Grants, Goodbyes, and the Beauty of Lake Kivu

I thank the universe every day that I do not get motion sick, but this week, I am especially grateful. Because this week featured 4 days of holiday, which meant no work was to be done, I was able to work remotely on Monday and travel to Lake Kivu for an extended period. We have a little bit of work to discuss before I dive into my leisure activities, but rest assured, you’ll get a full rundown of my trip in due course.

For work, I am currently in collaboration with Sydney Parbs, who is working at the International Bridges for Justice in Geneva, Switzerland. We are working on a grant proposal for the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda, developing a program that promotes professional skills development, enhances English proficiency, and promotes digital literacy among youth in order to promote broader justice and civic participation. Sydney, having spent time in Rwanda before, is familiar with Kigali and is a wonderful help in this process. It has been fun working with another W&M intern, especially one that’s a continent away. In addition to this project, RBJ is set to put on the training on July 10 and 11 to train many different government bodies in human and civil rights. With the extensive preparation we’ve been doing over the past month, and I’m sure they’ve been doing well before I arrived, I’m sure the training will be a huge success. 

Okay, now on to the Lake Kivu trip. My boyfriend and I left Saturday morning and traveled the four hours by car instead of by bus. Though the bus is much less expensive, the ride is over twice as long if that’s the chosen method of transportation. With his hope of completing some bar prep exercises, we opted for a car ride that would be calmer and faster. Ultimately, the car was not a haven of bar prep because of the bumps and rockiness, leading to mild car sickness and a well-timed nap. This is where my gratitude for the lack of motion sickness came into play. It was a beautiful drive, and I really got to experience part of the reason Rwanda is called the Land of a Thousand Hills. 

Once we arrived at Lake Kivu, I was greeted by the most beautiful sight I could have ever hoped for. Six goats, two sheep, and two dogs descended upon us as soon as we stepped out of the car. They kept us company for the entirety of our stay, and it was a beautiful surprise that he knew I would appreciate. Lake Kivu is known for a variety of things: swimming cows, massive fruit bats, traditional sambaza fishing, and an island full of monkeys, to name just a few. During our stay, we were fortunate enough to experience all these things and more. 

Selfishly, I was hoping the trip would never end because returning to Kigali meant not only the end of seeing my new fluffy friend, but also the conclusion of my boyfriend’s time in Rwanda. After arriving back in Kigali, we had a day and a half left together before we said our goodbyes. When the time finally came to travel to the airport, we boarded our respective mototaxis and arrived all too soon at our destination. However, there’s something a little different about the Kigali airport. They close check-in much earlier than other airports do, so at first he wasn’t able to get into the airport to travel home. As we had arrived just an hour before departure, we were past the approved time to enter. I will admit I was secretly hoping no amount of negotiations and bargaining would allow him entry, but alas, I sit here in the tennis club writing this blog post alone. Of course, it’s probably best that he didn't have to pay for another flight, but I wouldn’t have minded an extra day or two of his company. 

Anyway, my beautiful life here in Kigali moves on, and I have so many new experiences to look forward to. All I hope is that everything hereafter will be as marvelous, maybe even more so, than it has been thus far.