Akagera National Park

Meet Starlee. When I was about three, Starlee, an 18-year old college student, signed on for the daunting task of babysitting my brother and me. Now, many years later, for some inexplicable reason, Starlee is still around and is now one of my closest and most interesting friends. She is brilliant (currently working for the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix), funny, and adventurous (I often tell the story of when Starlee took a “short” vacation to Costa Rica, and then decided to quit her job in the States and not come home for a half a year or something). And Starlee happens to be in Rwanda today…

It was only a few weeks before I left for Africa that we became aware of this wonderful coincidence - that we both had plans to visit to Rwanda and our travels would perfectly overlap. Starlee, Ryan (her boyfriend), and I first met up to spend a day relaxing over a cheese and wine Happy Hour, and then a delicious, “American”-esque meal (pumpkin soup, freshly baked bread, chicken skewers with peanut sauce, a caraffe of red wine that seemed to be enchanted by an extending charm) at a cozy and delicious restaurant called Heaven, owned by a couple from California. 

The next day we woke up early, devoured some fresh fruit and pastries in the Gorillas Hotel restaurant for breakfast, and then headed off to Akagera National Park. The park is located on the eastern border of Rwanda, and it takes about 3 hours of dirt roads and small rural villages to get there from Kigali. Once we arrived at the Akagera Game Lodge (the absolute only place to stay in the park, aside from camping), we were informed, both to our dismay and suspicion, that there were no rooms available. Thinking a cancelation might come up, and having nothing else to do until our scheduled boat safari at 4, we decided to hang around the hotel for a while. Hoping to fill our empty stomachs and convince the lodge staff to offer up their rooms by showing our undying commitment to utilizing their costly services, we sat for lunch on a patio overlooking the edge of the park and the huge lake in the valley below.

Curiously, the only other guest in sight, throughout the entire vast expanse of the lodge, was a very hungry baboon without any respect for personal space. Thankfully, a lodge worker with a giant stick chased after the baboon every time it made a lunge for our food, which made for quite an amusing meal, and seemed a good sign that we had gotten on well with lodge staff and would soon be invited to stay. (Maybe this is some type of hazing process?) A few hours later (as predicted), after lounging by the pool in further absolute solitude, we were approached by a receptionist who explained that a room was available! Considering how packed the lobby, restaurant, and pool were, we thought ourselves just the luckiest people around (cough, cough).

When 3:45 rolled around, we eagerly piled into our van and drove down to the lake for our boat safari. Kenny, our guide, drove us around the lake, pointing out all the beautiful African birds around (mad respect for someone who knows names of dozens of African birds, can provide detained descriptions of their appearances and mannerisms, and is able spot them a hundred feet away through brush while steering a boat through marshes and in avoidance of angry hippos…), and taking us to see hippos, crocs, and the occasional monkey swinging on the trees around the lake. We left quite satisfied with our introduction of Akagera, and returned to the lodge for some wine, cheese, and crackers on the balcony overlooking the park.

Afterward, we headed to the hotel bar for some beers, where we later ran into Kenny (the safari guide from earlier) and a red-headed Irishman. Soon, Starlee and Ryan retired back to the room, and I ended up staying for some beers with Kenny and Chris (aforementioned Irishman). They both turned out to be incredibly friendly and entertaining, as you would only expect spending time with a French safari guide and his intoxicated Irish housemate. A few hours later into the night, the bartender ran up to us with apparent urgency, grabbed Chris’ flashlight, and ran back outside onto the balcony. So, obviously, we ran after him. Apparently, there were some large animals wandering about the lodge, and Kenny and took back the flashlight and informed me that we were going to go find said animals. Please keep in mind that, while the lodge’s premises are relatively safe, wandering around outside the walls of the lodge in the park is strictly prohibited and tromping into the bush in search of a mysterious wild beast in the dark will probably never be a recommended activity on Akagera’s introduction pamphlet. There are hungry baboons and angry buffalo who would be less than pleased to see a suspicious looking, two-legged animal scouting around their park.

So, anyway, we left the hotel and, flashlight in hand, trekked through the bushes in search of whatever herd of large, potentially deadly mammals were causing such a rucous outside the hotel. I was fairly certain that, whatever animals were lurking out there, this was most likely not the best way to bridge the gap between four-legged earth dwellers and Muzungu. Several minutes later, we discovered a group of huge waterbucks (the culprit), as well as a hyena and lots of baboons (lucky coincidence?).

