Off to Kigali

Hello from Rwanda,

Today marked the first time our group left the village and it was incredible. Right after breakfast this morning, our group hopped on the bus and headed down to Kigali, the capital city. Although we had made this journey before, our previous ride was at night. As the bus rolled down the hillside, we were greeted by dozens of Rwandans, all dressed in typical African clothing, eagerly waving their hands and screaming hello. We were able to see tons of houses and shanties, and also saw Rwandans carrying bananas, cows, and other materials towards the marketplace. Kigali was a beautiful city full of both modern houses and embassies, but also tons of poorly constructed houses and makeshift accommodations. Once in Kigali, our group went to the Rwandan Genocide Memorial. The memorial had a few mass graves and had over 258,000 people buried at the site. One of the saddest parts about the whole memorial is how one of the mass graves is still open, totally unfinished and constantly being filled with new bones and bodies. The museum provided really good insight as to why and how the genocide happened, and also had exhibits dedicated to other genocides around the world. For me, it was particularly interesting to see the Rwandans reading about the Holocaust, a stark reminder that genocide is everyone’s problem. After we left the museum, our group had a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Papyrus, an Italian restaurant in Rwanda. (Lunch was a bit surprising, as I didn’t expect to be choosing between lasagna and pizza in Africa). At lunch we heard a women speak who is head of a local NGO that helps orphans. Hearing her story was incredible. After lunch, we went back to the village (and were greeted with the same enthusiasm that met us on the way down). In the village, we came back to help students with electives. I watched a few of them play music – everything from Kanye West to local rappers – and heard the students own recordings on garage band. They are very talented and curious. We also taught them how to play Frisbee, as they have never seen one before. I really am loving every second of this journey, and interacting with the students is an unbelievable opportunity that I will cherish forever.

Brandon Rattiner