Last Saturday was the most amazing day of my life! I woke up early and went to a Rwandan village (which was more like a slum) where one of our friends, Gilbert, lives. The people in the village are Twa, which is the third ethnic group in Rwanda that makes up about 1% of the population, I think. We just walked through the neighborhood, saying hi to everyone we saw. Everyone was so welcoming and almost everyone wanted to talk to us. But the time we reached the edge of the neighborhood, there were at least fifty little kids (who were mostly orphans) following us. They probably have no home, hardly any food, and probably no one to take care of them (but maybe those orphans are a little lucky because they have a community that they are a part of, whereas other street children literally have nothing and no one. When we were downtown one day, we saw a little girl, no more than six, who was carying a tiny baby on her back. I try to give them leftover food when I am walking downtown).
The Twa village was so so sad, because the people there were really poor and basically had nothing. If it weren't for a well that the red cross built, they probably wouldn't have any water (or at least any water that wasn't mixed with sewage or something). All of the houses were so close together, and Gilbert lived in such a tiny room that I probably could touch all four walls if I stood in the middle. There was a river of mud and sewage running in between the houses. I wish I could show you a picture, but I didn't want to take one and be disrespectful. It seems like a lot of people here don't like when you take their pictures, I guess because they feel kind of exploited.
So anyway, there we were in the middle of a Twa village, playing with like fifty orphans. A bunch of older men started playing instruments (they looked like wooden flutes) and then maybe five or so men did a performance of Rwandan traditional dance, which is called Intore. It was absolutely the most awesome thing I have ever seen, and I really wish I could dance like that! We tried to learn, and we got to dance with them a little, but it was so hard! That was basically the best morning of my life, and I just smile when I think about it!
After that, we all hung out in the common room of our guesthose. We were so incredibly exhausted, so we were basically passed out all over the couches and floor. If we had taken a picture, I think we would have looked kind of ridiculous. Then I went with three other girls to have lunch at this cool place called Fine Dine. I ate banana chips, which are bascially banana french fries that taste like baked potatoes. Then I went back to the guesthouse to take a shower, because my feet were covered in clay. I really don't think I have ever been that dirty in my entire life. I even took a picture of my feet, so I could remember, haha.
At night we went to a restaurant/bar called Pasadena. We sat outside with David, the guy who is kind of our group tourguide, and looked at the stars and the beautiful view of Kigali at night. Then we saw some interesting karaoke performances, and just hung out and talked to each other. It was seriously so much fun!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
first few days in Kigali
Our first full day in Rwanda was really cool too, and really emotional. First we had an orientation about Rwanda, mostly about the history and things like that. The speaker was really interesting, especially because he told us about his experience during the genocide. I can't remember everything he said, but I know he had to hide with his family in a neighbor's house for almost three months (because some killers had invaded his home, looking for him). But he didn't just hide in the house, he had to hide in the cabinet. He would have died of starvation if he hadn't found a pile of candy bars on one of the shelves, or if a grenade that was thrown at the house hadn't hit an avocado tree, providing them with some food. He and his family survived. No wonder people believe in miracles.
In the afternoon, we went to the genocide memorial. It was a really good memorial, of course, and it was sooo sad. One part of the exhibit showed pictures of children killed in the genocide, and it had a little written description of each one of them, like their favorite food or favorite activity. There was a plaque that said how they were killed (most plaques said "hacked by a machete"). Outside the memorial, there is a beautiful garden. After we left, I found out that the garden is the site for a mass grave, where over 250,000 victims of the genocide were buried. There was also an exhibit on other genocides around the world (like the Holocaust and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia), and I thought that was a really good idea. My sister just told me that the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC is going to open an exhibit on other genocides (Rwanda, Sudan, and Bosnia) to try to educate people and prevent genocides from happening in the future. (thanks for showing me that Lauren!!)
Being at the memorial really made me emotional. I started wondering how ridiculous it is to worry or complain about stupid little things when my life could be so much harder. I guess, more than anything, it just made me realize how lucky I am.
The next day, we had our first day of class! Since it was the beginning of class and it was one of our first days in Rwanda, we just did kind of an overview on law. It was soooooo interesting. I can't wait to go to law school (hopefully), yay! It is kind of hard to wrap my head around the concepts, but I guess I will just have to start thinking like a lawyer, haha.
