Back in Kigali

Well, here I am again, sitting at my computer in beautiful Rwanda doing my best to portray my life, experiences, thoughts, and feelings through a minuscule blog post.

The summer went by like a car on the interstate in America.  I was just leaving Kigali and starting my summer and now I’m back in Africa getting ready to start my 12th year of school. What happened? Where did the time go? I thoroughly enjoyed seeing my friends and family. I was able to reconnect with so many old friends and create new friendships. Not much had changed, thankfully, so I was able to jump back into the life I knew. I had a marvelous time shopping for new clothes and driving around in my car like a crazy teenager. I did enjoy Chick-fil-a and all of the other good places to eat, but American life is tiring…the constant need to acquire more things, the fattening food, the lack of exercising, the constant coming and going. It was nice for a while, but now that I’m back in Rwanda I feel like I can breathe again. 

We arrived on Friday night (Friday afternoon for all you East Coasters). The airport in Kigali is very small. You have to enter and exit the plane on moveable stairs because the airport doesn’t have gates. It reminds me of how the president or some other important person does when they arrive somewhere and the camera guy catches a pose as they’re walking down the stairs waving and smiling to their supporters. (Yes, I did glance up as I was walking down the steps expecting to see my posse…) Anyways, we walked down the stairs and across the runway to go inside. I took a deep breath and was welcomed with smell of Kigali -earthy and rich. I think Kigali has two main smells: body odor and exhaust. When we got to the door I wanted to hug the guard. I had no idea who he was but I was so happy to see him. I think I was just happy to be off the plane and overwhelmed with several emotions. I kept my dignity and did not hug him, but the feeling was there, nonetheless. We went through customs without any issues. All of our bags made it except for our two over-sized bins filled with instruments and most of my clothes.  We talked to one of the airport customer service people and they said that the bins would arrive from Nairobi, Kenya the following day. How did those bins get to Kenya? Beats me. Regardless of the route they took, we were able to retrieve our bins the next night and all of the instruments were there, unharmed. 

Speaking of instruments…we brought thirteen donated instruments back with us and several boxes of music! It’s a great addition to the growing bands! 

Speaking of instruments (again)…I’ve upgraded from an intermediate clarinet to a professional. A dear family friend graciously gave me a brand new clarinet in memory of her husband who just recently went to be with the Lord. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The keys are so shiny. It’s wonderful! The tone is warm and rich and delicious.  I absolutely love it! With this instrument I’ll be able to go so much further than I would have gone with my previous clarinet. I’m so grateful!

Kigali is just like how we left it. The internet is still horribly slow. Actually, the internet speed has changed…it’s gotten worse. I’m positive it wasn’t this bad last year. The connection only works every now and then and when it is working it still takes way too long to load a page. It’s frustrating but there’s nothing I can do about it.  I was really happy this morning because I was able to respond to three facebook messages before the internet went out!  

Another new addition to the city is street signs. I haven’t been out in the city enough to figure it out but I think there is a logical order to them. Thankfully, it’s numbers and not names. For example: 179th avenue and 85th street. It will be much easier to give directions now!

We went to church on Sunday morning (the one we had been regularly attending last year). It was enjoyable to be back in the lively African worship style. Yes, the service is long and the benches are uncomfortable but it always leaves me feeling revived and ready for the week ahead. 

After church we met up with several other KICS teachers at Meze Fresh…Kigali’s first fast food restaurant! (New to the city while we were gone.) It’s essentially like a Qdoba. You walk down the line and tell them what you’d like in your burrito or taco. They don’t have as many options as Qdoba but it’s still really impressive. It’s painted lime green and blue and it has black and white accent decorations. It’s a really cool place. It’s quick, delicious, and filling. I’m looking forward to many more meals there in the future. 

Right now Rwanda is in the dry season so everything is very dusty and dry. I repeat: VERY dusty. The crops and plants are all brown and dead but before long, once the rain comes, it will be just as beautiful I remember it. Green, lush, pleasant, perfect. 

We all seem to be transitioning fairly well. My dad and Adam don’t seem to be dealing with jet lag at all. My mom, however, has forgotten how to sleep. Miles and I are somewhere in the middle, sleeping off and on throughout the night. Overall, it’s nice to be back. I’m looking forward to the start of school because it will give me something to do. I have a lot of time on my hands right now because my parents are up at the school everyday getting things ready along with the other teachers and there just isn’t a whole lot for me to do. I probably should be looking for scholarships and studying for the SAT and doing all that fun college stuff but something about that doesn’t sound very appealing…

I miss my family. I miss my friends. Unfortunately saying goodbye doesn’t get any easier. I feel caught between two worlds….two homes. Kigali feels very much like home. It’s very comfortable and familiar and I love it here, but oddly enough I feel homesick.  Might that be because North Carolina is my home? That’s where I’ve spent most of my life, that’s where my friends and family and memories are. It’s a little hard to understand. One thing I’ve been enjoying is the smell of my clothes. They all smell like the laundry detergent and the homes of the various people I stayed with during my last week in the States. It’s just a simple thing that makes me feel close to them and puts a smile on my face.

I know that this year will go by in a flash and before I know it I’ll be saying goodbye to my life here in Rwanda and embarking on the wonderful journey called college. I have an exciting year ahead of me. God has spectacular things planned for me and I can’t wait for it to all unfold and to discover His perfect plan.