Etc.

So, here’s a collection of random other things in Rwanda:

Our Pakistani family: they’re wonderful. We love them. Ben and Katy met them at Juicy one time, and ever since, we’ve been going over to their house, going out to dinner, going bowling with them, etc. They’re not just one family. They’re a bunch of Pakistanis that happened to find each other in Kigali. Kind of reminds me of my Caribbean family in Little Rock :) Ghazali is our main friend in the family, and he has three kids that are absolutely adorable and so bright. He’s basically adopted us as his white kids, we like to think. They’re great :)

My American sister: My sister came back from America about a week ago. Going to the airport to get her was the most surreal experience. The last time I was there, I was a clueless, fresh off the plane muzungu. The next time I’d be there, I’d be leaving Rwanda. My sister’s name is Fiona, and she goes to a boarding school in Kentucky. Apparently I’m the first student that’s stayed with her family that she’s met. She’s pretty cool. It’s nice to have another American around, in a sense. I don’t have to modify how I speak with her like I do with other Rwandans, even my family whose English is great. I’ve only gotten to see her twice now, but I’m glad I got to meet her. Now I’ve met all of my siblings! All eleven :P

Uganda again: So, we moved out of our lovely house last week and headed to Uganda with the rest of our group. We were going to go to Kibuye in Rwanda, but we couldn’t get our visas, so we just headed back to Uganda and spent a few days in Kabale on Lake Bunyonyi. Apparently the lake is 600 meters deep, which is 2000 feet. Personally, I have trouble believing this, but whatever. We spent the first day just doing our evaluations and talking about the program, and then the next day we went and did the most ethical thing possible—went on a pygmy tour. We’re terrible people, right? We actually felt pretty bad about it afterward. It was on the menu at this hotel we were staying at, which is ridiculous in the first place, but we just thought, why the heck not? I think our teacher actually wanted to more than we did. Anyway, we took a boat over across the lake to the village (it wasn’t actually theirs, they just met us there), met a few people, they had us walk up a road, danced for us, and then asked for their money. It was just a random bunch of people in random clothes and no fanfare like other dances we’d seen. They spoke Kinyarwanda since they were Twa (a Rwandan “ethnicity”/group), so at least we could speak to them, which is probably more than most could do. They also only got a 10% cut of what we paid to go on the tour, which is terrible. We hung out a little bit afterward, drank sorghum beer (there were some DRUNK pygmies), played with a baby who nommed on my and Katy’s finger, then headed back to the hotel. Pretty much the most awkward thing I’ve ever done. And yes, for the most part they were really short.

Debraiding my hair: So while we were in Uganda, I started taking my braids out. Honestly, they were just getting in the way, and I missed my real hair a lot. I still have a few left in now, but I can get it up in a real pony tail, which is what matters.

So now we’re back at Moucecore, the same hotel in which we began this whole trip. This whole semester. It’s kind of weird how things are coming full circle. Ben and I went back to the Kimironko market like we did in the beginning (and of course I got more fabric. I’m coming back to America with so many dresses and skirts, yall). And now we’ve got just a few days left. I have my flight itinerary pulled up on my computer (why am I flying a Canadian plane to Dallas?). I know what I want to do this weekend (hey mom, let’s go to the farmers’ market please. It’ll help with the culture shock. Also, I need some chips and salsa and guacamole. And queso. Love you!). And I’m starting work/babysitting/nannying/chauffeuring on Monday. See you soon, America.