That afternoon, we went on a bus tour of the city. First we went to KIST (i think it stands for Kigali institute of science and technology). It was the base where ten UN soldiers from Belguim were killed at the beginning of the genocide (you can still see GIGANTIC bullet holes in the walls and on the floor where they were shot). They were killed by the interhamawe (the extremist hutu militia) as a way to test the international community and see if the world would intervene to stop the systematic killing of Tutsis, or if it would just sit and watch. Of course, the UN pulled almost all of its troops out of Rwanda, so the interhamawe knew the international community wouldn't do anything to stop them. Then they killed about a million people. What is really sad is that the number of troops that it took to evacuate foreigners from Rwanda during the genocide could have actually STOPPED the genocide instead. ugggh, doesn't that make you frustrated?
Anyway, the rest of the city tour was less "heavy." We went to this pottery market called Dancing Pots, where I bought an awesome clay giraffe. I hope it makes it back to the US without breaking, beacause I am going to keep it for my whole life! haha. We also went to this awesome market where a bought a necklace made from paper. The tour guide were interesting too. They were our age, but they were obviously spokesmen of the government. They kept insisting everything in Rwanda is perfect now, and they basically did not recognize that there is still a lot of pain and suffering in the country. Rwanda really has come so far since the genocide, farther than I think anyone could hope for. But when you look deeper than the surface, there is such a sense of sadness in the air. How can we blame them? Some Rwandans we have talked to say that the President, Paul Kagame, is the only thing holding the country together, and that they are scared for the day he is no longer president. A lot of people think another genocide is possible, and maybe even likely. God, that would be so incredibly horrible.
At night, our first Friday night in Africa, we all decided to go out. We asked the city tourguides where the best place to go was, and they told us about the cool club called KBC. We went, and we danced, and it was really fun! It was a good ending to an awesome, amazing, and incredibly hard week.
In the afternoon, we went to the genocide memorial. It was a really good memorial, of course, and it was sooo sad. One part of the exhibit showed pictures of children killed in the genocide, and it had a little written description of each one of them, like their favorite food or favorite activity. There was a plaque that said how they were killed (most plaques said "hacked by a machete"). Outside the memorial, there is a beautiful garden. After we left, I found out that the garden is the site for a mass grave, where over 250,000 victims of the genocide were buried. There was also an exhibit on other genocides around the world (like the Holocaust and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia), and I thought that was a really good idea. My sister just told me that the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC is going to open an exhibit on other genocides (Rwanda, Sudan, and Bosnia) to try to educate people and prevent genocides from happening in the future. (thanks for showing me that Lauren!!)
Being at the memorial really made me emotional. I started wondering how ridiculous it is to worry or complain about stupid little things when my life could be so much harder. I guess, more than anything, it just made me realize how lucky I am.
The next day, we had our first day of class! Since it was the beginning of class and it was one of our first days in Rwanda, we just did kind of an overview on law. It was soooooo interesting. I can't wait to go to law school (hopefully), yay! It is kind of hard to wrap my head around the concepts, but I guess I will just have to start thinking like a lawyer, haha.
That afternoon, we went on a bus tour of the city. First we went to KIST (i think it stands for Kigali institute of science and technology). It was the base where ten UN soldiers from Belguim were killed at the beginning of the genocide (you can still see GIGANTIC bullet holes in the walls and on the floor where they were shot). They were killed by the interhamawe (the extremist hutu militia) as a way to test the international community and see if the world would intervene to stop the systematic killing of Tutsis, or if it would just sit and watch. Of course, the UN pulled almost all of its troops out of Rwanda, so the interhamawe knew the international community wouldn't do anything to stop them. Then they killed about a million people. What is really sad is that the number of troops that it took to evacuate foreigners from Rwanda during the genocide could have actually STOPPED the genocide instead. ugggh, doesn't that make you frustrated?
