To sunset

As well as fantastic sunrises, Rwanda had some beautiful sunsets.  In Rwanda the sun sets at around 6.30pm everyday and gets dark very quickly.  I loved that this stayed constant, meaning we could tell it was time to go home for dinner by what colour the sky was - who needs a watch!  There was something about that combination of sun, sky, hills, colours and silhouetted trees... I loved it and could have taken so many more photos than I did, and still not been able to capture it. 

 

 

This last photo was taken on our final night in Cyakabiri.  We sat on Zion hill with some of the local kids and watched the as the sun went down, then the sky got brighter and a path-like strip of blue appeared.  It felt so meaningful and emotional.  It makes me feel emotional looking at it again now!

From sunrise...

On Easter Sunday and on our last Sunday in Rwanda, we got up about 5.30am and walked to the top of Zion hill to watch the sun rise.  It was really special, sitting on the steps of Zion church and watching the sky change from blues to pinks, then orange to yellow.  I was always amazed at how peaceful it felt sitting there, despite all the different noises you could hear - traffic, children, animals, the youth technology project, choir practice in the church.  Even at dawn, there was the buzz of insects and birds, and the occasional Rwandan wondering what on earth these crazy muzungus were up to now.  I like to close my eyes and think about the view from Zion hill (cheesy I know).  But it helps me to remember that it was real - that I did it, that I was really there, and that it's not just some distant memory.  My time in Rwanda feels so much more special and significant now, than when I first got back.  It's been great to be able to look back over these photos and share them with people - I hope it makes it more real and tangible for you!

 

Safari in Akagera

In June we went on a safari trip to Akagera National Park, over in the east of Rwanda.  This was an incredible experience.  It's one thing seeing these animals in a zoo, but it's so much better and more exciting seeing them in their natural habitat!  We were allowed to get out of the van at one point, and it was amazing to be a just a few metres away from a mother and baby giraffe.  They seemed so relaxed, stopping to have a look at us before casually wandering off into the distance.  I will never forget the feeling of standing on that savannah, seeing these majestic (if slightly gangly!) creatures and thinking 'wow, I'm in Africa!' 

 

Me and a buffalo skull!

Baby giraffe - I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home with me!

Heading off into the savannah

Wildlife

On a lighter note, Rwanda certainly had some interesting wildlife!  Birds of various sizes and colours, lizards (including ones that liked to jump on my stuff at 2am), monkeys...  The worst was probably the insects that occasionally invaded our rooms during a rainstorm.  They just seemed to appear out of nowhere, fly straight at your face and then continue to wriggle around even after being battered to the ground with whatever book was nearest (often a Bible, redefining the term 'Bible-bashing').  My catch phrase became 'shut the door, you'll let the beasties in!!'

 

Chameleon

Monkeys in Butare

The only monkey we saw in Nyungwe forest

 

I loved these birds - they could teach me a thing or two about making tall look graceful!

A wee nest just outside our room.  The mother bird liked to swoop at us if we got too close!

Nyungwe and Kigeme

Rwanda may be a fairly small country, but journeys can sometimes take a while given the twisty roads and hills.  In our month of travelling we spent quite a lot of time in our minibus with our driver Freddie (how he coped with us 5 girls, I don't know!) and I think the best of these long journeys was going through Nyungwe forest on the way to and from Cyangugu.  It's like another world, with trees as far as you can see, dramatic skylines, the buzz of insects, roadworks, landslides, monkeys...  As I wrote at the time, I spent a lot of the journey through Nyumgwe leaning out of the window taking it all in and listening to some good music on my ipod.

