7/22/07 Kigali and the Countryside
I keep feeling like I'm in a movie. This morning we had brunch at the restaurant on the top floor of Les Milles Collines. As we munched on passion fruit and crepes there was a group of white businessmen discussing Rwandan investments the table over. They all had British accents. I felt like they were discussing the diamond trade or something scandalous and exotic like that. Another strange attribute of the hotel - in the bar by the pool downstairs, all they play is Christina Aguilera music. Oh, wait, there was one exception. As we were having a drink, "America the Beautiful" came through the speakers. I was like, what, am I really hearing America the Beautiful at a Rwandan Bar that harbored people from genocide. How is this my life.
On a much, much more somber note - after breakfast we left the sanctuary of the hotel for the dusty streets of the city, and drove to the Genocide Memorial Museum. It's beautiful, clean, and unbelievable. Apparently we were visiting on the anniversary of the end of the genocide, and had to wait to visit the museum until their memorial service ended. The museum was surreal. I got so queasy and was asking God how he was real if he let this stuff happen. They killed one million people. They were absolutely ruthless. Like, they hacked babies to death. They buried people alive. They bulldozed a church full of people. I saw the pictures. Stuff you can't even imagine. I found myself thinking if like is so, so easily thrown away - does it even matter at all? I don't know the genocide doesn't even seem real to me. It seems impossible. But it happened.
I am already less impacted, and my queasiness is dissipating as I write this, and it has only been a few hours. How quickly we forget. I feel like so much has happened in these few hours though. After the memorial, we drove three hours through the Rwandan countryside and omigosh - it was ridiculously beautiful. Just amazing, National Geographic amazing. Luscious hills, covered with banana trees, patchwork fields and quaint village farms. There were bubbling clear streams that you would see women and children carrying water from with fruits and vegetables, loads on their heads and babies strapped to their backs. I'll describe it more later!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmastime Break
DING dong merrily the bells.... I'm a little disappointed I didn't hear any ding dong merry bells this season, except maybe like one salvation army guy outside of Cub Foods. It seemed Christmas came and went. I didn't even see it coming. All of a sudden I woke up Monday and it was Christmas Eve. Not even kidding. Good thing I thought ahead and bought all my presents the day before Christmas Eve. I am such a planner
But yea, Christmas snuck up and snuck out. I love Christmas, who doesn't? Sometimes, however, I feel like Christmas makes me a worse person when it's supposed to make me a more joyful and thankful person. I mean, each Christmas, my parents and grandma are ridiculously generous. This year I received a digital camera, Planet Earth dvd's, clothes, make up, money, etc... I am so thankful for my parents to being so generous - but I feel like every Christmas Eve as I finish unwrapping my mountain of presents, I always can think of something I didn't get, or look at what my sisters got and always want more. I want more than I wanted in the first place. Why? Maybe it's just me, but in all honesty I think my Christmas greed is a true testament to how we always want more more more more. And instead of thinking about Jesus on Christmas I start thinking about how I really like the Mac lipgloss set my sister got, maybe a bit more than the Lancome one my mom got me.... PATHETIC!
Well, I just scrooged the Christmas spirit - sorry about that. In other Christmas news it was a cozy holiday in the H-Town. My grandmother talked about Lutefisk, and actually ate it. Mmmm...nothing says Scandanavian blood like Lutefisk. We were missing one member of the family this year though - my dog Riley. We picked up Riley as a puppy when I was 12, and he died two weeks ago. R.I.P. Riley Ryebread Callahan. Riley is survived by my younger pup, Olly. Olly is kind of stupid. He's a cutie, but he doesn't fetch like most dogs, and I don't think he can really hear. Instead of barking when he wants something, he just stands there. And one time, he ate a sock that split his intestines and almost killed him and my parents pocketbooks. Don't eat socks dog, jeez.
The true highlight of my Christmas was I finally got the almond in the rice pudding (another screaming Scandnavian sign). Yes, it's been 24 years folks, and I have never got the almond. This is my lucky year. For those of you who don't know, if you find an almond in your rice pudding after Christmas dinner, you have good luck for a year. I'm pretty excited to see what it brings.
This was a really random and word-salad type of Christmas re-cap and I apologize for the madness. No worries, however, my "Colleen's African Journal Entries," series will resume shortly. Hakuna Matata and Feliz Navidads!