Anyway, the rest of the city tour was less "heavy." We went to this pottery market called Dancing Pots, where I bought an awesome clay giraffe. I hope it makes it back to the US without breaking, beacause I am going to keep it for my whole life! haha. We also went to this awesome market where a bought a necklace made from paper. The tour guide were interesting too. They were our age, but they were obviously spokesmen of the government. They kept insisting everything in Rwanda is perfect now, and they basically did not recognize that there is still a lot of pain and suffering in the country. Rwanda really has come so far since the genocide, farther than I think anyone could hope for. But when you look deeper than the surface, there is such a sense of sadness in the air. How can we blame them? Some Rwandans we have talked to say that the President, Paul Kagame, is the only thing holding the country together, and that they are scared for the day he is no longer president. A lot of people think another genocide is possible, and maybe even likely. God, that would be so incredibly horrible.
At night, our first Friday night in Africa, we all decided to go out. We asked the city tourguides where the best place to go was, and they told us about the cool club called KBC. We went, and we danced, and it was really fun! It was a good ending to an awesome, amazing, and incredibly hard week.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Rwannnndaaaa rocks!
Last Wednesday, we flew from Tanzania to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. We were all excited to finally be heading to the place we had been learning about for so long, but I think we were still a little nervous because we didn't know what to expect. Personally, I was wondering how it would feel to be in a place where so much has happened in the past few decades. Of course, we were all even more uneasy when we saw the airplane that we were going to be flying in. It was tiny, I would say it fit about thirty people. There wasn't even any writing on the outside saying what the airline name was! (it was RwandaAir.) That made us even more nervous, and we began contemplating where the plane came from. We decided that it was either stolen (haha) or was bought third hand after some other countries had decided it wasn't safe enough anymore. When we were up in the air, we all almost screamed every time there was a bump. But we made it, luckily! too bad we have to fly in another one of those on the way home.
As soon as we stepped off the plane in Kigali, we all knew how much we were going to love the city. Rwanda is sooo hilly (it is known as the land of a thousand hills). It's has even more hills that Chapel Hill! haha The view from just about anywhere is so incredibly beautiful, because you can see so far. I just love it! There are some pretty big buildings in Rwanda too, that have been built recently (they are probably twenty or thirty stories, which seems gigantic compared to the one-story houses and shops that make up most of Kigali).
We took a bus (all twenty two of us) from the airport to our guesthouse. It was so funny trying to stuff all of our luggage, backpacks, and bodies into the tiny bus, but we made it. And I have pictures too! Our guesthouse is called Solace Ministries (it is a Christian guesthouse), and it is sooooo nice. We really lucked out, because we were all prepared to be bathing in rainwater and peeing in a hole in the ground. But Solace is beautiful. There are too of us in each room (I am with Megan again!) and we even have our own bathroom with a shower and running water (well, it runs most of the time). There is even wireless internet in the lobby, dang! Too bad I didn't bring my computer...
So after we got here, we just unpacked a little and decided to explore the city. We went in two huge groups of about ten each, so we drew a lot of attention. In fact after being here for just one week, it will be weird going back to the US and not having everyone stare at me everywhere I go! But everyone is so incredibly nice here, and you can have great conversations with people you just meet on the street. Rwandans are so welcoming that they will bascially drop everything to help you if you need it, even if you are a random tourist or student.
So while we were exploring the first day, we went to the Mille Collines, which is what the movie Hotel Rwanda is based on (you should watch it if you haven't!). It was crazy being there, thinking about how so many Rwandans took refuge at that hotel with the help of the manager Paul, and how amazing it is that most of them survived the genocide. But it was interesting to talk to Rwandans about that movie (who don't praise the movie as much as we do), because they point out that there were so many heros in Rwanda that helped saved others, and that movie only shows one of them. But it is still a great movie!
After the Mille Collines, we went to the shopping area called the Union Trade Center (UTC). We bought groceries, cell phones, and toiletries. I was about to buy some Garnier Fructise shampoo, but after I realized it was like ten dollars, I decided to buy shampoo made in Rwanda. It is egg flavored, which I thought was funny. I was scared to use it at first, because I didn't want to smell like an egg. But now I like it (it makes my hair more curly)!
So that was our first day in Rwanda, yay!!
love Colleen
As soon as we stepped off the plane in Kigali, we all knew how much we were going to love the city. Rwanda is sooo hilly (it is known as the land of a thousand hills). It's has even more hills that Chapel Hill! haha The view from just about anywhere is so incredibly beautiful, because you can see so far. I just love it! There are some pretty big buildings in Rwanda too, that have been built recently (they are probably twenty or thirty stories, which seems gigantic compared to the one-story houses and shops that make up most of Kigali).
