It's the last night of our Spring Break, and I'm looking ahead to just 6 short weeks of school before it's time to pack up and go. The closer this time comes, the more I find myself trying to find ways to hang onto the memories and experiences I've had here in Africa. During this break I got to make a lot of great memories with my mom, who came from California to spend 10 days with me experiencing life in Rwanda and Uganda. We made sure to take a lot of pictures and buy a few souvenirs to commit these experiences to memory.
My mom had a whirlwind trip, and I packed as much into her time as I thought possible. She arrived here on a Tuesday night and before I let her sleep after her 26 hour journey, I walked her around my neighborhood and introduced her to my bible study group. I was glad she got to see and meet them, and as I stood there I realized quite certainly how important this group has been to me this year. Every week we talk and sing and read and discuss and pray, and I know that this intimacy will be something I will miss after leaving Rwanda. I pray that I will be blessed to join or start a group like this next year.
My 6th grade class (my mom is in the back)
On Wednesday my mom joined me at school in the afternoon and helped with our grade 6 chapel. The kids have been very excited to meet her and to hear her play the piano in person (we listen to her CD in class). After school my mom and I visited the Rwandan Genocide Memorial. I had not been yet, so it was good to go with my mom and be able to process some of these tragic realities with her. While it is so painful to see how real evil is, in turn it is amazing to see the power of forgiveness and the healing that has occurred. The following day marked the 17th anniversary of the beginning of the genocide. The country chooses to take this time to remember so that it will not happen again.
We took motos home, an experience that my mom actually enjoyed, and joined friends for dinner and a bonfire. We had a bonfire at the boys house complete with s'mores (thanks Mom!) to kick off Spring Break. The first few days were spent relaxing at home and venturing out a little to the market and town to look at souvenirs. We also enjoyed an afternoon with Emmanuel (our helper) and his family. He brought his wife and kids for a few hours - they are a very sweet family!
On Saturday we went to the African Bagel Company for donuts and bagels, and then went to Amani Yu Juu, a place where women from broken backgrounds have been taught to sew, and they make lovely and unique items. We each picked up some beautiful Rwandan treasures!
After church on Sunday we went to the orphanage in town. I had not been in a few months and it was good to see the kids and how much they've grown! The older kids (2-5) went to play basketball, so as they were away, the nuns allowed us to go inside and bring the children with special needs out to the sunshine. I don't think this happens very often, so it was a blessing indeed, for all of us! I got to hold a little boy, Pacificique (Pass-if-ee-kay), and it was a joy to watch his eyes dart around taking in all of the action outside! The adoption process has been opened once again in Rwanda, so please pray that these little angels get to go 'home' soon!
Monday began our BIG adventure to Uganda. There were six of us in all, my roommates Hannah and Micki, Micki's parents, and my mom and me. We took a coach bus to the Ugandan border, and then had a driver, Dennis, pick us up to take us the rest of the way to Queen Elizabeth Park. It was a long, warm, dusty drive, but well worth it once we saw where we got to stay! Rwanda and southern Uganda are very hilly, so one can never see farther than a few miles in any direction. Kingfisher Lodge is on the side of a hill, one that overlooks all of Queen Elizabeth Park. The view was breathtaking - looking out over a vast savannah, across to Lakes Edward and Andrew and mountains in both Uganda and Congo! So, we hopped in our suits, jumped in the pool, and just stared out into the beauty until the sun set.
We woke up early the next morning as it's best to start a game drive as the sun comes up. It was only a matter of minutes after leaving the lodge that we began to see some wildlife. Monkeys, cape buffalo, and elephants! It was a bit overwhelming to take in the scenery, with not just the sun coming up, but also a storm approaching. There were so many colors and clouds - it's hard to describe, and the pictures never seem to tell the whole story. As we were driving through the savannah, I think what I found the most fascinating was the sound. It was very quiet, but when we came across the lions, we noticed something new. The kob (like gazelles), were whistling to one another, warning each other of the predator in the area. Not that the lionesses looked like predators. They were just waking up and saying good morning to each other, nuzzling one another. But then, we saw one begin to hunt and watched the "cat and mouse" game begin. Super fascinating to watch these animals in their natural habitat.
