The Start of Something New (Term 2)

So, Term 2 has begun. We got underway much quicker than Term 1 did. The students have been a lot rowdier so far than they were in Term 1, so we'll see how that goes. Other than that, things have been going well. I've established some pen pal relationships in the states, I submitted a grant, and I'm working on a couple of projects with other PCVs.

Also, there's a thing in our PCV group chat about using High School musical song titles as often as possible. Hence the title.

Anyway, here's a few pictures!

The Congo as seen from Kamembe!

Commemoration Week

As I mentioned, we are currently on a school break. Many members of my cohort went to Uganda for the break to raft the Nile River (something I’d love to do next year), but I decided to stay in Rwanda. I spent a night in Kigali to run by the Peace Corps Office, get some groceries, and see Black Panther (it was so good!). I also got a wonderful massage and ate so much food.

In addition, Saturday (April 7^th) was the 24^th Commemoration of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda of 1994. As part of the Commemoration, there was first a march from the main road to the church (the only place big enough for everyone to gather). Then, flowers were placed on the graves in the memorial outside of the church, and there were speeches from honored guests and a broadcast from Rwandan President Paul Kagame. It rained off and on throughout the entire ceremony, and I was seated outside, but it felt fitting, and I shared my umbrella with the two ladies sitting next to me.

The official commemoration has continued this week, with businesses closing early and a general quiet around town. More information can be found at kwibuka.rw.

I didn’t take any pictures of the Commemoration, but I’ll make a separate post with pictures from Kigali and the past few weeks. 

Pictures

And again, please let me know if you are interested in the grant projects I'm doing!

He was an okay roommate.

They had Cocoa Puffs!

We stayed at the 2000 Hotel in city center. Look at those beds!

View from my window

Laundry

Yes, more people did eventually show up.