Today is Umuganda. I don't know if you remember me mentioning Umuganda before, but it is the last Saturday of every month where Rwandans give back to the community. It usually consists of them doing something within their own village, such as fixing roads, or helping each other out with projects that they've needed to do. However, I thought before that it was annual. I am now here for my 2nd Umuganda... and I found out that it happens every month. What a concept!! I think this is something that we should and could try to adopt in the US. I want to participate in at least one umuganda. But because I live in Kigali, where people have most of the things they need (nice roads, etc), people tend to use Umuganda to clean their own house and stuff like that. The buses and shops close in the morning of Umuganda, until afternoon. Hence why people use it to clean their houses if they aren't participating in an Umuganda activity.

Enough about that, I spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry. I actually have to work today. I volunteered to help out with a Youth Discussion Forum at our office from 2-5. The topic is Education. Should be very interesting. I need to make sure that I get ready soon though, because I've been spending all day walking around in my pajamas.

I just want to say how grateful I am to have my life. Being here has given me a greater appreciation for life and all it has to offer. I went out walking yesterday when I wasn't in a good mood, and I just looked at the scenery of Rwanda. It was a beautiful sunny day, with lots of clouds and a mountain backdrop. I felt so overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude to be able to be in such a gorgeous place. This is one experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life. I have made so many great memories being here, and it has only further sparked my interest in helping out others. I am going to work really hard to get a career in international development so that I can continue to help out people here...and in the rest of Africa. Problems here are so different than they are in the US. I actually feel like sometimes the problems here are solved a lot better. I know that when things do explode, they EXPLODE... hence the genocide. However, there aren't daily violent acts or shootings. People are more friendly here, more willing to help out their neighbor and friend, and just don't take what they have for granted. If there is one thing I will bring back to the US it is the feeling that everyone is your brother. We are all the same. There is no difference from you to me and God sees us all in the same way. I appreciate the Rwandese so much for trying to grasp this concept, especially amidst such a troubling past. They are truly incredible people.

Ah enough of this for now. I'm going to continue to do my cleaning and laundry and prepare for the meeting I have today. More later...
 
I have been feeling down today for some reason. It's just one of those days... so therefore, I'm spending my night inside and listening to reggae and making hemp anklets. Fun huh? Well I think so! I might be a little lame, but that's okay. I actually have somewhere I would like to be but unfortunately my roommate is sick & I don't really know how to get there (and don't really want to go alone). I have realized that I need to get out more and meet more people. Most of the friends I have made thus far have their own cliques or have already left the country... or aren't hanging out tonight. It is life I guess.

Going to continue my night..
 
I had kinda forgot to mention that last Friday there were 3 grenades thrown in very busy and common places in Kigali. Fortunately, I wasn't at any of the 3 sites, although I do venture to them a lot. I was lucky enough to be out in another part of town with my roommate and two co-workers. I had suspected something happened because after we got done eating at the restaurant we were at, we went out to catch motor-taxis and there were a lot of guards around. It seemed unusually excessive and they were walking really close to us. I hadn't felt weird about seeing the police before, until that day. Then when we got home, our guard told us about the attacks. It did make me flinch a little, just because it is places that I go a lot, and grenade attacks tend to happen in public gatherings... but I really have felt quite safe in Kigali since I've been here. I had read on the State Department website that grenade attacks happen from time to time, in crowded areas, and usually around April (genocide commemoration). Although, they think these attacks were either related to 1. the upcoming Presidential election in August, or 2. Sarkozy's upcoming visit to Rwanda (which happens to be today). No one really knows the cause but the attack was most likely to draw attention to the fact that there are still problems existing in Rwanda, even if much of the world, and the African community, see Rwanda as progressing at an alarming rate. I have included a link to a BBC article about the attacks: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8525989.stm. So don't be too alarmed; I am safe. Also, there is worse violence in DC everyday. People here don't have guns or knives or anything. I am lucky to be so safe here...unfortunately this just so happened when I was here. It is actually a very rare occurance.
 
The French Leader Sarkozy is in Rwanda today. It is a big deal because right before I came to Rwanda, France and Rwanda had restored diplomatic ties, which were severed in 2006 when a French judge accused President Kagame of participating in the shootdown of the former Rwandan President's plane. Besides other problems with France, that set way for breaking diplomatic ties with France. Some would even attribute switching the official language of Rwanda from French to English as a stab at the French, which Rwanda accuses of supporting/funding the 94 genocide leaders (Hutu government extremists). This is a big step in the right direction to show both countries that the Presidents are committed to reconciliation and working towards making peace. Hopefully this can be sustainable. I am optimistic.
 
