Those who know me as a colleague or who have (thank you!) asked about my time in 'Africa' know of my much-professed, gleefully-avowed hatred of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Now I know that's a huge generalization to launch hate on to (do you actually think I don't know that?!), but that's part of the fun of it. 100% of this hatred comes from one three-month stint living in Senegal, wherein I was ill 95% of the time, never had a good meal (sometimes could not even find FOOD), and barfed on a goat in a moment of true and desperate misery (I'll blog that story sometime, I promise). I came away from that just...over it. Over Africa. Some of my int'l development colleagues love it - my old boss raised his kids between Uganda and Senegal and him and his whole family are gaga for Africa. Me, not so much. I stick to Arabia. Much better.
So I was not super-pleased when work told me they were sending me to Rwanda. I know that is selfish and somewhat ridiculous, but allow me this one small vanity. To put it plainly, I haven't ever felt the sort of innate connection with Africans (again, writ large) that I have with Arabs (again, writ large). So part of it is that. Part of it's also the bad food (sorry, but the lack of resources also means lack of good food, generally speaking, or a developed cuisine, generally speaking), insane amout of diseases that can get you, insane heat, dust, bugs, etc. etc. etc. It's just not super pleasant being here, and unlike other places I've been, the discomfort is not more than made up for by the people. Ugh, that sounds so awful and brutal. But it's the truth.
But then comes Rwanda! It's pretty ok here! It's really green, it's very clean because they brilliantly, brilliantly outlawed plastic bags, the food is at least present (unlike where my poor best friend L. is in Mali right now, and I highly suggest reading her hilarious, entertaining and insightful blog about her travels) and I get to ride motorbikes around! (NOTE TO READER: If you haven't ridden a motor-bike taxi around a developing world capital, you haven't lived (must be done without a helmet for full effect). Get on that.) I am wearing a tank top and sweating, whereas my buds in Ramallah right now are wearing full winter gear while also sitting around inside sleeping bags under blankets (for real), as it's colder than anyone can remember there right now. So thankful I am not there.
So yes, Rwanda. I'm sure you're all thinking one thing: genocide. I went to the museum/memorial yesterday and it was...horrifying, sad, tear-inducing. It's interesting coming from Israel/Palestine to here, another place that is wrestling with the after-effects of the horror of genocide in a very, very different way. Rather than how in Israel the Holocaust is so...present, and politicized, and drawn on and referenced, here the genocide is just.not.spoken.about. In fact, during a dinner with a college friend of mine who did Peace Corps here and is now consulting for an engineering company, we discussed the genocide and Hutus and Tutsis by calling them 'Hamburgers' and 'Tatertots' - I guess this is how the Peace Corps talks about it because, literally, those words are just not spoken in public. If you didn't know about the genocide you wouldn't know it had happened - but, it's the elephant in the room of an entire country.
I think I'll have a bit more time to blog here than I usually do in Ramallah, so look back for more. It's too bad I don't have more time here, because Kilimanjaro/Zanzibar are only an hour or so flight away. Sigh. There's always more to do and see.
So I was not super-pleased when work told me they were sending me to Rwanda. I know that is selfish and somewhat ridiculous, but allow me this one small vanity. To put it plainly, I haven't ever felt the sort of innate connection with Africans (again, writ large) that I have with Arabs (again, writ large). So part of it is that. Part of it's also the bad food (sorry, but the lack of resources also means lack of good food, generally speaking, or a developed cuisine, generally speaking), insane amout of diseases that can get you, insane heat, dust, bugs, etc. etc. etc. It's just not super pleasant being here, and unlike other places I've been, the discomfort is not more than made up for by the people. Ugh, that sounds so awful and brutal. But it's the truth.
But then comes Rwanda! It's pretty ok here! It's really green, it's very clean because they brilliantly, brilliantly outlawed plastic bags, the food is at least present (unlike where my poor best friend L. is in Mali right now, and I highly suggest reading her hilarious, entertaining and insightful blog about her travels) and I get to ride motorbikes around! (NOTE TO READER: If you haven't ridden a motor-bike taxi around a developing world capital, you haven't lived (must be done without a helmet for full effect). Get on that.) I am wearing a tank top and sweating, whereas my buds in Ramallah right now are wearing full winter gear while also sitting around inside sleeping bags under blankets (for real), as it's colder than anyone can remember there right now. So thankful I am not there.
So yes, Rwanda. I'm sure you're all thinking one thing: genocide. I went to the museum/memorial yesterday and it was...horrifying, sad, tear-inducing. It's interesting coming from Israel/Palestine to here, another place that is wrestling with the after-effects of the horror of genocide in a very, very different way. Rather than how in Israel the Holocaust is so...present, and politicized, and drawn on and referenced, here the genocide is just.not.spoken.about. In fact, during a dinner with a college friend of mine who did Peace Corps here and is now consulting for an engineering company, we discussed the genocide and Hutus and Tutsis by calling them 'Hamburgers' and 'Tatertots' - I guess this is how the Peace Corps talks about it because, literally, those words are just not spoken in public. If you didn't know about the genocide you wouldn't know it had happened - but, it's the elephant in the room of an entire country.
I think I'll have a bit more time to blog here than I usually do in Ramallah, so look back for more. It's too bad I don't have more time here, because Kilimanjaro/Zanzibar are only an hour or so flight away. Sigh. There's always more to do and see.
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