VIDEO - Akagera National Park

I'd promised you all video and I'm here to keep that promise.  First, keep in mind that I was just learning how to use this camera, so don't expect much expertise!  Now here is Akagera National Park including giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and buffalo.  We were dang close to those buffalo, I tell you what.

Next up: Video of the National Forest and the canopy walk.

Top Ten...

Things We Will Miss Back in Philly

A clean city.  Sigh, Filthydelphia here we come.  No ladies in blue smocks will be cleaning up our sidewalk and front stoop.

Having someone do our laundry!  Need I say more?

A pool next door.  That’s been a wonderful perk.  ‘Course along with the tan, my freckles all came back so it’s a mixed bag.

The easy availability to purchase beer as shown here in the “African WalMart.”

The mountains.  Ok, Philadelphia has a wonderful skyline, but it will never compete with the views around here.

Pineapples.  Sure you can pick these up at Whole Foods, but not this fresh and this good.

Rwandan coffee.   I’ve heard reports that Starbucks sells Rwandan coffee in the U.S.  But no Starbucks anywhere serves coffee with a pot of steamed milk on the side as is done here.

Our furry buddy: ZouZou.  I called him Turvey, but this little guy was adopted by the staff and they called him ZouZou.  Yes, I do so want a cat back home!!

Interesting names.  We’ve met people here named “Jolly” (a woman),” Innocent” (a man),” Zephyr” (a man), and “Sunday” (a man).

All the fantastic people we’ve met during our stay.  I don’t know if I’ll remember everyone, but here goes: Alex, Annie, Beryl, Bryan, Celestine, Dennis, Duncan, Emma, Evoud, Gerald, Gwenn, Jeff, Jenn, Jolly, Jonas, Laura, Maital, Mousa, Nils, Reid, Paul, Priya, Rita, Sam, Stu, Susan, and Viresh. 

To me, the best part of traveling is meeting people.  Yes, I love seeing beautiful landscapes; visiting museums, beaches, mountains; eating new and unusual foods; hearing different languages; and learning about diverse cultures.  But the people -- that is what makes travel worthwhile to me.  People who open their homes, share their food, and let you into their life.  We’re all of course individuals encompassing an assortment of languages, experiences, and backgrounds, but our expectations are the same: we want a safe and happy community of family and friends. 

So as we say goodbye to Africa I wish you all a safe and happy life filled with friendship wherever you may find it.

New Friends

One of the best parts about our time in Rwanda is all the people we’ve met, spent time with, and so been able to know.  The lists includes ExPats from various embassies, people involved with NGOs(Non-government organizations), a variety of young interns, Rotarians (a new ball of wax for me, my Dad is a member of Kiwanis), folks from Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, and of course Rwandans. 

Some we’ve spent more time with than others, but there were a few folks who went out of their way to welcome us and make us feel at home.  First are Jenn and Alex.  Jenn, a Rotarian, is the Rotary Club liaison to the US Embassy which was responsible for the Fulbright which got us here; she and Alex met us at the airport, took us to the grocery for the first time (where I learned about Rwandan francs fast by buying that $12 box of cereal!), introduced us to the Rotary club, and made our transition so easy. 

We also became fast friends with Gwenn, Reid, and their children.  Gwenn provided us rides so many times, had us over for dinner (Reid makes a mean beef stew), included me in the fabulous shopping trip (for which Marty *thanks* you ;>), and we worked together on the library’s records – she is an archivist at heart, which is high praise in my book.

But we didn’t want to only meet and mingle with other ExPats and in this we were lucky to meet Evoud.  You may remember that he drove us to Akagera and Nyungwe.  On the return from Nyungwe, he invited his to his home for lunch where we met his wife and two children.  What a blast.  His toddler son was a ball of energy and kept us all hopping.  His daughter (age 7) is learning English in school and showed off her reading skills.  When I brought out my iphone to show pictures she took to that like a duck to water.  I felt bad having to pry it out of her hands when we left.  We had a wonderful lunch and had a lovely time.  You could not find a more attentive host than Evoud.  I was drinking beer – Primus – and whenever the level of my glass dropped, he filled it up.  I think I had two of the liter sized bottles!  What an experience.  Below are a few pictures.

At Park View Courts we met Beryl, currently working as one of the receptionists.  Beryl and her family are from Kenya, and moved to Kigali about a year ago.  We talked to her many times as we were coming in and out and she invited us to meet her family over dinner: mother Rachael, and brothers Bryan and Qollins.  We had a marvelous time – we talked about Africa, Rwanda versus Kenya, education, books, food, the economy, the genocide, I don’t remember it all.  But we laughed a lot.  And what a dinner, Beryl and her mother kept bringing out dishes until the table was covered.  And while African food, it was a bit different than what we’d had before – more spicy for one.  We took pictures (see below) and now we are connected on facebook so we can keep in touch.