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| Shades of blue across Lake Kivu |
It is now two weeks since I left
the UK to return to Rwanda. After a five-week break (my planned four weeks back
in the UK turned into five), I now find myself back in Kamembe on the shores of
Lake Kivu overlooking the distant hills and mountains of the DRC. I am sitting again on my terrace
writing this, banished from the house as Modeste, my guard, does one of his
mega cleaning jobs on the house. I
have just rescued my connection lead, charging my Mac, before it got covered in
water as he mops out the house.
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| House cleaning |
Reflecting on the last few weeks
it still amazes me, despite many years of travelling to many overseas places,
how quickly we can be transported from one country to another, from one
continent to another and from one culture to another.
Leaving Rwanda at the end of March
and a fairly small Kigali Airport, I soon sound myself in Brussels Airport and
shortly after at Heathrow and then on the M25 back to Lewes. The uneven, red mud tracks of Rwanda suddenly
seemed a long way away – about 4,000 miles.
I had a very enjoyable but busy time
back in the UK. Busier than I had anticipated due to the interest shown by everyone
in Rwanda and what I had been doing. I felt I was on a bit of a Rwanda PR trip
around the UK taking in Lewes, London, Yaxley (Peterborough), Oxborough and
Blakeney in Norfolk, Battle, Rye, Bognor Regis, Emsworth and Havant.
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| Cley, Norfolk - very different landscape to Rwanda |
I found it difficult to walk along
Lewes High Street without being stopped and asked about Rwanda – I managed to
get around to see most people who wanted to speak to me but apologies to those
that I didn’t and will put you on the top of the list when I come back next
time.
I’ve worked out I got around to
see at least 30 different sets of people/groups/family over the 33 days I was back.
I was well fed during these visits and could tell this by the number of people
here in Rwanda telling me when I got back that I looked fat! Here, it is a compliment as it is a way
of saying “you look well” so quite different to how it is meant in the UK –
however, I have noticed my stomach has expanded so I’m hoping that my twice
daily 40 minute from the house to the guest house will help to get this down
again.
Many people asked me what it was
like being back in the UK. I guess
it was strange at first but I quickly adapted to being back and life, in many
ways, continues as it has done a year ago. Doing what I am doing does change you and you do come back
with a different perspective and you sort of look into the world you left
behind. Coming back to Rwanda I realised how easy it is to step back into life
here again.
The thing I realised about being
back in the UK was the number of friendships and relationships that have grown
out of the work I and Southover Church have been doing since I first came here
in 2006. There was a huge interest
in what I have been doing, the country, the life here and as there was so much
coverage on the news during the genocide memorial week, it was good to be able
to give a more balanced view on what life is like in Rwanda today.
Coming back I realise that although
I left many lovely friends and family back home (not to mention my dog Jasper
who was very, very pleased to see me) I have come back to lovely friends here
in Rwanda. Returning to the guesthouse, I was met by very excited staff who
were so pleased to see the return of the General Manager as I was pleased to
see them too. There were hugs, laughter and tears (some of them mine) and a
special “Welcome back General Manager” fruit cocktail and a presentation of a
General Manager badge.
Also, much work had been done and
is being done on some of the guesthouse rooms with new bathrooms, tiling and
redecoration of 14 rooms – such a difference. Now we have the task of getting new furniture, curtains and
other fittings to finish them off.
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| A new look Peace Guest House |
I have quickly got back into the
African swing of things. Although, we should now be in the hot dry season we
still have some rains around and last night we had a big storm and torrential
downpour. I am getting used to the heat, the breathlessness from the altitude
and the stares – yes, the Muzungu is back!
Many people asked me, when I was
in the UK, what my typical day looks like. I guess every day is different and working at the guesthouse
brings different visitors every day and there are always different situations
and problems to face as I go about my normal day. Here is what yesterday, Saturday, looked like – not so much
a typical working day as it was supposed to be my day-off but things here don’t
always go according to plan.