So I am finally back from Uganda and able to write a blog entry about my trip. I can't even put into words how amazing Uganda is. It is so different from Rwanda... mainly because it is such a larger country and it isn't as condensed as Rwanda. There is so much more open space, and I could even hear crickets chirping at night. It was very peaceful. So we started off our trip good, and ended up getting in Kampala with plenty of time on Saturday. We did a little bit of exploring but took it easy that night. We were surprised at how big Kampala is... it had skyscrapers and everything! We were expecting a little city like Kigali... no no no. It was nice to be somewhere that had a variety and options. It honestly felt like being in New York City or something... they had big restaurants and we even saw parks and a moonbounce for kids... really strange that we saw all that in Africa.. it was great. It is a more dangerous country, but I was careful with my stuff, and had nothing stolen. The fast paced city had a lot of traffic too, and I feared for my life crossing the streets because the cars wouldn't stop. The second day we were there we were supposed to go whitewater rafting but didn't realize until it was too late that the time went forward an hour... because we weren't in Central Africa anymore.. we were now part of the East African community (Uganda). So we missed the free shuttle, and since it was 2 hours from Kampala to Jinja, we rescheduled for the next day... we were kinda sad we missed our rafting on the 21st though because the weather was AMAZING and so hot! We spent the rest of the day exploring Kampala. We visited the Kasubi Tombs (and the Tombs of the 4 previous Kings of Buganda). We also visited the current Buganda King's Palace. There we saw the former torture chamber used by Dictator Idi Amin during the 1970's and the man made Kings Lake. We also went to one of the markets and I got a pair of Converse
s for about $12.00. After that and having lunch in Kampala, we took a bus to Jinja. We arrived in Jinja and I had my first REAL hot shower. We met some friends and even ended up exploring Jinja a little bit that night (clubs). It was a blast. We then went to bed and woke up to a rainy day. We went rafting anyways though. The whitewater rafting on the Nile was AMAZING!! We tipped off the raft 3 times. The rapids were big at some times. It was worth it though. The last rapid was called the "Bad Place". We actually had to dock the raft and walk through the mud to skip out on the Class 6 Rapid. It was SO LARGE... I don't think we could have made it honestly. But we still got to do part of the Bad Place rapid.. just the Class 5 part though. We had a videographer, who kayaked with us the whole time and would stop to videotape the rafting from rocks. It was awesome. I should be receiving a video soon (I purchased one). We came back after rafting to the campsite and had an amazing meal. Then took the free shuttle back to Kampala and stayed at a hostel. We went out that night with some friends and went to a few clubs/restaurants. Lots of good fun in Kampala and people are a lot less shy. They are more free there than in Kigali. You would never see people making out in public in Kigali, but in Kampala I saw a lot of it... it was funny actually. You can really see how much the West has influenced Uganda... Uganda is very modern and forward thinking. They even have a Sheraton hotel and are building a Hilton one. They had Shell gas stations and Mercedes Benz stores. WOW. Interesting to compare and contrast the two cities. Anyways, so the next morning we woke up at 5 AM and jumped on a bus at 6 AM to come back to Kigali. The bus ride was BAD. Whereas normally it takes 10 hours from Kampala to Kigali, there were 2 accidents that added an additional 3 hours on our trip. I never want to hear ANYONE complain about traffic in the US again haha. The traffic in Uganda after an accident is unbearable. We were on a bumpy dirt road in stopped traffic. We didn't move AT ALL. It was soooo bad. But we made it home! At 8 PM I might add... but we made it. We basically passed out when we got home. All in all it was an amazing but short trip. We want to go back and explore more. It went by WAY too fast. I now have a new love in Africa... UGANDA!
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Sonia and I in front of the Kasubi Tombs... the place of the 4 previous kings tombs
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Traditional Ugandan art that I bought
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Sonia and I after a day of rafting the Nile
 
So I am pretty excited. We are going to Uganda tomorrow and I just can't contain my excitement. We will be spending the day in Kampala and then wake up the next morning to go to Jinja, where we will whitewater raft all day long. Then we will stay in Jinja and wake up the next morning to go to Kampala... another day in Kampala and then back to Kigali. Yay... so exciting!

Pictures to soon follow!! Maybe even a whitewater rafting video? We'll see prices...
 
The long awaited photo of my traditional African dress... I had the same pattern used to make a cute shirt.. I'll post pictures of that some other time. That one I can actually wear around town... this one is just for keep-sakes. I don't want to look outright ridiculous and get even more stares than I already do for being a "muzungu".
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So its been a few days since I have updated this. I had a busy weekend. I went with Taima to her house and we spent the weekend there. I had a luke-warm shower, picked up my traditional clothes, used my first latrine, had my first bean dish, went to Butare, and then a traditional Rwandan wedding, where Tom Close (famous Rwandan singer) performed. AH. He has a beautiful voice. I also bargained myself out of paying $3.00 for a bracelet. Instead I got 3 for less than $2.00. And they are leather. Overall, I had a great weekend, minus the sick stomach due to lack of cooked food.

Work is going by slow this week, but I am very excited for the weekend. Sonia and I are making our trip to Uganda to go whitewater rafting on the Nile. In 5 days I'll be there... and the bus ride is only 10 hours, actually. It's not 1/2 as bad as I originally thought. We are really excited, needless to say.

Goodbye for now. Happy Late Valentines Day to all!
 
I was at work today & received a "Thinking of You" Card in the mail from my co-workers at Travesky. I thought that was so nice... and just in time for Valentines Day! That makes me so happy :)

This weekend I won't be updating because after work I'm heading to my co-workers house with her and we're spending the weekend there and in Butare and then going to a wedding on Sunday. I am pretty excited to finally see some traditional Rwandan dances! This should be fun! Then back home to talk to my sweet fiance on Skype on Valentines Day! <3 <3 <3
 
Not going into town to get my dress. Co-worker has a meeting. Therefore, I'm hitting up the gym...get my body in shape for my wedding... you understand.