Update Rwanda.
So we have been in Rwanda now for 5 days.. After the very stressful start worrying about the Yellow Fever vaccinations, and the understanding that taxi drivers will try to rip you off, we are getting used to Kigali.
It’s not like home. .... At all.. But in the interests of ‘experience’ which seems to be what my life is all about right now, it’s definitely hitting full on the ‘experienometer’ !
We start the tournament today, my son got s bye in the first round. He says he’s excited and ready to go! Courts are not pristine, they’re bumpy and they don’t sweep them ( clay) but he’s got on with that and is not fazed by it.
I wish the WiFi was better. I can’t post my blogs from my laptop and no schoolwork has been done yet either. My biggest worry at this stage is getting behind in my SAC and the website I manage needs alterations, but I can’t risk doing it here and not being able to complete it.
However.. I’m starting to realise just how fortunate I am living where I do. I complain about the traffic, the heat, the postal system in Spain, the invasion of holidaymakers from June to September.. the cost of air con, shops shut for siesta from 2-5 everyday... I am so lucky I don’t live in Kigali, let alone Rwanda.
Rwandan streets are very clean, there are women with brushes, sweeping constantly everywhere you look. There are police at every street corner, crossing, school entrance (with guns). They have moto taxis- motorbikes- zipping all over.. hundreds of them in ‘rushour’ Got to be honest, the vehicles, including motorbikes look like they were made before the genocide 25 years ago.
As far as I can tell, the country, well my part of Kigali... is safe. Kagame, the president and leader of the RPF since the genocide, rules with a rod of iron, but the country is peaceful and people look happy.
However, walking around even with my son, is a nightmare. We are stared at, feel very uncomfortable. Everyone wants to shake your hand. Consequently we have ended up going to and from the tennis courts in a taxi and staying in the hotel. It’s not how I would have liked it to be, to come all this way and not see anything of the city is disappointing. There are mountain gorillas to the north of Kigali but we can’t go see them, it’s not safe getting close to the border with CARC or Uganda.. not only are there terrorists who kidnap white people for ransom, but there is an outbreak of Ebola.
We will appreciate the experience but probably not come back again.
I’ll persevere with the Internet.. ☺️
Recent Comments
15
What a blog.... loved it...
You can add the fact you don’t have to live like the locals in your daily gratitude list... 🙏
I love to travel but sometimes it takes us out of our comfort zone and I find as I get older I find my comfort zone is smaller
Hope your son soaks up the experience and does brilliantly 🤗
Great experience Helen.
I want to visit Kigali soon. I am told it’s probably the safest city in East Africa.
Enjoy your stay.
Jane
Looks like you are getting on with it Helen definitely an experience and a half, it does make one reflect on how lucky we are, even on a bad day it can be really good.
Thanks for sharing, and best wishes for the rest of your trip, how is your son getting on with the tennis.
See more comments
Thanks for sharing the interesting information about your trip!
After being stared at and having people wanting to shake your hand, your son knows what it feels like once he becomes a famous pro!
Safe travels, and congratulations on his tournament success this far.
KyleAnn
Haha!! That’s very true! ☺️