After feeling quite satisfied with our unofficial midnight safari, Chris, Kenny, and I stopped by their home (in a very small village in the park) for some tea and to be introduced to the several reptiles taking residence alongside them. When I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, Kenny accompanied me back to the lodge, at the risk of both of our lives, and I climbed into bed for about two hours of sleep before the early-morning game safari. Although Starlee, Ryan, and I were walking zombies when 5:30am rolled around, the game safari was thrilling and completely worth the exhaustion. In just a few hours, we saw families of zebra, giraffe, antelope, and other mammals cheerfully strolling around the African wilderness.

After we arrived back at the lodge, ate a huge and delicious breakfast, and passed out for a couple hours, Starlee and Ryan packed up to leave while I decided last-minute to stay behind and track down Kenny and Chris. They had successfully convinced me to stay and accompany them down to the lake for the duration of the weekend, for camping and a huge Muzungu fishing-competition, which seemed quite a bit more exciting than sitting at St. Paul’s back in Kigali all by my lonesome. After wandering, a bit lost, through the nearby village for a while, I finally found Kenny who seemed unnervingly surprised and worried that I had actually stayed. Shortly after, I also shared his concerns when he informed me that, as the local, semi-domesticated (in other words, deadly) elephant was roaming around the camping area, the fishing competition was cancelled and the camp site was closed. So, as it turned out, I was stuck in Akagera with nothing to do, no way to go anywhere (unless I felt confident fighting off an angry herd of buffaloes), with just the company of two foreign strangers I had met only the night before.

Fortunately, the next couple days were pretty spectacular, and I’m incredibly thankful I decided to stay (or got tricked into staying…this is still debatable) behind. I was able to tag along on a few other boat rides and a night safari, meet Brian (the sweetest South African man who helps run the park) and the two lovely girls living in the house with Chris and Kenny, learn more than I have ever desired about birds and reptiles, and spend my evenings stargazing and watching the huge red moon rise over the vast lake horizon below. Also, in the village, baboons wander around as freely and numerously as squirrels in NJ, with their eerily human mannerisms and adorable babies on back providing endless entertainment for an Akagera-newcomer like myself. In fact, in Akagera, every minute of the day can be filled with some form of animal entertainment: buffaloes invade the soccer field nearby, hippos roam the lake grounds at night, baboons break into peoples homes to steal sugar, elephants hurl cars into the lake, crocs try to eat safari boats… I can honestly say that I had no interest in ever leaving the place. But I figured, when Brian told me he was making a run into Kigali Monday afternoon, I should take him up on the offer (as there possibly would not be another, ever…).

I said my goodbyes to the people I had so affectionately gotten to know throughout the past few days, embraced the nearest baboon in a huge loving hug (not really, though I was tempted), reluctantly tossed my backpack into Brian’s trunk, and hopped in the car with Chris to head back to Kigali…

Last Days of the Delegation: Goodbyes and food therapy with Gina

The last few days have been quite uneventful. Sunday marked the final day of the delegation, and we spent the morning having a delicious brunch - fresh eggs to order, tropical fruit salads, warm pastries, hot coffee/tea, etc. - at the Gorillas hotel in Kigali. As a memorable and light way to send one another off, we played a game called Superlatives (where each person is assigned a “most likely to” by three people in secret, and the rest of the group votes on the best one). Ultimately, I was voted “Most likely to hitchhike to Uganda with only a ‘hairbrush’ in her pocket.” For those of you who are familiar with my particular “Africa hairbrush,” this probably is a bit more funny to you… Anyway, if that’s the impression I left after three weeks with this delegation, I’m pleased.

For the rest of the day and a couple days after, I basically hung around St. Paul’s, preparing to say bye to the next set of delegates who were heading to the airport. So that whole series of goodbyes was a bit depressing and lonely. Luckily, I was able to use food to remedy the situation, and Gina was kind enough to keep me company from restaurant to restaurant (last night we ordered four desserts and layed on the couches at Shokola for hours, which made us feel really good about ourselves). Although I’ve been incredibly unproductive for the past couple days, it really has been nice having some time to do nothing - no meetings, no sightseeing, no errands. That being said, I’m looking forward to starting back up on my adventure very soon. :)

Day 21: Kimironko Market, eating like a pauper, Zen, and accidental hitchhiking

Today was probably the most relaxing day we’ve had in the last three weeks. Ashley and I woke up to the sun at 9am, and very slowly made our way up to Nakumatt (the local supermarket) for some croissants and passion fruit juice. A couple hours later, we hopped on some motos and traveled to Kimironko, a town just outside of Kigali where we had heard about a fun market with great opportunities to haggle. Super. 

