I am back home, and wow it feels weird. And sad, but also good.
Right now, I really wish I could just say some final story about the trip, or share some of the lessons that I have learned, or even begin to explain how this summer has changed my life. But that is seriously impossible, and the thought of trying to express how amazing, how sad, and how inspiring my experience in Rwanda was is absolutely overwhelming.
I guess I could start by talking about what I miss about Rwanda. I mostly miss the little things, like lime fanta (soooo yummy!), the smile on everyone's faces as we greeted them in Kinyarwanda ("Amakuru!?"), the MTN cell phone stores on literally every corner, and the crazy rooster with no sense of time that lived near our guesthouse. I miss looking at the sky and actually getting a sense that the world is a sphere. I miss teaching random people Spanish in exchange for Kinyarwanda lessons. I miss talking to the cleaning women at Solace, even though I couldn't understand one word of what they were saying. I miss tucking myself into a bednet, and being woken up in the morning by pounding noises of dedicated Rwandans building a church next door. I miss being really confused by the way Rwandans mix up the pronunciation of L's and R's, and wondering why they wanted to "pray" basketball and "play" at church. I miss riding around town in our lovebus, and continously stuffing people into awesome Chris Brown minibuses (you might think they are full, but don't worry, at least ten more people can fit inside!). I miss Kigali's ridiculous billboards. I miss hearing "muzungu" being yelled at me from several blocks away, while I'm standing on the guesthouse patio. I miss the endless supply of french fries, and the delicious ham and avocado sandwhich at Rwanda's very own, wannabe wal-mart (called Simba).
But most of all, I miss the inspiring things that define Rwanda, like how far the country has come since 1994 and how strong the Rwandese people truly are. I miss looking around and seeing a glint of hope in everyone's life, even though it will always be mixed with tragedy and sadness.
Maybe what I learned most from my experience in Rwanda is how lucky we are to be alive, and how important it is to truly appreciate the people you love.
I hope I will remember that forever.
Love and peace,
Colleen
p.s.
Every morning, before I get out of bed, I hope that when I open my eyes, I will be back in Rwanda with the twenty-two other amazing people I shared this experience with. You guys rock.
p.p.s.
But I am also glad to be home with my family!!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Amsterdam! and the end:(
On our last day in Europe, Jenny and I went to Amsterdam! I couldn't leave the Netherlands without going to Amsterdam. We had no plan, of course, but once we got there, we just hopped off the train and started walking. After we found a map, we ate lunch in this little yummy place (I ate tuna!).
Then we tried to find our way to Anne Frank's house! It took awhile to walk there, because we kept stopping at random places (like little stores, a cool park, and a plaza with break dancers). We waited in line for awhile at Anne Frank's house, but it was worth it. It was a different experience than going into a genocide memorial with hundreds of dead bodies and skeletons like in Rwanda, but that doesn't mean it wasn't powerful. When I was in the annex where she and her whole family hid, I tried to imagine not going outside for years and years. I can't even think about how awful that would be.
We also went to the Van Gogh museum. It was cool, but I didn't really think it was worth all the money I paid to get in! The paintings were beautiful of course, but I guess I'm not that much of an art person. And Starry Night wasn't even there, how sad!
My favorite part of Amsterdam was going to a park. We saw it on the map, so we asked a guy at the museum if it was worth walking to. He said it was cool, but "all there is is grass, trees, and hippees." Of course, that made us want to go even more. We just layed in the grass, listening to music, near all of the hippees that were smoking pot. It was seriously so much fun just laying there!
Amsterdam is nice, but I just really miss Rwanda. I used to always dream about one day backpacking through Europe. But now, I'm honestly not that interested in doing that. Besides the fact that it would be exhausting and expensive, I really just would rather spend my time in somewhere like Rwanda.
We had our goodbye dinner the last night of our trip, and it was so sad. I really love everyone that was on this trip; they are all amazing in their own way. They were really my family for six weeks, and I think we will always be there for each other. We've experienced a lot that was really hard to deal with emotionally, and we've all made it through together. I cannot explain how comforting it is to look around and see their lovely faces. I really don't know what I'm going to do without them around me every minute of every day!
Then we tried to find our way to Anne Frank's house! It took awhile to walk there, because we kept stopping at random places (like little stores, a cool park, and a plaza with break dancers). We waited in line for awhile at Anne Frank's house, but it was worth it. It was a different experience than going into a genocide memorial with hundreds of dead bodies and skeletons like in Rwanda, but that doesn't mean it wasn't powerful. When I was in the annex where she and her whole family hid, I tried to imagine not going outside for years and years. I can't even think about how awful that would be.
We also went to the Van Gogh museum. It was cool, but I didn't really think it was worth all the money I paid to get in! The paintings were beautiful of course, but I guess I'm not that much of an art person. And Starry Night wasn't even there, how sad!
