Adventures in Rwanda

  I am going to Rwanda.     What a strange sentence to write.  What fictions come true in this universe when you let go and let the universe decide where to take you.  I sometimes feel as if I am floating, surfing a wave of inspiration that I cannot control.  I cannot steer or bend or even see the origin.  I just listen and balance and ride the uplift.   I am so excited.  I feel as if maybe from past habits I should be scared and doubt the trip, but if I am honest, I feel calm and positive.  I am being sent and will do my job and hopefully bring progress and health to people who need help in so many ways.   I know this trip will change my life, but how I wonder?  At this point, I have so many questions about what that place in the world is in reality.   Growing up in the US in the 1980’s and 1990’s I heard many voices of the cold war setting up an "Us and Them" dichotomy of understanding the world.  There was America, the winners, the free world, the right minded ones

  I made it to Africa!  As I flew over the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel, the continent of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, I felt so privileged to be going on this journey.  I watched the map of the plane's progress every once in a while, eager to know how far I was from home.  But when we crossed over the water and into the space called Africa, my stomach tightened and my heart started racing.  What a thrill to be in a place that only ever existed to me in stories.  I imagined the rolling sand dunes of the great Sahara under me, migrating herds of creatures thousands of years old, exotic markets and music and smells, and little me coming to join them!  I tried to sleep as much as I could, but I could feel the adrenaline that I would live on for two weeks begin to pump through my body.  AFRICA! When I arrived, the airport was quiet.  Our plane was the only one there, so its tired passengers creeped out into the humidity and made our way through customs.  The people were ste

 My first day in Kigali was bright and beautiful.        Linda met me and after a delicious, fresh breakfast (the food was all amazing!)  And up the hill we went!  The Land of a Thousand Hills is a beautiful metaphor, but also quite literal.  It seems as though everywhere you walk in Rwanda, you are going uphill.  But then, the views are always gorgeous.   I saw all sorts of life and progress going on.   Beautiful flowering trees on the streets make the city look tropical.     "Wisdom Driving School"   People learn to drive, even though there are less cars in Rwanda than the US by far. We walked around a commercial area and Linda took me to a place called Free Square.  On this Sunday morning, there were very few people out, so we had the quiet city to ourselves.  Later in my trip, I would see that is not typical.  But on this day, there was just one bunch of teenagers rollerblading in the square.                        This picture really shows the current story of Rwanda.  I

Monday morning I woke up to a hazy morning of filtered light. I felt energized and ready to pour myself into the city once again. I started with an act of courage, calling a taxi to take me into the center of town on my own. The driver had some sort of pelt on his dashboard, which I found funny.    There are not many street lights in Kigali. Most streets have large rotaries at crossroads.  But the few street lights they do have are arrows with a countdown of how many seconds you have until the light changes. Brilliant! I feel like we could adopt this innovation here at home.    I had a coffee with someone from the Aspen Institute and we talked about the future of MUG and how she wants to start programs to train leaders in communities who can then make real change. The meeting was in the Radisson Blue, the fanciest hotel here. It is a big resort hotel connected to the Convention Center, and we sat at the huge breakfast buffet overlooking the pool area. Very posh. Then I sat in the lobby

 On March 28, I checked out of the hotel and started my journey out of Kigali to Musanze, a 70 km drive up the mountain.  My driver, Keba, (more on him later) picked me and Linda up and we wound our way out of the bustling city.  They urged me to sit in front to see all the sights, and I am so glad they did.  There was something beautiful and interesting to look at every moment.   The bus depot in Kigali is a major crossroads for people going to different corners of the country.  You see all sorts of people with many destinations.     On the way out of town, we passed a plant and seedlings market where they had beautiful pots, seedlings, and young trees for sale.  This young mother with her baby walked by, catching my eye.  The colors of everything were earthy and vibrant.   The houses are perched on every hillside around the road, mixing commercial and residential areas all together.            Then as we got further from the city, every inch of land was cultivated with crops in small