 

Amazing sky

Banana break

Nyungwe forest

Kigeme was our next and final stop in our month of travelling.  I survived more teaching, this time doing lessons on conjunctions in a high school and triangles in a nursery.  We also visited a hospital, a hydroelectricity plant, went to Rwanda's version of X Factor, played basketball, carried bricks and planted potatoes.  The realities of life for many Rwandans hit home when we visited a lady who was really struggling to provide for herself and the 3 children and grandchild who lived with her, and who had next to nothing in her house.  She worked in fields for other people when she could, but had hardly any money and couldn't afford the health insurance for herself or her family.  It was upsetting and felt so unfair that I could just drive away and go back to my cosy, comfortable life.  Where is the justice in your place of birth having such an impact on your life?  As I sit in my nice room, with my laptop and other 'things' around me, I still feel unsure how to respond to this.  The pursuit of justice and challenges faced by those living in poverty can be overwhelming.

I'm still amazed by the beauty of the Rwandan hills - honestly, these photos do not do it justice!

 

Rwanda Superstar!

 

Some local kids enjoying the show (the wee lad on the right has a chicken tucked under his arm!)

Hydroelectricity plant

Who needs health and safety anyway?!!

Cyangugu

After Butare, we headed south west to Cyangugu, down by the border with the DRC and Burundi.  I think I had some of my most challenging experiences here, in terms of the activities we were doing and how I was was feeling personally.  I often felt totally inadequate and invisible (and that's saying something given how much I stood out as a white person).  At times I felt judged for being a quiet person and found it very difficult to get over my shyness.  Going into schools and leading assemblies with singing and a drama was also not my idea of fun!  But despite feeling intimidated, I managed it (hugely helped by being with the other girls) and can look back now and say I did it.  It's the same with teaching - I found it so tough and stressful but I got through it every time.  It's helped me to feel just that wee bit more confident about myself.

 

Cyangugu definitely had some highlights too.  Our friend Ilva (who was in Rwanda for a year and lived down the road from us in Cyakabiri) joined us for our time in Cyangugu and fitted right into the team - it was great to have her with us.  I enjoyed seeing more of Rwanda and spending time down by Lake Kivu.  I felt humbled by a woman we met who prayed big prayers with complete faith.  And I loved taking part in umuganda (the community day) where we moved rocks and stones to make a new church foundation.  It was so good to do something practical and helpful, and to be able to show that I wasn't a total wimpy white girl after all!

 

On the border

Looking over to DRC

Hot springs!

The house we were staying in, complete with a veranda for eating breakfast or playing games of ligretto on.

Sarah, Ilva, Becca, Alice and Katie C.

The Rwandan flag with the hills of the DRC in the background

Lake Kivu

Our gift from the Bishop on behalf of the diocese - some beautiful fabric!

(last photo by Sarah)

Butare

Most of our time in Rwanda was spent in Cyakabiri, near Gitarama, about one hour from Kigali.  RDIS (the partner organisation we were working with) are based in Cyakabiri, but also work in 3 other diocese, which we spent a month visiting.  The first place we went to was Butare, Rwanda's second largest city and home of the National University of Rwanda, the National Museum of Rwanda and an amazing ice cream shop.  It was here that I took advantage of the lack of running water to not wash my hair for a week, had an invasion of tiny spiders in my room and ate some incredible chapatis at the Bishop's house (whose wife went to QMU in Edinburgh for her masters...small world).  We also helped build a house, got to know some of the students and went to a wedding.

 

On a hunt for monkeys around the uni campus

It was so amazing to see these monkeys just roaming around, being ignored by the Rwandan students.  We, of course, did the classic foreigner/ tourist thing and took loads of photos of them!

Imagine having this as your uni campus!

A wedding in the local church, where we were asked to come and sit behind the choir... after the service had started!

Enjoying some ice cream at Inzozi Nziza (Sweet Dreams).

The house we helped to build for a woman and her 4 children, who had been homeless

and living in the local church for the past 7 months after their home was destroyed. 

A definite reality check for me.

Washing our clothes in a basin with a jerry can and soap.  Trying to prove

that we didn't totally rely on machines at home!

(Last 3 photos by Sarah Pickup)