But yea, Christmas snuck up and snuck out. I love Christmas, who doesn't? Sometimes, however, I feel like Christmas makes me a worse person when it's supposed to make me a more joyful and thankful person. I mean, each Christmas, my parents and grandma are ridiculously generous. This year I received a digital camera, Planet Earth dvd's, clothes, make up, money, etc... I am so thankful for my parents to being so generous - but I feel like every Christmas Eve as I finish unwrapping my mountain of presents, I always can think of something I didn't get, or look at what my sisters got and always want more. I want more than I wanted in the first place. Why? Maybe it's just me, but in all honesty I think my Christmas greed is a true testament to how we always want more more more more. And instead of thinking about Jesus on Christmas I start thinking about how I really like the Mac lipgloss set my sister got, maybe a bit more than the Lancome one my mom got me.... PATHETIC!
Well, I just scrooged the Christmas spirit - sorry about that. In other Christmas news it was a cozy holiday in the H-Town. My grandmother talked about Lutefisk, and actually ate it. Mmmm...nothing says Scandanavian blood like Lutefisk. We were missing one member of the family this year though - my dog Riley. We picked up Riley as a puppy when I was 12, and he died two weeks ago. R.I.P. Riley Ryebread Callahan. Riley is survived by my younger pup, Olly. Olly is kind of stupid. He's a cutie, but he doesn't fetch like most dogs, and I don't think he can really hear. Instead of barking when he wants something, he just stands there. And one time, he ate a sock that split his intestines and almost killed him and my parents pocketbooks. Don't eat socks dog, jeez.
The true highlight of my Christmas was I finally got the almond in the rice pudding (another screaming Scandnavian sign). Yes, it's been 24 years folks, and I have never got the almond. This is my lucky year. For those of you who don't know, if you find an almond in your rice pudding after Christmas dinner, you have good luck for a year. I'm pretty excited to see what it brings.
This was a really random and word-salad type of Christmas re-cap and I apologize for the madness. No worries, however, my "Colleen's African Journal Entries," series will resume shortly. Hakuna Matata and Feliz Navidads!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Les Milles Collines - The Thousand Hills
7/21/07 Les Milles Collines Hotel - Kigali, Rwanda
Well the sun is beginning to lower into the hills of Rwanda. Doesn't take a genius to figure out why it's dubbed "the land of a thousand hills." It's beautiful - the setting sun is casting a deep, golden glow, over the green, stretching mountains. Right now, there's a wedding taking place in the courtyard of the hotel. The landscape of this hotel is fairly beautiful.
It's hard to believe that one of the biggest genocide's ever took place right outside these walls.
I'm in the actual hotel portrayed in the movie "Hotel Rwanda." Crazy. Oh but it looks nothing like the hotel in the movie, which was some hotel in South Africa. In the wake of its genocide, however, Rwanda is really beautiful. It's lush and colorful, with miles of rolling hills supported by beds of bright red earth. Seriously all the roads here are a rusty red. The houses are pinks, blues and tin, and the people wear colorful clothing. It's so crowded here. You drive down the streets - clinging to dear life btw - and there are people just walking, streaming down the side of the road just like a movie. There are eight million people that live in this tiny country, and houses completely saturate the hills. Some of the homes are majestic, but there are so many shacks. The shacks here are made out of nothing. They are tin roofs balanced over slabs of concrete with red-dirt floors. I don't understand how people live there. And, Kigali is SO dusty - my eyes are so dry. Trauma, I know.
I am so exhausted right now I can barely keep my eyes open. Today we went to a place called "Speak, I'm Listening." It's this training center for girls who are genocide orphans or who have been raped or abused. They teach them a skill. The girls did a traditional dance for us, and we bought some of the stuff they made - mainly to support their mission.
On another note; I haven't felt too out of place being white yet, but I'm sure I will. I'm tired, I'm going to find out what time it is. Peace.
Well the sun is beginning to lower into the hills of Rwanda. Doesn't take a genius to figure out why it's dubbed "the land of a thousand hills." It's beautiful - the setting sun is casting a deep, golden glow, over the green, stretching mountains. Right now, there's a wedding taking place in the courtyard of the hotel. The landscape of this hotel is fairly beautiful.
It's hard to believe that one of the biggest genocide's ever took place right outside these walls.
I'm in the actual hotel portrayed in the movie "Hotel Rwanda." Crazy. Oh but it looks nothing like the hotel in the movie, which was some hotel in South Africa. In the wake of its genocide, however, Rwanda is really beautiful. It's lush and colorful, with miles of rolling hills supported by beds of bright red earth. Seriously all the roads here are a rusty red. The houses are pinks, blues and tin, and the people wear colorful clothing. It's so crowded here. You drive down the streets - clinging to dear life btw - and there are people just walking, streaming down the side of the road just like a movie. There are eight million people that live in this tiny country, and houses completely saturate the hills. Some of the homes are majestic, but there are so many shacks. The shacks here are made out of nothing. They are tin roofs balanced over slabs of concrete with red-dirt floors. I don't understand how people live there. And, Kigali is SO dusty - my eyes are so dry. Trauma, I know.
