On The Way Part Deux

After our visit to Nyanza, we continued south to Butare, the second largest city in Rwanda.  It also hosts the National University of Rwanda as well as the National Museum.  After lunch, guess where we headed – yup, the Museum.  We did take a drive through Butare beforehand, which is much, much smaller than Kigali with straighter and wider streets.  I really like this town, less motos zooming around as well as fewer cars, most people walked so little congestion.

The Museum told the complete history of Rwanda including background on its geology and topography, the earliest inhabitants and their methods of farming and cattle raising, provided examples of traditional household items including weaving, pottery, and leather work, a full sized hut, information about sports, games, and traditional beliefs.  We also saw a display about how to “brew” banana beer.  We’d already heard that the stuff is horrible and after seeing the instructions I have no desire to taste it!  If anyone wants to give it a go (Babak, are you listening??) here are the instructions.

While I wandered through the Museum, Marty struck up a conversation with our guide.  After a bit of coaxing from Marty, these two ended up in a fairly frank discussion about events leading up to, and after the genocide.  The guide felt, except in extraordinary cases where justice must be served (whatever that means), reconciliation and forgiveness will heal the country.  Marty said it was pretty obvious he was a Kagame man (Paul Kagame is the President of Rwanda), and he didn’t say much that wasn’t the government’s interpretation of the past.  Marty found him sincere and thoughtful, and the guide admitted there was much in his point of view that many people in Rwanda would never accept. 

After the Museum, we turned to the last part of the trek and began the upward climb to the Forest.  And when I say upward, I’m not joking.  The twisty, winding, narrow road combined incredibly high cliff faces on one side with two kilometer drop-offs on the other.  Initially the “usual” foliage, this eventually changed to rain forest which gave us the feeling we were in Jurassic Park!  Below are a couple of shots that just don’t do the perspective justice or show the magnificence of the flora. 

As we entered the park we had our first encounter with coulombos monkeys. These beautiful black monkeys have white facial hair (according to Marty, this is a measure of any handsome primate!) with a distinctive white blaze on their chests.  We saw this guy right by the side of the road and I’d swear he posed for me!

We actually passed through the National Forest on the way to our hotel, the Nyungwe Forest Lodge.  Situated smack dab in a tea plantation, it was one of the most peaceful, luxurious places I’ve stayed.  Run by Mantis their aim seemed to be our every comfort.  But my favorite item: a HUGE bathtub, which our apartment sadly lacks.  Below are a few shots of the area from our room.



Rear view from our room



Tea growing in the mountains



Another view from our room

Next up: The Canopy Walk

Dining Out

The view from Heaven

Previously under the “Food” entry I talked about several different restaurants and the food served.  Today I’ll focus on a couple recent dining experiences which are a little different; more about place than food. 

First, Marty and I went to Heaven.  Don’t get too excited, we have not grown wings or begun singing with the choir eternal.  Heaven, in this instance at least, is a restaurant in Kigali.  Besides a beautiful view from up high in the hills, wonderful food (they have filtered ICE – the first ice I’ve had since we arrived!), they also show movies on Saturday night.  As there are no theaters in Rwanda, you can imagine this is a big draw, particularly for ExPats.  The rule of thumb is the first show is geared towards kids, while the second is more adult (I mean R or so!).  The night we visited with Gwenn, Reid, and their three children they showed The Green Lantern (the animated version) followed by Barney’s Version. 

A couple Sundays back, we visited the Hotel des Milles Collines, located in the older section of Kigali.  This is the hotel referenced in the film Hotel Rwanda, where the manager, Paul Rusesabagina (a Hutu),managed to save over 1,000 people (mainly Tutsis) from the genocide. 

[As an aside, I’ve noticed several references to him recently in the news.  He is now living in the US and was one of several people protesting against the current government of Rwanda at a demonstration in Chicago.  Other mentions cast aspersions on his role at the Milles Collines.  Interesting isn’t it?  History is never clear cut, particularly when those involved are still alive.]

We came for the Sunday brunch buffet, which was fabulous, but also to see a historic place.  We ate outside by the pool/bar area and you can see below that it is a gorgeous spot, though I wish I would have shot more of the flowers. 

We ate, and then sat on the patio and listened to the DJ who played all my 80s favorites.  I was in music hog heaven, and even Marty enjoyed many of the songs. 

Before we left, we wandered through the hotel.  It does not have many public spaces, and only a small lobby.  As we passed the door marked “manager” it gave us pause.  Wow, that is where Paul Rusesabagina worked the fax machine (all the telephone lines to the hotel were cut) to keep in touch with the outside world.  Looking at it now, so lush and landscaped with people laughing, enjoying their selves, it was hard to think of what it was like during those three months in 1994. 

