Three countries in three weeks – tons of new sites, new friends and glorious new vistas, hopping between three distinct cultures in such a short time. Each day brought new delights and challenges, and it was so fun to experience it all with my newly-acquired traveling companion, Ted!
We enjoyed four days in Nairobi, during which I showed Ted my most common Nairobi stomping grounds. We met with Ruth and Pastor Josphat at Word Fellowship Centre in the Kibera slums; we walked through Arboretum park, enjoyed some yummy Kenyan and Ethiopian food, and met with two of Ted's American friends who are currently living in Kenya. One of them is in Peace Corps. She spent a couple days with us at Lisa's flat, hanging around Nairobi (we did some epic walking, let me tell you!) and doing some much-missed American activities like drinking Dr. Pepper and watching a movie! Oh it was so good to be in the company of friends. Ted and I also visited Eastleigh, a section of Nairobi that is home to many Somalis, most of them refugees. It felt like stepping into a completely different country – most everyone was foreign! With Pastor Josphat's help, we ate lunch with and interviewed a Somali man.
Christmas Eve was our chosen departure date for Kampala, Uganda. After a 15 hour, indescribably beautiful bus ride via Kisumu, we arrived at approximately 10pm. Our hosts were the Olukas, the family of one of Ted's classmates in Cairo. They were wonderful to us. We enjoyed their home and fellowship for nearly 10 nights. Their daughter Faythe was our immediate friend and tour guide, showing us the ways of Ugandan taxis and my beloved motorcycle taxis (boda-bodas)! (I first rode one of these in Ruth's village, while balancing two wedding cakes on my lap, you may remember!) It is hard to describe Mr. Oluka's brilliant sense of humor and the total warmth and thoughtfulness of the entire family; God was very good to us through that family's kindness.
Kampala was much more laid back and safer than Nairobi. We explored parts of downtown, attended the Oluka's church on Christmas Day, attended a show at the National Theatre, and visited the Compassion Uganda country office (where I ran into a Ugandan man that I had actually met in San Diego this last summer! Small world!) Ted and I took a one day, one night excursion to Jinja, a town famous for being at the source of the Nile River! Ted's good friend, John, was honeymooning in Jinja and invited us to come visit (their "honeymoon" is going to be 8 months long, so we didn't feel too intrusive.) John and his new wife, Regina, are from southern Uganda. It was so fun to spend time fellowshipping with them. We took a boat to see where the Nile flows from Lake Victoria, and paddled across Bujagali Falls and, of course, enjoyed some traditional Ugandan dishes (Perhaps I am biased, but I still believe that nothing beats Kenyan cuisine!)
On New Years Day, we traveled south, crossing into Rwanda – the country of a thousand hills. Oh, Rwanda. Rwanda, Rwanda, Rwanda. How can I express how it was to be in that tremendous place for five days? Another of Ted's friends (these are all friends he met in Cairo during his studies this year) picked us up at the International Bus Park in Kigali Town. He found very reasonably-priced lodging for us in city centre, where we stayed for 5 nights. My goodness – the country itself is more beautiful than I imagined any place could be. The city is built into huge, rolling, green hills. The streets are clean and safe (polar opposite of Nairobi, and much cleaner even than Kampala). The country has flipped completely around since the 1994 genocide, though the effects of it are permanently etched into the conscious of every Rwandan. Walking the streets of Kigali, the mental images were inescapable- I imagined dead, bodies, cut by machete and half-eaten by dogs filling the road, knowing that that was once the reality in every corner of this country. For the past 13 years, Rwandans have been working hard at reconciliation, letting their open wounds gradually heal instead of sloppily covering up the mess and destruction by ignoring the genocide and trying to "move on." They are striving to remember, so that they can be a sign to the rest of the world and a lead educator on what genocide means. Ted and I visited the Genocide Memorial in Kigali twice, the second time to hear a survivor's testimony and watched a film titled "Shooting Dogs." I highly recommend it.
One day in Rwanda we traveled to a village one hour away to meet Ted's Compassion child, Mukama. Another day, we took our African Safari! I still hadn't gone yet, and as it is the signature thing to do in East Africa, my parents treated me to an early birthday gift. We enjoyed a full 5 hours driving around Akagere National Park along the Rwandan-Tanzanian border. It was beautiful, and full of zebras, impalas, giraffes, baboons, hippos and all sorts of strange and colorful birds.
So yes, I loved Rwanda. I got to speak French (as that is one of the national languages), enjoy many long boda-boda rides, dramatic views and sweet cups of tea. It was somber and deeply beautiful at the same time.
We had intended to stop in southern Uganda on our return to Kampala. Our time, though was cut short by the fuel crisis in the country, due to the eruption of post-election violence in Kenya and the still uncontrolled Ebola situation in the south. Ted and I returned to the Oluka's home in Kampala. From there, we made alternate travel arrangements back to Nairobi (where we were catching our flight to Cairo on Jan. 11th). Our 7 hour layover in Nairobi was without problem. I met with Lisa and Virginia and Bella one last time, to collect my luggage and say "farewell" to East Africa. It was so strange saying goodbye, and I am still missing the people and experiences God gave me there. I am so, so grateful to God for all He did in that time, and all I hope He will do through those relationships in the future.
Bless you, and please, please pray for Kenya. You'll hear from me again soon!