My favorite part of Amsterdam was going to a park. We saw it on the map, so we asked a guy at the museum if it was worth walking to. He said it was cool, but "all there is is grass, trees, and hippees." Of course, that made us want to go even more. We just layed in the grass, listening to music, near all of the hippees that were smoking pot. It was seriously so much fun just laying there!
Amsterdam is nice, but I just really miss Rwanda. I used to always dream about one day backpacking through Europe. But now, I'm honestly not that interested in doing that. Besides the fact that it would be exhausting and expensive, I really just would rather spend my time in somewhere like Rwanda.
We had our goodbye dinner the last night of our trip, and it was so sad. I really love everyone that was on this trip; they are all amazing in their own way. They were really my family for six weeks, and I think we will always be there for each other. We've experienced a lot that was really hard to deal with emotionally, and we've all made it through together. I cannot explain how comforting it is to look around and see their lovely faces. I really don't know what I'm going to do without them around me every minute of every day!
Exploring
While we weren't learning about all of the international courts in the Netherlands, we had a lot of time to explore the country!
I think my favorite thing we did was ride bikes to the beach. A lot of people rode bikes while I was in Brussels, and I was sad that maybe I wouldn't get a chance to do it! But one day, Matt and I decided to go. We left around 6:30 in the evening, which is totally fine because it doesn't get dark there until like 11:30. Anyway, we rented two bikes from our hostel, and just hopped on and headed toward the beach! It was seriously sooooo much fun. It felt good to work out, and to have the wind blowing in my face, haha! I needed to take a break from thinking about genocide and all of the other horrible things we have talked about for six weeks. Everything about it was amazing, except when we literally (literally!!!!) almost got run over at least eight times, by about every form of transportation you can find in the Hague (including trains).
After about half an hour bikeride, we made it to the beach. We just walked in the sand with our feet in the freezing cold water and talked about life, while we ate ice cream (of course)! We pretty much talked about everything, like how we miss our families and friends, but how we have become so close to the people in our group. We talked about how the experience of being in Rwanda has changed our lives, but also about how we will probably never truly understand how much this trip has affected us. It was so nice to just hang out and kind of decompress. And Matt is awesome, yay!
My other favorite thing that we did in the Hague was play frisbee! We've played frisbee a couple of times in Rwanda, which was so fun. But this time, it was even more amazing because we actually played ultimate frisbee in this random park near our hostel. It was so incredibly awesome. I was on a team with Thomas, who is insanely good at frisbee, and we were playing against David, Matt, and Kate. It was sooooooooo AWESOME, and intense! We were playing to seven and you have to win by two, and the game was so close. But yipppeeee, me and Thomas eventually won, and we are now the frisbee champions. We will be playing frisbee in the quad when school starts again, for sure!
I think my favorite thing we did was ride bikes to the beach. A lot of people rode bikes while I was in Brussels, and I was sad that maybe I wouldn't get a chance to do it! But one day, Matt and I decided to go. We left around 6:30 in the evening, which is totally fine because it doesn't get dark there until like 11:30. Anyway, we rented two bikes from our hostel, and just hopped on and headed toward the beach! It was seriously sooooo much fun. It felt good to work out, and to have the wind blowing in my face, haha! I needed to take a break from thinking about genocide and all of the other horrible things we have talked about for six weeks. Everything about it was amazing, except when we literally (literally!!!!) almost got run over at least eight times, by about every form of transportation you can find in the Hague (including trains).
After about half an hour bikeride, we made it to the beach. We just walked in the sand with our feet in the freezing cold water and talked about life, while we ate ice cream (of course)! We pretty much talked about everything, like how we miss our families and friends, but how we have become so close to the people in our group. We talked about how the experience of being in Rwanda has changed our lives, but also about how we will probably never truly understand how much this trip has affected us. It was so nice to just hang out and kind of decompress. And Matt is awesome, yay!
My other favorite thing that we did in the Hague was play frisbee! We've played frisbee a couple of times in Rwanda, which was so fun. But this time, it was even more amazing because we actually played ultimate frisbee in this random park near our hostel. It was so incredibly awesome. I was on a team with Thomas, who is insanely good at frisbee, and we were playing against David, Matt, and Kate. It was sooooooooo AWESOME, and intense! We were playing to seven and you have to win by two, and the game was so close. But yipppeeee, me and Thomas eventually won, and we are now the frisbee champions. We will be playing frisbee in the quad when school starts again, for sure!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Courts, the Hague
Over our last few days in the Netherlands, we visited three different international courts, got to observe a couple of trials, and got to talk to some really cool people.
