Life has been good. I directly witnessed its goodness this past weekend during my experiences staying in Kampala, Uganda. Not only did I raft the Nile, see a whole bunch of colorful birds I had never seen before and pray in a mosque after responding to the local muezzin's call to prayer (the sheik also tried to convert me, I held my ground), but I hung out with Caitlin T. and navigated Uganda's crazy streets with her help. She even helped me bargain with a shopkeeper around Owino Market in downtown Kampala. That market place literally smelled like shit and as we walked down the never ending pathways, the aggressive businesspeople grabbed at our arms and clothes. Crazy. It is good to be among friends; it is even better to be reunited with one you have not seen in a while.
Right now I am in Kigali, but that will not be for long. Tomorrow, my mate Devon and I head out to the North of Rwanda to Ruhengeri where we will be doing our practicum. Hopefully we will be planting trees, at least that is what we signed up to do. We do not really know much about what we have gotten ourselves into, but at the very minimum, we are guaranteed an adventure. I am looking forward to spending my time in the dirt and doing some restorative physical labour. I will not be taking my computer, although I might be able to find an internet cafe somewhere. Most likely, we will live in a rural area without internet access, so do not expect too much from me during this upcoming month. We return on March 25th or sometime around then.
Kigali now feels like home. I returned from Kampala with a joyous heart and got off the bus at our Remera/Chez Lando stop feeling so comfortable and pleased to return home, if only for a few days. Nothing solidifies the feeling of 'home-ness' like going away and coming back. I love Rwanda and seeing Uganda only made me realize how much I love life here. I love cramming into packed buses and traveling down familiar streets. I love speaking to locals in their language (though it is quite the challenge) and I even love only being able to comprehend three or four words out of every sentence. The trash filled streets of Kampala made me pine for Kigali, oddly enough. Suffice to say, Rwanda n'ziza.
I wish you all the best, whoever and wherever you are. May Imana bless you with grace and peace.
Muramoce,
Joshua
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