Work in Rwanda, week 2
We have now finished week 2 of our work in Rwanda. This week has been good, with a bit of work in the office and a trip to volcanoes national park to carry out a survey with the beekeepers there. The park was very beautiful, hills, volcanoes and a lake so it was a very nice work outing and we will definitely be heading back there for some trekking. The survey was to assess the beekeeping processes and what needs to be improved so that the honey and processes are of the standard to be able to be exported, so you may see Burera honey on the shelves in the next couple of years..... We also got paid for the survey which was a bit of a bonus!
We have found a nice flat now in Kigali with a small room for rent, sharing with a girl who is working for the world food programme. The flat is in a great location, in Remera which is a 20 minute walk to work and in a good place for shops and restaurants. We moved in at the start of last week and it is definitely nice to finally be settled for the rest of the month, to unpack our bags and feel like we are living here for a bit.
Last weekend we went to Gisenyi which is on the shores of Lake Kivu. The place is small but very pretty and we enjoyed some nice walks and book reading and just generally chilled out and made the most of the sun before the rains really kick in. The trip there took 3hrs on the local bus and Gisenyi is in the far west of the country (in fact we almost crossed the border in to DRC without realising..ooops!) so you can imagine how small Rwanda is....not that much bigger than Cornland! So we are hoping to get out at the weekends and see some of the other areas.
We have also discovered why Rwanda is called the land of a thousand hills, I don’t think there is a piece of flat land here, the landscape is just of thousands of rolling hills! Rainy season has also been pretty good in that so far this week it has rained only for half an hour today so it not quite the torrential downpours I was expecting but I’m guessing they are to come.
This weekend will be quiet as it is the start of the genocide memorial week. Yesterday we went and spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool at Hotels Des Mille Collines (Hotel Rwanda if you have seen the film) which was lovely and then went around to the flat of some fellow volunteers for dinner. Today is the memorial parade which is at the stadium just opposite our flat so we will be keeping a low profile and enjoying our new flat.
I think that is all for now
Lots of love
Helen xxx
Hi there,
So Rwanda seems nice so far, it is a small and beautiful country with rolling hills, lakes and volcanoes. Kigali is clean with good roads and lots to do and our flat is nice with a large lounge and we have been able to cook for ourselves for the first time on the trip.
The people we are working with have been great so far and very helpful. We have met with a group of expats all working with the same agency as us, though in different parts of town and even went to pub quiz with them on Monday! We are living in one of the nicer parts of town just opposite the national stadium and near to some nice restaurant while still remaining about 10 minutes walk from work, so pretty perfect.
I have 3 jobs now, the first with REDO (Helens group), teaching hygiene and sanitation to the Batwa (pygmies), the second with Benishyaka (orphans and widows from the genocide) organising a nutrition programme and the third for HFLM (don’t know what it stands for yet!) doing health screening for the street children and orphans who get sick lots.
We are out at a house party last night, so a little hung over, but we will be having a quiet week this week during the genocide memorial so should be well rested.
We had a nice trip away on Thursday in the Volcanoes Park (famous from Gorillas in the Mist), a really beautiful area on the Uganda border with lakes on one side and volcanoes on the other. We are due to work in another of Rwandas parks next week as we survey the pygmie populations in Nyagunwe Forest.
Will keep you informed. Love to all,
Simon