The first one we went to was the International Criminal Court (ICC), which we learned about a lot in class. First we watched the case of a man named Lubanga, who was the first man arrested by the ICC since it officially opened in 2002. Lubanga is charged with child soldiering in the DRC. His trial has been going on for awhile, so it was kind of confusing to just jump into a random point in the trial and try to figure out what was going on. But it was really interesting too. I found myself staring at him most of the time, and I couldn't stop. It was just so strange to watch his reactions to what was going on in the courtroom. Most of the time, he didn't move a muscle. It must be weird to sit in the same place for months and months while the international community is trying to lock you in prison forever. He did look a little squirmy in his seat once in awhile though, especially when the witness started talking.
After we saw Lubanga's trial, we talked with a few workers at the ICC. The most awesome one was Fatou Bensouda, who is the deputy prosecutor of the ICC. She is probably the most powerful/ highest up female prosecutor in the world! and she was really cool because she had worked at the international criminal tribunal in Rwanda (ICTR), so we had a lot to talk about and a lot of insights to share. The one question she asked us was "how could Rwandan people, who are so incredibly friendly and welcoming, commit a genocide?" And I really think that question can be applied to anyone, from anywhere in the world, who has been a part of a genocide : how can anyone do such a horrible thing?
Anyway, we were all kind of contemplating this thought, because it really is mind-boggling. Rwandan people are seriously the nicest group of people I have ever met, and it's really hard to understand how some of them could take part in a genocide. We started discussing how Rwandans have kind of created and followed a culture of obedience to authority, which is really scary. In 1994, the authority said to kill, and many of them killed. Now, the authority is telling Rwandans to move on, and so many of them are moving on. I'm not trying to generalize and say that only Rwandans have a culture where it is so important to obey the people in power, or that this was the only cause of the genocide. But I really do thing the pressure in society to follow the authorities really played a huge role in what happened during 1994. Right now, it is a really good thing that the leader, Kagame, is sort of a "benevolent dictator." He definitely has, for the most part, been using his strict control of the country to work towards peace and national unity, and the people, for the most part, are listening. It is just really scary to think about what might happen when Kagame leaves office, for whatever reason. Anything could really happen; another genocide is possible. But we just have to pray that that won't happen.
At the ICC, we also had a few discussions about peace vs. justice. Can you achieve both, or is it easier to achieve peace without justice (like by issuing amnesties etc to end a war)? We began talking about this topic because of events that have taken place in Sudan. When the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Al Bashir, the current president of Sudan, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, he kicked all of the NGO's out of the country, causing so many problems for the people in Darfur. And Al Bashir still remains at large. In this case, the ICC was trying to achieved justice, but this caused a disruption in peace for the suffering people in Darfur. We talked with some people at the ICC about how arrests warrants, like Al Bashir's, may actually be counterproductive. But at the same time, the ICC workers pointed out that if you don't issue an arrest warrant now, when are you going to do it? when all of the innocent victims are already dead?
We also talked a little bit about good and evil. Someone asked us if we thought people could be truly evil. I've thought about this question before, but I think my opinion might be changing. I really used to think that no one is truly evil, but people can definitely do evil things. Now I don't know though; every time I hear about the absolutely horrible atrocities that people committed in Rwanda, I wonder more and more if there actually are truly evil people out there. Right now, I think the answer might be yes.
In the Hague, we also talked to some workers at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which was set up after the civil war there. We were going to see the trial of Charles Taylor, who was the former president of Liberia who gave weapons/money with the rebels in Sierra Leone in exchange for diamonds that were mined by children and people under forced labor. But his trial was sadly postponed until the middle of July, oh well!
I still got to thinking a lot about diamonds though (and I thought of you Lauren, because we have had this discussion a few times!). I guess it is understandable why people like diamonds so much, I mean they are beautiful. But seriously so many diamonds are "conflict diamonds," and the ones that are not are probably mined under absolutely absolutely horrible conditions. Besides, the Kimberly process for certifying non-conflict diamonds was a complete failure; many people claim that the certified diamonds are not mined under conflicts/bad conditions, but often, they actually are. I love kanye west's song called Diamonds from Sierra Leone. I may have listened to it 45 times in the past two days.
We also went to the criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which is the sister tribunal to the ICTR. It was interesting, but I didn't really know much about the problems in Yugoslavia before I went to visit the court. Actually, I still don't know much about it! But I did get to observe a really interesting trial, which was only cool because the prosecutor was not very good. She was actually horrible. Not that I could do any better or something, but we sat there for literally forty-five minutes, and she was only able to get out one question to the witness. The rest of the time, the judge was basically yelling at her for asking leading/stupid questions. And the defense lawyer, who was wearing one of those George Washington-looking wigs, kept standing up and objecting to everything the prosecutor did. I definitely learned a lot about court, but not that much about Yugoslavia. It was nice, because there was finally some action in the courtroom!
