i leave Rwanda with an excitement to sleep in my own bed. inside my fortress where i feel safe. i have mixed feelings about Kigali and Rwanda. they are positioning themselves [much to the laughter of other east africans] as THE HUB of east africa. like many african countries i feel like it's a powder key just waiting for someone to toss in a match. a few weeks after this trip i'm in a mixed social situation, some expats some visitors, when a 'well traveled american' visitor starts talking Rwanda, genocides, politics, etc. it's obvious to me she has no clue about what is really going in the country but i can't be bothered to even comment. plus, the constant stream of words coming out of her mouth without a pause between sentences doesn't allow anyone to really comment. there's a south african in the group who has been in east africa for a long time and he catches my eye. in a split second i can see thinks the same thing. i just smile but a minute later he interrupts her and provides a more realistic view of the sociopolitical climate there.
i've been invited to return and there are certainly jobs for expats there but i can't really imagine living there. another highlight of the trip is spending time with a polish expat i met when she was on a Tanzanian project. that in combination with the fact that it was the french that orignially colonized Rwanda means that good wines are easily available.
the Australians i met in Kigali are also traveling onward to Jaro on the same flight for a climb on Kili and i meet up with them at the gate, exchange some data points on where they've been [climbing volcanos and other badass stuff] and in minutes they have me laughing again about the silly things that happened along the way.it was a trip filled with new friends, old friends and unforgettable adventures!
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