On a lighter note, we leave tomorrow for a trip to the Nyungwe Forest National Park. 

Our Social Life in Kigali

During our almost three weeks here we’ve been to a variety of events.  First off we attended a cookout at the home of Susan, who is an official at the U.S. Embassy.  We meet many different folks from the U.S., either attached to the Embassy or part of other government or aid agencies.  A usual opening question was how long have you been here, and it was fun to say “it’s our second day!" Several were students, here for summer internships, but also career government employees and dependants.  The reason for the get together was the arrival of a volleyball net which got plenty of use during the day.  This was our first introduction to eating in Rwanda and right off we noticed a few differences.  While we had hot dogs, no buns, we used hoagie rolls.  Plenty of beer, but any type of chip – potato, corn, etc. – was in short supply.  We had a great time and I think the party only broke up due to the start of another party at a different house!

The following Monday was quizzo night at a local pizza spot.  Here I noticed that while the restaurant had a roof, it was open on two sides.  We soon found out that most restaurants in Kigali are the same – very open to the outside and nobody uses screens.  I don’t know if during the rainy season they have shutters to close up the sides or not.  This was where we acquired the tip that in Rwanda, cheese=Gouda.  Also, the menu contained toppings unusual in the U.S. including: aubergines, courgettes, and bolognaise to name a few.  Again, it’s helpful to know some French around here!  The quiz began at 8:30 but we arrived around 7:00 in order to get a table and order the pizzas.  And a good thing we did, because by the time the quiz began, the place was packed to the rafters. 

By the way, can anyone list the three words in the English language that end in –dous?  Or what the word (not the search engine) google means?  (See the next blog entry for answers.)  Our team ended up in the middle of the pack by answering 14 of the 35 questions correctly.  (Another aside: since the participants were a mixed bag of nationalities, the questions focused less on the usual social history type questions and more on language, geography, math, and science.)

Wednesday we attended our first ever Rotary meeting beginning *promptly* at 7:00 pm (all late arriving Rotarians are fined).  In Rwanda, and probably most of Africa, prompt beginnings are extremely unusual.  As we always say when vacationing in the Caribbean, “we’re now on island time.”  Held at the Laico Hotel, afterwards we enjoyed a drink in on the patio and listened to a very nice Jazz trio.

Through our work with the Library, we’ve met a wonderful U.S. family in Kigali through December.  Reid is the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Senior Technical Advisor for Tulane University in Rwanda and Gwenn is a retired teacher and a newly inducted Rotarian working on the Library project.  Gwenn invited me to an Expats Network Meeting, a chance for people from all over the world living in Kigali to socialize and connect.  What a great time!  The people I met were so interesting; their country of origin included the Netherlands, Senegal, the UK, South Africa, the U.S. Belgium, Japan, and I’m sure many other countries.  For anyone living in Rwanda for an extended period of time, this group is a wonderful resource.  And to top it off, one woman was selling jewelry made by street boys from cow horns.  It’s a project that aims to help the kids get off the streets, learn about earning and saving money, and make something lovely out of an item usually tossed out at the abattoirs.

But so far, the highlight, or the piece de resistance, has been the Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga’s induction ceremony and dinner.  Held at the Serena Hotel, probably *the* luxury hotel in Kigali, it was wonderful fun.  The only negative is that this did *not* begin promptly on time.  Granted it gave everyone plenty of time to have a few drinks, however, the buffet was right behind our table and I was overwhelmed by the good smells.  But eventually things started rolling and it just didn’t stop.  There were speeches (none long), the induction of new members, a farewell from the outgoing president, a welcome from the new, words from guest officials, and presentations for service given over the past year. 

In the middle of all this we had dinner: what a feast.  The buffet included a variety of cold dishes, plain and spiced rice, fried fish, grilled bananas, a couple of Indian dishes, boiled arrowroot (if you’ve ever had vegetable chips that included a white stick with purple running through it, you’ve eaten arrowroot), mini-steaks, grilled chicken, the local sweet potato, and a variety of steamed vegetables.  The desert table included tree tomato, passion fruit, pineapple, and other fruits, bread pudding, mini-cheese cakes, coconut cake, Black Forest cake, sponge cake and more.  Needless to say, the diet was out the window.