It's hard to see, but she has some breakfast in her mouth.
Something we did not plan on, but were incredibly thrilled to experience, was getting to cross the equator! Ok, so really, we just drove to it, took a bajillion pictures, and then turned around and went back to see more animals, but seriously… cool!
I call the next part of the drive, "the drive of the elephants"! We were fortunate enough to come across a large herd of elephants grazing around and in the road on the way to Mweya Lodge. Our safari car was more of a minivan, one in which there were tinted windows and one large sunroof that 2-3 people could fit through at a time. This meant that 2-3 people were always "stuck" in the car trying to look out the tinted windows. So, for part of the drive, we opened in the side door to get a better look. At one point, we were stopped and there was no good view of the elephants from the open door, so, I hopped out! I got some great shots, and then Dennis told me to get back in, so I did, after I got him to take my picture with some of the gorgeous beasts! We also got to see a baboon, a hippo, and a warthog along this road!
We had lunch at Mweya Lodge, a super expensive lodge, but it does have great views, and it is in the middle of the park. There is also a boat launch there where one can take a boat safari for the mere price of $15 US. If you are considering a trip to Queen Elizabeth, this is a must! We were able to get quite close to several elephants, hippos, and cape buffalo. We even saw some monitor lizards and crocodiles (but they are really shy)! Queen Elizabeth Park boasts ver 600 species of birds - we didn't see nearly that many, but we did see several kingfishers, pink heron, eagles, vultures, weavers, pelicans and even a pair of egyptian geese! There are villages inside the National Park, and so there are reports of fatalities due to the dangerous nature of these animals. At the end of our boat ride we passed one such village on a hill right next to the Kazinga Channel. There were little boys playing near the water as their fathers worked, not more than an hundred meters or so from some hippos. Hippos are the most deadly according to Park statistics. It's definitely a different way of life!
The next morning we packed and made our 7 hour journey back to Kigali. Hannah, Micki, and her parents stayed the night at Lake Bunyoni in Uganda, while my mom and I headed all the way back. We were able to hire a "private" matatu (think a little bigger than a VW bus in which there are normally about 20 passengers) to take us from the Rwandan border to our house. It was a pretty day and a nice drive back through the hills of Rwanda.
On Thursday I introduced my mom to Bourbon Coffee, Rwanda's version of Starbucks. Rwanda boasts some of the best coffee plantations, of which I have yet to see. Some of my friends visited a plantation in Butare (southern Rwanda) last week. This plantation's buyer is Starbucks and they have quite the operation! After our Bourbon excursion we walked home, and it was already time to pack. :( We packed up my mom's stuff (not much), our souvenirs (a decent amount), and some of my stuff (ok, a lot), so she had 3 full bags to take back with her. It was a long journey home (41 hours), but it was a safe one!
The reality of my time coming to a close here gets more apparent every day. My mom's trip has been something I have thought of as "towards the end" - and now that she's already back in the US, it's sinking in more. My walls are bare, and tables much less cluttered as I had her take home things I will not need in the next 6 weeks. It's both depressing and exciting all at once. In a few weeks the school has planned one last retreat for the teachers, one in which they plan to debrief us on our time here. I may also try to sneak in a trip to see the gorillas!
The theme of our chapel last week was Easter and we also emphasized some of the hymns we have been learning about. One of my (many) favorites is All Creatures of our God and King. It seems like a timely hymn for the adventure just experienced. The words were written almost 800 years ago by St. Francis of Assisi. There is a recording of the song on my mom's CD - if you haven't heard it, ask her for a copy, it's beautiful!!
All Creatures of Our God and King
All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing: Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
Ye clouds that sail in heav’n along, O praise Him, Alleluia!
Thou rising morn in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice,
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness, O praise Him, Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One,
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
