It has now been over four months since I last blogged. Time has escaped me. But, more so, life here in Rwanda has become a 'new' normal.
I am back from an incredible break, and with only 2 months left in Rwanda, I am focused on bringing a new perspective to my life here – one where I am focused on completing everything I wanted to accomplish in my fellowship role and just enjoying this unique opportunity. Also, I am really trying not to neurotically obsess over my next move, as I have a tendency to do.
To take a step back and revisit a few things (in chronological order) from the months I abandoned my blog:
Hiked Mount Nyarango in the DRC with a few of the other fellows and some friends: The trip started with me having to pay a $70 bribe to get into the country because my yellow fever form had my name spelled wrong. Let's just say, the DRC and I started our relationship off on rocky footing (pun intended - read onward). But, shortly thereafter, we began our journey to the hike and I decided to put that hiccup behind me. Right from the beginning of the hike, we realized it would be hard - and it only got harder. 6+ hours, straight up, on volcanic rock terrain with mounting altitude. We hired a porter to carry our stuff up. Whenever I interacted with my porter, it made me a bit sad. I imagine he was only 18 or 19 and everyday he would have to go up and down the mountain holding someone else's heavy belongings. I was happy he had a job but I still struggled with it. I always straddle between empathizing with the hardships of the lives of some African people but trying hard not to fixate on their struggles, however this was a challenging one to handle.
The top of the mountain was FREEZING but the view of the volcano was insane and an experience of a lifetime.
Trip to France: For second term break, I went to meet up with my parents in France. I expected many things: mostly culture shock and an extreme gorging of food. To my surprise, culture shock never really happened (except when spending 4 hours in the Addis airport – which was really just more of a painful experience than shock). However, my food intake was at an all-time high (no rice, beans and potatoes for 3 whole weeks!). Overall, Paris is absolutely beautiful – far more so than I could have ever expected and it was the most incredible trip.
Went to the U.S. for Bridesmaid Duty: After my week in France, I went to the East Coast in the U.S. for a week with my family. Then I headed West, first for a visit to see my cousin, Ali, in LA. I have to admit she tempted me to consider moving there. Then, it was wedding time - one of my best friend's, Emily, was getting married!! Since many people were coming in from around the globe, the wedding festivities were a week long. And, what a week it was. We got our nails done (my nails had been scary previously), our hair done (my hair had been scary previously) and ate our hearts out (also, just really scary overall). It was beautiful, so special and filled me with all the warm feelings I hate admitting to feeling. Plus, we got to dance to the Spice Girls multiple time. Still, no culture shock occurred.
Bobby came to visit!: JDC Entwine hosts a trip to Rwanda and my brother was among the participants. This was very exciting because he was the only person from my life in America to see my Rwanda life. We got to spend the whole week together going on safari, eating Village food and having Family Time. This was the first time Bobby had been in Africa and it was really a great opportunity for us to hang out and bond. I got to see the Village through his eyes, which made me see things a bit differently. For instance, while I oftentimes get frustrated by 6am morning prayers and singing, he showed me the beauty in a group of kid's coming together to just appreciate life. He is really an incredible guy and SO mature - I continue to be in awe of him.
Now I am back, doing my thing in Rwanda. Currently I’m dedicating a lot of time to planning for our Board of Directors trip to the Village, which I suppose will be my last major project before my next adventure (da da daaaaa). I have SO much more I want to accomplish here but I am working hard to focus on what I have done and be proud of that.
In some ways it feels like I am dying and trying to impart all my supposed ‘wisdom’ on my Family before I leave. I hope I've helped them improve their confidence, strengthen their English, form stronger bonds and learn more about what is going on in the world. My dream is that they all see a positive future for themselves where they thrive. I’ve always been scared to be a parent because I am afraid I will mess up my children. This experience has taught me that factors outside of your control will always play a role in how someone turns out. However, with love and support, the chances that a person has to succeed are so much greater.
I look forward to my last two months in Rwanda as an opportunity to complete my work here with time for reflection on how I hopefully played a small role on impacted this community in Africa. And also to have a bit more fun and just live in the moment. More revelations and updates to come – promise!