The Kimironko Market was huge, and we had to first make our way past the tables of fresh fish, fruits, and other foods, past the hundreds of shoes and African fabric, and onto the section designated for crafts and jewelry. The stands were filled with paintings, handmade jewelry, African drums, carved wooden panels and pots and statues, tribal masks, African weapons, and on and on. We had a great time wandering the kiosks aimlessly, picking up some jewelry or artwork here and there, and bargaining the costs down (even thought they would so thoughtfully offer us the “Muzungu price”, which happens to be about 3 times more than would be payed by anyone else). 

After spending a few hours here and several thousand Rwandan Francs, we went back to Nakumatt for some lunch (another croissant…this is what happens when you are broke in Rwanda) and then over to another market for a bit more shopping. Unfortunately, these vendors were a lot less willing to bargain (since the town is Muzungu Central, and white people are much more likely to pay a high price), so shortly after we returned to St. Paul’s for a mid-afternoon, and much-needed nap. 

Once we awoke, the four of us met up and headed to that delicious Thai restaurant, Zen, for our own personal last night together. Some pad thai, red curry, and steamed rice later, we left the restaurant and began looking for motos to take us back to town. Now, the restaurant is right next to a rather large shopping center, so we had no concerns about being able to find transportation home. However, twenty or so minutes later, we had only been able to hail one moto and several unlicensed ones (whom we quickly turned away). We were starting to get worried, so as soon as a car pulled up and asked if we needed a cab, we jumped at the opportunity and were thrilled to get such a good price for the ride. About 5 minuted into the ride, all four of us starting looking around the vehicle a bit suspiciously. The interior showed absolutely no indication that this was a registered cab, but instead a small stuffed bear hung from the rear-view mirror and our driver chatted away on his cell phone. At this point, we also became increasingly aware of the the fact that the exterior of this “cab” in no way resembled the exteriors of the registered cabs driving around the streets of Kigali. Only in Rwanda can you accidentally hitchhike. Whoops. 

In case you are wondering, we did get home safe, and paid a fraction of what we would have paid having taken legitimate public transportation. So all in all, today was another great day.

Day 20: Final debrief, press conference, pizza!, and Papyrus

Today was the final day of the official “delegation”. We all woke up early to walk to Hotel Okapi nearby for some tea and yummy samosas. For the first few hours of the day, we had some final discussions on our various site visits and internships, as we would be advocating for these issues at a press conference later in the afternoon. 

I was lucky enough to break away from my normal group and have a private conversation with a Rwandan psychologist about disability rights in the country. He talked about various efforts being made to address cognitive and physical disabilities, while also making clear the extreme challenges still facing these communities in Rwanda today. I was especially interested in hearing about the efforts being made to address phychological illness in Rwanda following the genocide. It is assumed that an incredibly high percentage of the population suffers from some type of psychological illness (depression, PTSD, etc.), though almost no international aid, aimed specifically at psychological care, was provided to the country following 1994 . It is my belief that this lack of attention provided to such a serious facet of the genocide’s aftermath has very real and lasting consequences, especially in its relation to reconstruction and reconciliation. I also believe that the culture in Rwanda has created a hostile climate for the development of psychological research and understanding, as well as for the diagnosis and treatment for those suffering from psychological trauma. I learned from my conversation today that, until very recently, Kinyarwanda did not even have a word for “trauma”. It also seems that there is a widely-held belief that PTSD is an emotional problem (rather than an actual psychological one), that will “go away” after a few days or after one can simply cry about their grief. In fact, PTSD is unrelated to emotions, and only becomes “PTSD” once it does not go away shortly after the trauma. In addition, throughout Western history, the belief that PTSD was related to a weak mental state or an overly emotional personality created serious obstacles for the development and treatment of the disorder, and established an enduring stigma against psychiatric trauma patients. Anyway, I think the connections are interesting (which is why I plan to write my thesis on it this fall), and I look forward to learning more about the topic for the duration of my stay in Rwanda.

The press conference went smoothly, and we were able to each present to work we accomplished during our internships and introduce the wonderful organizations with which we worked. We also discussed our site visits (the refugee camp, police station, and Potter village) and explain the observations made at each - including both positive changes from the last delegation, as well as ongoing human rights abuses which must be addressed. After answering a few questions about our work here for the last few weeks, the press parted and our group had one last debrief before we finally parted ways with our Rwandan friends.

Luckily, all the international delegates had planned to go out together that evening, and many Rwandans were joining us. In an effort to kill time before the night, Ariel, Ashley, Hillary, and I wandered up the hill without much of a goal in mind. We came across a restaurant called Downtown Pizzeria, which we had heard about from some other Muzungus, and without hesitation ran inside, grabbed a table, and ordered two pizzas for the table. Amazing. Thank goodness for pizza in Africa.