I am so exhausted right now I can barely keep my eyes open. Today we went to a place called "Speak, I'm Listening." It's this training center for girls who are genocide orphans or who have been raped or abused. They teach them a skill. The girls did a traditional dance for us, and we bought some of the stuff they made - mainly to support their mission.
On another note; I haven't felt too out of place being white yet, but I'm sure I will. I'm tired, I'm going to find out what time it is. Peace.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Rwanda
7/21/07 Kigali, Rwanda
Omigosh. So far, I've been in Africa for less than a day and all I've done is WAIT. Wait, wait, wait wait. I am at my wits end here with waiting. Africa has a weird concept of time - it's called NONE.
So Lisa's luggage is lost, and we've been here for hours at the Rwandan airport. Stepping off the plane was kinda surreal -- we stepped down stairs straight onto the runway. The wind rushed as I looked around the lush, hilly landscape and tried to convince myself I was actually in Rwanda. I am now convinced. Rwanda is a lot nicer than Nairobi that's for sure. Oh - I almost forgot, that is a thing about Africa, most people smell really bad.
Right now I am sweltering and it's supposedly winter here. I am outside of the airport and some guy is talking to us. He wants to come to the U.S. It is hard for people to come to the U.S. We are lucky.
I am hot, tired, and sick of waiting. I miss the U.S. right now.
Omigosh. So far, I've been in Africa for less than a day and all I've done is WAIT. Wait, wait, wait wait. I am at my wits end here with waiting. Africa has a weird concept of time - it's called NONE.
So Lisa's luggage is lost, and we've been here for hours at the Rwandan airport. Stepping off the plane was kinda surreal -- we stepped down stairs straight onto the runway. The wind rushed as I looked around the lush, hilly landscape and tried to convince myself I was actually in Rwanda. I am now convinced. Rwanda is a lot nicer than Nairobi that's for sure. Oh - I almost forgot, that is a thing about Africa, most people smell really bad.
Right now I am sweltering and it's supposedly winter here. I am outside of the airport and some guy is talking to us. He wants to come to the U.S. It is hard for people to come to the U.S. We are lucky.
I am hot, tired, and sick of waiting. I miss the U.S. right now.
Memoirs of Africa - My Series
I haven't felt like keeping up a blog lately. I think it's because I'm forced to write at a computer all day long, and the last thing I want to do is write some more when I come home. However, I found a solution. I'm going to begin a series my friends - one that features my journal entries from Africa, raw and uncut. Let me warn you before I begin, the entries don't paint myself in a great light -- but that's okay because I like to say I'm unpretentious, and I feel like they should be shared.
So part one takes us back to the London airport in late July...
7/20/07 - London
Our flight to Kenya is just about to take off. It's amazing how big the world is. I mean, you hear about these places in the news, but they aren't real until you are there. London's airport has more diversity than I've ever seen. It's different watching British news, and paying $8 for a stupid latte. There's just so much we don't know. Jesus, I pray you would help me to love others during this trip as you do - humbly. Show me yourself Lord. Seeing all these different kinds of people and places not only makes the world bigger, but it makes God bigger as well.
7/20/07 - On the Airplane
I am still on the flight to Kenya from London. I've slept most of the way and even still this is a long ride. It's been amazingly nice though, because the flight was so empty that we got our own row and got to lie down. We all slept. We will end up getting to Nairobi in an hour - which I think will be about 10:00 p.m. Nairobi time.
I've made friends with one of the flight attendants, and he's convinced that he's taking my group out to the Nairobi pubs after the flight. "In Kenya, one beer means two," he said as he handed me a second free beer (best thing about Kenya Air!). I told him he was lying and he said, "No! You will see, I will take you out to the pubs. You ask for one beer, and they give you two!"
He's a nice flight attendant, but I'm pretty sure we're not going to the pubs:)
OK it's 9:30 Nairobi time here - another hour means 10:30=LATE. Even though I just woke up I feel I could probably sleep another eight hours with the help of an Ambien. This sleep/clock/jet lag thing is going to be ridiculous.
So part one takes us back to the London airport in late July...
