall out that occurred somewhere around my fifteenth serving of boiled cassava leaves. … Continue reading Bananas, Beans and Rice: A Tumultuous Love Story
Victims, Perpetrators, and Rescuers
Here in Rwanda we have had the opportunity to encounter all sides of the 1994 Genocide. From host family members with relatives that were lost to coming face to face with killers, our study of the Genocide has been extremely multifaceted. It's hard to walk down the street here and look at people, wondering "Who … Continue reading Victims, Perpetrators, and Rescuers
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words in the Land of a Thousand Hills
Standing in the Gap
In a small town in the Eastern Province of Rwanda there is a small church. Behind that church there is an even smaller building, a Sunday school house for the small children of Ntarama. Instead of continuing to attend Sunday school in this little house, the children of Ntarama never got to be big. To … Continue reading Standing in the Gap
The View In Kigali
The Life of a Muzungu
"It was very nice to see you, I will never forget you." The money handler on a Kigali bus told a friend and I this, word for word as we were traveling back to our school. Such big words from someone we had barely talked to. Big words from anyone. Muzungu can mean white person. … Continue reading The Life of a Muzungu
The Beginning
Tomorrow’s the day! Just a hop to Chicago, a skip to Istanbul, and a jump to Kigali and I’m in the heart of Africa for the next two months. I know that my time in Africa will change me but it’s up to the land, the people, and all of my new experiences to decide … Continue reading The Beginning
Nowhere To Go But Everywhere 