I arrived in Rwanda via Ethiopia today around noon. For the record, Ethiopian Airlines, minus the bathrooms, is pretty nice! Don’t be deceived by the petite, pretty flight attendants though- they are not afraid to body check you if you’re in their way…I learned that the hard way. The airport in Ethiopia hardly seemed “international.” It was quite small and we had to exit through security just to get bottled water. I sat next to this wonderfully friendly man on the plan from Addis Abba to Kigali- He’s a Rwandan working as a chef in Paris and was flying home to visit his family, which he does once a year. It turns out that 20 years ago when the guy who’s the subject of the movie Hotel Rwanda had graduated from school and went to work at the Hotel Des Mille Collines, the guy who sat next to me trained him! Crazy what a small world this is. He’s also served as a guide for tourists to see the gorillas…an adventure we unfortunately won’t be able to afford this trip. He was a fascinating man and talked about how different Rwanda is now, after the genocide. Apparently Kigali is significantly more clean and orderly than pre-1994. He also gave us his business card and his wife’s cell phone number and invited us to his house if we have time. I’m really taken aback by how warm people are to strangers here.<\/p>\n
Whereas Ethiopia was dry and red, Rwanda is lush, green and only red on the roads. We were met in Rwanda with a refreshing tropical rain. The country is notably missing an aspect of chaos that I had anticipated. While they drive a little crazy, there are lines painted in the road, and people are walking politely on the sidewalks. The greenery is all well kept and attended to. The Rwandans themselves are very subdued, generously kind, and very soft-spoken. Our host mother surprised us by letting us stay in her newly built house- a McMansion even by U.S. standards. I feel pretty lucky!! We’ve already eaten a huge feast prepared by our host mother’s domestic assistant. Over 30 hours into the trip, and I’m so exhausted I could barely stay awake while we were eating. I seem to doze off every chance I get. The host mothers current house is located on the Red Cross compound, but the next house we’re staying in is gated and has a 24 hour guard on duty, just in case someone wants to break in.<\/p>\n
Tomorrow we’re off to the Ministries to try and get in with some of the government officials and NGO workers for interviews. It’s a little intimidating, but that’s what we’re here for!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I arrived in Rwanda via Ethiopia today around noon. For the record, Ethiopian Airlines, minus the bathrooms, is pretty nice! Don’t be deceived by the petite, pretty flight attendants though- they are not afraid to body check you if you’re Continue reading Arrival<\/span>