Updates on Life in Rwanda!

This is a very special post.... I am not writing it alone.  My friend Christina and I are braving the elements (aka mosquitoes) to share the past couple of days with you all.  Muryoherwe!  (Enjoy!)

So we have been here for a few days and are honestly amazed at how great Rwanda truly is.  It is so full of culture and everyone here is incredibly friendly.  Today was our second day with the Rwandan delegates and our workshops have been really fantastic.  We have examined human rights, the definitions surrounding it, as well as the complications that contribute to a lot of the confusion.  We have been discussing a lot of human rights issues here in Rwanda, but this afternoon was very interesting because we had a chance to share with the Rwandese a piece of our lives back home.  We looked at human rights challenges that even North Americans face, Christina taking a lead on discussion revolving around Aboriginal communities in Canada.  Brittany was fascinated with the similarities between the plight of Canadian Indigenous Peoples and that of Native Americans.  Both of us were astounded by the fact that the Rwandan delegates seemed so surprised by the realities of North America and the challenges we face, specifically homelessness.  They seemed to be in shock when we said that some people across our countries do not have adequate access to shelter or basic necessities such as food and water.  It was interesting for us to see how others view N. America and how prominent poverty truly is.  We also visited our volunteer organizations today for an intial visit, but we will each talk about that individually later.  Tomorrow we will be talking about the Great Lakes Region and will hear first hand testimony from a former child soldier from the Congo.  Also, we will visit Search for Common Ground is an international conflict resolution NGO seeking to transform adversarial conflict into cooperative action.  They have a specific focus on youth here in Rwanda so both the international and Rwandan delegates are looking forward to this.  We are both expecting quite a bit of an emotionally charged day!

As for our personal lives....
This evening we had the priviledge of attending a screening of the movie Kinyarwanda at the Rwandan Film Festival at the Manor Hotel here in Rwanda.  The hotel was absolutely stunning!  When we arrived, we were somehow whisked to the very front row in VIP seating (don't ask how that happened, we have no idea).  Prior to the film neither of us were aware of its content; we were simply looking for something fun and cultural to do during our free time.  The movie followed various characters throughout the 100 days of the genocide in Rwanda.  Interesting side note, the makers of the film made it to be 100 minutes long to also represent each day of the genocide.  One of the actors was sitting directly behind us.  Brittany talked to the woman's friends and husband after the viewing and helped to convey just how great we all thought it was.  It is very hard to pu into words just how intense and moving the film was for all of us here; we highly recommend that everyone check it out sometime.  Afterwards, Brittany and two other girls from the delegation (Addi & Julie) were asked to randomly give a quick interview statement on camera for African TV! Don't worry.... she is a celeb.  No big deal.  Overall it was a hectic and fun night and we are all so happy we went!

p.s. Brittany scored great taxi fares for the group and she deserves MAJOR PROPS for her awesome bargaining in Kinyarwanda.  Christina was pretty blown away by her awesomeness.... :)

Ijoro Ryiza! (Good Night!)

We love and miss you all and cannot wait to hear from you soon! 

With Love ,

Brittany & Christina