My apologies for being so late in writing again! Since
returning from Kampala a week ago, things have been quite busy as I attempt to
tie up loose ends before my departure from Rwanda on the 23rd. I was
certainly glad to have the muffin Grace encouraged me to get because after all
of the bus riding, I was famished, and as soon as I hoped off, the go-go-go of
life kept doing just that! I had about an hour before I headed back to Gahunga
village where I had been given a pretty basket from one of the villagers. I
wanted to return in order to give the lovely lady a photo of us with the basket
in hand. I don’t think kind acts like that are often rewarded, and while I didn’t
bring her a new and larger basket, I was glad I could fulfill my promise to
bring her a small token of thanks, the photo. The long bus rides from Kigali to
Kampala always leave me feeling a bit under the weather, because they just fill
your lungs with so much dust and exhaust that you find yourself choking on it.
All said and done, the trip from Musanze to Mbale was over 16 hours! My lungs
were not very happy doing that!
On our ride back, we were held up for more than an hour at
the Rwandan border as they dug out every plastic bag in existence to prevent
their entry into the beautified country. While I went and had a cup of tea and
read my book (in the terribly lighting of the little rest-o-bar on the border),
Sasha’s bus arrived at the border (mind you it had left 2 hours later than
mine- at least) and she ended-up hopping onto my bus! We had an extra seat
because there was a grumpy man whose pride was stronger than his desire to get
to Kigali (to put it mildly). The fight over a double booked seat was not worth
the fight that ensued, but alas it allowed Sasha and me to continue on the same
bus!
The visit with Gahunga came too soon, but I hopped of the
couch which had offered me a stationary hour before I hopped on another bus
headed toward Cyanika. By the time we turned back homeward bound I was exhausted
and feeling under the weather, so the other girls cooked on our thankfully gas
stove. Power and water was out, but their rice dish was delicious! After dinner
I was afraid of how gross I must be, but really wanted to just crawl under the
covers and avoid another cold bucket
shower. Luckily, Natasha reminded me that we have a gas stove, and therefore
the prefect way to heat some water! So between the boiled water and the jerry
can in the bathroom I managed an almost enjoyable warm bucket shower by candle
light, and only sustained a bug bite or two! Turned out the power had been out
for 3 days in our section of the neighborhood!
Wednesday weather caught up with how I was feeling, and it
rained all night long and far into the morning. It was certainly the most rain
I have seen since I arriving in Rwanda, and reminded me very much of the rainy
days that just drizzle and pour on and on! Worked well for me as I just slept
in late figuring it was the only way I was going to feel a little more on top
of my game. The misting continued into the afternoon, and ruled out the thought
of running to the market for some fresh fruit. Especially not with me feet so
clean, right?
After entering surveys for a while, I ventured out to meet
the girls at Hotel Murabura for tea and some company (not to mention a little
electricity). It was not at all what I had been expecting to see when I
arrived. Other interns had been going there for internet over the course of the
last month, but then I never had time or energy to make it out there. Finally I
did, and it was lovely! The architecture was more pueblo-esque than I had
expected to see anywhere in Rwanda and with the rickety little ladders that
exist it was not surprise that it triggered the thought about the bright orange
building even here in Musanze. The delicious tea has drawn me back many times
since, and the interior had paintings of all of the surrounding volcanoes
(which I had yet to see all in the same panorama thanks to the continuous cloud
cover). It was to see what our surroundings should look like!
Thursday was spent mostly resting and working on more
surveys for work, but did manage to drag ourselves out of the house for dinner
at Hotel Murabura to watch the US defeat Japan in the Olympic Women’s Soccer game!
It was a close one, and therefore quite fun to watch! One of the other interns
Aileen also used to play soccer with three of the girls on the team, so they
were getting some extra fans by association from us all round the small table
typing away, eating and watching. On Friday, I headed back down to Kigali in
order to check-in on things at the Kigali house, and drop by the seamstress at
Kimironko that has been working hard for all of us Spark ladies hoping to get
the last few things made before we head back to the States. It was also time
for me to do some exchanging of money, so the events all coordinated well for a
day trip out. The seamstress was there and made the few quick adjustments that
were needed on my dress and I love it! It was not exactly what I had imagined,
but close enough that I was ok with it! Then, came the ride home and thoughts
of dinner and rest since Saturday was going to be a day in Gisenyi’s sunshine! 
When I woke-up Saturday, I still wasn’t feeling a whole lot
better, but I really was looking forward to doing some swimming and figured
that this was the only way to get it in before school started up again and fall
set in. So there I was piling into the next bus heading to Rubavu (or Gisenyi).
The plan wasn’t particularly made up ahead of time, but we ended up going from
the taxi park via matatu out to Bralirwa for the hot springs. Most readers will
have already read about the springs, and how lovely they are, but it was fun to
be the one taking the others, and actually knowing where to turn and when!
Afterwards, the hopping into a matatu wasn’t quite as easy as it was in going
there. We waited for quite some time and then finally just went in a car for
hire (would have taken bodas, but the younger girls weren’t allowed to do so).
It worked out perfectly though, because we ended up going for brochettes at a
beachfront place called Tam Tam. 
We’d told the driver to drop us of somewhere with tasty
lunch and a beach front view and he did just that! We were in bamboo chairs
with drinks in hand before long and just soaking up the sunlight while we
waited for our food (always a surprisingly long wait- and not because it is
fresh). We spent the rest of the afternoon lazily reading on kindles etc and I
went swimming for a little bit which was just what I needed for my achy
bus-ride stiffened shoulders. We walked back from there to the taxi park (which
we again found almost via miracle) and saw for the first time the Congolese volcano
off in the distance looking absolutely stunning!
The bus park was busy, but we
hopped onto the next bus out of town and while we waited for its departure I
played a bit out the window with one of the street kids. A cutie who luckily couldn’t
do anything but push a paper through the window at me (it was too talk for
anything else) and we couldn’t really communicate, so that was that and we
drove off as the sun started going down.
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