August in Rwanda (Week Kabiri, 2)

Week 2 of August was Peace Corps In Service Training, or following with PC's love for acronyms, IST. IST is a weeklong retreat marking the completion of Phase I of our deployment in the field. It was the first time all of us PCVs reunited since we were sworn in on April 15th and shipped out to site. During the first three months we were expected to acclimate and adjust to our new homes, conduct a community based assessment identifying community needs and starting to think in terms of what our projects will be like.

IST was a time for us to share on our experiences, successes and failures during the first three months. We each gave a 10 minute (timed) presentation to the rest of the PCVs. In between, we had some language training and other group activities such as brain storming for group projects.

I should mention that IST was held at a nice resort in the town of Kibuye on Lake Kivu. Kibuye is a beautiful lake front town in the western province and sits in a lagoon on the lake. Lake Kivu, one of the great lakes of eastern Africa, boarders Rwanda to the west with the shore on the opposite side belonging to the war-torn DR Congo. The lake is crystal clear despite disputed reports of possible Schistomises and pockets of methane gas and is dotted with several islands.

On Wednesday, we sailed off to Amahoro or Peace Island. PC set up a picnic for us out there along with full service lunch (the kitchen staff along with all the silverware, big stainless steel food containers, and drinks joined us on the 35 minute boat ride to the island!! it was cheaper than ordering brochettes on a stick and french fries!!)

IST turned out to be a relaxing and rejuvenating week for us. The days consisted of breakfast in the morning starting at 7 followed by training sessions from 8 to 12 when we break for lunch. we then start again from 1 till 5. At 5, a group of us would change in to swimming trunks and bathing suites and go for a swim in the lake with the watchful eye of our medical director!! (p.s. non of us contracted Schisto as far as I know, yet to be confirmed). With the full moon lighting the night sky during this week, one couldn’t resist night swims in the lake under the bright light of the full moon reflecting on the lake!!

I must say that I was looking forward to go back to my site after IST full of energy and excited to start my new project.

August in Rwanda (Week 1)

August has been full of adventures for me in Rwanda. I moved yet again to a new site (luckily to a place I've been before and with strong connections), but I also got to add to my experiences here in Rwanda.


Week 1: trip to Nyungwe National Park and Chimpanzee trekking. Took the bus 5 and half hours to Kate's site where I met with other friends and crashed in Kate's little tiny one bedroom house!! That same night, went to a interesting BBQ at some South African contractor's pad. In Rwanda constructing a new tourist's 5 star lodge for Dubai World, these guys lived a life that was far away from what we've been accustomed to while in Rwanda...it was a welcome change of scenery for sure


Waking up at 4 AM and getting ready for a two hour ride on the back of the Acre Fund truck was priceless. Laying in the flat bed in the back and staring at the sky as the sun rises over the tea fields was quite an experience. We had to get to the park early to catch the Chimps during their morning ritual of grabbing on leaves and fruits for breakfast followed by grooming sessions before they start coming down the trees and finding a new place to set up their nests. So turns out Chimps set up a new camp every night!! Chimps move in big groups usually a family of 50 that's lead by one alpha chimp.

Saturday afternoon we drove to Tyazo on Lake Kivu and home to the Acre Fund office. The Adventist Church owns an amazing house on the lake with canoes, rafts and other water sport toys.

The Travel Bug: from the Northern Province

Rwanda is blessed with unfettered beauty and endless hills and valleys that it earned the nick name the land of thousand hills. However, these hills seize to dominate the terrain once you’re deep in the Northern Province and arrive to Musanze. Musanze is the third largest city in Rwanda (after Kigali City and Butare) and sits on a plateau that’s half encircled with the Virunga volcanic mountains. The Virunga Mountains are declared a protected national park known as the Volcanoes National Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanoes_National_Park) which is also home to the endangered Mountain Gorilla.

