A Walk to Town

Yesterday I got a call from a friend of mine that lives in Rubona (the closest small town which has a market 2 days a week) and he told me that he's sick. I was in Kigali so I couldn't bring him anything. I gave him a call the next day and asked if I could bring him anything...he asked for some water because his house doesn’t have good drinking eater so I decided to walk to his home (located 20 minutes from the youth village). We are located in the eastern province. The area is very rural and every house has its own vegetables surrounding. Most are made of cement and local materials. There's lots of poverty in the area and many grow just enough to be able to eat.

The walk was very interesting. Everyone on the road stopped and starred as I walked past. Whenever I was passed there were cries of muzungu…muzungu…..muzungu! These were usually followed by a flock of young kids running after me. Many of the kids say good morning…even though it was the evening…I think it’s the only English many know. As I walked there was a girl that followed me for about half the distance. About half way to my friend’s home a teenage boy come running after me. I felt that he was very brave for coming up to me. I’m still not sure why he came up to me…couldn’t figure out if he was asking for money or just wanted to practice English and have someone to talk to. He told me where he was from and a little about himself. He told me that he doesn’t have any family and might have to drop out of school because he has no one to pay this school fees. I later learned from one of my roommates that this is common in Rwanda. Kids get a free education in primary school and then for secondary school, they must pay. Because there are so many orphans in Rwanda, the government can’t afford to pay. This is a hard situation for many teens (that’s one of the great things about Agahozo, it provides education for teens in need!). I enjoyed the conversation with boy and I continue to get insight into what life is like in Rwanda for people. He was very nice and even asked about my life.

On the way back from my friend’s house, I hopped on a moto taxi because it was getting dark. The moto rides switch between being terrifying and exhilarating. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a roller coaster ride.