But the best part was the band.  A local group of non-professionals (everyone had a “day” job) they were fabulous and the most eclectic mixture of music I’ve ever heard.  And believe me, my iPod knows eclectic.  They combined country (which I learned is huge in Uganda), jazz, blues, rock (sort of), and reggae.  At one point the master of ceremonies (who I feel could double for Louis Armstrong, but sounded like Mel Torme according to Gwenn) performed several numbers with the band.  What a voice and stage presence – he was really, really good.  Later, when we complimented him on his performance, he confessed in his younger days he thought about a singing career, but his father convinced him to become a banker.  As he said, “you don’t make much money in Africa with music,” but if anyone could do it, it would have been this guy.

We left while the band played a country version of a Springsteen song.  I'm not positive it was Springsteen, but Reid was pretty sure it was.  Anyway, that sentence pretty much sums up the evening!

Next up: Beth gets to be an archivist!

FOOD

Folks have asked about African food and what I’ve eaten so far.  I consider all dishes here “African” even if it’s not the local cuisine as everything familiar is a bit different.  For instance, there are several pizza places around town and we've tried two.  The best tip we received is if the menu simply lists "cheese" (or fromage – a lot of French around here) it will be Gouda.  You have to look for a selection that says mozzarella or parmesan.  And hamburgers are beef, but the meat is spiced up a bit (or the beef is really different tasting than American beef). 

Sunday, on our way back from Akagera, we stopped at a restaurant for an African buffet.  They had several cold items: shredded cabbage - red and green, carrots, onions, etc., grilled chicken, beef in a mildly spiced tomato sauce, rice, white beans cooked with onions and carrots, a pea mixture, and bananas cooked with onions and I think eggplant in a mild curry.  The food is not spicy, but we discovered (thanks to the driver who requested it) an oil sauce called Akabanga.  This stuff is liquid fire (Wayne, we’ll bring you home a bottle).  Luckily we were eating lunch with someone local and I watched him put just a few drops on his food so I didn’t douse mine.  It was hotter than wasabi, to give you an idea.

Today we ate lunch at the African Bite in Kigali and below is my plate.  Beginning with the chapati bread on the left we have: shredded carrots/cabbage from the cold platter, carrots and sauce from a chicken dish, the green item is cassava leaves (similar to kale), on top of spiced rice, the first white “blob” is a boiled local sweet potato (as you can see NOT orange and tastes more like a white potato) in front of that is a hunk of ugali or bugali made from maize and water which tastes like hominy but blander.  The pinkish colored mound is peanut sauce over bananas steamed in banana leaves. 

Indian food is very popular here, hence the chapati above.  There are several Indian restaurants in Kigali and most places have an Indian dish or two on the menu.  Other popular items are grilled kabobs (or brochettes) of beef, chicken, pork, fish, and goat or a mix of all.  There is a bit of onion or pepper between the meat and these are usually served with rice. 

Fruit is popular in Rwanda and folks have it with every meal for dessert.  I have now eaten three new fruits, all local and pictured below are two: the tree tomato on the left (or tomacco as Marty called it – if you know your Simpsons episodes) and passion fruit.  (Also in the picture is the Akabanga sauce).  The third is the African banana which just looks like a mini-banana.  The first two are fairly bitter, but tasty, and contain many tiny seeds, but the banana – wow this is wonderful.  It is not quite as sweet as the bananas we know in the states, and has a bit of a tangy taste a little like an apple.  I am really hooked.  I also had the local mango.  Now I’ve never actually liked mangos when I ate them previously, but this one was delish.  Perhaps because it was so fresh.

Dining is a leisurely process in Rwanda.  Unless it’s a buffet, don’t expect dinner to last less than two hours as service is pretty slow.  The most important thing I’ve learned is don’t head out for dinner when you’re already hungry!

Pictures

Ah, the joy of the Internet.  When it works it is wonderful, when you can’t connect – it’s horrible!  So I apologize for the lack of posts and emails lately.  The project started off with a bang, so we've been keeping pretty busy.  I haven't had either the time, or frankly, the connectivity to post.  Plus, uploading speed here is at the modem rate, so everything takes a bit of time.  While the staff at the Park View have been working long hours on the Internet connection, we decided to invest in data sticks for a stronger and more consistent connection.  Anyway, today I'll highlight a few pictures I thought you'd enjoy.

This bird this is the Grey Crowned Crane which we “met” at the Laico Umubano Hotel.  The Laico is one of the nicer hotels in Kigali and where the Rotary Club (which helped establish the library and funded Marty’s Fulbright) meets each Wednesday.  These cranes where just wandering around the grounds and they had no problem with me coming in close to take a picture.  In fact, I'd swear he was posing for me. We attended the club meeting on Wednesday night (the 8th) where Marty made a presentation about the library project.  The hotel also houses a *wonderful* French bakery which leads me to the local currency.