The Volcanoes National Park offers a great place for hiking with several trails with various levels of difficulties. I recently hiked mount Bisoke (3,711m), one of the five volcano mountains, with a group of friends and other muzungu tourists. The other mountains are: Muhabura (4,127m), Gahinga (3,474m), Sabyimbo (3,634m), and Karisimbi (4,507). (reference: 1m = 3.28084 ft)

Mount Bisoke is home to the Amahoro Gorilla group and is crowned with a crater lake, which makes the three and half hour hike to the top worthwhile. The scenery from Bisoke is breath taking with amazing views of the other mountain tops breaking through the clouds atop the villages way below, and if you’re lucky you might come across other wild inhabitants of the national park such as the mountain elephant and the mountain buffalo. Our group was not lucky enough to see neither but we certainly stepped in their TERD!! The fauna in the area is just as amazing starting with potato fields right at the entrance of the part and starting with bamboo park (home to the mountain buffalo and elephant). As you continue ascending, you’ll reach the rain forest and as the weather gets colder with elevation, you’ll start noticing the more Siberian type plants with small leaves and tiny flowers!!

If you’re an avid mountain trekker but feel constrained by you modest PC stipend and feel the pinch to spend the $65 for park fees and another $80 for a car hire, another option is just as fascinating. Mount Kabuye is one pf the largest mountains in Rwanda and is right outside my new hometown of Gakenke. Mount Kabuye is about 3,500m offers an interesting hiking experience and is FREE. And for the price of a cold beer and a chocolate croissant from Naukumat you can spend the night at my house and get an early start the next day with a guided tour from yours truly.

In addition to trekking and visiting the Mountain Gorillas, Musanze offers a great opportunity for mountain biking, and is also a short bus ride (1:15 hours) to Gisenyi, which sits on the northern end of lake Kivu.

Updates on my earlier post titled "My New Home Away from Home"

Moving yet again. this time I'm relocating from the Rwandan capital of Gorillas and volcano mountains to a small little village on the way to my old home of Musanze from Kigali.

My new home is a village...one dirt road that leads at the end of it to the district hospital...the market here is open only twice a week and has 1 or 2 decent restaurants. On the bright side, I get to enjoy quiet time, clean air, and the view of the second largest mountain range in Rwanda.

To coupe with the slower pace in my new village I acquired some additional books to pass my evenings. On my immediate reading list are the following (as of Sept 12, 2009):

Recently finished: We Wish to Inform you That Tomorrow we will be killed with our families: stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, Three Cups of Tea By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Currently reading: The Big Necessity by Rose George
In my possession:
A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's rebirth and the man who dreamt it by Stephen Kinzer ,
Kilimanjaro: a Complete trekker's guide to Africa's Highest Mountain by Alexander Stewart

Book I refuse to continue reading: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. The writer is too negative and presumptuous!! unless someone can convince me that it gets better I'll leave it at chapter 2!!

Enroute from the my dear friend Huong back in Chicago:
Dead Aide by Dambisa Moyo and Niall Ferguson

Books I'd like to read: Mountains beyond Mountains
I'd like to watch: Real Time with Bill Maher, other HBO shows

Wild Animals in Rwanda

Wild animals in Rwanda are very rare if at all in existance. Other than mountain gorillas (in the volcano national park), goats, cows, and sheep there are no wildlife in Rwanda at all. There aren't even stray dogs or cats!!

Rwanda is very dense with population and highly cultivated which leaves no room for wild animals. There are two main national parks in Rwanda, the Volcano national park which houses the Mountain Gorilla and Akagera National Park which boarders Tanzania and Uganda and houses more of a savanna type land scape. they supposedly have giraffes, zebras and other savanna type animals but not as much as in the Tanzanian side.

