Danielle and Dave Pt 8

Day 9 (Kigali Day, Monday)

The first thing that struck me about Kigali was the streets crowded with people, cars, and motorbikes; each aggressively asserting their right to go. Traffic laws seem not to exist in some places and people have to rely on their gut to determine when to drive. The capital city is hot and active; many cars are packed on the streets and navigation seems impossible. There are so many stores and they seem to all be overflowing with people shopping and hanging out.

Our main stop is the main Genocide Memorial. This museum reflects on the build-up to, the beginning of, the duration of, and end of the Tutsi genocide in 1994. The museum had an informational video at the beginning, walk-through of the gardens, and in-depth exhibitions on the genocide (along with information on other genocides around the world). The museum’s objective was to inform the public of what caused the genocide and how to prevent another one from happening again. I believe the memorial is doing a good job of promoting this objective.

Danielle and Dave PT 7

Day 7 (Cleaning Day, Saturday)
The kids call Saturday cleaning day. This name is fitting as everything is being swept, scrubbed, and washed. All the kids and adults are working together in making things spotless. I decide to join in the spirit and wash all of my dirty clothes. I had a warm bath for the first time since arriving as the water started running again (the last time the water was coming out of the pipes was the day we arrived).


Day 8 (Day of Rest, Sunday)
Everything sings in Rwanda. We attended our first church service here in Rwanda. Being raised in a predominately Black Baptist Church, most of my worships centered on singing to praise God. The service with the orphans and their caretakers was only different in the words and type of music used. The music was all in Kinyarwandan and mostly everyone got up to dance and sing. Though I could not understand the words of the hymns, I felt a connection with the people around me and their faith in God. Soon I was swaying with the music and clapping my hands enthusiastically.

Danielle and Dave Pt 6

Day 5 (Another Rainy Day, Thursday)
It rained early in the morning and throughout the afternoon. This means another day where some work could not get done around the orphanage. We were most worried about the feed in the silo getting too wet and being at risk to rot again. Grandpa Howell and I got someone to drive us into town as soon as possible since it was raining too hard for motorbike taxis. He bought two large tarps and we rushed back to cover the silo. Hopefully, it will be fine.

We checked on the rabbits and found they had chewed two large holes in the siding of the wire. One of the rabbits was sitting on top of the feed outside of its cage. We repaired the hole by stringing wire through. Hopefully, the fix will last. Not much else can be done on a rainy day.

Day 6 (Play Day, Friday)
There was a man singing outside the orphanage around 3 a.m. He was the only sound for the 20 minutes his song lasted. After he finished, there was silence for over an hour. No cars, no chirping, and no wind.

Today I spent most of the day playing with the kids. We went on the playground and I took pictures of them playing with each other. I’ve noticed that the kids in Rwanda are more open with each other than kids from America. They hold hands more often and make sure that everyone is included in play, despite gender differences. In America, play is usually determined along gender lines; the boys usually play sports and the girls play games that involve being quiet. That doesn’t seem to be much of a problem with the kids in Rwanda. The girls and the boys play with each other in all sorts of games.