I love my umudugudu...

Jarod Here…Muraho (hello),

Wow. A couple of 8 hour plane rides and 7 vaccines later, we are in Rwanda. Yes, I know what you are thinking and in fact I was mistaken for a pin cushion. Sarah and I have been in Rwanda for a week now and this place is truly amazing. I will try and sum up the last week for you.

Let’s see…We spent two days in Philly for registration, staging and orientation, went to a real Philly cheese steak place, met the other 35 of us that we will be living with for the next 3 months, flew to Brussels Belgium, had a pancake, flew to Kigali Rwanda, loaded up our bazillion pounds of luggage and headed off to the center where we stayed for the weekend, went to the genocide memorial (wow, what a humbling experience), ate some rice and beans, took a cold bucket bath, threw a frisbee around in the court yard, played my guitar and was taught some African songs from one of my language trainers, slept under a mosquito net for the first time, visited a latrine, took a bus ride to Nyanza (where we are training for the next 10 weeks), watched Sarah scream like a little school girl when a lizard ran out of her closet, became famous the minute I arrived in Rwanda as almost every kid and even many adults follow me everywhere I go waving and peering at me as if I have fallen out of the sky right into the middle of their city and discovered that Kinyarwanda is probably the most difficult language in the world to learn. I am pretty sure it could be easier for me to catch a Polish humpback whale with a butterfly net than learn this language. But nonetheless, I WILL master the language of Kinyarwanda (it may just take me a couple of years).

Rwanda has been known as the land of a thousand hills and now I can see why (although I think there may be more like 1,403 hills but who’s counting). I have never seen so much green in my life. Everything is so lush and colorful. The rain is constant this time of year. The views are breathtaking. And the people, wow…they are absolutely amazing. They are such a beautiful people with the biggest smiles. Although they are quite reserved, one wave and a smile from us can bring a grin to their face bigger than Texas. I do have to say it will take a while to get used to the constant staring and the yelling of Muzungu (white person). Everyone here is so friendly and happy.

I have now seen with my own eyes the devastating effects of poverty, war and disease. These people truly have nothing but would give everything. Their joy and happiness is unparalleled and yet you wonder what do they really have to be so happy about? I gotta run but I hope you have enjoyed hearing about our experiences of Rwanda thus far. There will be many more to come. I miss you all.

Be blessed!

Jarod