Kigali

Rwanda is a beautiful country with an overwhelming sense of greenness.  However, thus far I have spent my time in the capital city, Kigali.  Kigali is a city of nearly 900,000 people, which is hard to believe as it seems more like a large village rather than a city of nearly one million.  It is a city spread out over a series of hills with lovely, lush tropical foliage growing from red soil.  Kigali is a clean city.  In fact it is a really clean city with obvious effort and planning going into the design and upkeep.  It is also a city with a quiet, mellow bustle.   A bustle that seems to say, “There is time enough.”  

Kigali is also a city whose traffic is dominated by motorcycle taxis. When I was offered this placement in Rwanda from CUSO-VSO I had to decide whether or not I was comfortable riding on a motorcycle as that is one of the main modes of transportation in Rwanda.  I assured the CUSO-VSO office that I was comfortable with this form of transportation, while in reality it was the only thing that I was not looking forward to.  However, I am happy to report that with less than 24 hours under my belt I had taken not just one, but two “moto” rides and am ready for more as it is straight out fun.  We will see if I continue to think this as I use them daily over rough roads to visit schools that are sometimes one to two hours away.