I had agreed on Friday to meet up
with Bishop Nathan on Saturday. As he is always so busy I need to grab him when
I can and I had not yet had an opportunity to meet him since getting back.
Saturday: 6.45am text message from
Bishop Nathan asking if I could be at his house at 7.30am as he had suggested
we go to the very nice Nyungwe Lodge Hotel for a meeting as he had some
visitors from Kigali who wanted to visit the Nyungwe Forest. A scramble to get myself up, showered,
dressed and ready at his house by 7.30am.
I should know by now that a
scramble is not really necessary as reaching the house at 7.30am nobody was
ready so I joined everyone for breakfast.
Once Bishop Nathan started putting his socks on we knew it was time to
leave and as Jimmy, his driver hadn’t turned up (later found out that he’d lost
his wallet the night with his identity card, driver’s licence and bank card),
Bishop Nathan decided to drive so with me in the front and three American
visitors and Jonathan, Bishop Nathan’s, son, squeezing themselves into back
seat. A bit of confusion having two Jonathans as Bishop Nathan refers to us
both as Jo but we soon decided on Jonathan senior and Jonathan junior.
I never tire of the journey to
Nyungwe. The road is quite spectacular with views of Lake Kivu, the hills of
Rwanda and tea plantations and many people walking many miles to market with
piles of matoke (cooking bananas) on their heads, sacks of vegetables and the
odd bench or wooden double bed!
Nothing really surprises me now about what they carry on their head
although I did see a woman once walking down the road with as single trainer
balanced on her head and a man walking out of a shopping centre in Kigali with
a fridge-freezer on his head!
After a short stop at the Nyungwe
Visitor Centre to check out the price of guided treks, Bishop Nathan decided to
take the visitors into the forest and allow them to take a short trek so that
could experience the forest without the high cost of paying for a guide. They
were told to just go for a few minutes whilst Bishops Nathan and I waited in
the car and had an informal meeting and a catch-up.
After 45 minutes and no sign of
the visitors, Bishop Nathan started to get a bit worried – not so much that we
thought they were lost but more of the trouble that he would get into if anyone
found that a Bishop had allowed people to go trekking with a guide. Leaving the car we went for a short walk
to see if we could see them - he was concerned about leaving his car in case
anyone saw it and recognised it as his as some months earlier a catholic priest
from Cyangugu Diocese, who was also chief accountant, was found dead in his car
in the forest in mysterious circumstances.
Thankfully, the visitors came back
shortly afterwards and we were able to drive to the Nyungwe Lodge Hotel for a
coffee and continuation of our meeting whilst the others explored the grounds
of the hotel beautifully located in a middle of a working tea plantation with
the forest in the background and monkeys clambering over the roofs of the
bedrooms.
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| Water feature at Nyungwe Lodge Hotel |
It was then back to the Bishop’s
house for lunch of fish, matoke, sweet potatoes, ground nut sauce, pasta and
bananas and another informal chat/meeting with Bishop Nathan before he came
back with me to the house so he could look at the work that had been done on
the house next door that I am moving into – once I get some furniture. A bit of
telling off for Modeste, from the Bishop, as he felt he and the other guards
had been neglecting the gardens before he headed off back home for what I
suspect was an afternoon nap.
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| Bird life in the garden |
I then had to wait for Sostene, our guesthouse
maintenance chap, to come and repair the pipe under my kitchen sink that had been
dislodged – he fixed it with a lot of sticky tape but it seemed to have done
the trick. I then attempted an
afternoon nap but by that time it had become too hot and I got disturbed by
some kids at the gates who I thought were asking me (in English) if I had any
brothers – rather strange question I thought until I realised they were asking
if I had any guavas on the trees in the gardens. I do have something round and green on one of the trees so I
guess these could be guavas.
The day was finished off by
checking emails, catching up on the news on the BBC website and watching on
DVD season two of House.
Yes, probably was a typical day.
