Day 1 in Kigali

After months and months of planning, we finally made it! In a lot of ways, Kigali seems much the same as it did from our 2008 trip. Yet, in other ways, I feel like it is so different than I remember it- I suspect that the lens that I am viewing Kigali has changed due in part from our trip to India last year.  We traveled India for 3 weeks in 2010 and I found myself experiencing substantial culture shock on that trip due to the widespread poverty and complete lack of infrastructure found throughout the country. With India still fresh in my mind, Kigali almost seems like a rich country in comparison! Of course Kigali is hardly reflective of the economy throughout Africa’s most densely populated country. But still, I feel struck by Rwanda- it’s beautiful! It’s so clean! The driving/drivers seem so sane and logical! There are massive amounts of development occurring throughout the city, including a gorgeous new convention center/complex.  In sum, it seems to be a thriving city. And I couldn’t be more excited to be back.

The Trip: After a lot of fretting, we dropped off all eleven of our bags/boxes of equipment (weighing nearly 700lbs!) at the airport in NY with little problem. The flight was uneventful and we were delighted that, like a gift from the heavens, ALL of our equipment and baggage made it to Rwanda, despite two plane changes en route! We had a small panic attack at the Kigali airport when the Rwandan customs official told Okan that we couldn’t take our traps because we didn’t have a detailed invoice of the equipment. Thank goodness for the Embassy folks who met us at the airport. They were instrumental in convincing the customs official to let us leave with our equipment!

The First Day in Kigali: We spent the morning of our first day at the US Embassy in the security briefing and orientation. The Embassy has been so welcoming, helpful and kind here. They picked us up from our hotel and brought us to the Embassy (cabs are somewhat expensive here, so this was a welcome surprise). There are plenty of perks to having access to the Embassy including free check cashing and a way to get mail sent through the embassy pouch. Tomorrow at least one Embassy staff will also accompany us to the Rwandan Immigration Office to file for our work visas. Keep your fingers crossed- I’ve heard more than one previous Fulbrighter tell me of problems they have had getting their visa!  I’m told I can’t start teaching in Butare without it so am keeping my fingers crossed it works out ok tomorrow.

We spent the afternoon with Jean and her husband, who is a Fulbright Scholar who will be working at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) as a Mathematics Professor. They helped us find the main shopping area in Kigali and we bought new cell phones and some other electrical equipment. After visiting KIST, we returned back to our hotel and I met with the director of the Rwandan Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). It was good to learn more about my field site, some of the conservation issues that the national forest faces, and some of what life might be like living in Butare. Although I’m anxious about starting teaching next week, I am more excited about the challenge than anything.  I’m also really excited to start my research project and also mentor graduate students at the National University of Rwanda (NUR) where I will be teaching.