We arrived in Kigali safely last night after 2 delays and 1 flight cancellation... WE MADE IT!!!!!!!
We flew from Vancouver to Amsterdam to Nairobi, then stopped by Burundi (but didn't get off the plane) then FINALLY to Kigali. What an adventure!
When we got to Amsterdam, we trained into DT and spent couple hours strolling there. There were so many tourists!!!! Many people were riding bikes- whether in dress shoes or runner, and dresses or casual clothes. The canal was as beautiful as it was when I was there with my family 2 years ago. Unfortunately, the flowers had not bloomed yet on the floating flower shops.
We then flew from Amsterdam to Nairobi. Since our flight was delayed, we walked quickly to our next gate upon arrival only to discouver that our flight from Nairobi to Kigali was CANCELLED!!! We waited in the airport from 7:30am to 12:30pm only to be faced with more delays. When we finally landed in Kigali, my heart leaped with excitment, but my body yearned for some sleep.
We arrived at our hotel called Beausejour. It's beautiful here. The landscape is green with those flat trees that you see in movies like Lion King! I can't believe we are here. People are extremely friendly here and try to help us as much as possible. Our rooms are so nice too! We each have our own rooms with our own bathrooms and a basin for showering. We were all so happy to have a warm shower last night. My room has 2 beds- one of which I use to put all my clothes on.
We had dinner at Hotel Chez last night. I had grilled fish with mushroom sauce, fries, rice, and veggies. Also had a passion fruit juice. Was very good. Tasted like an asian meal from Richmond hahaha
I faced my first bug attack last night. There were a couple dozen ants eating a piece of dirt when I got home last night from dinner. Of course, knowing me, I panicked. But I remembered I had bug repellent in cream form... so I encircled them with the repellent. Good news... the repellent works as the ants could not get out of the little circle I made around them. Bad news... they were still alive and panicking as well and repelled by the smell of the cream. So I took all my courage and used toilet paper and wiped up the cream and ants combo and ran to the toilet and flushed them down! All safe... well, UNTIL I saw a spider beside my clothes this morning. Maybe... I need to learn to co-exist with these things called bugs...
Anyways, breakfast time. Woke up at 6:30am this morning because my room is facing the road and traffic was noisy and made me all paranoid.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Goodbye Vancouver, Hello Rwanda!
It's down to the last 4 hours in Vancouver before we head to Rwanda! I can't describe my excitement!
How do I feel?
Obviously excited, a bit homesick (yes already)... Actually I don't really know what to expect, which is really unusual for me since I really like things planned and organized so I know exactly what will happen and what I will be experiencing. This time, I am learning to be flexible and open to experience, and yet I have a strange sense of peace.
What are my goals?
I am very blessed to be able to experience and learn from a new culture. I know the people in Rwanda will teach me very important life lessons, and just hearing their stories will give me a new perspective in life. I am also excited to be involved in a long term project, in which we will be collaborating with 12 local Rwandan students to conduct baseline nutritional research. As most of you know, I don't have a lot of experience in research, so I feel extremely excited to be learning through experience... an eye opener for sure. I hope through this trip and experience, my eyes will be opened and am looking to see if this could be a possible career path.
What are my fears/worries?
Most of you know, I worry a lot because I like to know what is going to happen so I can adequately prepare myself. However, I have a great sense of peace that I know comes only from Him. But here are a few fears/worries I have- some are funny and others not so much.
- I'm really scared of bugs!!!! I will be inspecting my room every night before I sleep to make sure I am not sleeping with any of them... don't laugh, bugs scare me!
- Will 6 weeks be enough for the research and also for us to understand the needs of the community?
- Will I be so attached that I don't want to leave?
- Will the research that is collected make a difference and will it be effectively used for a long-term solution?
Those are just a few for now...
Who am I when I come home?
Hmmms, when we were asked this question in one of our pre-departure sessions, I was quite hesitant to predict how much I would be changed because change can sometimes be subtle, and I know it will take some time for me to digest and reflect on everything that I will be experiencing in Rwanda. However, I do hope to become a more aware individual, more compassionate, loving, and learning how to meet others' needs and care for others in a meaningful manner. In the end, I will still be me, but hopefully grow through this experience.
I will miss you all very much! Thank you for all your support and encouragements! See you when I come home!
How do I feel?
Obviously excited, a bit homesick (yes already)... Actually I don't really know what to expect, which is really unusual for me since I really like things planned and organized so I know exactly what will happen and what I will be experiencing. This time, I am learning to be flexible and open to experience, and yet I have a strange sense of peace.
What are my goals?
I am very blessed to be able to experience and learn from a new culture. I know the people in Rwanda will teach me very important life lessons, and just hearing their stories will give me a new perspective in life. I am also excited to be involved in a long term project, in which we will be collaborating with 12 local Rwandan students to conduct baseline nutritional research. As most of you know, I don't have a lot of experience in research, so I feel extremely excited to be learning through experience... an eye opener for sure. I hope through this trip and experience, my eyes will be opened and am looking to see if this could be a possible career path.
What are my fears/worries?
Most of you know, I worry a lot because I like to know what is going to happen so I can adequately prepare myself. However, I have a great sense of peace that I know comes only from Him. But here are a few fears/worries I have- some are funny and others not so much.
- I'm really scared of bugs!!!! I will be inspecting my room every night before I sleep to make sure I am not sleeping with any of them... don't laugh, bugs scare me!
- Will 6 weeks be enough for the research and also for us to understand the needs of the community?
- Will I be so attached that I don't want to leave?
- Will the research that is collected make a difference and will it be effectively used for a long-term solution?
Those are just a few for now...
Who am I when I come home?
Hmmms, when we were asked this question in one of our pre-departure sessions, I was quite hesitant to predict how much I would be changed because change can sometimes be subtle, and I know it will take some time for me to digest and reflect on everything that I will be experiencing in Rwanda. However, I do hope to become a more aware individual, more compassionate, loving, and learning how to meet others' needs and care for others in a meaningful manner. In the end, I will still be me, but hopefully grow through this experience.
I will miss you all very much! Thank you for all your support and encouragements! See you when I come home!
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