St. Famille and the Road to Ruhengeri

We spent our first night at the Iris Guesthouse. Everyone in the group was exhausted from our travels but we had the opportunity to sleep in on Sunday. After waking up and having breakfast, we started the Muzungu Parade up to St. Famille Church. We were surprised to find that 9am mass was letting out right on time at 11am. Mass was in Kinyarwanda and was beautiful. St. Famille was the sight of several smaller massacres during the Genocide, but because it was in full view of downtown Kigali, large scale massacres were never carried out.

After the two hour mass we had a two hour lunch at the Chinese restaurant next door to the Iris. I guess we wanted to ease everyone into Rwandan cuisine. The kids were fine with that. After our two hour lunch, we went on a two hour walking tour of Kigali, visiting the the Belgian Troop Memorial, and then of course making a stop at the mall. Really students took some time to get on the internet and have some ice cream treat. Our return to the Iris was greeted by a sensational thunderstorm. It rained the rest of the night. Funny, we remember telling the kids several times that it's the dry season and it won't rain in Rwanda. As of yesterday we were 0-2. Most of us were still pretty tired so we had an early night.

This morning we woke up and got into the Muzungu Express to Ruhengeri. Everyone loved it. Even though we have been here several times, James and Dave always see something that surprises or amazes us on the road to Ruhengeri. The kids had the chance to greet people out of the window and practice their Kinyarwanda. Some are getting very good.

After settling in the the Amahoro Guesthouse, we went to the Silverback Cafe for a traditional Rwandan meal of stewed plantains, rice, mixed veggis, and stewed beef. It was quite good. The kids are really enjoying interacting with other kids. We returned to the Amahoro with an Entourage of Rwandans of varying age.

Our trip to see the Intore got changed and we traveled by bus halfway to Gisyeni to a small village. The Intore troupe danced with power and grace, beating a their drums and dancing and singing beautifully. At the end of the performance, of course the students had their chance to try their hands, feet, hips, etc. at Intore. They danced with enthusiasm, much to the delight of the two hundered Rwandans who had gathered to watch the show as well.

We returned to the Amahoro Guesthouse for a little dinner and we're now off to bed. We begin our formal cultural activities tomorrow, so stay tuned for updates from kids.

We are happy to be back in Ruhengeri and to see our friends, Greg, Whinnie, and Delphine.

Mwalamuche na Amahoro.