Today begins our intensive 2 week training with the Rwandese staff of Agahozo. We will discuss the history of Rwanda and Agahozo in addition to addressing the mission of Agahozo. It will be very interesting to meet the staff we will be working with. But let me recap the past few days as it is only morning here and the training has not yet begun.
On Saturday we had an introductory seminar with Alain and Ido, a past volunteer. We sat on the balcony of the dining hall overlooking the hills of Rwanda. We discussed our collective core values in conjunction with the core values of Agahozo (role model, commitment, integrity, support, respect, interest of child and learning community). We then discussed the many facets of what our experience will be and the hardships we may face. It was interesting to hear about these possible roadblocks from a past volunteer. The most meaningful tip that the seminar left me with was "An Everyday Survival Kit" that Alain gave us. It included:
Toothpick: To remind you to pick out the good qualities in others
Rubberband: To remind you to be flexible, things might not always go the way you want but it will work out
Band-Aid: To remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's
Pencil: To remind you to list your blessings everyday
Eraser: To remind you that everyone makes mistakes and it's okay
Chewing Gum: To remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything
Mint: To remind you that everyone needs a kiss or hug everyday
Tea Bag: To remind you to relax daily and go over your list of blessings
I hope to use these tools to help me in my work here at Agahozo. And I hope that I can pass on these tools to you as well, no matter what work you do or the relationships you have.
We ended our seminar early so a bunch of the volunteers went into Rubona to grab a drink. Most of the stores were closed except for the bar which was hopping! It was really relaxing to walk about 20 minutes into town, drink a local beer, and walk back at nighttime.
Unlike Saturday, Sunday was a very busy day! We traveled to Kigali to tour the city a bit. Upon arrival we met one of the counselors from the village and four current students, all students that were the first class at Agahozo and will be the first class to graduate. We started our journey by walking around the town of Nyamirambi, located in Kigali. It was a beautiful town with lots of people enjoying their vacation. After Nyamirambi, we went to climb Mount Kigali. The walk was filled with beautiful nature and local people working in the fields. Three little children, entranced by the sight of white people, joined us on our hike. The hike was a bit arduous, but that may have been because I was wearing flip flops...oops! But I was able to take some stunning pictures of the view of Kigali from atop the mountain. On our way down the mountain we stopped to see the only four horses in Rwanda. Crazy, huh?
After the long hike, we stopped at a local restaurant and had a feast. We were handed a plate and were able to fill up the plate with as much food as we wanted. I tried beans, rice, plantains, cassava, potatoes and salad. I also tried fresh passion fruit juice (you would have loved it Daniella!). All delicious and for a whopping $2.50. You can trust that i'll be back there! We continued on to buy cell phones, sim cards and electric water kettles.
We ended the day by going to the Genocide Memorial Museum. While I wish we had more time to look at the museum and the mass graves, it was an incredible experience to not only learn the history of the Rwandese people, but to physically be in Rwanda and see that despite the genocide, the country is lively and filled with happiness. The mass graves overlook large towns in Kigali, showing the hope and power of the Rwandese people to look forward to a new world, free of discrimination and hate. The most powerful part of the museum was being able to be at the museum with some students from Agahozo. They were so helpful in clarifying the history and providing some insight on the genocide. A long, but really meaningful and fun day!
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