When we woke up this morning we walked around the central part of Kigali for a while and did a little shopping and then made our way over to the Hotel des Milles Collines (Hotel Rwanda). We sat by the pool for most of the day, had a cheeseburger for lunch, and just people watched. The Hotel Milles Collines was of course made famous by the film, "Hotel Rwanda." Paul Rusesabagina managed to save thousands of Tutsis by hiding them in the hotel during the genocide. The hotel is in direct view of the US Embassy and was in direct view of UN headquarters during the genocde. For many years, it was the center of Kigali's political and social scene. Much "business" took place at this pool in Kigali.
In the evening we met a man named Egde and his family who are visiting Rwanda from St. Paul. Egide's son and daughter (Paul and Ruth) are Tutsi survivors of the Genocide and his niece and nephew. After Paul and Ruth's family were killed, they managed to survive on their own for 2 months. Egide and his wife Kristen adopted Paul and Ruth in the late '90's. Both attend Central High School in St. Paul.
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