New perspectives

We've been home for a little over a week now. I can't believe how much STUFF we have in America. It's ridiculous! Even though I've lived in the United States since I was born, I think it was just as big of a culture shock coming back to America after the trip as it was entering Rwanda at the beginning. The first thing my parents and I did when we left the airport was go to Pizza Ranch in Indianola for lunch. Part of me was really excited to finally have "American" food again and have a selection of foods to choose from, but I couldn't get over how much food just sat there at the buffet. When I got home to Sioux City and looked in the fridge, it was stocked with water bottles. When I went upstairs to my room, clothes from my pre-packing attempts were everywhere. Things that I thought were normal before seem just embarrassing now. I keep thinking, what if a Rwandan could see my house and all the wasted resources? I still don't get how America (and other countries like it) can be so wealthy while other nations are struggling so badly. It's a difficult concept to get my head around, especially after being able to experience and compare two drastically different societies.

I can only speak for myself, but I'm sure the rest of the group would agree on some level that we all learned how grateful we should be after seeing the Rwandans get by (and happily, too) with so little. This trip was definitely an eye-opening experience, and I miss Africa already! I've made some great friends and memories, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go.

Back to (Our) Reality

It's still taking a while for everything to truly hit me, but I had a big "WHOA" moment when I walked into Wal-Mart yesterday. We have so, so much. We have the resources to DO something with our lives, yet so many people waste their time on useless things. The Rwandans are so innovative; they utilize everything, such as making baskets from the hair-like strings found inside of banana leaves.

Drinking fountains amaze me now. Clean, purified water just flows with the push of a button! One of our full water bottles fell out of our jeep once and some kids picked it up. It seemed they had never seen clear water before! They smelled it, poured it on their hands, set it on the ground and stepped back to see if anything would happen... they never even drank any! It was a very strange sight.

It's also weird constantly knowing what time it is and having the ability to reach anyone at any time by texting or calling. However, I really did enjoy being alone with my thoughts and having the time to journal while reflecting. There's so much noise here, being consumed in silence while in Rwanda was honestly quite scary because it was so unfamiliar.

One of the things I keep thinking about is the Genocide Memorial. Some of the statistics remain permanently etched in my mind: Every 20 minutes, 1,000 Tutsi citizens were murdered. It was extremely painful to actually see some of the machetes used and the cracked skulls that were beaten. Sometimes, I would catch someone's eye and could sense the amount of trauma they endured.

The thing I miss the most are all the friendly people we would encounter. Everyone would drop what they were doing and wave. When I returned, I excitedly said, "Hi!" to several people, and not one acknowledged I had said anything! I'm disappointed with the lack of excitement in our culture, things don't fascinate us like they do with the Rwandans. They truly have taught me so many life-changing things. (Even now, my friends are talking about playing some board games but everyone has already packed them away. In Rwanda, the kids would use anything they could find to create games. I loved their creativity!)

I am beyond glad that everyone in our group was able to experience everything we did! It wouldn't have been the same trip if even one person wasn't present. Thanks for all the great memories, group!

Back Home

So it's the last day of college and we just got back from Africa yesterday morning. Horrible flight but in the end we all made it home safe and that is all that matters, though I don't think I'll ever fly United again.

Looking back at the trip, there is a lot of stuff I learned about the differences between a society like our own and the one in third world countries like Rwanda. Just something as simple as paved roads is something that I take for granted everyday, but back in Africa they don't have many of those. Going to the bathroom in a toilet that only consists of a hole in the ground and has the worst stench, sleeping in tents that don't protect you from rain and it's pouring outside, wearing the same clothes and not showering for days at a time are just some of the things I know were very different from life back home.

I guess it is important to at least understand that America is a society that many in the world only dream of coming to, or at least having the type of lifestyle we have. However, it is not like the people of Rwanda or Uganda were depressed or anything, actually I would say that they are happier than most Americans. We live in a society that is very judgmental and very fast paced, so it is hard to enjoy life sometimes.

For a few days, I was working with a local woman named Cecil who makes these things called briquettes, which are a combination of sawdust, paper and water compressed to make an alternative burning source. They make these as a means to prevent people from cutting down trees. All of us students would be out in the hot sun working and doing this very boring job, and I mean it was very boring. But the local people there did this day in and day out, everyday as a means of making a living. The craziest part was that even with all that work, they only make about 5000 franks a day, which is equivalent to about 8 dollars a day. And that is not for one person, but for everyone there. I could not imagine living off so little for so much work.

I hope that one day I can go back to Africa, maybe not to Rwanda or Uganda, or maybe I will, but I am sure I will be back again one day. The people there are awesome and I will never forget them, whether it's Innocent, Gerard, Isaac, Greg and so many more. And maybe the next time I go, I'll see a turtle for real. :)

The Other Side

I have always known that America is a disposable society, but only recently understood what this really meant.

When traveling home we had an unexpected cancellation of the flight from Chicago to Des Moines. We were so close, but had to get a hotel room in Chicago and leave early the next morning for Des Moines. When we got to the hotel we were all exhausted and grumpy because we smelt bad and had been traveling for 45 plus hours. At the front desk the lady in front of me asked for a disposable toothbrush. Not knowing that they provided those for free, I also asked for one.