On the other hand, birding here is amazing and Rwanda is actually a destination for bird watching and ornithology, bird science. I come across many interesting birds almost on daily bases while on site (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SitHTMDetails.asp&sid=6777&m=0)

UPDATE July 31, 2009: I recently hiked mount Bisoke (3,711 m = 12,128 ft and third largest in this range) in Musanze. Mount Bisoke is a volcano mountain crowned with the crater lake and is home to the Amahoro Gorilla group. Our trekking guide mentioned to us that there are other mountain animals inhabiting the volcanoe national park. Although, our group of 8 hikers that day did not sight any animals we certainly did encounter signs of their presence such as fresh terd!! The poop apparently belonged to mountain buffalos and the mountain elephant, which I would love to see!!

4th of July Celebration

I'm actually writing this post and the post before from the US Embassy, Kigali library. Today is the 4th of July (US Independence Day) and the embassy is hosting a celebration for the US expatriates and their friends in Rwanda. (4th of July is also Liberation Day in Rwanda and is a national holiday)

I took an early bus this morning from my town to attend the celebration. I was excited to be part of the larger American community here in Rwanda and for a chance to network and meet with other people here and also to grab a burger and enjoy some American food. The speech by the Ambassador was very inspirational and reminded me and others of the role we all play in a small country in the central Africa. The service that we all have to offer in furthering the American dream in sharing liberty and development with the Rwandan people. I must say for a while I was able to overcome the challenges I'm facing during my service here.

Furthermore, the burgers and the potato salad were a score!! Although they were not the same juicy burgers from the States, and where is the popsicles at?!!

Cheers and happy birthday America

An amazing and Peaceful Ending to a Strange Day!!

The time is 10:45 pm Karen, my housemate in Musanze, just finished a late dinner and not wanting to go to sleep right after dinner (white rice, all Turkey SPAM, and corn) we decided we'll go out for a walk (my town turns into a ghost town after 7:00 pm) but with the moon lighting the sky we decided we would go never the less. As we walked down the dirt road under the moon-lit skies we came around a street corner we could hear some chanting, singing and clapping. Karen and I decided to follow the path to the source of the chanting which after passing a corn field and a barn with peeing cows, we reached a small house with covered windows and a small hidden door. At first I thought the door was locked from the outside which I thought was bazaar, but decided the push the door which opened into a small dark room (10x10) with wooden benches and pictures of the Virgin Mary on the wall. There were two ladies and a guy sitting on one of the bench next two another room behind a curtain. We sat down and could hear the chanting and clapping coming from the other room.

We were then led into the other room with one candle lighting the even smaller room. We first had to take our shoes off before going in there. The room had a few women sitting on the floor, two guys kneeling and another two guys standing. One of the two guys standing was leading the prayer and the others were yelling back screams and hallelujahs. One of the women stood up at some point and started tapping the floor with here bare feet and clapping her hands while shaking her head! We experienced this service (which Karen said is similar to Korean style Prayer) for about 30 minutes before the chanting stopped and everybody stood up and grabbed their flash light. Two of the guys in the group spoke English and after I introduced the two of us in my little Kinyarwanda, they welcomed us and invited us to join them as the continue praying except...

This time they were going to continue their praying in the forest! I looked at Karen and we both decided that it would be interesting to experience a Rwandan chant in the middle of the forest under the moon lit skies.

As we were preparing to head out, the women in the room starting flashing their flashlights on my feet and mumbling. I had my flip flops on and a pair of shorts. The discussion was around the flip flops and how they won't serve on the trek to the forest!! One of the guys looked under his bed and grabbed the nicest shoes he had and offered them to me. Then they grabbed two heavy jackets for Karen and I (it was a cold night out). As we realized that we were not well equipped for a night trek to the woods and participating in a prayer that was to end around 3 or 4 in the am. We decided that we would be better off if we go home with the promise to come back on Sunday. (stay tuned for the next round)!!

I was really touched by the whole experience and the spirituality in the chanting and dancing from the group of Rwandan's. I was also touched by their hospitality to two strangers walking into their house and offering us their shoes and clothes!! It was an amazing and peaceful ending to a rough day when just a few hours earlier I was accused of being racist to black people!! the same black people I chose to dedicate the next two years of my life professionaly working and growing with!!