I've been home for a few days now and I'm finally closing the chapter to my greatest learning experience yet. I cannot put into words what I have learned yet but here, I will try.
Rwanda Nziza - beautiful Rwanda. But nonetheless, a land of paradox. Rwanda has become my second home but there are still some aspects of it that I am trying to come to terms with.
Let's talk about the environment first. Interestingly, President Kagame has banned plastic bags in Rwanda. At every border crossing I went through (and there were many in my 6 months of traveling), border officers tirelessly rummaged through my bags looking for plastic bags. I'm sure they'd be more phased by the finding of a plastic bag than by a weapon.... And it's a great idea. No where in the country do you find plastic bags spoiling the beautiful green hills and undoubtedly, using paper bags is MUCH better for the environment. But if you want to recycle your tin can that once held oatmeal, goodluck. Recycling doesn't exist. Also, the air is heavily polluted. A lot of dirty cars on the road. That never really made sense to me. I think I've decided Rwanda cares more about how the country LOOKS vs. the actual environment. After all, anyone who has ever visited the country will quickly find that in Rwanda, aesthetics are EVERYTHING.
Gender roles - Rwanda has the highest number of women in government in the WORLD. Go Rwanda go! And yes, women are well respected. But nonetheless, gender roles most definitely still exist. I'd get stares of wonder when I told people I was 25, unmarried, without children and with no plans of doing that anytime soon. They thought something was wrong with me and kept warning me that by the time I wanted these things, I'd be too old (ie. by 30, you are crusty, old and might as well give up on life). Moreover, as I've mentioned in previous posts, men have a tendency to be quite patronizing. It's not fun.
Resources - Rwanda has virtually no resources. It's main exports are coffee and tea and the economy more or less relies on Gorilla trekking (tourism). However, Rwanda has seen some of the most consistent economic growth in the world. In Rwanda, it takes a matter of days to set up a business - in fact, the country has been ranked by the World Bank as one of the best places for business. Regardless, poverty rates are high. A good chunk of the population still lives in desolate conditions. The good news: in the past 6 years, nearly a million Rwandans have been pulled out of poverty. So the country is on it's way up hopefully.
As you can tell, there are still some things that leave me thinking when it comes to how Rwanda works.
I have learned a lot about humanity though...
Never ever doubt the power of a human being. These people have suffered. More suffering that most of us will ever know. But yet they smile, dance and forgive. They haven't let their absolutely horrific past hold them back. They've kept going.
Community. Rwandans embraces a sense of community. People look out for each other, even if they are strangers. They say hello, give a friendly handshake and are always eager to strike up a conversation. I already miss that. If you fall, you will hear a million "sorry! sorry! sorry" and everyone rushes to pick you up. People are there for each other. Here, people just walk by and don't even bother to look at you!
Affection - it wasn't uncommon for friends to tell me they love me and my family. In a friendly way of course. Hugs were always free and even came from people you barely knew. They were just always so happy to see you.
The beauty of the simple things. People live simple lives and they are happy. Stuff does not buy happiness.
That's all I can really describe for now. With each passing day, the things I've learned become more apparent. I already miss the land of a thousand hills! My last post will be a photo essay highlighting my favourite moments in Rwanda.
