I didn't want to title this final entry regarding Rwanda something depressing like, "Farewell, Rwanda" or "Back in the USA" because that would make it sound like I'm done adventuring or am winding down after a semester in Rwanda–or worse, that I've left Rwanda behind not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally.
The thing is, I'm not. I arrived in Oregon from Rwanda a week ago, and a week from now will be on my way to Bolivia. Hence, the title of this blog entry. (Might also be referring to this one I wrote after I had returned home from my exchange in France.)
I'm trying to decide what final (well, for now) things I want to say about Rwanda before changing this blog to reflect my new travels, so to start off I'll just refer to the last entry I wrote about it when I still had a month left. As I predicted, they were the best four weeks of my time in Rwanda. I felt like I had finally found a sense of routine and comfort in the city and had a decent network of friends outside my program. Spending time with people who were actually living in Kigali and didn't have a set date of departure, such as my Rwandan friends and even my colleagues at the NGO, helped me develop a sense of "I actually know how to live and get around here too." While I never felt the sense of "I want to stay to live here for a long time" like I have in other cities, I did feel like I had gotten very far from my initial disillusionment, disorientation, and confusion from the beginning of the semester. Now, I am proud to say that I have lived in Kigali for 3.5 months, a city most people where I am now and where I will be won't know much about.
Although it's only been a week since I arrived, I'm somewhat disturbed at how quickly I've readjusted to life in the USA and how distant Rwanda feels now. They warned us about reverse culture shock, but I feel like I've done this thing so many times that I don't really feel that anymore. I obviously still think about it, but am incredulous at how such a short time ago, I was still zipping down Boulevard de l'Umuganda on a motorcycle-taxi or stopping by a little corner shop to buy a few sambusas to snack on. Little moments of the everyday routine I spoke about for my last month return to my mind from time to time, and it's strange being fine knowing I won't live them again for who knows how long. I miss my friends, of course, but that's just the price I pay for traveling, making amazing friends, and leaving. I've done it before; no matter the kind of experience or the kind of place I meet people, I know that they will remain my friends no matter the geographical distance nor chronological distance between reunions. Although Rwanda was so different from my other trips in so many ways that I've discussed in my blog, it is no different in this regard.
This makes me wonder about the mundane routines that will take up my life in Bolivia, beginning in just over a week. Routines that will also eventually become distant memories. But I'm getting ahead of myself there, and there will be plenty of time to write about them when the time comes.
For now, I think it would be proper to have my final word about Rwanda honor the people who have made my stay possible and as fulfilling as it was. And because I'm lazy, I'm just going to copy the acknowledgments from my final research paper and paste them here. Here goes!
Before proceeding to read these declarations of my utmost gratitude to particular people, it is important to acknowledge that these are not only people who have helped me in some capacity during the creation of this paper, but rather, people who have made my three and a half months in Rwanda as fulfilling and spectacular as they have been. The semester has been challenging and I certainly faced some difficult times, but it is thanks to these individuals that it has all been worthwhile and unforgettable.
First, to the staff of SIT Rwanda, namely Celine, Sunday, and Mercy: without all of your hard work, dedication, and belief in my program mates and me, this experience wouldn’t be possible, and I wouldn’t have had the incredible experience in this fascinating country that I had.
Of course, I wouldn’t have thought to come to Rwanda in the first place if it weren’t for Lowell and Justus, two of my great friends back at Harvard, who would instill a sense of awe in me whenever they regaled me with their stories about this place. Both of you were constantly in my thoughts throughout the semester, and being here has made me appreciate our friendship on a deeper level.
Next, to the people I have gotten to know through Rwanda Bridges to Justice, the internship organization I am now officially emotionally attached to, whose work I very much admire. Estelle, on a partagé pleins de bons sambusas et tu m’as appris vraiment beaucoup pendant mon stage, non seulement avec mes tâches pour RBJ mais aussi avec nos conversations. Ronald, thank you for always indulging my curiosity about whatever plagued my mind, from the criminal justice system to the bus system, and for the delicious lunches we shared at Al Halal.
Any lengthy stay in another country would not be complete with the locals who help me feel at home. To my host family: Teddy, Louise, Sando, Blessing, and Joanna, thank you for always enjoying my renditions of “la chanson de Kushi” and for taking care of me as I tried to find my way around the country in my first two months. To my friends: Aurore, Parfaite, Xavier, Samy, members of SEVEN United, and so many more, thank you for checking up on me throughout my stay; even the smallest gestures like a WhatsApp message asking me how I was meant a lot to me. Muri inshuti nziza cyane! Ndabakunda kandi nzabakumbura ariko nzi ko tuzabonana mu ejo hazaza.
Going through trying times is easier when you have people who can relate to you and share a new experience with, which is why I also wish to acknowledge my twenty three program mates from other universities all over the USA. I cherished getting to know you and spend time with you throughout this semester–eating delicious ice cream in Butare, working on assignments in Java House, chilling with a warthog family in Uganda, and all the moments in between–and I look forward to the next time we meet, when we’ll reminisce on our crazy experience in Rwanda.
To James, for sharing my love of language and speaking the language of love; ich würde gemeinsam mit dir den Mondgesicht sehr gerne sehen.
And finally, to my parents, for their continuous support of all my projects and travels, who have never discouraged me from pursuing whatever far-fetched ambitions materialize in my head. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you to constantly see me come and go these past several years, but know that I will never tire of sharing my stories with you, nor will I ever stop being proud to be your daughter, no matter how far I roam. Because of you, I am becoming the young woman I have dreamed of becoming.
