Am I really in
Kigali, Rwanda? I feel like I’m in the US, chilling at home on the couch on a
normal Saturday morning! Can anyone say culture shock? 😛 One of the first
things that was reinforced when I arrived in Rwanda was to never assume. So
many Americans have preconceived ideas about this country because the only
thing they know about is the genocide that took place in 1994! But I want to
correct those. Rwanda is a gorgeous country, known here as the land of 1000
hills (take a short walk and you’ll soon find out just how true that is!). Hike
up any one of those 1000 hills and you’ll have a breathtaking view of 999 other
fertile hills, terraced in rich shades of green and brown, set against a vast
backdrop of azure and white. Most people are honest and friendly, polite and
surprisingly generous. So. On to correcting the assumptions!
A1 – Rwanda is
dangerous.
C1 – Actually, it’s quite safe. We don’t go
anywhere by ourselves (common sense for anywhere in the world), but going in
pairs is fine. It’s even alright to be out after dark, and there are security
guards at most places as well as police.
A2 – There is still
a lot of killing.
C2 – Nope! The
current president has been doing much to bring the people together. No one
talks of tribes, nor is the genocide widely spoken about. People don’t seem to
discriminate between the tribes and there is a lot of intermarriage.
A3 – It’s dirty and
consists mostly of mountain villages.
C3 – So false! In
fact, I believe Rwanda is the cleanest country I’ve been to besides Japan. It’s
very clean, there is next to no litter and I haven’t seen graffiti yet.
A4 – There isn’t
much technology and the country is pretty backwards.
C4 – Ok, so out of
all the African countries I visited, Rwanda is one of the most westernized.
Nice cars are driven on the same side of the road as in the US, there is
constant power and running water (though it’s still not safe to drink from the
taps). Living standards for many people are similar to those of the US. Also,
the expenses, while not quite as high, are much more comparable to the US than
the rest of East Africa. And as far as education goes, the majority of the
population in Kigali attends school. Most of the working population has college
degrees and many read and speak a minimum of two or three languages.
Any other questions
or fears about Rwanda that I can help dispel? Leave a comment!
