Ode to the Rwanda Trip

Right now all 30 of our students, 6 staff members, plus some UCU students and staff are in Rwanda. This is a trip the program runs every August and April for 9-10 days of travel, learning and discussion. I have been on and led this trip seven times and this is the first semester I am not there. It feels funny not being on a trip I know so well, but I am grateful for the break. This gives me time to prepare for some other projects and travel. Also, it is an intense trip- emotionally, organizationally and travel-wise.

So, instead of being on the trip, I decided to write a blog post about it. I have hundreds of pictures, so many memories and lessons I have learned from Rwanda and traveling there with the program. Hopefully this post will give a good overview of my experience and emotions about travel to Rwanda.

Rwanda is a small country in East Africa that borders Uganda to the south. Most people know Rwanda because of the genocide that took place there in 1994. We take our students there to learn about all aspects of Rwanda- it's past, present and hopeful future. We spend time learning about the genocide, learning from the people of Rwanda and seeing the beauty and culture of the country. This picture shows why Rwanda is sometimes referred to as The Land of a Thousand Hills:

It truly is a beautiful place. This often contrasts with what we are learning about Rwanda and it's dark history. Usually a few days are spent on the past- visiting memorials, a museum and understanding the history.

I took the picture to the right on my first trip to Rwanda in April 2008 when visiting the national university in Butare. I remember the man giving us a tour struggled through his tears to talk about what had happened there. The emotion, 14 years later, showed the pain people still feel and that stayed with me. A constant lesson is hearing how people continue to work through their pain and anger after such a devastating event.

Below is the Belgian Memorial located in Kigali to honor some of the UN soldiers who died:

Usually this time of learning about the genocide brings up many questions- how could this have happened? Where was God? How can people survive after this? Can a country heal from such an event? While some of these questions can never be answered to everyone's satisfaction, engaging in conversations with Rwandans and those who work in the country helps to start processing these thoughts.

One of the sites we've visited is a community for people who were orphaned by the genocide. Most of the people there are now in their 20s and are able to talk about their experience of living without their parents and what happened to their families. Here is a group of students listening to one of the community members, with their social worker standing in the background:

One of the most powerful themes visiting Rwanda is forgiveness and reconciliation. Many victims have been able to go through the process of forgiving the people who killed or hurt them and their families. Many organizations contribute to this effort and one of the best I have seen is CARSA (Christian Action for Reconciliation and Social Assistance). They bring together victims and perpetrators in the process of reconciliation. Last semester we heard from Chantel and John, pictured below. John killed Chantel's father, was imprisoned for a period of time, and moved back to their mutual community when released. Through the help of CARSA they went through the long process of asking for forgiveness and pursuing reconciliation, and now live as neighbors and friends. It is hard to hear a story like this and not think about all the petty ways I hold grudges in my own life. When I meet people who have forgiven in this way, it makes me re-examine any forgiveness I need to seek or give.

One of the things people in Rwanda point to as a reason to forgive is God's forgiveness for them. Hearing these testimonies is a powerful reminder of the forgiveness and grace we have all been granted in our lives. People also talk about the release of bitterness and anger in their hearts and how it frees them to live their lives. Usually these revelations lead to in-depth conversations and examinations of our own lives and hearts.

Rwanda has beautiful cultural aspects that we also get to experience. Rwanda only has one tribe (Hutu and Tutsi were ethnic distinctions) so country-wide people share a language, traditional dances and crafts. Below is some traditional Rwandan dancing with crafts included. Seeing dancing and crafts is always a highlight of the trip and helps see Rwanda in it's current state.

Some traditional Rwandan baskets for sale, the pointed top makes them distinctly Rwandan.

One of the highlights for me is getting to see my friend Christi. Christi has worked in Rwanda for 4 years helping women to sell their fair trade crafts. She has spoken to our students about her call to Rwanda and her experience there. And I always love getting to catch up with her!

A big part of this trip for me is getting to work with the other staff. It brings out a whole different kind of relationship to work together for a week dealing with intense themes and discussions along with things like transport issues, illnesses, scheduling, money (in 3 currencies!) and crossing borders together. Usually towards the end of the trip we have a staff dinner and here is a picture from our one last semester- April 2011:

After spending about a week in Rwanda we cross back in to Uganda and spend a weekend in Kabale and at Lake Bunyoni having a time of debrief. This helps have space to think about what we have seen, heard and learned. It also allows for some much needed down time. One of our favorite places to stay is Bushara Island Camp which we have to access by boat. Here is a group crossing the lake after a weekend of debriefing:

While I see the trip to Rwanda as one of the biggest undertakings of my job, I also see the value and importance of it every time we go. I know I will probably be continuing to think about and process the trip for years to come. And this week I'll be praying for the group there and thinking of them as many experience Rwanda for the first time.

If you are interested in Rwanda and learning more here are a few recommendations:

Videos:

Sometimes in April (excellent drama)

As We Forgive (about Carsa's work and two specific stories)

Ghosts of Rwanda (about the role of the West)

Books:

We Wish to Inform You We Will Be Killed With Our Families Tomorrow by Phillip Gourevitch

Machete Season: the Killers in Rwanda Speak by Jean Hatzfeld

Justice on the Grass: Three Rwandan Journalists, Their Trial for War Crimes and Nation's Quest for Redemption by Dina Temple-Raston

Mirror to the Church by Emmanuel Katongole and Jonathan Wilson- Hartgrove

Websites:

CARSA- www.carsa.org.rw/carsa%20english.htm

Azizi Life (Christi's organization with wonderful crafts you can buy)- azizilife.com

The August Review

August has been a month of return and preparation. Our students arrive on Tuesday and I know the pace of life will change when that happens. I always appreciate this month as a time of being back in Uganda, starting up work again and looking ahead. I thought I would share a few things I have done in the past weeks before starting a busier season.

