Life-sustaining pool

During previous trips to Kigali, I'd had drinks at the Hotel des Mille Collines and even dipped my feet into its pool. But until Monday I had never stayed there as a guest. When I arrived in Kigali Monday morning I partly spontaneously asked the taxi driver to deliver me to the Mille Collines. To keep my options open, I had made no hotel reservations. Upon arriving at the airport, the Mille Collines just seemed the right choice.
Remember the movie "Hotel Rwanda"? The Mille Collines is the Hotel Rwanda. More than 1,200 people sheltered there for about 3 months in 1994 to wait out the devastation occurring immediately outside the gates and all over the country. Early on in this horrific time, the water and power for the hotel were shut off in attempt to force the people out. The refugees, knowing they'd be killed if they stepped out into the street, stayed put, drank the pool, and used it for cooking and washing.
The movie was filmed in South Africa with South African actors, but the set looks much like the real Mille Collines. The entrance still looks just like the spot where Paul (the "Hotel Rwanda guy" played in the movie by Don Cheadle) was left standing in the rain in a none too subtle reference to the international community's lack of assistance or intervention in the genocide.


I hadn't brought a swimsuit and didn't really plan to get in the pool. But perfect weather and beautiful surroundings forced a change of heart. So I put on my nylon, quick-dry shorts and a tank top and headed down to the pool. Initially the water felt cold, but the sun kept me warm and gradually I got used to it and swam some laps. After a long, difficult winter, it was spring again. Feeling sun on my skin and knowing that the sun (unlike in Cincinnati) would last more than a few hours or a day brought about a renewal of spirit and a life-affirming sense that things really can get better. Immersing myself in a pool that sustained so many lives felt like a baptism. Everyone who sheltered at the Mille Collines survived the genocide.

Connection test

The Internet sometimes avoids me, but I keep looking for it...
My hotel has wi-fi, but it's not free, and I'm sure I'll be surprised when I get the final bill. In the meantime, it seems that Bourbon Coffee (no bourbon in it), long a coffeeshop frequented by expats and locals alike for its wi-fi, is no longer providing that service. Yesterday, after I ordered lunch, the server told me, "intanet broken," so I thought this condition was temporary. Today I stopped by and asked if the Internet was still broken, and a different server said, "intanet gone." Me: Forever? Server: Yes, no more intanet. I am sorry, madam.
No problem, but I trust that "madam" doesn't mean the same thing to him that it does to me.
(I know it doesn't; it's a term of respect for older women, similar to ma'am. But it always startles me the first time or two I hear it.)

Location:Kigali

Thing 3

Happy hour on Friday afternoon: passionfruit juice and vodka, what else?

Location:Nairobi

My favorite thing

Thing 1: getting here. Thing 2: passionfruit. The first time I ever had one I didn't like it. The second time I had one, I squeezed it open like the kids I was eating with, and it squirted one of them in the head. Amid shrieks of the kids' laughter, I tried my third passionfruit (cut with a knife) and was hooked forever. It's about the size of a small plum, with a hard crusty exterior. You cut it and eat the insides with a spoon. The fruit consists of goop and seeds, and it's delicious. The only place I've seen them in the Cincinnati area is Jungle Jim's, and they're very expensive there.

Location:Nairobi

Dusting off my blog

I wasn't going to make any commitments about blogging this time, and I'm still not. But...a number of people have asked me about my blog (thereby stoking my writer wannabe ego), so now I'm considering attempting a few blog posts. As of today, I'm still home, but tomorrow I leave for Kenya, where I will spend some time with my good friend Micaela and her partner Hunter. And next week I'll go to Rwanda for a few days to reconnect with important friends and places.

So stay tuned, friends, family, and random blog readers. Maybe I will share some of my stories with you even before I get home. I will be attempting blog updates on my iPad, which I'm still getting used to. Buts it's a lot of fun and way more portable than a laptop. I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures, so no promises there either.

Tutaonana (see you later),
E.

Torpedo, then and now

Those of you who read this blog in 2008 may remember a posting about our little neighbor girl. I never understood what she was saying when I asked her name, and neither did John. I dubbed her "Torpedo" because when she saw us coming out of our house she flew toward us like a torpedo and didn't stop until she slammed into us and hugged us around the legs. If we forgot something and had to go back to the house, even just for 2 minutes, we got another hug when she saw us again. I came to look forward to these hugs and to love this little girl.

Today (June 2009) I took a stroll down the old street looking for our little neighbor. She seemed a bit shy at first, but when I smiled and waved at her she shot out of her yard just like she used to. Above is a picture of my little friend in February 2008; below is the picture I took of her and her brother today. She's as cute as ever.

Another story about driving in Rwanda

Todd and Andria are the other people (besides Mica and I) who are staying at the visitors' house. We've been hanging out with them a lot. Yesterday we did some tourist stuff, including visiting the the palace of the last king of Rwanda in Nyanza, about an hour away. That's another story for another day. John went with us, but I offered to drive because he's still awaiting his driving license and I'm the only other person with experience driving here. I assured everyone that letting me drive would be a fine thing to do. We arranged ourselves in the vehicle and set off down the drive toward the road. About 150 meters later, as you can see from the picture, I got the truck stuck in the mud. Don't blame me--the tires are almost entirely bald. Once stuck, the lack of traction kept us stuck. A bunch of guys with shovels and bamboo poles appeared apparently from nowhere, dug out both front tires, and laid the poles down for me to drive over. Todd took pictures and video just to ensure that I never live this down.