Rwandan morning

Last night I stayed up until midnight just watching the stars and watching the craziest lightning in the distance. There’s no light around for miles and miles so you can see the sky perfectly. This morning, I woke up at 6.00 to go to the school to teach English, Every morning I wake up to the beautiful sounds of birds, and I walk outside the door right into a damp cloud that pervades the entirety of the mountain. It looks as though the trees and flowers are steaming and the beauty of the mystical morning is accompanied by a fresh, wonderful air that rejuvenates my body and awakens me from my exhaustion. From my cabin, the school up the hill in the distance looks unreachable in the midst but I start my long trek up the mountain alongside the crowd of Rwandan students. They are fit and speedy and as I’m struggling up the hlll, groups of linked kids who are accustomed to the long walk overtake me swiftly and easily.They all nod and flash great, full smiles. Being the only “Muzungu” which means white person in Kiyarwandan, I stick out here like a soar thumb. It’s not like I walk around with a mirror and constantly think of myself as white, but the stares that continue wherever I go remind me of the obvious difference. Although I feel so foreign here, I also feel genuinely welcomed in. I finally reach the top, out of breath and sweating, and look around and realize that the magnificent beauty of the view is no doubt worth the steep hike up the hill, even if it is only seven in the morning.