From Rural America to Rwanda

This past summer I took a trip to Rwanda with a good friend from high school. Before this, I had never been out of the country, except to Canada, and I really had no idea what "Western culture" meant because it was all I had ever been exposed to. After spending a few weeks in Africa, however, my world view has been exponentially expanded, and I will never be the same from the experience.

Although I did stay with a very affluent family in the country, I still experienced more non-Western culture than most people ever get the chance to. The first and biggest thing I noticed about Africa is the lack of commercialism. In America, there are bright billboards, advertisements, and storefronts everywhere you look. This was not the case in Rwanda. There were the shoddy street-side markets selling fruits and vegetables that you always see in National Geographic, but even pharmacies (of which there were surprisingly many) only had maybe an old hand-painted sign adorning their front. The only companies I remember having typical American-style billboards were a prominent cell phone company throughout Europe and Africa, and a bottled water company.

Another thing that really struck me, vexed me at first, and left me in a certain awe was the P-time style of living. The whole society seemed really relaxed and patient for any event going on. I never used to think living so stress-free was possible until I saw it in action. This also leads to a much more personable atmosphere. When I first stepped into Uganda (before our flight into Rwanda) the first thing that struck me after the humidity and the amazing spans of trees around me were the workers waiting to greet us as we stepped off the plane. Even though it was nearly 1am, they were all smiles.

And of course, the scenery was beyond words. Prior to my Rwanda trip, I woke up every morning to a field of grass in various stages of death behind my house with the occasional steer grazing. There was nothing more amazing than to step out onto the balcony and enjoy the fresh, moist air with giant hills of green trees expanding in every direction and birds soaring directly overhead. A truly amazing sight.

Being in Rwanda showed me just how much of a Westerner I truly was. While things like power and running water and safe drinking water were readily available where I stayed, this was not the case for the vast majority of the country. Other things that I dub "minor conveniences" were not readily found. If you want something to drink in America, most of the time you find a public vending machine, put in your dollar and out pops a soda. In Rwanda, most places handle this transaction with a stand-up cooler that you simply opened and then payed the store nearby. Even something such as a simple as a trash can could not really be found. My friend and I were sitting in the airport on my return trip home watching the World Cup. We wanted something to drink, so we walked a few feet where there was a man dressed up with a shirt, vest, and bow tie behind a counter (nearly everyone in a service position throughout the country were dressed very nicely.) We ordered a couple beers, and when we were finished with our bottles, we simply left them wherever we were. Someone eventually came and took them away. This style of service was everywhere. It seemed very odd to me at first, not cleaning up after myself, but that is just how things are run.

Before going to Africa, my family and friends were understandably scared for me. While my situation going there was one of the safest ways to visit Africa, I would not be the least bit fearful of traveling there again without my friend and staying in a nice hotel (Intercontinental, des Mille Colline, or Hotel Gorilla are the three I would recommend.) The country really is reasonably safe, with beautiful weather (consistently between 70F and 80F degrees during my stay), beautiful scenery, and beautiful people. I would recommend Kigali, Rwanda to anyone.