On Wednesday, I made the journey to Kigali, Rwanda
for a few days of rest, relaxation, WiFi and a plug! So necessary considering I
needed to write all of my lesson plans and modules for WorldTeach, as well as
begin the job application process. While applying for jobs in the states can be
a stressful and time consuming process, now imagine you live in the bush where
you can forget about charging your computer or opening any internet page beyond
a simple email. Hence, travelling to Kigali for a few days, splurging on a $30
hotel room with Wi-Fi and hot water, and diligently working for hours on end.
Good news: all my lesson plans are finished, I only have one more module to
complete, and I’ve applied to six school districts with high school math
positions open! Keeping my fingers crossed!!
After spending most of my time working on Thursday
and Friday, I spent Saturday relaxing, wandering the city, buying a few fun things,
and meeting up with Marisa and another volunteer for lunch…classic BBQ pulled
pork sandwich! WHAT? We also got drinks at a really nice hotel before enjoying
an actual, real-life, Chipotle-style BURRITO! Seriously so great! It was a very
nice way to end spring break 2013!
And while I don’t want to get into the details of it
all…we actually ended up being stuck in Ngara for the night after waking up
early to ensure we would make it back to Muyenzi on Sunday. Public
transportation here is one thing that I can’t say I will miss. We caught a 10am
bus heading to the border, which was lucky because all of Rwanda basically
shuts down this week in remembrance of the genocide. It took about five hours
to get to the border because it was pouring rain the entire time, but we were
lucky it stopped by the time we had to walk across the border. We waited for a
few minutes at the border for our motorcycle drivers to come, enjoying some
chips mayai (local dish of scrambled eggs and potato wedges). And then we found
our drivers and took off for Ngara. It’s about an hour long ride, considering
you have to cross a river on a ferry and go up and down huge mountains on dirt
roads being washed away slowly from the rain. The piki I was on ended up in the
ditch twice, so it was certainly an eventful ride…But we made it in one piece
to the taxi stand by 4:30 to head home to Rulenge. Considering we have
literally no food at home and the taxi wasn’t full yet, Marisa and I took turns
searching out food while we waited…and waited…and waited some more. Come 6:15,
the driver decides that he won’t in fact be going to Rulenge anymore, so we’ll
have to come back in the morning. AHHH! So much for school on Monday! Marisa
and I checked into the motel across the street…$5 a person per night. And we tried
not to complain too much about the reality of being stuck in TZ when we could
have simply stayed in Kigali.
We’ll make it home eventually, and the reality of it
is that you wouldn’t be reading this blog post had we actually made it home
yesterday. So good things have come of it, even if not ideal. It does no good
to complain, and the fact that I will be leaving here in 6 weeks helps me keep
looking on the bright side.
Happy 44
days until America!!!
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