Kigali for the Day

Yesterday the two other volunteers, Monique and Cat, came with me into Kigali, the biggest city in Rwanda. There is an international trade fair that started the 26th of August, and ends on the 6th of September. We went to listen to some local music, see some original Rwandan dancing, and possibly buy some interesting crafts at the individual shops that were lined up next to each other. We took a three-hour bus into town, and on the way there, a policeman stopped our bus, but I have no idea why, since I could not understand one word they were saying. They pulled everyone off the bus, and checked everyone’s identification. Unfortunately I did not have any source of ID on me, since Cat told me that I didn’t need one going into town. Both Monique and Cat had a driver’s license on them, while both my passport and driver’s license were both at Elie’s house. I pulled out my credit card, DePauw student ID, health insurance card, and library card, and with the help of a little pleading, he let me by. We got to Kigali at around noon, and stayed at the trade fair until about four o’clock. After we left the trade fair, we went to the supermarket in town, so that we could buy some things that we can’t find in the small town that Elie is from, such as deodorant, and a shaver (to clean up my goatee, of course). I got my two items from the supermarket, and then waited in a coffee shop, until the girls were ready to go. Shopping is not particularly my forte, nor is it a passion of mine, so after about an hour in the trade fair, and ten minutes in the supermarket, I was more than ready to go. Anyways, we caught a bus going back to Musanze at seven o’clock, and arrived at around ten. Elie and his family waited for us to come home, and then we ate dinner. I’ve basically turned into a vegetarian while I’ve been in Africa, since half the time I ask what meat they are serving, they don’t have the slightest idea.

Today (Sunday) it is very overcast, and I’m going to meet up with Cat’s friend, who is an intern at a mountain gorilla research center. Hopefully I can find a way to shadow him for a week, or even a day or two, because I need to see these silverback gorillas! The price of seeing the gorillas is 600 dollars, and another 100 dollars for transportation, which is absurd! I figured the obvious reason for this unreasonable price is because the average stay for a tourist in Rwanda is 1.6 days, to see the gorillas. Locals only have to pay about 10 dollars to see them, but still that is extremely expensive for many Rwandans. I asked Elie if the price would reduce if I went with locals to see the gorillas, and he said no. So, hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to work with the gorilla researchers.