We also went on a tour of the international court of justice (ICJ), which tries cases between two countries, whereas the ICC tries individuals. It was cool, because it was in the amazing building called the Peace Palace. It pretty much is a palace; it was decorated like a queen should live there. That's cool, but the whole time I was wondering if the money used to build the court could have been used in a better way. Like maybe to help keep peace so that countries and people are less likely to need to use the ICJ or the ICC!?!?!
I will write more about the Netherlands soon, especially about the fun things we did there!
love colleen
The first one we went to was the International Criminal Court (ICC), which we learned about a lot in class. First we watched the case of a man named Lubanga, who was the first man arrested by the ICC since it officially opened in 2002. Lubanga is charged with child soldiering in the DRC. His trial has been going on for awhile, so it was kind of confusing to just jump into a random point in the trial and try to figure out what was going on. But it was really interesting too. I found myself staring at him most of the time, and I couldn't stop. It was just so strange to watch his reactions to what was going on in the courtroom. Most of the time, he didn't move a muscle. It must be weird to sit in the same place for months and months while the international community is trying to lock you in prison forever. He did look a little squirmy in his seat once in awhile though, especially when the witness started talking.
After we saw Lubanga's trial, we talked with a few workers at the ICC. The most awesome one was Fatou Bensouda, who is the deputy prosecutor of the ICC. She is probably the most powerful/ highest up female prosecutor in the world! and she was really cool because she had worked at the international criminal tribunal in Rwanda (ICTR), so we had a lot to talk about and a lot of insights to share. The one question she asked us was "how could Rwandan people, who are so incredibly friendly and welcoming, commit a genocide?" And I really think that question can be applied to anyone, from anywhere in the world, who has been a part of a genocide : how can anyone do such a horrible thing?
Anyway, we were all kind of contemplating this thought, because it really is mind-boggling. Rwandan people are seriously the nicest group of people I have ever met, and it's really hard to understand how some of them could take part in a genocide. We started discussing how Rwandans have kind of created and followed a culture of obedience to authority, which is really scary. In 1994, the authority said to kill, and many of them killed. Now, the authority is telling Rwandans to move on, and so many of them are moving on. I'm not trying to generalize and say that only Rwandans have a culture where it is so important to obey the people in power, or that this was the only cause of the genocide. But I really do thing the pressure in society to follow the authorities really played a huge role in what happened during 1994. Right now, it is a really good thing that the leader, Kagame, is sort of a "benevolent dictator." He definitely has, for the most part, been using his strict control of the country to work towards peace and national unity, and the people, for the most part, are listening. It is just really scary to think about what might happen when Kagame leaves office, for whatever reason. Anything could really happen; another genocide is possible. But we just have to pray that that won't happen.
At the ICC, we also had a few discussions about peace vs. justice. Can you achieve both, or is it easier to achieve peace without justice (like by issuing amnesties etc to end a war)? We began talking about this topic because of events that have taken place in Sudan. When the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Al Bashir, the current president of Sudan, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, he kicked all of the NGO's out of the country, causing so many problems for the people in Darfur. And Al Bashir still remains at large. In this case, the ICC was trying to achieved justice, but this caused a disruption in peace for the suffering people in Darfur. We talked with some people at the ICC about how arrests warrants, like Al Bashir's, may actually be counterproductive. But at the same time, the ICC workers pointed out that if you don't issue an arrest warrant now, when are you going to do it? when all of the innocent victims are already dead?
We also talked a little bit about good and evil. Someone asked us if we thought people could be truly evil. I've thought about this question before, but I think my opinion might be changing. I really used to think that no one is truly evil, but people can definitely do evil things. Now I don't know though; every time I hear about the absolutely horrible atrocities that people committed in Rwanda, I wonder more and more if there actually are truly evil people out there. Right now, I think the answer might be yes.
In the Hague, we also talked to some workers at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which was set up after the civil war there. We were going to see the trial of Charles Taylor, who was the former president of Liberia who gave weapons/money with the rebels in Sierra Leone in exchange for diamonds that were mined by children and people under forced labor. But his trial was sadly postponed until the middle of July, oh well!
I still got to thinking a lot about diamonds though (and I thought of you Lauren, because we have had this discussion a few times!). I guess it is understandable why people like diamonds so much, I mean they are beautiful. But seriously so many diamonds are "conflict diamonds," and the ones that are not are probably mined under absolutely absolutely horrible conditions. Besides, the Kimberly process for certifying non-conflict diamonds was a complete failure; many people claim that the certified diamonds are not mined under conflicts/bad conditions, but often, they actually are. I love kanye west's song called Diamonds from Sierra Leone. I may have listened to it 45 times in the past two days.
