Rwanda

10.03.2014

• relaxed morning - breakfast - emails - walk to Rwanda Development Board information center - info about tours in the country 
• moto to genocide memorial - break for cafe - finished - 
• walk to get moto - back to hostel - check in with friends - meet Lee - trying to decide about MSW program by Friday - lots to talk about 
• We all packed up and went to L'Hotel Des Mille Calline - hotel Rwanda movie - banned in the country - http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/17/hotel-rwanda-hollywood-ending - had wine and listened to Christian music - walked into town - very quiet Bourbon Coffee - patio chat - motos home - drank gin from Uganda on the rooftop - ate Chocolate from Seattle - women went to bed
• Chatted with Safari - complex conversation - new bank info - http://www.triodos.com/en/about-triodos-bank/news/press-releases/annual-figures-2013/

11.03.2014

• Breakfast
• RDB - 5 people from Seattle! back to hostel - snack - computer work 
• moto downtown - van on Virunga to Musanze - beautiful drive through mountains - arrive - meet Collins - moto to Muhabura Hotel - check in and rest - linger - dinner - TV - 
• Dessert - bed

12.03.2014

• Woke up at 6am - reminds me of all the other very early days I have had while traveling and reminding myself that it was worth it the other times and that it likely would be today too - 
• Picked up by Collins - Erik, our driver with the most beautiful caramel brown eyes I have ever seen - drove out to the RDB office for orientation - grouped up - talked with Collins whose brother lives in Vancouver, BC! Our group included Anne and AJ from SF and someone from the UKwith our leader, Callxte - got into truck again and head to trail - walked to Volcanoes Park - Golden Monkey - jumping from trees, etc
• drive back to town - listening to music with DJ Erik - singing with Robyn in the car - arrived at hotel - Robyn negotiated breakfast which was included with the room but which finished serving hours before - allowed to take shower - cleaned up and thanked staff before heading out
• walked into town - to main market to look for coats - boy approached asking what we were looking for and we let him guide us through the market - not finding what we were looking for so he took us over to the larger market - large crowd gathered as we negotiated for two rain ponchos - tipped our new friend after he walked us to the taxi rink and said goodbye - got on the next van and headed back to Kigali - another lovely ride 
• Got motos to the hostel - got repacked for my flight tonight - decided that we would run into town to look for kitenge fabric - drive into town on motos as the sun was setting - beautiful - watching the fading light of day and realizing that the sun was going down on my last day in Africa - arrived in Commercial Central - walked around looking for shop we had been told about and finally found it - two women who spoke beautiful French which meant I could practice the little bit I remembered from high school (which is nearly nothing) - bought a beautiful bolt of cloth and thanked them 
• drive back to the hostel - just in time for our pick up from Lisa and Chris - Lisa is a friend of my friend Bob - we met 11 years ago when Bob and I were traveling in the Bay Area - haven't seen her since but Bob got us in touch when he found out I was going to be in Rwanda where she has been living with her husband, Chris, who has been here for nealy tow years - drove us to a Chinese restaurant called Flamengo - balcony seat overlooking the lights of the city - great food to carry us through conversation - Chris is a consultant to the Rwandan government starting a technical school for digital media - talked about the challenges and implications - cultural differences in education - use of distance education and education tools - capital needs and vision and partnerships - Lisa is an interior designer by trade - met Bob while she was working in Whistler, BC - an entrepeneur at heart she was trying to figure out how to apply her many talents while living in Rwanda - she is now starting a home design magazine called Kigali Home - looking to network with the small pool of Rwandan designers - other callenges and opportunities - looking to network and expand through the region as well in untapped markets in Uganda and Kenya as well - such a fascinating conversation - talking about the tensions between seeking development and inclusion in global systems while struggling to maintain identity and create indigenous systems - being able to tell the story of Rwanda by Rwandans but using the international standards of technical and artisit mediums - lovely time and will be happy to stay with them and swim in their pool over cocktails next time I am in town
• Home to do some computer work figuring out how to get where I am going tomorrow - chatting with Robyn - finally doing the final pack up and grabbing a moto to the airport - so glad to find a new friend along my travels who I will get to see back in Seattle too - we have plans for sailing and hiking in the Great Northwest - can't wait
• Ride to the airport was chilly and swift - sad to be leaving but excited for the next part of the journey - lots of time sitting in the terminal reflecting on the past three months and looking forward to the two months in Europe before I finally make it home