My trip to Rwanda

Hey Everyone!

Sorry it’s been so long since I last updated my blog but I was on a week long excursion to eastern Uganda and Rwanda, and so access to the internet was very difficult.

Anywho, I really enjoyed my time in western Uganda and Rwanda. While in western Uganda I was staying in Mbarara (President Museveni’s home town) and my group and I visited one of the 12 millennium village sites that are in sub-Saharan Africa. The one in Uganda is located in Isingiro district and started in 2006. During the visit we got to see one of the local primary schools that benefited from energy-efficient stoves, the village bank (that urges community groups to establish bank accounts), an environmental organization, and the community hospital. The hospital was the best part of the trip to me. I have some pictures from my visit (hopefully they post).

We stayed in Mbarara for 2 days and then journeyed to Rwanda. Rwanda has really made strides towards development (at least in its capital city) since the 1994 genocide and this fact is most noticeable through the quality of its roads. While in Rwanda we visited the Kigali memorial center which documents the history of the genocide. Outside the center is about 5 mass graves that surviving relatives place flowers on. Inside is a museum type exhibit. Going through the history of the genocide is really sad and frustrating – especially since the “ethnic groups” were created by the colonists. Beyond that realizing the culpability of international players was disheartening. The saddest portion was the last exhibit. The door to this room has a dedication to the children victims of the genocide who would have been the countries future leaders. Reading about the horrendous ways some of these children died was just horrible. After going through the memorial I bought a view book and so if anyone wants a better glimpse into what the genocide was about and what the memorial documents just let me know when I return home.

After 2 days in Rwanda we went back to Mbarara for one night before returning to our home stays.


Okay on to other news:
Nancy – Uganda is an amazing country and I am so happy to be here. I’ve only gotten a slight stomach upset so far but I think I’m being pretty cautious so I doubt Ill get sick. And if I do I will definitely go straight to the hospital --- no need to repeat past mistakes! So far the mosquitoes here have not been as bad as the ones in Nicaragua. But I think that’s because the rainy season has not really started.

Having fun in Uganda is just like having fun in America. All the youths (people our age) go to clubs/dancehalls or concerts on the weekend. An interesting fact about there clubs is that all the people dance in front of mirrors. At first I thought it was weird but it’s grown on me and last time I went out I found myself dancing in the mirror!!! Also, they love to play 90s music or music from even earlier decades. But its all good.

Okay, I think this post is long enough. Hopefully the pictures will post successfully!!

The pictures have not been uploading. But ill try later on today!