We took a bus (all twenty two of us) from the airport to our guesthouse. It was so funny trying to stuff all of our luggage, backpacks, and bodies into the tiny bus, but we made it. And I have pictures too! Our guesthouse is called Solace Ministries (it is a Christian guesthouse), and it is sooooo nice. We really lucked out, because we were all prepared to be bathing in rainwater and peeing in a hole in the ground. But Solace is beautiful. There are too of us in each room (I am with Megan again!) and we even have our own bathroom with a shower and running water (well, it runs most of the time). There is even wireless internet in the lobby, dang! Too bad I didn't bring my computer...
So after we got here, we just unpacked a little and decided to explore the city. We went in two huge groups of about ten each, so we drew a lot of attention. In fact after being here for just one week, it will be weird going back to the US and not having everyone stare at me everywhere I go! But everyone is so incredibly nice here, and you can have great conversations with people you just meet on the street. Rwandans are so welcoming that they will bascially drop everything to help you if you need it, even if you are a random tourist or student.
So while we were exploring the first day, we went to the Mille Collines, which is what the movie Hotel Rwanda is based on (you should watch it if you haven't!). It was crazy being there, thinking about how so many Rwandans took refuge at that hotel with the help of the manager Paul, and how amazing it is that most of them survived the genocide. But it was interesting to talk to Rwandans about that movie (who don't praise the movie as much as we do), because they point out that there were so many heros in Rwanda that helped saved others, and that movie only shows one of them. But it is still a great movie!
After the Mille Collines, we went to the shopping area called the Union Trade Center (UTC). We bought groceries, cell phones, and toiletries. I was about to buy some Garnier Fructise shampoo, but after I realized it was like ten dollars, I decided to buy shampoo made in Rwanda. It is egg flavored, which I thought was funny. I was scared to use it at first, because I didn't want to smell like an egg. But now I like it (it makes my hair more curly)!
So that was our first day in Rwanda, yay!!
love Colleen
Monday, May 25, 2009
End of Tanzania
The rest of our time in Arusha, when we were not at the ICTR, was really fun as well. There were these two really cool restaurants, one called Via Via and one called Jambo (which is “hello” in Swahili), where everyone from our group hung out and got to know each other. It was really fun!
We also went to visit an outdoor food market, which was so cool because obviously not a lot of tourists had visited the area before. We just walked around and smiled at everyone. It was so crowded and confusing, yet it was also so orderly. That's kind of how Rwanda is too. There is a sense of orderly chaos in both places, where everyone is frantically driving or walking around everywhere, but no one runs into each other. I asked one Tanzanian friend I made if people get hit by cars often, because people drive fast and it doesn't seem like there are many traffic rules (I think I have seen two stoplights over the past week and a half). He just laughed at my question. I guess people don't get hit because they have kind of formed their own rules of the road in Africa.
The only thing I didn't like about Tanzania were the vendors. They were nice at first, and they just were trying to sell us stuff, but they weren't too persistent. But then after about a day, they decided to pretty much camp out in front of our hotel and hound us every time we went by. They would literally spend a half an hour following you to wherever you were going, desperately trying to sell you paintings and figures that they insisted were hand-made and one of a kind (we kind of believed them until we kept seeing the same paintings over and over again). They seemed like pretty nice people; but there was one time when I felt a bit uneasy and unsafe (but don't worry mom and dad, I am still alive!!). Four other girls and I were standing at the corner near our hotel trying to cross the street when a few vendors came up to us. Then all of the sudden, there were at least twenty guys standing around us, which was a little scary. We just started to walk back to our hotel, but some of them followed us and were still trying to sell us stuff. When we refused to buy anything, they got a little aggressive. One of them told me that I was racist and wouldn't buy anything from him people I didn't like people from Africa (that's not exactly what he said, but I don't want to repeat his exact words). He told my friend Jenny that he could go get his gun and shoot her. That's when we bolted inside the hotel, and refused to leave again until we had at least three guys with us. It was a scary experience, but at least we made it out alive, and I learned my lesson! Now I kind of understand why the vendors are known as "ticks," even though I don't really like that term because it kind of dehumanizes them. If I were hungry and trying to feed my family, I would probably harass tourists too.
