Sunday, June 6, 2010

To catch you up to speed...



We have been in Rwanda for 3 full days now and they have been 3 amazing days. When we arrived at the airport here in Kigali, we were surprisingly greeted with our escorts from the Rwanda Defense Force (their army). For the beginning of this trip and for the remainder, we will have these 3 escorts from the RDF. The first full day here, we went to the Ministry of Defense and spoke with several high ranking officers to include three generals. They briefed us on the genocide and most significantly the process the country has taken to recover from such destruction. And I must say they have done remarkably well. After the Ministry of Defense, we went to the Demobilization Headquarters. This is an organization that helps rebel soldiers who escape from the Congo be reintegrated into society. The program lasts roughly 3 months and various services are provided, to include skills training, counseling, and interaction with the community. We concluded the day by going to the Kigali Memorial Center for the genocide. It provided us with an in depth look at the history of Rwanda that led up to the genocide and conditions during the genocide. Personally, the room that effected me the most was the children's room. It was hard for me to believe that people could so easily kill such young children. In one instance, I read that a child was killed by being stabbed in the eye and face. Another very young child, maybe 9 months old, was killed by being thrown against a wall. Many others were killed by machete. On a much lighter note, for dinner that night we went to the Mille Collines Hotel (most famously known from the movie Hotel Rwanda). Dinner was great and the conversation was even better. We were there for about 3 hours and had a great chance to get to know each other as well as our escorts. Prior to dinner, as a group we walked around Kigali for about an hour. We met many locals and were able to see the poor state they live in. Unfortunately, it was challenging to communicate with them as very few speak fluent enough English.

The next day we went to the gorilla naming ceremony. It was just about an all day affair and it was absolutely amazing. It was special to be able to see such a great tradition. The president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, was also there that day and gave a speech to all the special guests as well as his countrymen. Following the ceremony, we got the distinct honor of having a private meeting with President Kagame. Each of us were able to ask him a question and we had a very informative conversation. Very few get the chance to speak in such a private manner with the President so it was definitely an honor. However, that was not the end of our special day. After we left the meeting, we traveled to a Demobilization site. At this place, we were able to meet the actual rebel soldiers who have escaped from the Congo and want to be reintegrated back into society. One man, a colonel, and one woman, a sergeant, shared the stories of their escape and their future plans upon completion of the program. It was a very touching and humbling experience. For these excombatants, they risked their lives to escape. Anyone who is caught escaping is immediately killed. But the desire to live a better life was so important to them that they were willing to risk that.

This takes me to today. We started the morning off with some gorilla trekking. That's right, GORILLAS! We went into the mountain in small groups and were able to see several gorillas. A couple even walked right past us. It was a fun experience and definitely something I will never forget. After that, we went to one of the Rwandan Military Academies. There, we received a short briefing on the different programs and classes over there and then were able to ask any questions we had about the academy.

Well, that just about sums up the last 3 days. I tried to be as brief yet descriptive as possible. Hopefully I will be able to do more regular posts for these remaining days here. I hope all is well back in home. Until next time America...

4 comments:

  1. You need to write a book!! I love reading your writing, LIS!! I feel like I am there. :) Be safe!

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  2. haha, i will consider it. i'm glad you like it. and i'm very safe here :)

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  3. your insight to how the country is solving the problems is great. you are such a perceptive person. i am glad it has been a good experience for you.

    mom

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  4. what an emotional day. i don't know if i could have handle seeing all the remains, especially the children. i'm glad you had some fun after that experience. i am so jealous u got to ride in a helicopter. i would love to do that one day. i am so happy you got to have this experience. both good and bad.
    mom

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