Like many other countries, Rwanda's francs are quite colorful with images of the local flora and faunda.  More people speak French here than I thought would (several guidebooks and web sites said English was more prevelant) and I'm pleased to report that I still remember my French numbers, though it does take me a bit of time to translate!  I'm so pleased I thought to bring my French/English dictionary.

To the left is Marty working hard at our temporary location earlier this week, the Burbon Cafe.  After a a few days, the staff knew us by sight.  It's a big meeting place, we've seen several groups there and have held meetings there ourselves.   

And finally here is the greatest find so far, at least according to Marty: Coke Zero.  Did I mention these came from Egypt - hence the Arabic on the can.  Plus, when was the last time you saw a pop top?  Those things are wicked sharp. 

More posts soon, about the library and a few other odds and ends including my attempt to cook in our apartment.  So you know, I did *not* blow anything up, but I think we'll be eating out more than I'll be cooking! 

Internet Outage!

Well, we experienced our first long-term Internet outage so have been without a connection since Sunday evening.  The hotel is switching ISPs and there are troubles (sometimes things are the same everywhere).  So, we temporarily relocated to the Bourbon Café.  No, we have not begun drinking heavily; the Café is Africa’s answer to Starbucks.  Except, it is loads nicer!  Your coffee (a grande this am for me) comes in a lovely pot, with a side container of hot milk, and a tasty little cookie to boot.  Plus the service is AWESOME.  I tell you, we love this country.

Most important bit of news: Marty’s guitar arrived and we picked it up on Sunday – YEAH.  Plus we hear that several other folks brought instruments over here: another guitar, keyboard, and drums.  I sense a future jam.

Previously I mentioned sticker shock.  Here’s the scoop: The local currency is the Rwandan franc with an exchange rate of 600 francs to $1 (one) dollar.  This means you carry around A LOT of money, particularly as this is almost entirely a cash economy.  It also is not a ratio to calculate easily (how well can YOU divide a number by 600?).  But Jenn provided a great tip, which should help avoid the purchase of a $9 (ahem, I think the price was closer to $12) box of cereal.  You take off the last three digits and double what is left.  That’s a bit more than is correct, but it gives you a ball park figure.  For example: if something costs 5,000 Rwandan francs it is roughly $10.

According to an Embassy staffer, this is culture where people stare.  What that means is a blank look, eyes open, no blinking.  But it I don’t find it bothersome, as, quite frankly, I’m constantly looking around at everything/everybody and doing a bit of staring myself.  Also, I’ve found a big smile goes a long way – people usually smile right back.  Mainly it depends on who you’re dealing with.  Those working in the service industry and used to foreigners don’t find us unusual.  It’s more the “man in the street” that stares.  And why not?  We look different and I’m certain pretty odd to them.

There are no street signs.  I don’t mean the signage is not good, I mean there aren’t any – nada, nope, non-existant.  People navigate by landmarks and I guess eventually learn the roads.  So directions include the section of town, a landmark, and the number of streets or houses to pass to get to the location.   

Yesterday we met with Ambassador Stuart (Stu) Symington.  He is very, very interested in the Kigali Public Library and we hope that with his influence and connections we’ll be able to move the project forward by getting the necessary government officials involved.  Security was much tighter for this Embassy visit as we were visiting the Ambassador himself.  Tomorrow is the security briefing where we’ll receive our own badges for limited access.

HUGE news flash: Rwanda has Coke Zero!  We have been at several places where it was listed on the menu, but never available.  Monday we were at the Bourbon Café and lo and behold, on the menu AND available.  Marty had at least two.  Plus, the grocery near the Bourbon Café must recently have received a shipment, as we found a slew on the shelves; we almost wiped out their stock with our purchase.

Next up: More Pictures!

Getting Ready for the Trip

Guest voice:  It’s me Marty, butting in on Beth’s narrative to answer the very popular question, why are you doing this?  So, here’s my answer in a nutshell.  I am using a few metaphors that will make sense to some of you of a certain age.  Seems I never abandoned a certain “sixties” sensibility.  Now if you still feel a certain attachment to those values, and you can’t write checks with lots of zeros after the operative number, the only thing left to do is to take a chance, and show up.  What can I say?  Idealism ain’t so bad, for those of you who cotton to stoney-faced pragmatism.  Can we change the world?  Nah.  But maybe we can leave it just a tiny bit better than we found it.  If we fail, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.  And hey, I won’t die a hypocrite. 