I also thought it was really interesting to see the reactions of Tanzanians when we told them we were going to Rwanda. They were all kind of in awe and looked a little concerned. I expected a kind of surprised/worried response from my family and people in the United States when I would talk about going to Rwanda, but I didn't think that would happen once I got to Africa!
Anyway, that's about all we did in Tanzania. I think it was an amazing first four days in Africa, and I really did love it.
We also went to visit an outdoor food market, which was so cool because obviously not a lot of tourists had visited the area before. We just walked around and smiled at everyone. It was so crowded and confusing, yet it was also so orderly. That's kind of how Rwanda is too. There is a sense of orderly chaos in both places, where everyone is frantically driving or walking around everywhere, but no one runs into each other. I asked one Tanzanian friend I made if people get hit by cars often, because people drive fast and it doesn't seem like there are many traffic rules (I think I have seen two stoplights over the past week and a half). He just laughed at my question. I guess people don't get hit because they have kind of formed their own rules of the road in Africa.
The only thing I didn't like about Tanzania were the vendors. They were nice at first, and they just were trying to sell us stuff, but they weren't too persistent. But then after about a day, they decided to pretty much camp out in front of our hotel and hound us every time we went by. They would literally spend a half an hour following you to wherever you were going, desperately trying to sell you paintings and figures that they insisted were hand-made and one of a kind (we kind of believed them until we kept seeing the same paintings over and over again). They seemed like pretty nice people; but there was one time when I felt a bit uneasy and unsafe (but don't worry mom and dad, I am still alive!!). Four other girls and I were standing at the corner near our hotel trying to cross the street when a few vendors came up to us. Then all of the sudden, there were at least twenty guys standing around us, which was a little scary. We just started to walk back to our hotel, but some of them followed us and were still trying to sell us stuff. When we refused to buy anything, they got a little aggressive. One of them told me that I was racist and wouldn't buy anything from him people I didn't like people from Africa (that's not exactly what he said, but I don't want to repeat his exact words). He told my friend Jenny that he could go get his gun and shoot her. That's when we bolted inside the hotel, and refused to leave again until we had at least three guys with us. It was a scary experience, but at least we made it out alive, and I learned my lesson! Now I kind of understand why the vendors are known as "ticks," even though I don't really like that term because it kind of dehumanizes them. If I were hungry and trying to feed my family, I would probably harass tourists too.
I also thought it was really interesting to see the reactions of Tanzanians when we told them we were going to Rwanda. They were all kind of in awe and looked a little concerned. I expected a kind of surprised/worried response from my family and people in the United States when I would talk about going to Rwanda, but I didn't think that would happen once I got to Africa!
Anyway, that's about all we did in Tanzania. I think it was an amazing first four days in Africa, and I really did love it.
ICTR
The second and third days we were in Arusha, we visited the ICTR, which is the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. It is the court set up after the genocide that tries the high officials that instigated and led the genocide. The “foot soldiers” who just carried out orders from above and who were not the masterminds of the genocide are tried by the Gacaca courts, which are traditional courts in Rwanda that allow the community to participate in the justice process. I think that the Gacaca court system is a really good institution because it brings out the truth for the victim’s families.
The ICTR in Arusha was a really cool experience. We got to sit in on a couple of actual trials as they were going on. During the first trial, we got to see one lawyer trying to discredit a witness (it was Dominique Ntawukalilyayo’s trial). We could not see the witness because there was a curtain to protect his identity (even though while we were sitting there, he basically admitted to raping a young girl. He was a really interesting witness to hear, because he kept avoiding the questions and pretending to be confused to make the lawyer look bad). The second trial was of a Rwandan Hutu named Karemera who, among other things, was a member of the interim Hutu government during the genocide. He was responsible for ensuring the security of the Rwandan people, which he clearly did not do. We got to see him testify as well, and he was also good at avoiding questions and confusing everyone in the courtroom.
