Arriving in Kigali (Update #1 - April 2005)

Update #1 - April 2005

Dear family, friends and colleagues:

Hope this finds you doing well in your respective parts of the world. After an unanticipated delay, I finally started my ASPH fellowship this month. I arrived in Kigali Sunday, April 3rd – about three weeks ago. I have just started to explore Kigali, which is a gorgeous place (idyllic, really)! And, I have also started to learn about a number of issues including the genocide, local development efforts, language, and culture at a surface level. I hope to understand these issues in much more depth in coming months. But, for now, here are a few initial observations. This update is a little long and disjointed so apologies in advance. And, if you make it to the end, you should get a gold star for endurance and patience :-].

Rwanda initially reminded me of Vermont since -- topographically -- that is the only other green, hilly, and landlocked place I have lived and could reference from experience. But, Kigali has a tropical climate with lush plants like hibiscus and bougainvillea. It is usually a comfortable (even balmy) 60 to 70 degrees during the days and drops a little in the evenings – to the point where you may need a light sweater or blanket. While it is the rainy season now and it has rained most days, Kigali is not very humid – may be because it is at an elevation. And, thankfully, there are few mosquitoes and other insects in Kigali (again, probably because Kigali and most of Rwanda is at an elevation).

The work day begins at 8 am and is supposed to end around 5:30 pm – although you can often end up staying until 6:30 or 7 pm. I started work on April 4th, and met my Rwandan colleagues for the first time. Almost all of the people I talked with before leaving New York had said that Rwandans place a premium on being both polite and stoic. I was told that the display of emotion – either joy or sadness – is frowned upon. After arriving here, I heard the same sentiments echoed by my American colleagues and some other expats that I have met over the last few weeks. My American colleagues had told me that it was difficult for them to adjust to working in an environment where people seem polite but are very guarded. Some expats who have been here for a long time say that they feel like perpetual outsiders and that it is hard to become integrated into the local community – very much in contrast to their experiences in other parts of Africa.

My experience so far has not entirely mirrored those of my colleagues or local expats. To be sure, most Rwandans I have met are extremely polite and many are reserved. However, I have found that if I made an effort to ask questions about their lives and interests, the Rwandans I’ve met were willing to share their views and opinions. And, if I tried to speak a little bit of Kinyarwanda (just basic greetings), they appreciated my efforts. Over the past few weeks, I have gotten to know my Rwandan colleagues a little and, perhaps as a testament to their openness, I have even been able to talk with some of them about their experiences during the genocide in 1994. It will take time to really know people well. But, as with any collective trauma like the genocide or even if it can be attributed to a culture that values reserve and stoicism, some people open up slowly and it is important not to give up easily --even if met with guardedness or suspicion initially.

Since Rwanda is a francophone country, I tried to speak French to my co-workers from my first day at work. However, I realized quickly that my French language skills are woefully poor but – thankfully -- my colleagues are kind and patient with me. I am hoping to get a French tutor soon and wished that I had started working with one before I left NYC. As far as speaking French, lets just say I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with making a fool of myself on a daily basis as I try to learn the language. The little I learned of French in high school and college is a dim and distant memory. But, I’m hoping that I’ll become more comfortable speaking it over the next few months, especially since entire meetings can be conducted in French.

Rwanda is changing rapidly and the genocide has even had an impact on what languages are being spoken here. Over the last few weeks, I’ve heard a couple of people say that – although Rwanda is considered to be a part of Francophone Africa – it is rapidly becoming an English speaking country. Because of the recent political instability, most of my Rwandan colleagues were refugees who lived outside of the country in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Burundi. They returned to Rwanda in the last ten years along with others who left the country. Consequently, some speak French and Kinyarwanda while others are fluent in English because they lived in Anglophone countries. While you don’t need to know French to get along in Kigali, I’m told that it would be good to learn it and may be then start on Kinyarwanda (although that’s a lot more daunting!). French is mostly spoken by the elite and educated, which still comprise a relatively small percentage of the overall population. Most of the masses still communicate in Kinyarwanda. But, schools are beginning to instruct students in Kinyarwanda, French and English and, in a couple of decades, this could well be a tri-lingual nation.