The rest of the night was a blast. We went to a somewhat sketchy bar called Papyrus (pronounced “Poppy roose” by the Rwandans…), and danced the night away while being unconfortably groped by strange Rwandan men. Aside from that awkwardness, it was an absolutely perfect last night with everyone.

Day 19: Last day of work at INALAS!

Our last day of work at INALAS could not have gone better. The morning was incredibly productive, and by lunch time Ashley and I were able to shut our laptops feeling quite satisfied with our short-term internship here at INALAS. We completed a blog and Facebook page for INALAS to use as a marketing and communication tool, established an online, computerized database for case records, edited grants, saw the beginnings of an exciting partnership between INALAS and Gisimba Orphanage, learned tons about Rwanda law, and even got to sit in on and assist with recieving cases and legal advising. 

After lunch, we ventured up the hill to Gisimba Orphanage to attend their 25th anniversary celebration. While we were expecting an afternoon of playing with kids, we arrived to an array of big white tents scattered across the main yard, shading hundreds of guests dressed in suits and gowns from the hot sun. As Ashley and I were wearing our normal grundgy African wear, we walked with our heads down in shame to our seats, among the beautiful, colorful, draped silk gowns worn by Rwandan women to important events. I’m sick of being the sloppy American.

Anyway, there were some speeches given by officials and volunteers at the orphanage, a few poems read, and a choir sang a few beautiful gospels songs in Kinyarwanda. While waiting in line for food, a group of Rwandan men dressed in traditional Rwandan garb performed an intricate beat on some large drums. It was a lovely afternoon, and I was excited to see all the support provided to the orphanage throughout the community.

After a few hours at the celebration, INALAS parted and walked up the hill a bit to the Green Corner, the same bar/restaurant to which we were taken after work the other day. We had a few Mutzigs, and accidentally got into an intense discussion/debate about marriage and divorce. Although Ashley and I were eager to change the subject, it was interesting to hear our Rwandan coworkers’ perspectives on the subject, and to learn a bit about the cultural differences between Rwandan and American dating. 

Eventually, we were able to successfully change the subject to lighter things, including an unsuccessful, though commendable effort on the Rwandans’ part to feed us rabbits and banana beer. Finally, as the afternoon drew to an end, Jean Claude offered some eloquent words of wisdom about INALAS’ role in the community, and expressed his sincere gratitude for the work we accomplished during our internship at INALAS. He then revealed that they had a surprise for us, and wanted to leave us with something that showed their appreciation, and brought out a stack of handknit, pullover sweaters boasting the INALAS name, with the phrase “Justice for All” underneath. We learned that these had been made by the boy who runs a very small shop with a loom and sewing machine a few rooms down from INALAS. The sentiment was incredible sweet, and sitting at the Green Corner in matching sweaters, drinking Mutzigs, was the perfect goodbye to a wonderful internship.

Day 18: Meeting with Ministry of Security and US Embassy State Department

Today was our last day of site visits. After several days of being on our own, it was actually quite nice to come back together as a group. And get free food…

After a delicious tea time, I snuck some extra waffles into my purse and hopped on the bus to head to the Ministry of Security. Here we were lucky enough to meet with the Minister himself, and were eager to ask him many of the questions and concerns brought up by the group who visited the police station in the Karongi district. 

One of the main problems sighted by the group was the problem of hunger in the jail. Currently, the Rwandan system does not provide funding for food for prisoners in jail; instead, family or close friends must travel to the police station to bring food for the prisoner. A clear problem exists with this system, however, as many prisoners do not have family close by. The Minister acknowledged this problem, and added that one underlying problem is the lack of a nearby prison. In many other cases, a prison will be located close to a police station and, since prisons are funded by the government, is therefore responsible for providing food those detained in the jail. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Karongi, so many detainees are left hungry, violated a basic human right.

Another clear issue noticed at the police station was the failure of many officials to follow legal procedure during arrests. Many prisoners reported being arrested by local security forces (which is not allowed by law), beaten by police or community forces, or detained in the police station for weeks (whereas the law orders detainees to be moved to a prison within ten days). Other reports suggested that arrest reports had been falsified or the dates written down inaccurately, or even that warrants had been illegal. In addition, not one detainee reported being informed of his or her rights upon arrest. Indeed, two problems arise here: one, being that these prisoners cannot protest illegal activity if they are not educated on their right; two, being that there must be more or better monitoring of local police officials and their activity.

