Rwanda

i spent the last week in Rwanda since i still have no work permit and needed to do a visa run.  also, contacts there + market analysis for the company + mountain gorillas + my birthday = win/win.  don't check my math - not sure that my calculus professor will agree with that but i'm in Africa and the math is variable.

the difference between Rwanda and Tanzania is shockingly surreal. i probably mentioned from a post about Nairobi, but when there are paved roads, curbs, sidewalks and street lights (or even just electricity) it elevates a society to a different level.  it's clean and the drivers so polite you feel like you are in an alternative universe.  i'm constantly told it is safe to walk at night in the streets (and we do with no problem) or to sleep with your windows open (which I don't) and in general to wander freely without concerns about safety.  this seems absurd to me in a country where 1 million people were slaughtered by friends and neighbors while back in Tanzania where there has not been ethnic violence everyone is in lock down by dark.

i had been warned by a friend in Tanzania to not try to put on blinders about the genocide but i thought i'd give it a try anyway.  I remain physically ill and in tears whenever I bring to mind the killing places I visited in Cambodia, another genocide that happened in my lifetime.

When I arrived I was given the same advice by another expat there along with a book called 'Machete Season, the killers speak'.  So, off I trot to the Genocide Museum, watching as much as I can of the video testimony but averting my eyes from that which is most distasteful.  I avoid the room with the skeletons of those that were murdered.  I force myself to walk among the large concrete slabs that cover the bodies of over 250,000 people but i walk quickly.

people don't speak of it, other than to refer to the violence, or unstable time or 'before'.

i'm never going to be an expert on the happenings of the Rwanda genocide but there were some scary things i learned and i will share.  1) the genocide was not a surprise - the UN was briefed about it in advance  2) the catholic clergy in country were responsible for thousands of deaths and 3) the possibility of another similar event is highly likely.

much better stuff in the next post.

how safe is Tanzania?

safety is a relative thing.  of course, i know this, every country is different and you adjust along the way.  it's always best to talk to other expats so yes, i asked about safety and security before i accepted a position here.  

here's what i was told:

'yes, it's safe if you follow basic precautions'

here's what i heard:

'it's okay, just stay alert'

here's what it really means:

it's not safe for a western woman to walk alone anywhere in Tanzania at any time of day or night.  plan to buy a car, get a license [this is a joy] and insurance.  you should expect to be inside your locked compound before dark or travel with an entourage.  never use a taxi or driver that you don't know.

forget about any security for valuable items, just assume they will be stolen and hope your insurance will cover it.  definitely don't carry something that looks like a laptop bag.  

for me it's an adjustment, in Myanmar [Burma] 95% of phones/laptops left in a taxi are returned to the owner.  it's safe for women to move freely around the city at any time and safety was never an issue.

here, the young girls call out to me and engage me and i delight in being able to stutter a few awkward swahili words, but the boys and men look at me with cutting eyes and resentment and i am wary of every step on the streets.

Tanzania is a beautiful country and to be restricted like this hurts my soul.  at the Indian compound, i am unsure if it is a cultural or safety issue but the women of the compound never seem to leave, just pace back and forth over the same paths.