I’ve been in Rwanda for 3 years now, and today marks 3
months until I leave for at least 3 years.
As the big transition quickly creeps up on me, I find myself saying 2
things with increasing regularity, “______ is something I’ll miss about
Rwanda,” and “I will NOT miss _______ when I leave Rwanda.” This blog post will showcase a few things I
love and hate about Rwanda at this juncture.
1. I hate going to the bank. Back in January,
I did a teacher in-service training for a school about an hour away which was
super fun. I got to throwback to my days
as an outdoor educator and do teambuilding exercises with 12 Rwandan
teachers. A few weeks later, I received
a check for my work. One day, I was in
town and drove around for a while searching for the correct bank at which to
cash my check. I popped in to the bank
where I was forced to touch a screen which would print a number for me to watch
for above a teller’s station. I wasn’t
exactly sure which button to push, as none of them said anything about cashing
checks, so to increase my odds of being prioritized, I pushed multiple buttons,
and took multiple numbers. And then I
waited. And I waited. And finally, after about 30 minutes, my
number came up above a teller! I went to
said teller, gave her my check and a copy of my passport, and she clacked about
on her computer for a bit and then signed my check and gave it back to me and
told me she was just a supervisor, but now I could wait for my number to get my
cash. Seriously!? So I waited.
And I waited. And I waited. And finally, about 45 minutes later, one of
my numbers popped up for another teller who clacked about on her computer,
moseyed over to talk to the supervisor, made a copy of my copy of my passport,
and finally gave me the 32,500 RWF I came for.
So, I drove my scooter an hour away, led a training for 2 hours, drove
my scooter back an hour and got paid about $50, a reasonable $12.50 per hour,
but then my search for the bank and subsequent wait for the money reduced my
lucrative salary to about $8 per hour. Next
time, I’ll ask for payment in cash.
2. I love the doctor and the pharmacy. Okay,
don’t get me wrong, I don’t like being perpetually ill as I have been for a
month now, but I do love that when I am in need of medical treatment, it is
readily available without insurance for dirt cheap. I have had 3 different doctor visits, 2 stool
tests, 2 blood tests, 2 courses of antibiotics, 3 other medications, and spent
less than the $50 I made in those 5.5 hours of driving, teaching, and
waiting. A fourth consultation occurred
via text message prompting me to go to the pharmacy, read my text from the
doctor to the pharmacist, and walk away with 22 pills for less than $1. Can’t beat that…
3. I
hate that I regularly have to go to at least 3 supermarkets to get what I’m
looking for. The other day, in
preparation for my pirate parrrrty (see photos on Facebook), I needed crème
fraiche for my deviled eggs (well, really I needed sour cream, but
substitutions are normal in these parts).
What should have been a quick stop on the way home from school turned
into a 30-minute search all over town for a supermarket with crème
fraiche. Finally, by the fifth
supermarket, I was on my way to making No Mayo Deviled Eggs. (Don’t ask about how long THAT took. Also, don’t ask how many places I went to
find Sprite, or 350 gold coins for a party game… Okay fine, 2 hours, 5, and 9,
respectively).
4. I
love the courier service. On Sunday,
Patrick, the boy I sponsor to go to boarding school 2 hours north of here
called to inform me that someone had stolen his shoes. Fortunately, we have the same size feet, and
I was just wearing out my second to last pair of running shoes, so I could send
him a pair without having to brave the market.
So, get this: I put the shoes in
a paper bag, write his name and phone number on it, give it (and 5,000RWF) to
my day guard, Magnifique, who then takes a moto taxi to Nyabugogo and goes to
the bus station where he pays 2,000RWF, texts me the code, which I text to
Patrick, and then Magnifique motos back home, and that afternoon, Patrick has
new shoes! They just put shoes on a bus
going that way, drop them off at the station, and he walks to town and picks
them up. All for less than $3.
5. I
hate how pedestrians disregard vehicles, especially my scooter, but I loved how
an old lady today made a joke with me on my way to school acting like I was a
moto taxi and asking how much it would cost to drive to the nearby
hospital. Generally humor doesn’t
translate around here, but she was funny, and we both knew it! Made my day.
...I hate the poverty and injustice and prevalence of
mayonnaise. I love the weather and the
people and their outfits. I will miss
making things clearer by speaking a beautiful blend of Kinyarwanda and
English. I won’t miss the strings of 10
phone calls from strangers in the middle of the night. I won’t miss living in a gated compound, but
I will miss the guys who open that gate for me...
I love and hate this place, and I love and hate that I’m
leaving.