One really interesting thing I noticed during the trials was a problem with language barriers. The lawyers, judges, and defendants often speak different languages (French, English, or Kinyarwanda), and it seems really hard to communicate and convey ideas, even with the translators. I asked a group of ICTR workers if there were ever any major problems having to do with language. At first they said no, but as they kept talking they seemed to almost change their minds. They explained that in general, Rwandans use a lot of subtle implications to convey ideas, instead of directly stating what happened. For example, if a woman survivor is testifying in the ICTR against someone who raped her, she might be too ashamed to directly say that the perpetrator forced himself on her. To make it even more confusing, rape and marry are the same word in Kinyarwanda. So in my opinion, the language barriers really could affect the outcome of the trials.
It is also really interesting to think about how long these trials last; some are even longer than five years. I was thinking about how if I were a judge, I really would not really be able to bring all of the testimonies, evidence, and other things together five years after I heard them. Of course they can go back and look at paperwork and things like that, but I still feel like it would be so hard to make an impartial decision. It was really interesting when we saw one judge sleeping and one judge playing solitaire on his computer during the trial.
The court also says the defendants are innocent until proven guilty, which I’m sure is true. But at the same time, I don’t think the ICTR would be wasting its time on people who they thought were innocent. So far, out of all the trials in the ICTR, there have been very few acquittals (I think only one).
It was really interesting to listen to some of the lawyers and investigators from the ICTR. We were asking them how hard it is to basically eat, sleep, and breathe genocide issues. I can’t even imagine how hard that would be. It has even been hard for me to learn about the genocide every day for a week, but they have to talk about it and hear horrible stories every day for years and years. One woman from the Office of the Prosecutor pointed out that hearing these gruesome stories can cause secondary trauma. She said they really have to separate work from their lives at home; but she admitted that is almost impossible to do. But the ICTR workers are lucky they are somewhat removed from the genocide; actual survivors are probably reminded every second of every day what happened to them and their families, especially when the perpetrators have been released from prison and are living in the community.
The ICTR in Arusha was a really cool experience. We got to sit in on a couple of actual trials as they were going on. During the first trial, we got to see one lawyer trying to discredit a witness (it was Dominique Ntawukalilyayo’s trial). We could not see the witness because there was a curtain to protect his identity (even though while we were sitting there, he basically admitted to raping a young girl. He was a really interesting witness to hear, because he kept avoiding the questions and pretending to be confused to make the lawyer look bad). The second trial was of a Rwandan Hutu named Karemera who, among other things, was a member of the interim Hutu government during the genocide. He was responsible for ensuring the security of the Rwandan people, which he clearly did not do. We got to see him testify as well, and he was also good at avoiding questions and confusing everyone in the courtroom.
One really interesting thing I noticed during the trials was a problem with language barriers. The lawyers, judges, and defendants often speak different languages (French, English, or Kinyarwanda), and it seems really hard to communicate and convey ideas, even with the translators. I asked a group of ICTR workers if there were ever any major problems having to do with language. At first they said no, but as they kept talking they seemed to almost change their minds. They explained that in general, Rwandans use a lot of subtle implications to convey ideas, instead of directly stating what happened. For example, if a woman survivor is testifying in the ICTR against someone who raped her, she might be too ashamed to directly say that the perpetrator forced himself on her. To make it even more confusing, rape and marry are the same word in Kinyarwanda. So in my opinion, the language barriers really could affect the outcome of the trials.
It is also really interesting to think about how long these trials last; some are even longer than five years. I was thinking about how if I were a judge, I really would not really be able to bring all of the testimonies, evidence, and other things together five years after I heard them. Of course they can go back and look at paperwork and things like that, but I still feel like it would be so hard to make an impartial decision. It was really interesting when we saw one judge sleeping and one judge playing solitaire on his computer during the trial.
The court also says the defendants are innocent until proven guilty, which I’m sure is true. But at the same time, I don’t think the ICTR would be wasting its time on people who they thought were innocent. So far, out of all the trials in the ICTR, there have been very few acquittals (I think only one).
