Day-to-Day Rwanda
Here are just some things I notice about Rwanda, life here, the people etc. This isn’t really a thought provoking post just some observations.
- Rwandans don’t walk their dogs they walk their goats.
- A house strictly made of mud is actually pretty sturdy
- Lines DO NOT exist here. Not only while waiting to pay at the store but also while waiting for a bus. Not only do lines not exist but common sense when referencing the concept of a line does not exist for example, when you want to get off a bus you have to literally fight your way through the crowds of people who are fighting to get on the bus. If they would just stop to think for a second, obviously for them to get on, the people on the bus need to get off first…but no. Without fail it is a daily occurrence if you take a popular bus route during a busy time of day.
- You can be walking or driving through an area of Rwanda and see a house constructed of only mud and right next door or a couple houses away a nice brick home with painted doors, windows, trim etc.
- A tire and a stick is the most popular game amongst kids in which the kid walks while hitting the tire with a stick to make it roll next to him.
- People here are ridiculously resourceful. In America if you break the shaft of your shovel, sledge hammer, pick, hoe, etc. you go out and buy a new one even if the head is perfectly intact. Here they build their own shafts out of trees, and will create stop-gaps to fix it if doesn’t fit just right. — Rwandans modify old bicycles so that they can carry a very heavy load of what ever kind of produce they need to move from place to place and use the bicycle as a cart instead of a riding vehicle to push the items from place to place. — Some of the buses in town are REALLY old, but the people here fix them up and Pimp them out with different plastic coverings for the seats, or fabrics or w/e to keep them in shape. there are many other examples but I won’t go on.
- The people here some how have herculean strength when carrying things on their head. I have seen men and women much smaller than me carry what has to be over a hundred pounds on their head, not bracing it with their hands, and at a fairly fast pace. It is kind of ridiculous.
- Rwandans are super super friendly and helpful (in a generalized statement). For instance, when getting on a Moto if you have a bunch of stuff in your hands the moto driver will automatically try to help you with your helmet. If you look like a lost puppy by the buses, someone will help you, if you are not sure how much a fare should be while taking public transport, someone will help you (even if they can’t speak English), people always try to talk to you, ask how you are doing etc.
Ok that is all my fingers will allow me to type. But I will hopefully start to post more as I am getting berated on multiple fronts for not maintaining this blog.
