Kigali, Rwanda (pronounced Chigali, Urgwanda)

Finally here! After about 38 hours of travel, we finally landed it Kigali. This is an absolutely beautiful city that spreads across a few of Rwanda’s “thousand hills”. At night, the sprawl lights up and it looks like rolling hills of stars against a black sky.

Right off the bat, there were some obvious differences between Tanzania and Rwanda. Rwanda seems quieter, more reserved, cleaner and generally more developed. There is almost zero trash lying around, which is amazing. Of course, it’s good to keep in mind that we are in the capital city. I’m sure the countryside is a bit different.

Fun fact: plastic grocery bags are outlawed in an effort to keep them from filling gutters and getting caught in trees. Why hasn’t the US done this yet??

This experience is certainly going to be very different than last summer.

I have my own bathroom with a toilet, shower, and water heater.

They do not burn trash in piles on the side of the road.

I can walk around AT NIGHT with a backpack and feel safe.

I’ve noticed fewer children during the day. Which is great because it probably means they are in school.

It’s is definitely less chaotic than Tanzania.

Kinyarwanda is probably twice as difficult to learn as Swahili.

This year we are training at IPRC, an actual college that is roughly equivalent to a US technical college.

Eugene, the manager of the hotel I am staying at, says people come to Rwanda and say "This isn't Africa". I can understand why. Being in a country this safe gives you peace of mind, even when you are in charge of other people's safety and well-being. 

Pictures coming soon!

Doha, Qatar

The travel so far has been amazingly smooth! From JFK to Doha I sat next to a man who works for Hope Worldwide and is trying to set up a biomedical equipment technician training program in Cambodia. Small world! We arrived in Doha a few hours ago. Qatar Airways did an awesome job with our hotel accommodations. Fly with them if you ever get the chance.

We ventured out for a stroll along the water. I am so glad our layover is overnight and not during the day. For one, even the breeze it warm here. I can't imagine what the heat of mid-afternoon must feel like. And two, the skyline is incredible!

Museum of Islamic Art

 Stairs I want to climb

From the roof of our hotel

Oh yes, they deliver. Better yet, they deliver the Argentinian Angus Beef Patty in honor of the world cup in Brasil...

Now boarding

I cannot believe it's almost time to head to the airport. Luckily, I'm flying out of DFW with 3 other students from A&M and we're meeting up with more along the way. Good company makes traveling infinitely better! It will certainly be a different experience than last year.

[[Flash back to landing in Tanzania]]

...at night...

...having traveled alone...

...walking out of the airport like  a deer in headlights...

...literally the only person in a semi-circle of drivers...

...crossing my fingers that someone is there for an EWH participant...

...like "Hey, What's up Africa!"...

... thinking "God please let this be Africa, it's dark and I can't see a thing"...

We have a long journey ahead of us. Our flight leaves Dallas at 16:00 on the 23rd and we don't get to Rwanda until 14:00 on the 25th. Suffice it to say, we will all need a couple of days to recover once we arrive.

DFW to New York, New York to Qatar, Qatar to Uganda, Uganda to Rwanda. Hopefully we'll be able to see a bit of the city during the 13 hour layover in Doha, Qatar!

And sorry human family, but I think I will miss these two troublemakers the most.

Round Two

Okay, so here it goes. My second attempt at blogging. For those of you who followed last year, I promise to be better about updating this time around! For those of you who didn't follow last year, shame on you! Props to Graham Aufricht for the blog name. For all of those 90's kids out there, here's a little bit of nostalgia heaven...Ducktales, woo ooh! (<-- it's a link, you click it)

We are less than two days away from departure to Rwanda. I can't believe it's come so quickly. I have to admit, everything is much easier the second time around. No guestimates about how many ounces of shampoo I'll need for 2 months of bucket showering and I've successfully limited myself to 3 pairs of shoes (shower sandals included).

The past few days, though hectic, have been exciting. I've mostly been preparing for the work I'll be doing while abroad (more on that later), spending quality time with family and friends, and stuffing my face with as much beef and chicken as possible. Now I just have to fit all of this stuff into suitcases!

 

The Penultimate Supper. Goodbye sweet sweet Mexican food. I will be gone for a while, but please prepare for the tortilla chip binge that is definitely happening upon my return. I probably won't be having the frog legs again, but it was worth a try. And that lovely lady to my left is my hot mama :)

I can't wait to see what the summer has in store and I am so excited to share the experience with everyone. Stay tuned!