Life in Kigali- Day 3

It starts to feel more like home a little bit each day. I’ve been to town twice now. It’s about a 10-15 minute drive from our house. We do not own a car, so we’ve been relying on one of the teachers from KICS (Kigali International Community School) to transport us. Driving in Kigali is wild.  People drive in the middle of the road, and if someone is coming towards you, you either swerve to the left or right depending on which side is less busy. There are mottos everywhere. (Mottos are motorcycle taxis.) People are walking every direction, and pedestrians do not have the right of way here in Kigali.  The speed limit is 40 kph on every road (25mph in America), but people drive much faster than that.

We can walk to school, we can walk to Woodlands Market (which is basically like a grocery store), we can walk to the one and only fast-food restaurant in Kigali. They only serve chicken and chips (French fries).  

We have a gate around our house, along with a neighborhood security team. Basically anyone above poverty has a gate around their house, and/or a guard. Kigali is known as the safest country in Africa. We can shower, wash our hands, and wash dishes with the water, but it is advised that we brush our teeth and drink the filtered water. 

The weather here is wonderful. Technically it is winter here, because we are in the Southern Hemisphere. But, we are currently in the “dry season” meaning that it is the hottest part of the year. The “rainy season” starts in September and lasts for the majority of the year.  The temperature is about 70 degrees in the morning, and upper 80’s in the afternoon. It’s quite hot in the afternoon, because of the intensity of the sun- being so close to the equator.  The sunrises at 6:00 every morning, and sets at 6:00 every evening.  Again, because of being so close to the equator.

We went to the Market this afternoon.  (The 5 of us, along with another married couple, and a teacher from KICS.) It was one of the greatest experiences!  The market is right in the middle of town. As soon as the market was in view, boys in yellow jackets started running beside our car asking if they could watch our car while we shopped, or carry our bags for us.  The Market is almost like a large warehouse, with no windows or doors.  You can buy fruits, vegetables, rice, fabric, hardware…basically anything. There are about 30 long aisles to walk down, stocked with fruits and vegetables. (The other items are across the alley) We had a boy named Peter helping us. He was carrying our bags and helping us find the best price. We did bargain a little bit with some of the merchants. Peter did help us communicate with the other people, but language was not too much of an issue.  

School starts in 13 days. In the next week in a half, we will continue to get acclimated with life in Kigali. We are learning the language a little bit at a time. Life here is simple, but I like it.