We arrived in Rwanda yesterday (some of us by foot!) and drove into Kigali. Of course, it wasn’t a completely hassle-free experience. Chris was stopped at the Rwandan entrance. The man pointed at his signature in his passport, and the one on the form and said that the difference in the tilt of the “C” was suspicious. That, piled on top of the fact that Chris has cut his hair since his pass photo, and that he now has a beard, made the guard hold him back for awhile. Cliff stepped up though with the question, “Haven’t you ever shaved before?” After some other forms of ID, Chris was allowed in.
Will got us a supremely awesome hotel-complete with western toilets in each room. After putting our things down and setting a time for supper, we all went our seperate ways to explore the city. Frankly, the difference between Kigali and the places we’ve been in Uganda is incredible. There are paved roads, a mall, several bookstores, a coffee shop, banks several stories high…
This morning, a few of us went to have coffee before we went to see the Genocide Memorial of Kigali. The Memorial was really moving. We learned the history of Rwanda, what led to the genocide, and the after-effects that the country is dealing with today. The final rooms displayed skulls, bones, clothes, and photos of the victims.
Until Monday, when we fly to Tanzania, we’ll all be splitting up to explore Kigali, and visit several different sites and memorials.
More updates soon!
-Jess
