Oh gosh, I don’t even know where to begin… so much has happened since I last wrote that it will be impossible to share all of it.

Musanze was amazing… such a beautiful country this is. We took a two hour bus ride up to the north-west corner of Rwanda through winding mountain roads. I was okay on the way there, but on the way home I did get very car sick. (That part was not fun). In Musanze, we interviewed community leaders about the land reform process and talked to individual families about their lives. It was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. We were invited to eat lunch at one of the family’s homes (meat, potatoes and peas with our hands); and then after lunch the members of the umdugudu (village) danced and sang for us.

The next day we went to Uyisenga Nimanzi Peace Village – a center that takes street kids off the street and gives them a place to sleep, eat, and learn. We had a tour of the village (two inactive volcanoes could be seen in the distance) and I bought some crafts that the kids had made. The best part of the day though was the traditional dancing! (See photos).

It’s hard to describe the emotions I feel here everyday. There seems to be all this positive energy in Rwanda (like the dancing was so beautiful I wanted to cry), but then you think about what happened in 1994, and about what it must have took (is taking) for these people to get back on their feet and go about their every day lives. And our Rwandan friends from our delegation are so friendly, it’s easy to forget that their histories hold so much tragedy. But then, something will happen that reminds you of the genocide and all the happy feelings just vanish. For example, Valerie told me that on the bus ride to Musanze, one of the Rwandan participants was showing her pictures on her cell phone. She was going through photos of her, her friends, and her little niece. And then, with no warning she flipped to a picture of two skeletons and said “these are my parent’s bones.”

Valerie and I discussed the experience and agreed that as an outsider, it’s very difficult to process this information. We’ve read so much about the country’s history, but reading something in a book is nothing compared with actually being here. But at the same time, we’ve been so busy, it’s been hard to think much about the negative. Since we’ve arrived in Rwanda, we’ve been go go go go… our schedule leaves very little room for free time. Then, something like this incident happens, and we remember why we chose to come here in the first place. But like I said before, our schedule hasn’t left a lot of room for personal reflection, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Life at the homestay has been wonderful. Another US participant – Chelsea – and I are staying with Zawadi, her Aunt and Uncle, and 6 of their 8 children. The food has been delicious. Last night we helped make cassava – a dish that is the staple in Congo. Actually the family spent many years in Congo and some of them told me they feel more Congolese than Rwandan. Everyone speaks perfect French, but Zawadi has asked me to only speak in English so that the family can practice – but I’ve been cheating a little bit.

Yesterday, July 4th, was National Liberation Day. It celebrates the time when RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) moved in from the north of the country to Kigali, overtook the government, and ended the genocide. My friend Kevin, a Rwandan delegation participant, happens to work in the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the government. I have a feeling he’s pretty high up on the ladder – whenever we go somewhere, he always sees someone who knows him. Anyway, Kevin ended up getting all the American participants and their Rwandan hosts VIP passes to the Liberation Day ceremony. So we woke up early yesterday morning to go to the Amohoro Stadium to see President Paul Kagame speak.

Chelsea and I had another adventure this morning when we went to church with our host family… but I don’t have time to write about that now!

Today is the last day of our conference; we visit the National Human Rights Commission tomorrow; and then start our volunteer placements on Tuesday.

Hope all is well in the States (or wherever this finds you).

Sarah