Rwanda Part 2

So apart from visiting Our Lady of Kibeho, I was very excited to see another African Country, and how it compares to Kenya. It only took me 90 minutes to fly to Rwanda, a much better option than the 27 hour bus ride I was looking into! From the moment I got off the plane I was in awe of the beauty of the country, countryside and cleanliness. It was not like Nairobi at all (note, I have been told from everyone I meet outside of Nairobi that we have the WORST reputation as a country, being dirty, unfriendly, and they call Nairobi- Nairobbery because of all the theft, but I have no idea about all this living here!) But I got to see it a bit clearer being in Kigali, the capitol city of Rwanda. It was so clean, fresh and very safe. There are proper traffic lights, and the drivers follow a specific driving pattern- worlds apart from the crazy Nairobi driving! When I was picked up at the airport I got directly on a moto bike- my first one ever! So I was not only shocked at the beautiful atmosphere but also clinging on to my moto driver for dear life! By the end of the weekend and many moto rides later I was able to relax a bit and enjoy them, a huge thrill in fact.

Apart from venturing to Kibeho I stayed in the capitol city, visiting 2 friends- 1 from high school and 1 from college who are separate volunteers in Rwanda. It was just as nice for me to see them for them to see me, as both of them are at sites alone and have 1-2 year commitments, not even leaving for holidays. I can’t really imagine how difficult that would be to adjust to. I loved hearing about their work, exchanging stories about our time in Africa and laughing at how different life is than at home. We could talk about things only we would understand being in a 3rd world country alone. We ate plenty of pizza, popcorn and wine and overall had a fun ‘mzungu’ time, a brief get away from the daily grind of work. They showed me the 2 main tourist sites- the hotel from Hotel Rwanda and the Genocide Museum from 1994. Other than that, Kigali is pretty small, not like what I am used to in Nairobi at all. They are just now building a skyscraper, not sure what businesses they’ll put in it, but they are hoping to become one of the biggest cities in East Africa.

Being in Rwanda, I learned a lot about how it runs and works. Most everyone has a false perception of the truth that Rwanda is, “the beautiful put together country, with excellent woman’s rights.” There is a ‘big brother’ always watching and listening so I cannot write much here but I would love to tell you more about it once I make it make to the states! Kenya is a horribly corrupt country, but the good thing is, everyone knows it is corrupt so you can’t hide too much. When a country starts hiding the corruption that is a bad sign. I wasn’t allowed to ask any questions about how the govt works in public in Rwanda. And I wasn’t allowed to talk about the genocide of ’94- in fact NOBODY does. That is scary, as humans we have to learn from our past mistakes, talk about it and not go down that same path again. If we don’t talk about, there is a chance it will be repeated. That’s all I’ll say about that.

I had the genocide always on my mind being in Rwanda because I knew every person I passed was affected in some way. It was so recent that if a person was over 20 they very well could have been a brainwashed killer, or suffered in some other horrific way. If they are younger than 20 they are probably suffering without much of their family due to over 1 million being massacred.
When I was in Kibeho I went to a church that hid 40,000 people inside during the genocide. The church looks over where Our Lady of Kibeho was appearing- a football field distance away. With 40,000 people inside, the priest succumbed to the evil and he turned his church over to the rebels. They tore parts of the church apart to get inside and instantly killed all 40,000 people. Right next to Our Lady of Kibeho. The church has been rebuilt, and they painted the new bricks purple in order to show where the rebels tore it apart. As I was walking next to the church looking at it a flock of children came and followed- obviously not used to white people visiting. As my heart was being torn apart looking at the walls and knowing the lives that were taken in this very building, the children were contagiously laughing and playing together next to it. My heart was hurting even more looking at their innocence, they were too young to know the horror that happened here, but one day they would. They could still be kids, and not live with the pain right now, but soon enough they will ask questions, “where is my aunt, brother, grandma etc.” And someone will have to tell them about the genocide. I just hope by that time it isn’t too late.

I feel so blessed to live in America, especially since it has had 200+ years to develop. These poor African countries have just recently gained their independence and they need guidance on how to properly function and overcome the struggles that we have figured out. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough faith in any of our “older and wiser” government structures to do that properly. Afterall, we have corrupt and selfish leaders too. I think that is root to it all, are we in this life for success and money and fame, or are we here to love others… as Jesus loves us? I’m sure it sounds cliché and not realistic, but I would claim it is possible. Deep down we all know money and success will not make us happy, so why do we continue with that goal? Let’s make a more conscious effort to love the people around us more, and fight the lies that tear us apart. You can be the 1 person to change the view of 1 other person. There have been genocides across the whole world and every time we say “never again” but nobody actually does anything. Let’s be serious, it starts with us. Love. Love. Love. This lent, let’s love more, even when it is hard and nobody else is. Love will hold us together