We also went to the criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which is the sister tribunal to the ICTR. It was interesting, but I didn't really know much about the problems in Yugoslavia before I went to visit the court. Actually, I still don't know much about it! But I did get to observe a really interesting trial, which was only cool because the prosecutor was not very good. She was actually horrible. Not that I could do any better or something, but we sat there for literally forty-five minutes, and she was only able to get out one question to the witness. The rest of the time, the judge was basically yelling at her for asking leading/stupid questions. And the defense lawyer, who was wearing one of those George Washington-looking wigs, kept standing up and objecting to everything the prosecutor did. I definitely learned a lot about court, but not that much about Yugoslavia. It was nice, because there was finally some action in the courtroom!
We also went on a tour of the international court of justice (ICJ), which tries cases between two countries, whereas the ICC tries individuals. It was cool, because it was in the amazing building called the Peace Palace. It pretty much is a palace; it was decorated like a queen should live there. That's cool, but the whole time I was wondering if the money used to build the court could have been used in a better way. Like maybe to help keep peace so that countries and people are less likely to need to use the ICJ or the ICC!?!?!
I will write more about the Netherlands soon, especially about the fun things we did there!
love colleen
Monday, June 22, 2009
Europe! the netherlands and belgium
We are in Europe! It is crazy, because there is no time difference from Rwanda. So we traveled for over twenty four hours, but I didn´t really have jetlag because it is in the same time zone as Rwanda. The trip did seem long, but I watched movies, slept, and rested. For a lot of the time, me and my friend Matt shared an ipod and listened ridiculous music. AMAZING
Anyway, it was weird going from Africa to Europe. It is just so different, and we all had a bit of culture shock when we got here to the Netherlands. It was just so weird. The people aren´t as nice, and I don´t like the vibe as much as Rwanda. It´s too organized and stuffy! And it´s strange being part of the majority again, in terms of race. The first day here in the Netherlands, whenever I saw someone, I would stare at them at want to yell `Muzungu`really loudly, which means foreigner and white person in Kinyarwanda. I just like the way of life in Rwanda better, I feel like I fit in better there. People in Rwanda seem to appreciate being alive more than they do here, even though their lives are probably so much harder. I guess I shouldn´t generalize though, because I have only been in the Netherlands for a few days. But one of the most important things I learned in Rwanda was that we are just so lucky and we should appreciate ever second of every day. And, of course this sounds cliche, but we have to realize that everything we do affects everyone around the world. There is so much we can do to help, and so much we can do to hurt.
After we arrived at our hostel in the Hague, which is a really nice hostel, we just walked around town a little. It is so stereotypically European, in a good way, with plazas and fountains on every corner! It´s amazing to finally be able to drink tapwater and eat salads!!! haha, but I guess I am so addicted to french fries now that I have already eaten at Mcdonalds twice. It was so worth all of those calories. The shopping areas are really cool. There are three H and M´s within one block of each other. I went to all of them, haha.
After shopping, I was really tired and really needed to decompress. It really was hard to adjust to western life again. I miss Africa, I miss Rwanda. That country and the experience I had there seriously changed my life. It is indescribable. It was just weird going back to the `west,` because I felt like no one besides the people in my group can identify with how I am feeling. But after my nap, I felt much better and I decided to go out with the group. We walked around town for at least three hours, desperately searching for a nightclub so we could go dancing! We didn´t end up finding one, but we had a blast just talking and hanging out and listening to an outdoor ska concert. It´s so weird, because it doesn´t get dark here until eleven oclock, literally. Its crazy, and it makes everyone want to stay up really late!
On Sunday morning, Jenny and I woke up really early and took a train to Belgium! How cool is that, we just felt like going to belgium, so we did! The train ride was only two hours, and it was fun just talking and looking at the landscape. It is so incredibly flat compared to Rwanda! At first it was pouring rain, but then the whether turned absolutely perfect. When we got there, we just walked around for like four hours. We had no idea where we were going, we just had a mini/map and our cameras, and we set off to explore! There were so many beautiful cathedrals and buildings and parks with fountains! Jenny and I both decided that it is so much cooler to have no plan when you go visit a city, and that you should just go wherever the wind takes you!
In the afternoon, we met up with a woman from Rwanda named Nadine! Jenny had become really good friends with her boyfriend in Rwanda, so we wanted to meet Nadine! She was so incredibly sweet, she showed us around the city and let us sleep in her house! We felt like we were in Rwanda again, because we ate goat kabobs and samosas and listened to Rwandan hiphop while we drove through the streets of Brussels. We also at an entire fish with our bare hands. It was crazy, because I really felt like the fish was looking at me.