It was really interesting to listen to some of the lawyers and investigators from the ICTR. We were asking them how hard it is to basically eat, sleep, and breathe genocide issues. I can’t even imagine how hard that would be. It has even been hard for me to learn about the genocide every day for a week, but they have to talk about it and hear horrible stories every day for years and years. One woman from the Office of the Prosecutor pointed out that hearing these gruesome stories can cause secondary trauma. She said they really have to separate work from their lives at home; but she admitted that is almost impossible to do. But the ICTR workers are lucky they are somewhat removed from the genocide; actual survivors are probably reminded every second of every day what happened to them and their families, especially when the perpetrators have been released from prison and are living in the community.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Safari
On our first full day in Tanzania, we went on a day safari! It was so cool, I can't even put it into words. First we were picked up by a jeep, and we drove to the Arusha national park to start our safari. I was in a jeep with three other people on our trip, the driver, and a graduate student from Duke who was traveling around Tanzania and Kenya. The trip to the national park was about half of an hour, and it was really cool being able to see Tanzania during the day, because up to that point, we had only seen it at night. There were so many people just walking around the road, going about their business. Sometimes as a big group of Americans, people pay attention to us and wave to us a lot. They also call anyone who isn't from Africa a Muzungu (i dont think that is spelled right), which literally means white person. But it doesn't matter if you are Asian or Hispanic or anything else, they still call you Muzungu. But it's not meant to be a mean term or anything, and it just makes everyone laugh.
Anyway, we got to the national park, and drove around in the jeep for awhile. We saw a huge herd of giraffes and zebras. Then we ate lunch and took a hike to a waterfall, which was amazing! We got within about 20 feet from a family of like thirty giraffes, and we took so many pictures of them. They were just standig there staring at us, wondering who the heck we were!
When we got back from the safari, we walked to the non-tourist part of Arusha and went to an Indian restaurant. It was delicious! its funny how there it seems like there is more Indian, Chinese, and Mexican food in Tanzania and Rwanda than there is African food! But it is all delicious.
Anyway, we got to the national park, and drove around in the jeep for awhile. We saw a huge herd of giraffes and zebras. Then we ate lunch and took a hike to a waterfall, which was amazing! We got within about 20 feet from a family of like thirty giraffes, and we took so many pictures of them. They were just standig there staring at us, wondering who the heck we were!
When we got back from the safari, we walked to the non-tourist part of Arusha and went to an Indian restaurant. It was delicious! its funny how there it seems like there is more Indian, Chinese, and Mexican food in Tanzania and Rwanda than there is African food! But it is all delicious.
First night in Arusha
Tanzania was really cool! When we arrived at the hotel, I was a little nervous because it honestly did not look like a hotel at all; it looked more like a run-down store or something, at least from the outside. I looked around at everyone else, and I think they felt the same way. I think everyone had a moment of wondering what the heck we were getting ourselves in to. But when we got inside the hotel, it was totally different than we thought it would be. All of our rooms opened up onto a patio, where we spent our first night talking about what we were about to experience (after we unsuccessfully wandered around Arusha searching for an internet café).
The rest of the night was really interesting too. When we were unpacking, all of the sudden the power when out, and it was pitch black. That was one of the things I first noticed about Africa; it is sooooo dark. That does make sense of course, but when the lights went out, I swear I experienced a whole new level of darkness. I grabbed my flashlight, which I had just unpacked, and tried to turn it on. But of course, the batteries had died!! So my roommate and I were just standing there for a minute, not knowing what to do, and then the lights flickered back on. The lights did flicker a little the rest of the time we were in Arusha, but luckily they were never out long. (So far in Rwanda, which is where I am right now, the lights haven’t even flickered at all. But last night when I was about to take a shower, there was no water left. There was literally no running water, and I had no idea what to do. So I just went to bed, haha). My first experience sleeping in a bed net was really funny. It hangs from the ceiling, and you have to tuck it into the mattress all around you. So basically once you get in, you can’t get out. It was kind of frustrating because I kept remembering things I needed to do. I just decided to stay in bed, because it was honestly too much trouble to get out.
So that was my first night in Africa! I think it went well, and I was starting to feel completely at home.