That’s it from me, and now back to your narrator and my wonderful wife, who volunteered for this duty enthusiastically.  I am so incredibly proud of her.    

Ah, thanks Marty, you are a sweetie!  Anyway, as we began planning for the trip, I learned many diseases I thought eradicated are still around in Africa.  (For more info, visit this section of the CDC.)  So, in order to safely travel and stay in Rwanda, we needed shots – LOTS of shots.  We are now vaccinated for yellow fever, typhoid, whooping cough, Hepatitis A and B, meningococcal meningitis, tetanus (that one really hurt) and received boosters for diphtheria and polio.  Plus we’ll be taking anti- malaria pills before, during, and after the trip.  I have never felt so healthy in my life!                                                     

While involved with the above shot regimen, we began to look for a place to stay.  Help immediately came in the form of Jenn, our local contact.  Jenn is an American living in Kigali and we could not have asked for anyone more helpful and patient with all our questions.  The end result: we’ll be staying at the Park View Courts in the Nyarutarama area of Kigali City.  Basically a one-bedroom apartment, it has a kitchenette, living area, with a bedroom and full bathroom upstairs.  It is not, however, air conditioned.  Now, I’m not opposed to fresh air, but as I’m currently undergoing my own global warming, I’ve become a huge fan of AC.  Nevertheless, I adhere to the “when in Rome” adage and do not intend to be a fussy American.

Travel to Rwanda turned out to be an interesting process.  You just can’t hop on Expedia and book a flight to Kigali like you’d book a flight to Kansas City.  So we turned to the professionals for help.  We leave from Philadelphia, have a stop in Brussels, and then fly to Kigali.  (Why Brussels?  Well before independence, Rwanda was a colony of Belgium.)  The entire trip takes 24 hours: each flight is roughly eight hours, plus the layover, and the time difference (six hours).  It will be a looooong trip.

As we leave June 1, our next thoughts focused on packing.  Temperatures in Rwanda are fairly steady (70s to low 80s for the highs, and lows in the upper 50s and middle 60s), the big changes come from the rainy and dry seasons.  Luck is with us as one of the dry seasons begins in June.  Also, Rwanda is a fairly mountainous region, with Kigali’s elevation at 5,069 feet.  I’m hoping that means humidity stays low, but this is equatorial Africa.  If not, pictures of me will include a halo of frizz around my head so be prepared!

Next up: The Flight

Welcome!

Welcome to “A Blog Called Rwanda” where you can follow us during our six week stay in Kigali, Rwanda as we help establish the Kigali Public Library.  The Library is a coordinated effort among several groups: the Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga; the American Friends of the Kigali Public Library (AFKPL), established in Washington, DC, in 2001; Marshall Scholars for the Kigali Public Library (MSKPL), established in Oxford, England, in 2002; and the Rwandan government.  I think the best description of the project, its ideals and hopes comes from the website:

“In 1994, Rwanda experienced a genocide in which approximately one million Rwandans were killed. Through the establishment of the Kigali Public Library, Rwanda's first public library, it is our hope that the tools used for destruction will be replaced with tools of knowledge. Successful completion of this monumental effort will mark a watershed in Rwanda's history, finally providing unfettered access to a treasure trove of knowledge that has so far been unavailable to a population of over eight million people. The library - a sanctuary for knowledge and a forum for the free exchange of ideas - will also be a monument to serve as a permanent reminder to all Rwandans and the rest of the world that the atrocities committed in 1994 will never be forgotten.”

As someone who loves books and libraries, I cannot imagine life without access to either.  I read constantly, talk about books anywhere at any time, and pass along my favorites whenever I can.  The idea of bringing a library to a country that has never had one thrills me beyond words.  Add to that the fact this country endured a horrendous tragedy which did not destroy it, but made it more united.  And finally we’ll be traveling to a country, in fact a continent, I’ve never visited and know little about.  So, it’s all good.

You might wonder how we got involved in this project.  Here’s the answer.  Marty, as former Fulbright recipient, placed his name on the list for a short term (1-3 months) Fulbright.  In February, we were notified of the position in Rwanda.  Now beyond two films, Gorillas in the Mist and Hotel Rwanda, neither of us knew much about the country.  After checking out the U.S. State’s Department’s website, which assured us we could safely travel to Rwanda, we applied and were accepted. 

Next post:  Getting ready for the trip.

P.S. Kudos to Sean for the name of the blog.  I could never have come up with such a clever name on my own!