Today was a fun and relaxing day. As soon as I woke up, I stepped outside and immediately said "Wow! It is beautiful here!" Trees line the top of the hill, with the hills of Rwanda and Burundi laying behind it. The sky a stark blue with thick white clouds. The weather was perfect, not too hot with a light breeze.
We started the day by walking to the nearby town of Rubona. This was our first experience being seen as outsiders. Along the way men, women and children stopped to look at us. We continued on our way, getting a tour from Olivie (a worker in the village), but the stroll was definitely uncomfortable. Aside from the culture shock, the walk was beautiful! Houses, schools, trees and flowers lined the dirt path to the market. Everything was so beautifully manicured. We stopped at a few local stores to see what they were selling. Olivie made sure to show us of a place where we can buy Pineapple Passion wine. (You can guarantee that i'll be back to try that!). We saw stores where you can buy soap, milk, fanta and of course bananas!
Once we saw the permanent stores, we explored the market, which only happens on Tuesdays and Fridays. The market was incredible! Women sitting under umbrellas surrounded by some of the most fresh and delicious looking tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and avocados. Olivie bought all 8 of us an avocado (much bigger and tastier than those in the States), all for a whopping 50 cents!
By the time we ended our tour of the town and market, we had multiplied in numbers. Young kids of the town followed us around, watching our every step. While they didn't speak English, they asked for us to take their picture. Not only do I have pictures of stunning and curious Rwandese children, but I was able to make them laugh by showing them the picture on the camera. It was such a great feeling to see these children so happy. So definitely expect me to be back to town!
When we finished at the market, we drove back to town and got a chance to rest. After resting we went to lunch. What a party! Lunch was a celebration for the men and women that helped to finish building the village. In order to celebrate we had a barbecue; lots of potatoes and fresh grilled goat meat. I even got to try a local beer. It was all so delicious!
After lunch I got to nap for a short bit but the day continued pretty soon after. We met with Alain (Deputy Director) and JC (Village Director) to begin to talk about our work in the village. We did introductions and proceeded on a tour of the village. We started in the farm which has cabbage, coffee beans, bananas, eggplant and more. We continued into the student houses, staff houses and dining hall. We didn't make it to the school since it started to get dark, but the village is just incredible! The buildings are really nice with flowers everywhere. There's even a little park in the center with flowers and benches and grass to relax on.
We concluded the day with a meal in the dining hall. My first meal of beans, rice and potatoes. And let me say, it wasn't so bad! Let's just hope I can eat a year's worth of it. After a restless night, i'm going to need lots of sleep tonight. So lila tov (goodnight) and happy dreams! Oh, and I almost forgot, of course I got really sunburnt...oops!
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