Jul 2007

A few of us from Hendrix College went to Rwanda on a trip to visit hospitals, schools, and people.

I've been back for a few weeks now. The experience is still seeping in, but a few reflections. I was struck immediately by the beauty of the country-- un pays de milles collines is right, there were hills everywhere. I'm not too sure what I expected (I guess I hadn't really given it so much thought), but I was not prepared for the landscape to be so breathtaking.

Rwandans were another thing altogether. On the whole, they were quite possibly the most genuine people I have ever met. Greeted with songs, dancing, and laughter, we were surrounded by a certain sense of gratitude that seemed continuously present.

They were anxious to share their culture, their stories. The children opened up the second you paid attention to them. The women opened up the upon hearing a word in kinyarwanda. Muraho. Amakuru? Ni meza. Murakoze.

These people have overcome so much in the past few years.

To see that they are still capable of such joy is incredibly inspiring.

I want to return, possibly to teach French and English. And in doing so, I hope to learn as much as, if not more than, what I might be teaching. However that may work out, Rwanda and her people have made a definite impression on my life-- and I have a feeling that the impression will be sticking around for a while...