I’m a little scared by the high level of social organization and government control. Recently, the government outlawed the use of plastic bags in order to beautify the city/country. And, I have yet to find a plastic bag on the streets or any other litter. In fact, I think the streets of Kigali are a lot cleaner than my neighborhood in Washington Heights. Kigali has a lot of newly paved roads and sidewalks, even some bumpy cobbled stoned streets. Almost everyday, I see new construction and it is really amazing how the city is being transformed. The government has a plan to make Rwanda a middle class economy in the next couple of decades, and there is a lot of money being poured into development of the country’s roads, housing, and other related sectors…Last fall, the government – for a short time – decreed that its citizens must spend Saturday mornings doing community service, which could include roadwork. Some people were actually stopped on the road while in their cars and sent to do community service, if they were out on Saturday mornings. All in all, there seems to be deference towards authority and people obey government ordinances without much question. But, I’ve heard these stories second hand and this is an issue I hope to learn more about in coming months.

One of the most heartbreaking sights is the ever present groups of orphans and street children in Kigali. Most approach you only when you’re walking on the street. They usually ask for a little money and it is expected that you give a small bill – usually to at least one or two of them that you identify before a big group forms. However, I was told by a visiting doctor – that while some will use the money for food and items that their families need – many others have gotten into the practice of sniffing glue. Consequently, giving the children money may be fueling a bad habit so I'm starting to think about just carrying some food to give out.

Last week, I went to a memorial for the Rwandan employees of the US mission who were killed during the genocide. The event included testimony from a boy who lost his father in 1994 and from a representative of a survivor’s association. There is still a lot of residual anger towards foreign governments/institutions and it appears to bubble up at different times – such as at this event. The boy argued that the US government should pay for his college education in the States for the service his father provided to the embassy. The representative from the survivors organization talked about the irony of going to Washington, DC in 1995 to receive an award on behalf of the Foreign Service Nationals (FSN is the term used for Rwandans employed by US govt. agencies) who had helped save American lives – even as so many Rwandans in their service perished. Finally, more than one speaker talked about HIV/AIDs and how it serves as a constant reminder of the genocide because women who contracted the virus in 1994 are dying now. All in all, it was a very powerful ceremony, and I kept thinking about it long after it was over.

In addition to adjusting to work, language barriers, and a new culture, I have had to address practical issues such as housing, food and exercise. I have been given a temporary apartment, which is bigger than any place I’ve lived, while I look for permanent housing. It’s really plush and there are a lot of expats in the apartment building. I’m a little uncomfortable with this insular environment. However, I am weighing my options now and have until early June to find a place to live. I have been encouraged to rent a house as most people do when they come here for an extended period. While you can rent a whole house fairly cheaply, most of them are pretty big and they generally have at least three or four bedrooms. I feel like that may be too much space for me – especially after living in a small New York City apartment. But, I’ll see how it goes.

The larger supermarkets have a variety of products (both foreign and domestic), but they can be expensive. Surprisingly, it’s been pretty easy to find things to subsist on as a vegetarian. There are plenty of fruits and veggies including some of my favorites such as mango, papaya, and avocado. And, I’ve even found luxury items such as Nutella and tofu! Kigali has a number of NGOs and, for better or worse, even small stores here carry foreign food products to cater to the expat community.

Before coming here, I wondered about what options existed for exercise. In the last few weeks, I have found a fair number of ways to exercise. The easiest thing to do is walk, and you can walk a lot here. A Rwandan colleague also took me for a high, impact aerobics class at the stadium in Kigali. (For those of you who get HBO, the stadium is the site where the filmmakers premiered Sometime in April, which seems to be regarded more highly here than Hotel Rwanda b/c it was filmed locally. HR was filmed in South Africa). The instructor for the classes at the stadium incorporates kickboxing moves into his workout and, while fun, I was sore for two days afterwards. However, I enjoyed it and may go back next week. A third option for exercise is tennis. Although I haven’t played for a long time, lessons here are relatively (compared to the US) cheap and cost about $10/hour. I just may be too much of a slug to actually wake up at 6:00 am for lessons – so this last option is not too promising.

Hope this sampling of the issues and topics I’ve encountered so far made some sense as I’m still trying to digest it all. It’s really been a little overwhelming, but I am very happy to be here! And, I’ve especially enjoyed the new people that I have met. I look forward to hearing about your lives (whenever you get a chance) and hope that all is well with you. Take care.
Love,
M-.