Senator & Memorial & Futbol

So what a night! We didn't sleep, didn't have a waste basket in our room, our sheets were dirty and we were awake off and on until 3 a.m! Feeling groggy and a tad dirty, we check ed out of our room (argued with the counter worker), then took a cab to see former Senator Dave Durenberger and Congolese priest Fr. Jean-Piere Bongila. Both of them were in central Africa doing some business for St. Thomas University. When we walked in the gate for the Serena Hotel, we both laughed. This was the nicest hotel in all of Rwanda!

We had a pleasant breakfast with Father and the Senator, then parted ways after about an hour. We took another cab to a new hotel. Nice.

After getting settled in, we took motos to the Rwandan Genocide Memorial/Museum. This museum was noticibly inspired by the Holocaust Museum in DC, but it was uniquely African. We were greeted at the reception desk and taken outside to see the meditation garden and the mass graves housed behind the building. Over 258,000 Rwandans who were killed during the genocide are buried in the graves. Many of the graves had flowers on them from previous visitors and one of the graves was open. It contained caskets draped in white cloths with purple crosses. Inside the musuem, the exhibits chronicled the history of the genocide from beginning to end, and its aftermath. Needless to say, the experience at the memorial was very moving and somber.

After the musuem, we ate lunch at a good Italian restaurant and made our way to Center Murembo for our football game. The kids were just finishing up classes when we arrived. When they were done, they immediately went to retrieve their football equipment to put on. It was great to see how appreciative they were of the equipment and how much they valued it.

We made the 25-minute walk to the "field" which was mostly dirt surrounded by very tall grass which was still inbounds. They were very formal and stretched and prayed before the game, and we played two full halves. Many of the kids were very skilled, and it was a joy to play with them. They were very competitive as well. We're not sure of the final score, but both James and Dave scored a goal.

We're back near our hotel now, and going to grab a bite.

Mwala Muchea (good night)

James and Dave