Vacation to Gisenyi

Kids I met at the hot springs

Our vacation to Ginseyi was absolutely amazing. The several hour drive there was a bit nauseating for me because I was jammed in the back of the van with no air space but if you see vans on the street in Rwanda, about 20 people are cramped into a 10 person car so I can’t rightfully complain. On the way, we stopped at a nice traditional Rwandan restaurant that served Kassava leaves, beans, rice, potato bananas (they are cooked bananas that taste exactly like potatoes), goat skewers and Koka-Kola (that’s how they spell it). Right before we got to the hotel, we drove along the border of Rwandan/ and Democratic Republic of Congo. I was surprised to see that all it was, was a small stone wall with two officers at the entrance of the gate.

We finally arrived at our hotel which had windy stone pathways that led to beautiful thatched huts right on the edge of Lake Kivu,  the only lake in Rwanda open for swimming. Our huts had simply two beds with mosquito nets around them and bathroom with a shower .We threw on our swimsuits and most people hopped into a wobbly boat that would soon cross the lake, but me and two others decided to swim it instead. After about 45 minutes of swimming against the tide (yes it was exhausting) we climbed out of the lake where there was 6 Rwandan boys cooking something over a fire. We continued on to find the rest of the group by a little hot spring. The springs were so hot that if you dropped a potato in the water, it would cook in just about twenty minutes. The mayor of the hot springs, who was 94 years old, was standing by. It was funny to see from an outsider’s perspective the ten Americans surrounded by and stared at by amazed but confused Rwandans. I started snapping some photos and lots of little kids ran up to me to see the pictures and when they saw their faces they would giggle and clap.

Our hut

Ilyssa and I on the boat back from the springs

After the hot springs we walked back to the boat and I had a following of about 10 little who were flabbergasted by my camera. We took a boat to a bright green Island with tropical trees close by that looked exactly like a fake, post card scene. We layed out in the sun for a while and then took the boat back to our hotel room. After showering (which was amazing because at the village we only get to wash in the buckets) we went outside for an amazing dinner. Most people ordered Tilapia but being a vegetarian, I had the traditional rice, beans and banana potato meal. Even though I eat that every day here, surprisingly I’m not sick of it yet. During the meal, two crazy African dancers ran in with beaded clothes, spears, bells on their ankles and white painted faces and were accompanied by two drummers. They performed hilarious and interesting dances for us and then I stood up to clap along and one of them came right up to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into the dance. In front of everyone. Although I was embarrassed at first, I quickly picked up the dance moves and had a blast.

After dinner, our guide leader gave us pens and paper to write a letter to ourselves that will be sent out to us in a year from now. I don’t know exactly where I’ll be when I receive the letter, but wherever it Is, I know that it will warm my heart and remind me of all the connections I’ve made here, the friends that I love, the lessons learned, and the memories made. Whenever I think of this time, I know I will smile.

The next morning, I woke up to screaming fishermans on the lake. While rowing their boats, they yell and sing, not worried about waking people up because Rwandans are usually early birds and everyone’s up by six anyway. We ate breakfast outside on a table facing the lake and for only three or four dollars, we were served omelets, Rwandan tea, crapes, fruit salad, and toast with butter and jam. After breakfast our group left the hotel and arrived at an outdoor market which had thousands of beautiful, colorful African fabrics. I saw little girls sewing dolls out of fabric, lots of toddlers roaming around and exploring under the tables, and old woman napping in piles of banana leaves. After leaving the market, we headed towards Kigali and stopped for pizza on the way (it’s the only place in Rwanda you can find pizza). 

 Bosco, the driver for the village, accompanies us to all of the meals we have on our trips. I talked to him for a while and he was telling me about his family that lives hours away from the village. Because he works at Agahozo, he only gets to see his family once a week. “It is not good for me because my eleven year daughter doesn’t know who I am, and my other kids have stopped looking for me. But there is no other way to make money for them.” Instead of eating the pizza we ordered for him, he boxed it up for kids at home, even though he hadn’t eaten all day. “My kids will be very happy. They’ve never had pizza before,” he explained. It’s easy to see Bosco as just a driver and think nothing else, but for the first time, I actually learned about what his life is like and all the sacrifices he has to make. Bosco has been so friendly and loving to us, I’ve never seen him without a smile on his face (most Rwandans smile constantly), and I’ll never forget his grace and strong character.

        There are so many kids in the village that I’ve come to love and really bond with that I have no idea how to say goodbye to the village. Although I’m starting to feel extremely sad, I know I will hold this unique and special place in my heart forever.