7/20/07 - London
Our flight to Kenya is just about to take off. It's amazing how big the world is. I mean, you hear about these places in the news, but they aren't real until you are there. London's airport has more diversity than I've ever seen. It's different watching British news, and paying $8 for a stupid latte. There's just so much we don't know. Jesus, I pray you would help me to love others during this trip as you do - humbly. Show me yourself Lord. Seeing all these different kinds of people and places not only makes the world bigger, but it makes God bigger as well.
7/20/07 - On the Airplane
I am still on the flight to Kenya from London. I've slept most of the way and even still this is a long ride. It's been amazingly nice though, because the flight was so empty that we got our own row and got to lie down. We all slept. We will end up getting to Nairobi in an hour - which I think will be about 10:00 p.m. Nairobi time.
I've made friends with one of the flight attendants, and he's convinced that he's taking my group out to the Nairobi pubs after the flight. "In Kenya, one beer means two," he said as he handed me a second free beer (best thing about Kenya Air!). I told him he was lying and he said, "No! You will see, I will take you out to the pubs. You ask for one beer, and they give you two!"
He's a nice flight attendant, but I'm pretty sure we're not going to the pubs:)
OK it's 9:30 Nairobi time here - another hour means 10:30=LATE. Even though I just woke up I feel I could probably sleep another eight hours with the help of an Ambien. This sleep/clock/jet lag thing is going to be ridiculous.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
DUH
OK I just had to share this headline because I thought it was so ridiculous. It's from ABC News, which isn't exactly like the worst news source in the world. Anyway this is the headline:
Mall Reopens After Deadly Massacre
Oh really? I thought that it was a non-deadly massacre. I'm glad you used the proper adjective or I would have been so confused.
So DUMB.
I have been so annoyed with the way the media has been covering this Omaha thing. The headlines have just been so dramatic. Yes, I understand that it was a horrible thing and a huge deal. But its like the media has to glamourize the horror. Oh --- and so apparently the killer said that now he would be famous in his suicide note. Well I'm glad the media fulfilled his dreams! DUMB. Don't cover him saying that now you're just going to inspire more people to do stupid selfish acts like that for "fame."
Hmph. I'm annoyed and now going to sleep.
Mall Reopens After Deadly Massacre
Oh really? I thought that it was a non-deadly massacre. I'm glad you used the proper adjective or I would have been so confused.
So DUMB.
I have been so annoyed with the way the media has been covering this Omaha thing. The headlines have just been so dramatic. Yes, I understand that it was a horrible thing and a huge deal. But its like the media has to glamourize the horror. Oh --- and so apparently the killer said that now he would be famous in his suicide note. Well I'm glad the media fulfilled his dreams! DUMB. Don't cover him saying that now you're just going to inspire more people to do stupid selfish acts like that for "fame."
Hmph. I'm annoyed and now going to sleep.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
What Up.
What up. Yeah I haven't been writing a lot lately because I've been busy writing whatever else I write. I just know I'm going to go blind at age 35 from staring at computer screens for hours on end on a daily basis.
Well good news in the hood. I skyrocketed my GRE score yesterday! Woohoo. I think perhaps I was just freaking out the first time I took it. Fortunately, my quantative stupidity was a false alarm - I am, in fact, average:).
Other weekend events include the realization that Cristina is going to Congo. She is leaving in February! Crazy stuff. The fighting there continues to get worse and it's just a tragic situation that seems relatively ignored by the world. Perhaps because there are so many areas of need demanding peoples' attention.
I am so unmotivated to work today. What's new. Ok subject change - so the Teddy Bear teacher in Sudan was released to Britain this weekend. I am assuming most people have heard of this situation. I just have to say one thing. I really feel sorry for all the moderate Muslims out there - because it seems that their religion is just being made a mockery by the fascist extremists. And the world is really sick of these extremists. Oh, what are you going to do I guess.
Well good news in the hood. I skyrocketed my GRE score yesterday! Woohoo. I think perhaps I was just freaking out the first time I took it. Fortunately, my quantative stupidity was a false alarm - I am, in fact, average:).
Other weekend events include the realization that Cristina is going to Congo. She is leaving in February! Crazy stuff. The fighting there continues to get worse and it's just a tragic situation that seems relatively ignored by the world. Perhaps because there are so many areas of need demanding peoples' attention.
I am so unmotivated to work today. What's new. Ok subject change - so the Teddy Bear teacher in Sudan was released to Britain this weekend. I am assuming most people have heard of this situation. I just have to say one thing. I really feel sorry for all the moderate Muslims out there - because it seems that their religion is just being made a mockery by the fascist extremists. And the world is really sick of these extremists. Oh, what are you going to do I guess.
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