thinking that today i would be leaving for nairobi and bruxelles, i relish my last day in africa ... a leisurely breakfast on the terrace overlooking the lake! a long chat with oscar and alain about the political situation in neighboring congo, the internal situation here in rwanda, and the purpose of the UN forces (peacekeeping, but what peace ARE they keeping?). oscar, the manager, explains how being raised in congo means receiving a single cow eight days after birth - this animal ‘brings’ others during it’s lifetime, resulting in a much larger herd which serves as a ‘bank account’. when one travels, they sell a cow to finance the trip. for university, a couple of cows are sacrificed for the good of higher education. sure beats a trust fund!
at the guest house where we stay, there must be twenty people servicing the four large apartments. workers come and go, bringing coffee, wiping terraces, opening gates - quite a contrast to the skeletal staff at any hampton inn, where a sole individual seems to man the night shift!
we begin the drive back to kigali, as i need to review some drawings at the architecture office prior to taking off. the countryside continues to astound me - it is green, lush, and terraces, and truly looks like hawai’i. it’s a gorgeous day and a glorious drive - many people walking along the side of the road, women balancing baskets, sugar cane, and twigs on their heads with nary a hand to help them. the men, on the other hand, stroll along at their own pace, chatting or riding their bikes (whose ownership gives them elevated social status). as we zip through small villages, we see large clumps of people hanging out, standing still, just not moving.
we make it back to kigali mid-afternoon, and when we arrive at the offices, we are joined by fred, the contractor for our project. he queries about my schedule, and asks if i’m flying SN tonight ... my affirmative response is rebuffed - the flight has been canceled i’m told. no!!!
unfortunately, my dear friend speaks the truth ... the plane is not coming from bruxelles, and alain helps me scramble over to the town office of the airline. they rebook my on an improvised flight for tomorrow evening, much to my chagrin, and refuse to put me up for the night at the serena. they propose the milles collines (the hotel of ‘hotel rwanda’ fame) ... the carpets in the rooms have not been cleaned since the genocide, so i pass and opt for the also-offered novotel.
i will now miss seeing my close friends in belgium, will be forced to spend an extra nonproductive day in kigali, and will have to run to make my connection on monday to get back to new york in time to bake marlee’s birthday cake (the big day is tuesday!). not to mention i will be traveling straight from kigali to nairobi to bruxelles to new york - 22 hours!
time for a quick bite and a whole lot of mutzig!!!
h
at the guest house where we stay, there must be twenty people servicing the four large apartments. workers come and go, bringing coffee, wiping terraces, opening gates - quite a contrast to the skeletal staff at any hampton inn, where a sole individual seems to man the night shift!
we begin the drive back to kigali, as i need to review some drawings at the architecture office prior to taking off. the countryside continues to astound me - it is green, lush, and terraces, and truly looks like hawai’i. it’s a gorgeous day and a glorious drive - many people walking along the side of the road, women balancing baskets, sugar cane, and twigs on their heads with nary a hand to help them. the men, on the other hand, stroll along at their own pace, chatting or riding their bikes (whose ownership gives them elevated social status). as we zip through small villages, we see large clumps of people hanging out, standing still, just not moving.
we make it back to kigali mid-afternoon, and when we arrive at the offices, we are joined by fred, the contractor for our project. he queries about my schedule, and asks if i’m flying SN tonight ... my affirmative response is rebuffed - the flight has been canceled i’m told. no!!!
unfortunately, my dear friend speaks the truth ... the plane is not coming from bruxelles, and alain helps me scramble over to the town office of the airline. they rebook my on an improvised flight for tomorrow evening, much to my chagrin, and refuse to put me up for the night at the serena. they propose the milles collines (the hotel of ‘hotel rwanda’ fame) ... the carpets in the rooms have not been cleaned since the genocide, so i pass and opt for the also-offered novotel.
i will now miss seeing my close friends in belgium, will be forced to spend an extra nonproductive day in kigali, and will have to run to make my connection on monday to get back to new york in time to bake marlee’s birthday cake (the big day is tuesday!). not to mention i will be traveling straight from kigali to nairobi to bruxelles to new york - 22 hours!
time for a quick bite and a whole lot of mutzig!!!
h
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