I’m currently on the plane to Brussels and we are stopped in
Entebbe, Uganda. I can’t believe that
the Rwanda part of our trip is over and I’m feeling more bitter than sweet
about it. I’ve learned so much about the
country, the culture, and myself throughout this experience.
Rwandans can tend to be very closed off at first and it’s
somewhat hard to break through and form relationships. The Peace Corps has Rwanda listed as a tough
country to be in because of how difficult it is to become integrated into
society. However, throughout the past
five weeks, I was fortunate enough to have made wonderful friends who have
turned into a second family to me.
Jackson and Benoit, along with the rest of the staff at
Bethany, were extremely hard to leave at the airport. Since we got to Rwanda, they have done
everything possible to make us feel comfortable. Jackson would always accompany us on weekend
trips so that he could translate for us and make sure the drivers didn’t get
too crazy. Every time we returned to
Bethany after a weekend trip, I felt the same way I did coming back home from
Chapel Hill my freshman year. I’m going
to miss Benoit and how his face lights up every time he smiles. I’m going to miss Jackson and how he says
“Okeyyyyyyyyyy” every time he sees me.
I’m going to miss Pacifique and how he tries his best to speak to me in
English. I’m going to miss the guards
and how they instantly smiled (and laughed) when we got back to Bethany and
said “mwiriwe”.
I was very fortunate to have a wonderful experience with my
host family, especially their two daughters. They welcomed me and Elke into
their home and referred to us as their older daughters when talking to members
of their church. Rose was so interested
in our culture and wanted us to feel like their home was our second home. When
we came back to their house for dinner the week we left, Rose made the chipati
that me and Elke loved so much the first time she made it for us.
Not only did I make new Rwandan friends, but I was lucky enough
to be accompanied by 20 amazing students and teachers from UNC that I didn’t
know before. Rwanda isn’t a typical study abroad destination and it definitely
shows in the people in this group. Everyone was truly interested in what we
were learning which made for an even better trip. From Peter’s difficult to understand questions, to Sarah’s ability
to make friends with anybody, to Elke’s humor and Emily’s constant positivity,
everyone brought something to the group and I am so lucky to have spent this
time with each and every one of them.
There are so many things about Rwanda that surprised me, but
one thing that has stood out to me since I got there. Despite all the horrible
atrocities the country endured in 1994, they are still a highly religious
culture. I couldn’t imagine going
through the things these people have been through and still having faith that
there is a God.
The people of Rwanda are truly remarkable, which leads me to
my final thought. When I first met Elke,
she was talking about how meeting people - not seeing sights - makes for a
memorable trip. While the beautiful
landscapes and hills of Rwanda will probably never leave my memory, the one
thing I will remember about this trip is the wonderful friends I made and the
memories and experiences we shared in Rwanda.
No comments:
Post a Comment