A day in Kigali

Today Teste, Wendy and I went to Kigali.  Cathy had things to do so unfortunately she could not come.  We got on the bus at 8:30 am in Musanze and headed off to Kigali which is a two hour drive.  The scenery is just unbelievable – hills everywhere, terraced with farm land.  There are no tractors – all the work is done by hand – mostly by women.  They call Rwanda “A land of a thousand hills” and it is just that.  I did not know where to look – it was all so stunning – real life happening in Rwanda.

We arrived safely and Wendy and I took a taxi to the Kigali Memorial Centre.  Although it was very sad and poignant, it has been very well done and shows respect and love for all the people whose lives were lost in 1994.  The Memorial is not only about the Genocide in Rwanda but other Genocides in the world over the years – the last one being in Bosnia in 1999.  Genocide is not only the murder of millions of people but it is murder one at a time.  There are several mass graves at the site and we paid our respects.  This really happened here and it can never happen again.  So many families were wiped out and destroyed in such cruel and sadistic ways.  Words cannot express what I felt today.

We went to the Hotel Des Mille Collines for lunch.  This was the hotel where many people were saved during the Genocide in April 1994. It is the hotel that was in the movie Hotel Rwanda.  It is very beautiful and serene.  It was a lovely lunch.  Then some shopping at some local art shops.  I bought a few things to bring home for people.   I have also bought some beautiful African material and am planning to have some bags made.  Cathy and I will meet with the lady who does the sewing tomorrow. 

Tomorrow there is school in the morning and mother and baby group in the afternoon, where Cathy helps mothers with hygiene and parenting.  Time is going too fast!  I am enjoying being here so much.  If I did not have a family, I would be very tempted to live here for awhile.  It is so satisfying, but I do have many reasons to come home!

“A tree can only be straightened when it is young”..................