The rest of the night was really interesting too. When we were unpacking, all of the sudden the power when out, and it was pitch black. That was one of the things I first noticed about Africa; it is sooooo dark. That does make sense of course, but when the lights went out, I swear I experienced a whole new level of darkness. I grabbed my flashlight, which I had just unpacked, and tried to turn it on. But of course, the batteries had died!! So my roommate and I were just standing there for a minute, not knowing what to do, and then the lights flickered back on. The lights did flicker a little the rest of the time we were in Arusha, but luckily they were never out long. (So far in Rwanda, which is where I am right now, the lights haven’t even flickered at all. But last night when I was about to take a shower, there was no water left. There was literally no running water, and I had no idea what to do. So I just went to bed, haha). My first experience sleeping in a bed net was really funny. It hangs from the ceiling, and you have to tuck it into the mattress all around you. So basically once you get in, you can’t get out. It was kind of frustrating because I kept remembering things I needed to do. I just decided to stay in bed, because it was honestly too much trouble to get out.
So that was my first night in Africa! I think it went well, and I was starting to feel completely at home.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The beginning, yay!
Hey everyone! I am in Africa, oh my gosh!
I absolutely love it so far, and I am so glad I am get to spend most of the summer here (even though I miss you all dearly!). I am studying abroad with a professor, a teaching assistant, and nineteen other UNC students, who I can already tell are soooo passionate about the world. We are learning about the Rwandan genocide, which happened in 1994, and its role in international criminal law. We visited Tanzania for a few days to observe the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and today we arrived in Rwanda where we will stay for four weeks! At the end of our trip, we are going to the Hague, to see the international criminal court, and we might even get to observe the trial of Charles Taylor, who was the former president of Liberia that was involved in human rights abuses and the illegal diamond trade.
The whole airplane ride was really fun, but long of course. We flew through Detroit and Amsterdam, then we headed off towards Africa! I watched movies (Grand Torino!), and read some of the course books about the history of the genocide. As we were landing in Tanzania, I started to think about what I was about to experience, and I wondered if it was crazy for me to be going to a potentially dangerous area of the world to study a really sensitive subject. But the whole semester, I knew I was meant to go on this trip, and I really have no doubt that it is going to completely change my life.
Right now I am sitting in our guesthouse in Kigali, Rwanda, with my roommate Megan. It is almost midnight, and we are both trying to relax a little before we go to bed, because we had a really long day. This morning, we woke up in Arusha, Tanzania (really, REALLY early), and now we are going to bed in Rwanda. How awesome is that?! Both Tanzania and Rwanda are so different than anywhere I have ever been, but somehow, they already feel like home. It’s strange to think that I am so far away I am from Chapel Hill, because everyone here is so welcoming.
I have so much more I want to say, about Tanzania and Rwanda, but I have to go to bed:) I hope everyone is doing well!
-Colleen
I absolutely love it so far, and I am so glad I am get to spend most of the summer here (even though I miss you all dearly!). I am studying abroad with a professor, a teaching assistant, and nineteen other UNC students, who I can already tell are soooo passionate about the world. We are learning about the Rwandan genocide, which happened in 1994, and its role in international criminal law. We visited Tanzania for a few days to observe the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and today we arrived in Rwanda where we will stay for four weeks! At the end of our trip, we are going to the Hague, to see the international criminal court, and we might even get to observe the trial of Charles Taylor, who was the former president of Liberia that was involved in human rights abuses and the illegal diamond trade.
The whole airplane ride was really fun, but long of course. We flew through Detroit and Amsterdam, then we headed off towards Africa! I watched movies (Grand Torino!), and read some of the course books about the history of the genocide. As we were landing in Tanzania, I started to think about what I was about to experience, and I wondered if it was crazy for me to be going to a potentially dangerous area of the world to study a really sensitive subject. But the whole semester, I knew I was meant to go on this trip, and I really have no doubt that it is going to completely change my life.
Right now I am sitting in our guesthouse in Kigali, Rwanda, with my roommate Megan. It is almost midnight, and we are both trying to relax a little before we go to bed, because we had a really long day. This morning, we woke up in Arusha, Tanzania (really, REALLY early), and now we are going to bed in Rwanda. How awesome is that?! Both Tanzania and Rwanda are so different than anywhere I have ever been, but somehow, they already feel like home. It’s strange to think that I am so far away I am from Chapel Hill, because everyone here is so welcoming.
I have so much more I want to say, about Tanzania and Rwanda, but I have to go to bed:) I hope everyone is doing well!
-Colleen
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