I’m in Africa Rwanda since 16 days. I’m staying at a pastor’s house in Kanombe, a suburb of Kigali (the capital of Rwanda). I could adapt myself really quickly to the African culture and I’m enjoying the differences in doing life here. That’s what this blog post is about… it’s about Snickers who taste different even though they’re coming from the same production, Snickers who taste expired even though their expiration date is next year. The chocolate here is just not the same as home.
Not comparable here as well is how my team and I get greeted from a bunch of kids while we’re walking through the earthy-brown streets here. The kids are waving their hands, shouting hello and even come running from far to us. “Muzungus” (what means white people in Kinyarwanda) are an attraction here. The kids love to touch the white skin and to play with our hair. There is so much love and joy in encountering the Rwandan kids!
Then let me tell you how hard manual work doing laundry here is. You scrub each piece of clothes in a first bowl with a bar of laundry soap. In a second bowl you do the same again to make sure that the whole dirt is gone. After that you rinse the soap off in a third bowl. Finally you squeeze the clothes as much as you can to make sure that they dry quickly over bushes or sometimes over a metal clothes line. Every time I’m finished with doing my laundry my hands are looking like a grandmother’s and my back is hurting a little from bending over. Thanks to the inventor of the washing machine although I’m sure that would be a good experience for everybody to make….because yes we Western people are so so much spoiled! (Interesting side note: Man and woman do their laundry on their own here as soon as they reach the age of 12.)
Talking about being spoiled, that’s what I am here too regarding the fact that we have a flushing toilet and a shower. There are times where we don’t have water running in the water supply line. Then we have to use a stinky squat a potty outside the building and saying hello to cockroaches inside there and taking bucket showers. By the way: We have only cold water running here what is refreshing after spending a hot day outside. Second unnecessary by the way: My feet are always kind of dirty here even after cleaning them…welcome to the dusty streets of Africa.
Transportation is another good clue. Schedule? The buses starts when they are full. Map? Never seen one. Press a button to let the driver know you want to get out? No, you just tap on the window or the grabpole. The buses are the cheapest transportation vehicles. Another cheap way of transportation are the mototaxis. For short distances you can use a bicycle service or just walk.
Another thing I’m wondering: Why aren’t the people starving here without snacking during the day?? My stomach is still not getting used to eat only three times a day (breakfast at 8:00, lunch between 12:00 and 13:00 and dinner between 19:30 and 20:30). All of us have a snack bag in our bedroom to snack on something during the day. Speaking about food I’m eating fries, rice, beans, meat and sometimes cabbage every meal day by day. The food is delicious and I’m too hungry to think about lacking variety. Side note: Most common meat to eat is cow, then goat, then pig and last chicken because it’s too expensive.
Last but not least difference: Church! When you go to the Sunday morning church service here, people are dancing and shouting hallelujah while praising God. They’re wonderfully using their whole body, voice and soul to worship God. It is so much freedom. It is so much joy. The people do not look tired after three hours of praising, praying and listening to the sermon. How beautiful to experience the body of Christ in such a different manner.
A few things of what differences I’m experiencing in beautiful Kigali, Rwanda. Honestly, I wonder what’s happening on the shipping way of the Snickers… Because this is my only explanation I have for their different taste that something has to modify them on their transportation. And with that get excited to meet a somehow different tasting me as well after my time of being shaped in so many differences of doing life!
Love, Uwase (my Rwandan name with the meaning daughter of God)