Anyway, Belgium has a huge Rwandan community, and it seemed like everywhere we went, Nadine ran into someone who spoke Kinyarwanda. And that does make sense, since Rwanda´s history is so tied to Belgium through colonization. But it´s also weird that so many Rwandans want to go to Belgium, since it really played a huge role in setting up the genocide. Before colonization, hutus and tutsis lived along side each other, intermarried, and got along well. The groups were even fluid, you could move from one group to the other, depending on how many cows you own. But the belgian colonizers issued the identity cards that categorized the hutus and tutsis, which basically made it impossible for someone to change what group they identify with. They favored the tutsis, the minority, over the hutus, and then reversed this practice at the last minute to favor hutus. And that´s how the problems started, or at least how they were made worse. The Belgiums used the method of ´divide and conquer` to rule Rwanda, and the consequences of that are so obvious. That´s why it baffles me a little to think about Rwandese people willingly moving to Belgium.
Anyway, I really like Belgium, I get a better vibe from Brussels than I do from the Netherlands. Even though the Netherlands is cool too. But still, if I had to choose one country to live in, it would be Rwanda, of course!
We made it back to the Hague, after taking a few wrong turns and missing our train stop, haha. Tonight we walked around. Matt wants to get a tatoo, so we went in the tatoo and piercing place. And I started to want to get another hole in my ear! Matt said that I could totally pull off my ear piercing, because he said when he thinks of me, he pictures me saying `I´m colleen, and i´m a civil rights lawyer from carrboro and I am going to kick your ass.` I love that that is his impression of me, that is like the coolest thing ever! During this trip, I have really decided that it is my dream to become a civil rights lawyer and kick someone´s ass, haha.
Anyway, it was weird going from Africa to Europe. It is just so different, and we all had a bit of culture shock when we got here to the Netherlands. It was just so weird. The people aren´t as nice, and I don´t like the vibe as much as Rwanda. It´s too organized and stuffy! And it´s strange being part of the majority again, in terms of race. The first day here in the Netherlands, whenever I saw someone, I would stare at them at want to yell `Muzungu`really loudly, which means foreigner and white person in Kinyarwanda. I just like the way of life in Rwanda better, I feel like I fit in better there. People in Rwanda seem to appreciate being alive more than they do here, even though their lives are probably so much harder. I guess I shouldn´t generalize though, because I have only been in the Netherlands for a few days. But one of the most important things I learned in Rwanda was that we are just so lucky and we should appreciate ever second of every day. And, of course this sounds cliche, but we have to realize that everything we do affects everyone around the world. There is so much we can do to help, and so much we can do to hurt.
After we arrived at our hostel in the Hague, which is a really nice hostel, we just walked around town a little. It is so stereotypically European, in a good way, with plazas and fountains on every corner! It´s amazing to finally be able to drink tapwater and eat salads!!! haha, but I guess I am so addicted to french fries now that I have already eaten at Mcdonalds twice. It was so worth all of those calories. The shopping areas are really cool. There are three H and M´s within one block of each other. I went to all of them, haha.
After shopping, I was really tired and really needed to decompress. It really was hard to adjust to western life again. I miss Africa, I miss Rwanda. That country and the experience I had there seriously changed my life. It is indescribable. It was just weird going back to the `west,` because I felt like no one besides the people in my group can identify with how I am feeling. But after my nap, I felt much better and I decided to go out with the group. We walked around town for at least three hours, desperately searching for a nightclub so we could go dancing! We didn´t end up finding one, but we had a blast just talking and hanging out and listening to an outdoor ska concert. It´s so weird, because it doesn´t get dark here until eleven oclock, literally. Its crazy, and it makes everyone want to stay up really late!
On Sunday morning, Jenny and I woke up really early and took a train to Belgium! How cool is that, we just felt like going to belgium, so we did! The train ride was only two hours, and it was fun just talking and looking at the landscape. It is so incredibly flat compared to Rwanda! At first it was pouring rain, but then the whether turned absolutely perfect. When we got there, we just walked around for like four hours. We had no idea where we were going, we just had a mini/map and our cameras, and we set off to explore! There were so many beautiful cathedrals and buildings and parks with fountains! Jenny and I both decided that it is so much cooler to have no plan when you go visit a city, and that you should just go wherever the wind takes you!
In the afternoon, we met up with a woman from Rwanda named Nadine! Jenny had become really good friends with her boyfriend in Rwanda, so we wanted to meet Nadine! She was so incredibly sweet, she showed us around the city and let us sleep in her house! We felt like we were in Rwanda again, because we ate goat kabobs and samosas and listened to Rwandan hiphop while we drove through the streets of Brussels. We also at an entire fish with our bare hands. It was crazy, because I really felt like the fish was looking at me.
