Rwanda: The Land of a Thousand Hills

Just got to Rwanda a couple days ago! I'm so excited to be here and to be staying with Elspeth Williams, a Georgetown alum who was a Circumnavigators Fellow in 2007. She and her friends all work with amazing NGOs and it's been really great to see what a difference recent college graduates can make.

Yesterday I spent a few hours roaming around "downtown" Kigali. Despite being the nation's capital/business center, Kigali is tiny compared to most other world capitals. However, there were still many interesting shops as well as a spectacular view of the hills surrounding the city. I also got a chance to practice my French with the friendly locals :) I think my accent needs some work though because a group of school children burst into laughter when I tried to ask the name of the local hills...

Today I am busy setting up meetings with people from USAID and the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission. In this next week I hope to learn whether/how Rwanda has overcome the trauma of genocide. Even from my brief walk downtown, I was amazed at how happy and peaceful society seems. If I can identify the factors that have helped Rwanda move forward since the genocide, that may offer some guidance for countries that are still struggling with communal conflict.

I just realized that tomorrow will be the first time that I'm not in the US for the Fourth of July. I'll definitely miss the annual fireworks show in Baltimore but I'm also really looking forward to the celebration at the US Embassy here. There is also supposed to be a game of "moto-polo" (polo played on motorcyles instead of horses), should be interesting :)

Finally, I'd really like to load some pictures from South Africa but I don't think this internet connection is fast enough :( Will try again later!