One of the highlights of August has been meeting baby Rejoice and seeing her parents, Jemimah and Robert. They are one of our host families and a very dear family. Their marriage is amazing and the support and care they give the students is always so positive. They were blessed with a daughter in June and I loved meeting her! I got to hold her, talk with them about their new roles as parents and enjoy some fresh pineapple at their humble home. Below I am posing with the family outside their home and shop.

Last week the USP staff had a day in Jinja planned by our new interns. This was a time to practice some of the travel skills they will be using over the coming year and a time to hang out as a staff before students arrive. We had a day of activities in Jinja town and at Kingfisher Resort. One of the activities Rachel led was an art time for all of us and the results were colorful and beautiful. Here we are working on our group art project:

Here are Jordan and Julie with our almost finished product. Vincent is looking on (or maybe supervising?).

One thing I have been preparing for work-wise is setting up practicum sites for our students. Our students work at sites in the community for 40, 150 or 400 hours for the semester- may write more about this later as it has become a major part of my job! One of the things I did to prepare was have a lunch for all the site supervisors. We had a good turnout where they shared about their work and how our students fit in to that. This is a picture of part of the lunch table.

Hopefully this gives you some idea of my past month. Right now campus is very quiet because it is the few weeks between terms but soon things will be getting more lively!

Gone to the Birds

I've been back in Uganda for 2 weeks now and am feeling settled in to life and routine here. At work we are getting ready for the students to arrive in about a week, at home I have been enjoying feeling unpacked and hosting some people.

One thing I have been remembering being back in Uganda is how many different and amazing birds there are here! People who have visited often comment on the birds, and how loud they are. Uganda is a great birding place (over 1,000 species!) and I have been trying to learn more about some of the birds, especially that live around UCU. The picture above is of the Ugandan Crested Crane which is the national bird and also the name of the national soccer/ football team here. Lately there have been a family of African Grey Parrots around the house who Rachel and I are trying to befriend.

I have a few bird stories from my time here that I thought I would share with you. I have had a bird fly in to my house twice. Once it was just caught on the porch but the second time a bird burst through my kitchen screen and came barreling right in. It happened to be when about 7 people were at my place so some chaos ensued and the bird perched on my lamp, I think unsure of what had happened. This is the Kingfisher, hanging out on my lamp, pondering his options:
He is very beautiful! Eventually we got him out on the porch and our intern, Jones, caught and released him. It was a memorable bird experience.

A more extended battle/ story was with the Crowned Hornbill, 2 of them specifically. In my house a few of the windows have mirrored glass where you (or a Hornbill) can see the reflection. Apparently the Hornbills were fascinated by this and would fly in to my kitchen window and throw themselves against the glass, pounding their beak. It sounded like someone was beating down the door with an urgent message. The first few times this happened I found it funny but after the 100th time, and it often happening at 6am, it was not quite so funny. Here is a picture of them from my kitchen window, just waiting around to dive bomb the door:
With help from neighbors I tried a few things: scaring them away, throwing rocks at them, putting stickers on the window to distort the image but none of that worked. Finally, I had a curtain put over the kitchen window which you can see here (also the screen on the left is the one the Kingfisher burst through):
At first the Hornbills came back and would sit around, waiting for the curtain to flutter and diving at the door, but eventually they gave up. I have not seen them around since arriving back so am wondering if I can take my curtain down... there is a new building down the road built with almost all mirrored glass, maybe they are on to knocking on other people's houses!

Comments

A few people have asked me about how to comment on the blog. I checked and my blog settings were only allowing Google users to comment. I have changed the settings so anyone can comment. Just click on Comments then choose Name/URL from the drop-down menu. Then type in your name, comment and fill in the funny word thing.

Look forward to hearing your comments!

Settling In

I arrived back in Uganda late Sunday night and have been recovering from jet-lag, unpacking and getting back in to a normal routine this week. It is always interesting to go from one familiar place to another but having them be worlds (at least 2 long airplane flights) apart. Arriving back in Uganda after being away for 2 months gives me a fresh appreciation for life here. I want to highlight some of the things about living in Uganda that I have been grateful for this week.

First, getting to walk to work. I have about a 5-10 minute walk to work. Before I moved to Uganda I was commuting about 2 hours a day so this was a huge change! A few pictures of my regular walk to work:

Secondly, my front porch. I love this aspect of my house, where I can sit outside and read, look at birds and monkeys or just relax. It is screened in so I don't have to worry about bugs and has a great view of Mukono and the surrounding area. I actually have slightly better chairs out there now and a small table which makes for even better porch time.

Another great reason about being in Uganda- friends and coworkers! I am very lucky to have both expat and Ugandan friends I look forward to catching up with when returning to Uganda.

(2 out of the 6 people in this picture are not currently in Uganda but I wish they were!)

*A few friend's blogs to check out:*

web.mac.com/dbriandennison/Dennisons_in_Uganda/Welcome.html

www.goldengreenandblue.blogspot.com

And lastly, my electric tea kettle. I am completely serious about this, I love how quickly I can make a cup of tea for me and others. I don't know why these aren't popular in the States but it makes tea, coffee, hot drinks much more enjoyable. The only catch is that the electricity has to be on. The days I have been back the electricity has been very on and off (as in off for a significant part of each day). So this inhibits my electric kettle usage but, don't worry, I have a workable teapot.

Although the trip is long and I am still recovering, I am glad to be back. I hope to appreciate these parts of Uganda in the coming days and months and tell you more about daily life in coming posts.

[Photo credits and appearances for 3 pictures on this blog post go to Duane and Audrey Johnsen from their visit here last year.]