Anyway, Belgium has a huge Rwandan community, and it seemed like everywhere we went, Nadine ran into someone who spoke Kinyarwanda. And that does make sense, since Rwanda´s history is so tied to Belgium through colonization. But it´s also weird that so many Rwandans want to go to Belgium, since it really played a huge role in setting up the genocide. Before colonization, hutus and tutsis lived along side each other, intermarried, and got along well. The groups were even fluid, you could move from one group to the other, depending on how many cows you own. But the belgian colonizers issued the identity cards that categorized the hutus and tutsis, which basically made it impossible for someone to change what group they identify with. They favored the tutsis, the minority, over the hutus, and then reversed this practice at the last minute to favor hutus. And that´s how the problems started, or at least how they were made worse. The Belgiums used the method of ´divide and conquer` to rule Rwanda, and the consequences of that are so obvious. That´s why it baffles me a little to think about Rwandese people willingly moving to Belgium.
Anyway, I really like Belgium, I get a better vibe from Brussels than I do from the Netherlands. Even though the Netherlands is cool too. But still, if I had to choose one country to live in, it would be Rwanda, of course!
We made it back to the Hague, after taking a few wrong turns and missing our train stop, haha. Tonight we walked around. Matt wants to get a tatoo, so we went in the tatoo and piercing place. And I started to want to get another hole in my ear! Matt said that I could totally pull off my ear piercing, because he said when he thinks of me, he pictures me saying `I´m colleen, and i´m a civil rights lawyer from carrboro and I am going to kick your ass.` I love that that is his impression of me, that is like the coolest thing ever! During this trip, I have really decided that it is my dream to become a civil rights lawyer and kick someone´s ass, haha.
Lake Kivu!! and goodbye Rwanda
Oh my gosh, we had the perfect last day in Rwanda. We woke up really early, packed our vans, and drove from Butare to Kibuye. The drive was absolutely beautiful, as usual, and it was so fun just listening to my ipod and thinking about everything that has happened in the past month. The only bad part was being totally squished into the van and sitting in a seat that wasn't even meant to be a seat. But even that was funny, and we all bonded because we were so uncomfortable haha.
So we got to Kibuye, and we went right to our beautiful guesthouse that was right on the lake. The lake is seriously awesome. It is one of the deepest lakes in the world, and it is really the most beautiful one I have seen in my life! Our rooms were really nice too, but of course there was no running water, haha. After we explored a little, we decided to hop on this tiny motorboat and went to a tiny island in the middle of the lake where you can swim, play volleyball, and walk around a little. The boatride took a half hour, and the hole time I was contemplating whether I was going to swim in the water. Of course, the travel clinic nurses before I left told everyone that you will basically die if you swim in freshwater in Africa. But it just looked so inviting, so I decided to go in, haha. If I get shistomaisis or whatever that stupid parasite is that eats your brain, it will be worth it, haha, especially because you can just take antibiotics for six years and you will be totally fine. Of course, my feet really itched the night after we went swimming, and that is a symptom of the parasite trying to get in your blood. Oh well!
It was totally awesome, the water was the perfect temperature and it was soooo blue and gorgeous. I didn´t go too far out, but it was kind of hard to swim with all of the waves! A bunch of us tried to swim together to take a picture, but it was so hard to stay still. It was really funny! That is one of the most awesome memories ever too, it was just pure awesomeness! We took the boat back at sunset, and it looked like something out of National Geographic. I cannot even describe how beautiful it was. There were huge puffy clouds, and the sun was disappearing behind the mountains, which were part of the DRC. But don´t worry, it would be a three hour boatride to get to the DRC, so we weren´t too close and we were safe! But I do want to go there someday. I am going to sign up for Lingala next semester, which is the language they speak in the DRC. They offer it at UNC, yay! ps.There was also a wild cow walking around the island and a monkey tied to a string!
It really was a great end to Rwanda. I cannot even explain how I feel about that country. It is seriously such a wonderful place, and I really wish everyone could go there at some point in their lives. I learned more than I can even comprehend, about life and about the world in general. I have seen how absolutely wonderful, beautiful, and welcoming people can be, and at the same time I saw the effects of how absolutely horrible those same people can be. What happened in Rwanda was one of the worst tragedies in history, and everyone in the world needs to remember that. But it is amazing how far the country has come since 1994, and I hope that my blog has helped people see that, while the genocide is something that has to always be remembered, there is also so much more to Rwanda. It truly is a beautiful place.
So we got to Kibuye, and we went right to our beautiful guesthouse that was right on the lake. The lake is seriously awesome. It is one of the deepest lakes in the world, and it is really the most beautiful one I have seen in my life! Our rooms were really nice too, but of course there was no running water, haha. After we explored a little, we decided to hop on this tiny motorboat and went to a tiny island in the middle of the lake where you can swim, play volleyball, and walk around a little. The boatride took a half hour, and the hole time I was contemplating whether I was going to swim in the water. Of course, the travel clinic nurses before I left told everyone that you will basically die if you swim in freshwater in Africa. But it just looked so inviting, so I decided to go in, haha. If I get shistomaisis or whatever that stupid parasite is that eats your brain, it will be worth it, haha, especially because you can just take antibiotics for six years and you will be totally fine. Of course, my feet really itched the night after we went swimming, and that is a symptom of the parasite trying to get in your blood. Oh well!