The toothpaste is already on the brush and ready to go when you simply add water. It is only meant to use once and toss in the trash. In fact, the lady in front of me asked for two so she could have one for that night and one the next morning. I kept thinking about all the Rwandans that have never owned a toothbrush and the ones that do, cherish them for years and years. I gave one to a little boy at the market and he looked at it this alien object with his eyes squinted trying to figure out what it was.

I used my disposable toothbrush that I requested at the hotel once and then I set it on the counter. I couldn’t throw it away. I had such heavy guilt in my stomach, but felt helpless.

Seeing the other side of the world has changed me so much in ways that people will tell you it will, but you can’t understand unless you see it for yourself. You can see starving children on TV and watch documentaries on the hardships other countries face every day, but it becomes real when you watch it through your eyes instead of through glass.

I really appreciated that we lived like Africans and ate local food while we were there.
If we would have stayed in nice hotels and only visited the poor villages, our experience would have been completely different—it would have been more of a vacation. I wouldn’t change anything about the trip—so truly special to live side by side with Rwandans.

The only difference though is that we were able to leave. Our time there was done and we got in a plane and flew away to out familiar life—yet everything looks a little different now. Who knew a handy toothbrush at a hotel when I was tired and stinky could have provoked such an emotion. The word Disposable keeps coming back to me.

It’s so important to understand that the Rwandans can learn so much from us and gain a lot from our donations, but we have just as much to learn from them and they have just as much to offer us in return.

Home Sweet Home

We are finally home! After spending 40-50 hours traveling back, I believe everyone was ecstatic when our plane hit that Des Moines runway. Chicago brought us a little frustration and unrest the night before as our flight was first delayed and later cancelled. It stunkbecause we were so close, just a 45 minute plane ride, but so far away at the same time and there wasn't really anything we could do. Virginia had to wait in the packed customer service line for awhile. In the end, we got hotel accommodations at the Ramada and were booked to leave for Des Moines at 6:00am. So we got a 4 hour nap and we were at the airport by 4:30 the next morning. It wasn't exactly ideal and how we planned, but I think it could have been so much worse. It would have been awful to miss aplane or have one cancelled earlier. Then we might have beenstuck in Belgium or D.C. At least this way we were only an hour flight away, it was our last one, and we wouldn't miss much because we were leaving so early in the morning. I'm thankful and I think we're blessed that was theonly glitch we ran into. Well, not all of our luggage made it with us on our flight either, but that worked out fine too. They had three flights coming into Des Moines from Chicago that morning so the luggage was all mixed around. It wasn't lost though, so that's good! They called when it came in and I picked it up on my way home.

This trip was amazing! I got to meet awesome people and we all came together for a common purpose and goal. We made a plethora of unforgettable memories. I learned about and immersed myself in another culture, experiencing both the similarities and differences. It was so freeing to be without a cell phone, TV, computers (besides doing the blog), and any other kind of technology. It allowed me to focus solely on what was going on around me and I loved it. The people were beyond friendly and I will really miss them. Back in the States, our celebrity days are

over. Ha! A big thanks to Virginia for staying and cool and keeping everything organized, despite the African sense of time and plans. We couldn't have done it without you!

A few pictures from the trip:

I couldn't quite figure out how to organize all of the pictures right so they're a little everywhere.

The first is a gorgeous sunrise in Uganda on our way to Queen Elizabeth National Park!

Next is a group shot at the Mweya Lodge with our 'Thank You!' sign for all of the people who donated for our trip.

Kayla and Annie smile with a group of kids at recess. There were so many and they just crowded around us. It was crazy!

Anna, Tiff, Kayla, Annie, and Emily join in the fun dancing and singing the people from the Gishwati village one night. For many of us, this was our favorite memory.

Tiff, Emily, Kayla, and Arron are all smiles after finishing our 4 hour rain-filled amazing hike through Gishwati!

Some boys of the Gishwati village play with the American football we brought. We tried to teach them to throw it but eventually there were kicking it around like a soccer ball, getting a 'kick' out of how it bounced.

Again, it was a completely amazing experience which I will never forget! The people of Rwanda will always be in my heart. As will all of the great people I shared this trip with :) Thanks everybody!

Freedom

Finally back to the states and out of Africa, feels so weird. I think every time I look at my watch, knowing it does not have the right time, I see what time it would be in Africa and think about what we would be doing during that time. Leaving and being essentially disconnected to everything was very freeing. I loved that I was detached from my cell phone and T.V. and all other clutter and noise that got in the way of the raw beauty Rwanda had to offer.

I am very much missing Africa and all the people that we met and became friends with. The vibe and energy given off was contagious. Getting back into reality has its way of pulling you down, yet a hard reminder that I am so very blessed with simple things as a bed, roof over my head, and a hot shower.

Some pictures while we were there. The first is a few of us girls with Ben Beck who has a major part in running the research station for conservation of the apes in the Gishwati forest, who had a great influence on us all and wished he could be along our entire trip.

Second shows Maggie and Megan working on one portion of our service learning project in Rwanda which was to build a library.

Some other pictures are of some animals that we saw there!