The living conditions of those detained at the police station also caused reason for concern among the delegation. There were no beds, so detainees were forced to sleep on unsanitary, cold floors. The windows in the room, if there were any, were broken, making the rooms very cold and allowing mosquitos and other insects into the cells. In addition, sick people are often placed in cells with healthy people, and since health care is inaccessible at the police station (another issue we brought up), this creates an even bigger problem for more people. 

It seemed that many of the observations made at the police station were due to the lack of two main resources: funding and education. The chief commander explained that food cannot be bought and living conditions cannot be improved without increased funding from the government. In addition, it was claimed that sick detainees are not transported to the hospital and that those who have been in the police station for over 10 days cannot be transported to the prison as they only have access to one vehicle. Without the funds to buy another car or van, he claimed that transports could only be sporadic, even though this violates two human rights. 

The lack of education also adds to the problems witnessed in the police station. Clearly, community security forces are unaware of the limits of their positions - they are only able to file cases with the police station and call for police to make arrests - as many detainees reported being beaten and/or arrested by these forces. Further, warrants had been falsified and arrest reports had been recorded inaccurately, which may be due to the officials’ failure to understand arrest procedures. On the other hand, many human rights had been violated in the police station, but, not being educated on their rights in the first place, detainees were unaware that they could request a lawyer or press charges against the officials for their abuses. 

Unfortunately, the Minister failed to provide adequate answers to most of our questions. This definitely had much to do with the language barrier, but also may have just been Rwandan politics. He did seem to be interested in our observations, and took detailed notes promising to follow-up on some of the specific problems we discussed.

After lunch (back to the Rwanda buffet of plantains, rice, beans, etc.), we traveled to the US Embassy for a meeting with the Head of Political and Economic Affairs. Due to a scheduling conflict, she only had limited time to meet, making the meeting seem rather brief and inadequate. She was able to explain to us some of the already-existing programs run by the US Embassy in Rwanda, making steps to ensure regional stability, encourage economic growth, and promote democracy. In particular, she explained how these programs specifically affect certain marginalized groups with whom we have worked, such as refugees and women. 

To be honest, the highlight of our trip to the Embassy was being able to step into America for a few hours. The building was modern-looking and absolutely pristine inside. The toilets and sinks were motion-sensored and perfectly clean, the building clearly followed a standard of fire codes, everything was wheelchair accessible… At first, I was definitely expecting there to be a Starbucks inside. That was a little absurd.

That evening the four of us girls went to the Supermarche next door, feasting on delicious tea and pastries for dinner (since we’re dead broke). Tomorrow is our last day of work at INALAS, which is both sad and exciting. It’s so crazy that the delegation is coming to an end in just a few days. I’m definitely not looking forward to seeing everyone off, but I guess it will mark the start of an entirely new adventure here in Africa…

Day 17: a big day of nothing.

As soon as Ashley and I arrived at work this morning, we learned that the mayor had cancelled our meeting for the afternoon. No surprise.

Although we had both had an inkling that this might happen, it was nonetheless incredibly discouraging and frustrating. To add to our mood, one of the internet modems went out at the office only an hour or so in, preventing the two of us from completing our projects. By the time we took our tea break, we had gotten almost nothing done and were both on the verge of finally hitting our Rwanda breaking point. We very gently suggested to Jean-Claude and Remy that we should leave the office early, and look for an internet cafe of some sort closer to St. Paul’s. After some very diplomatic reasoning, they obliged. 

Turns out that Ariel had an similar day, and met us at Bourbon to decide how to spend our unexpected day off. After some wandering around town for a while (and ironically running into several other delegates who clearly had equally productive mornings…) we ended up squatting outside the reception at St. Paul’s (which is essentially the parking lot, which is the only place you can access internet on the premises) and basicall doing nothing.

To be honest, the rest of the afternoon and evening was equally unexciting. Hillary and I watched episodes of House and drank some passionfruit juice, I read a bit… The most redeeming part of our day was knowing that we were going to be getting Chinese food for dinner. It was like that one last glimpse of hope that kept us pulling through the day, giving us the strength to not strangle ourselves with our mosquito nets or run straight into the Congo naked. 

But this is Africa, and so of course, Xin Xin (our lovely little local Chinese place) was closed. I mean, it was a Wednesday night - we should have known.

Instead we got directions to a nearby Indian restaurant, which we had heard had pretty delicious food also. This was one of the happiest accidents possible, as it turned out that the Indian food really was darn amazing. Redemption.

And this is really all I have to tell you about my day today. Sorry for wasting your time. Remember how lucky you are that you even have internet enough to read this incredibly pointless post. 

Goodnight. :)