I have been in africa for about two weeks now. I have been to Rwanda for 10 days and the rest of the time spent in Mukono and Kampala in Uganda.
when we first arrived in Uganda we were brought to the Uganda Christian University where i will be studying for the next 3 or so months. i am going to be studying East African Politics, History, and Literature i will also be taking a course called Health and Wholeness. But before the classes start me and the 44 other students from the US as well as 10 ugandan student took a trip to Rwanda.
The bus ride to Rwanda was about 15 hours on the worst roads you could imagine. Rwanda is the most beautiful country i have have ever seen. it was so consistently beautiful. the differences between Uganda and Rwanda were many.. the mountains, the houses, the cleanliness, the people. The week in Rwanda was the most intense weeks of my life.. it was emotionally draining and it made me think.. about God and myself and the world we live in.. first two days were spent in Kubugo, Rwanda and then we went to Kigali,Rwanda (the capital).
During the week it was mostly focused on the Genocide that took place in 1994. we heard from political authorities, testimonies from survivors, and visited genocide memorials. Memorials in Rwanda were a lot more "in your face" than anything you would see in the states..at the end of the week we got to visit types of progress like an Orphan village for genocide victims called HOpe village and a church village that consisted of workshops for genocide widows. so that part was encouraging.. the last two days of the trip were spent in Kabali, Uganda.. it was the most exotic place i have ever been We are on Bushara Island on Bunyoni Lake. it was so beautiful. so at the end of the week the group has become much closer, we were all tiered and emotionally drained , as well as some people had gotten sick.. yes including me.. but it was expected..
right now we are back on campus at UCU with 5,000 other students. the schedule is crazy and i have had classes the past two days.. it will take some time to get use to, but i don't have time because i will be moving out of the campus dormitories and into a families house the is in Mukono and i'll be living there for about 2 weeks.. i'll let you know how is goes..
here are some pictures...
this is in the dorm i'll be staying at.. Florence Hall..
this is part of UCU campus.. down near the basketball and volleyball courts..
on the way to Rwanda..
A guest house in Kigali, Rwanda we stayed there for 4 nights.. imagine overlooking the Kigali the most dangerous city in the world only 15 years ago.. and going to a memorial for the Rwandan Genocide and stepping out to the streets where it all took place..
quick story.. we were on the way to a village that was in the mountain region of Rwanda. the place where genocide widows are welcomed to live. there are thousands and thousands of genocide criminals and some of the punishment is to do work for the government like road work.. so while on our way to the village a loud bus full of college students became silent.. we begin to pass by all of these workers. and of course our bus got stuck so half of the bus had to get off,, and these man began to push the bus out of the loose dirt. it was quite ironic that we were being helped by the men that changed the lives of the women in the village we were going to visit..
on our way to Bushara Island on Bonyoni Lake ..
check out the scene.
Beautiful eh?
