today's the day
today's the day that I leave kigali and begin my long(ish) return to the states. while that statement sounds somewhat dramatic, and while I may have felt as if I could execute it with a great deal of drama and joy earlier this summer, I am genuinely sad to say goodbye to my friends here. last night was a small fête of friends (silas, bosco, clare) along with american newcomers from the university of wisconsin. all enjoyed a poisson grillé and brochettes du chevre (grilled fish and goat brochettes), along with pomme frites and bananas grillés (french fries and grilled bananas). there are some interesting photos of the fish, to be posted shortly after my arrival to chi.
getting on the minibus was tough, as it was the last time that I will see some of these people in quite some time. things will change; bosco's baby will be a toddler, silas may be married by then, clare may have opened several more schools in kigali. but I have to remember that this sadness that I feel is also to be appreciated. I have been lucky enough to be here, to spend time with some great people, and to have some connection to this place. now, if only the academic part of it would come a bit easier...
four hours until I leave for the airport and I still have packing to do. but first, time to get out of my pajamas!
and so ends my short time in rwanda. thanks all for reading and checking in on me. I'll be posting upon my return to the states, hopefully with more photos. until then...
posted by jennifer @ 10:04 AM
1 Comments:
Dear Jennifer,
Please forgive the intrusion, but I found my way to your blog from Tara and Damon's online journal - you might remember me from your time in London.
Tara did mention that you were going to Rwanda, and I recalled as much when coming across the link. So I read on with interest - I haven't been to La Terre du Mille Collines (or the Land of a Thousand Hills, as the authorities probably now prefer) myself, but I've read some, and found during my time in Nairobi that the influence of the region's appalling suffering has spread some considerable distance (it doesn't stop there - friends have reported encountering Interahamwe thugs in Paris).
I found your account of the gacaca most interesting - although it's hard for me to come to terms with the notion of those who have committed capital crimes not to have the severest possible punishment imposed, I can grasp the primacy of reconstruction over retribution. From what I've heard, the country seems to have done remarkably well at that, especially considering the way things are in parts of Europe.
Concerning the memorial sites, it's hardly surprising that it was difficult to make sense of your reactions - I was unable to achieve any kind of internal equilibrium on visiting Yad Vashem. Normal life simply doesn't equip one to meet such experiences with equanimity and God forbid that it ever should.
Well, I've taken up enough space for now, but I hope you had a comfortable journey back and are now settled back in the States. I would very much like to see some more photos if you manage to upload them.
Best wishes,
Gavin
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