The thing is, I'm not. I arrived in Oregon from Rwanda a week ago, and a week from now will be on my way to Bolivia. Hence, the title of this blog entry. (Might also be referring to this one I wrote after I had returned home from my exchange in France.)
I'm trying to decide what final (well, for now) things I want to say about Rwanda before changing this blog to reflect my new travels, so to start off I'll just refer to the last entry I wrote about it when I still had a month left. As I predicted, they were the best four weeks of my time in Rwanda. I felt like I had finally found a sense of routine and comfort in the city and had a decent network of friends outside my program. Spending time with people who were actually living in Kigali and didn't have a set date of departure, such as my Rwandan friends and even my colleagues at the NGO, helped me develop a sense of "I actually know how to live and get around here too." While I never felt the sense of "I want to stay to live here for a long time" like I have in other cities, I did feel like I had gotten very far from my initial disillusionment, disorientation, and confusion from the beginning of the semester. Now, I am proud to say that I have lived in Kigali for 3.5 months, a city most people where I am now and where I will be won't know much about.
Although it's only been a week since I arrived, I'm somewhat disturbed at how quickly I've readjusted to life in the USA and how distant Rwanda feels now. They warned us about reverse culture shock, but I feel like I've done this thing so many times that I don't really feel that anymore. I obviously still think about it, but am incredulous at how such a short time ago, I was still zipping down Boulevard de l'Umuganda on a motorcycle-taxi or stopping by a little corner shop to buy a few sambusas to snack on. Little moments of the everyday routine I spoke about for my last month return to my mind from time to time, and it's strange being fine knowing I won't live them again for who knows how long. I miss my friends, of course, but that's just the price I pay for traveling, making amazing friends, and leaving. I've done it before; no matter the kind of experience or the kind of place I meet people, I know that they will remain my friends no matter the geographical distance nor chronological distance between reunions. Although Rwanda was so different from my other trips in so many ways that I've discussed in my blog, it is no different in this regard.
This makes me wonder about the mundane routines that will take up my life in Bolivia, beginning in just over a week. Routines that will also eventually become distant memories. But I'm getting ahead of myself there, and there will be plenty of time to write about them when the time comes.
For now, I think it would be proper to have my final word about Rwanda honor the people who have made my stay possible and as fulfilling as it was. And because I'm lazy, I'm just going to copy the acknowledgments from my final research paper and paste them here. Here goes!
Before proceeding to read these declarations of my utmost gratitude to particular people, it is important to acknowledge that these are not only people who have helped me in some capacity during the creation of this paper, but rather, people who have made my three and a half months in Rwanda as fulfilling and spectacular as they have been. The semester has been challenging and I certainly faced some difficult times, but it is thanks to these individuals that it has all been worthwhile and unforgettable.
First, to the staff of SIT Rwanda, namely Celine, Sunday, and Mercy: without all of your hard work, dedication, and belief in my program mates and me, this experience wouldn’t be possible, and I wouldn’t have had the incredible experience in this fascinating country that I had.
Of course, I wouldn’t have thought to come to Rwanda in the first place if it weren’t for Lowell and Justus, two of my great friends back at Harvard, who would instill a sense of awe in me whenever they regaled me with their stories about this place. Both of you were constantly in my thoughts throughout the semester, and being here has made me appreciate our friendship on a deeper level.
Next, to the people I have gotten to know through Rwanda Bridges to Justice, the internship organization I am now officially emotionally attached to, whose work I very much admire. Estelle, on a partagé pleins de bons sambusas et tu m’as appris vraiment beaucoup pendant mon stage, non seulement avec mes tâches pour RBJ mais aussi avec nos conversations. Ronald, thank you for always indulging my curiosity about whatever plagued my mind, from the criminal justice system to the bus system, and for the delicious lunches we shared at Al Halal.
Any lengthy stay in another country would not be complete with the locals who help me feel at home. To my host family: Teddy, Louise, Sando, Blessing, and Joanna, thank you for always enjoying my renditions of “la chanson de Kushi” and for taking care of me as I tried to find my way around the country in my first two months. To my friends: Aurore, Parfaite, Xavier, Samy, members of SEVEN United, and so many more, thank you for checking up on me throughout my stay; even the smallest gestures like a WhatsApp message asking me how I was meant a lot to me. Muri inshuti nziza cyane! Ndabakunda kandi nzabakumbura ariko nzi ko tuzabonana mu ejo hazaza.
Going through trying times is easier when you have people who can relate to you and share a new experience with, which is why I also wish to acknowledge my twenty three program mates from other universities all over the USA. I cherished getting to know you and spend time with you throughout this semester–eating delicious ice cream in Butare, working on assignments in Java House, chilling with a warthog family in Uganda, and all the moments in between–and I look forward to the next time we meet, when we’ll reminisce on our crazy experience in Rwanda.
To James, for sharing my love of language and speaking the language of love; ich würde gemeinsam mit dir den Mondgesicht sehr gerne sehen.
And finally, to my parents, for their continuous support of all my projects and travels, who have never discouraged me from pursuing whatever far-fetched ambitions materialize in my head. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you to constantly see me come and go these past several years, but know that I will never tire of sharing my stories with you, nor will I ever stop being proud to be your daughter, no matter how far I roam. Because of you, I am becoming the young woman I have dreamed of becoming.
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