It was totally awesome, the water was the perfect temperature and it was soooo blue and gorgeous. I didn´t go too far out, but it was kind of hard to swim with all of the waves! A bunch of us tried to swim together to take a picture, but it was so hard to stay still. It was really funny! That is one of the most awesome memories ever too, it was just pure awesomeness! We took the boat back at sunset, and it looked like something out of National Geographic. I cannot even describe how beautiful it was. There were huge puffy clouds, and the sun was disappearing behind the mountains, which were part of the DRC. But don´t worry, it would be a three hour boatride to get to the DRC, so we weren´t too close and we were safe! But I do want to go there someday. I am going to sign up for Lingala next semester, which is the language they speak in the DRC. They offer it at UNC, yay! ps.There was also a wild cow walking around the island and a monkey tied to a string!
It really was a great end to Rwanda. I cannot even explain how I feel about that country. It is seriously such a wonderful place, and I really wish everyone could go there at some point in their lives. I learned more than I can even comprehend, about life and about the world in general. I have seen how absolutely wonderful, beautiful, and welcoming people can be, and at the same time I saw the effects of how absolutely horrible those same people can be. What happened in Rwanda was one of the worst tragedies in history, and everyone in the world needs to remember that. But it is amazing how far the country has come since 1994, and I hope that my blog has helped people see that, while the genocide is something that has to always be remembered, there is also so much more to Rwanda. It truly is a beautiful place.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Frisbee and Stars
So after my last incredibly depressing blog, I thought I would write about some of my other experiences in Butare. We haven't done that much except for go to class and take our tests, but it has been fun just hanging around the town.
Almost every afternoon, a few of us have been playing frisbee in the grass by our guesthouse. It is so much fun, I forgot how much I love to play frisbee! Dad, I remember playing with you near Silent Sam when I was little. It was exactly like that! One time we lost the frisbee in a cornfield (which was totally my fault) but we found it and continued playing! We kind of destroyed a lot of flowers and plants in the process, but it was so much fun.
Last night, everyone was in a good mood because we had finished our test! So we all ate dinner and hung out. Somehow, a few of us ended up laying in the grass and falling asleep under the stars. It was so awesome, I have never slept under stars before. We were all just there, cuddling and talking and sleeping. The stars are so beautiful, it is ridiculous. David took this awesome picture on his camera that looks like it was taken from space, or at least from a telescope, seriously. We stayed out there until about two thirty in the morning. We wanted to go back inside before three, because that is when the malaria mosquitoes come out. And don't worry mom and dad, we were in the grass next to our guesthouse, which is gated and guarded. So we were safe! That might be one the coolest memories I have from Butare, or even from Rwanda.
Also today, I bought a Brazil soccer jersey from this awesome market. It was really cool!
Tomorrow we leave for Kibuye, which is on Lake Kivu (which borders both Rwanda and the DRC). I think we are going to relax and sit by the lake, and I can't wait. But I won't go swimming, because I don't want to get parasites that eat my brain!
Anyway, I will probably be in the Netherlands when I have internet next time. I will be sure to blog about my experience at the International Criminal Court when I am there!
love Colleen
Almost every afternoon, a few of us have been playing frisbee in the grass by our guesthouse. It is so much fun, I forgot how much I love to play frisbee! Dad, I remember playing with you near Silent Sam when I was little. It was exactly like that! One time we lost the frisbee in a cornfield (which was totally my fault) but we found it and continued playing! We kind of destroyed a lot of flowers and plants in the process, but it was so much fun.
Last night, everyone was in a good mood because we had finished our test! So we all ate dinner and hung out. Somehow, a few of us ended up laying in the grass and falling asleep under the stars. It was so awesome, I have never slept under stars before. We were all just there, cuddling and talking and sleeping. The stars are so beautiful, it is ridiculous. David took this awesome picture on his camera that looks like it was taken from space, or at least from a telescope, seriously. We stayed out there until about two thirty in the morning. We wanted to go back inside before three, because that is when the malaria mosquitoes come out. And don't worry mom and dad, we were in the grass next to our guesthouse, which is gated and guarded. So we were safe! That might be one the coolest memories I have from Butare, or even from Rwanda.
Also today, I bought a Brazil soccer jersey from this awesome market. It was really cool!
Tomorrow we leave for Kibuye, which is on Lake Kivu (which borders both Rwanda and the DRC). I think we are going to relax and sit by the lake, and I can't wait. But I won't go swimming, because I don't want to get parasites that eat my brain!
Anyway, I will probably be in the Netherlands when I have internet next time. I will be sure to blog about my experience at the International Criminal Court when I am there!
love Colleen
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