Rwanda: A Country of 1000 Hills

November, 2019

The travel blog is back!

It’s been awhile since I’ve put pen to paper (or in this case, fingers to iPhone) and wrote about my latest experiences on the road. After my first year in Israel studying International Development at Hebrew University I was required to do a 4 month internship abroad in hopes of putting what I’ve been learning during my studies into practice and experiencing how an organization functions on the ground.

Many cover letters and applications later and here we are, Rwanda baby! The land of 1000 hills. And let me tell you, 1000 hills is not an exaggeration (my thighs can attest to this on a daily basis). I hear Miley Cyrus whispering “it’s the climbbb” in my ear each morning pushing me to take the next step. Bottom line, if you want to get into shape, Karibu, Rwanda awaits you!

Hills and thighs aside, I have been working for an organization called Health Poverty Action (HPA) that focuses on improving the life chances for marginalized girls in rural areas transitioning from school into the working world. Lucky for me, my work with the organization focuses on one of my hobbies, writing stories, and I have had the opportunity to meet young people, parents, community leaders, mentors, principles, students and teachers from dozens of rural villages in Rwandas’ Nyaruguru District and write their stories. I meet with change-makers within the community and write about personal stories and successes of HPA’s programming, as well as people’s challenges and the need for attention and advocacy around issues they are facing. Life in the villages is unlike anything I have experienced but the warmth with which I am greeted every time I enter a school or persons home makes me feel very welcome.

Rwanda is an incredible country that has faced a challenging history but has moved forward in remarkable ways. After the Rwandan genocide in 1994, the country worked very hard to rebuild through the devastation and 25 years later has developed beyond any other country I’ve seen in Africa. In a country where the people were so divided, the reconciliation and true willingness of victims to forgive their neighbors and perpetrators and move forward is something that took me a long time to understand. It is beautiful and one of the reasons why Rwanda has progressed so tremendously. Today, the country is super organized and clean with very solid infrastructure and little corruption compared to its bordering countries. Every time I visit a bordering country like Burundi or Uganda and return to Rwanda I can’t believe how close but different they are.

A little bit about my life in Rwanda. I don’t live in Kigali, the capitol of Rwanda, and when you take a city girl out of the city and place her into a small town like Huye, things start to get interesting. When I first arrived in Huye (surrounded by hills of course!) I had a hard time finding a place to live. I was quickly taken in by these LOVELY nuns and was basically inaugurated into Sister Act 3. The Jewish girl was soon kicking it with the sisters after work... I even got used to the Jesus poster on the wall of my bedroom. The only downside was that the sisters got up every morning at 6am to pray in the church next to my bedroom and I eventually I got tired of morning psalms being my alarm clock. Now I live with a great gal from Peru (shoutout Jovanna) but still visit my sisters every now and again. Aside from this, Huye has three major attractions: the Chinese restaurant (when I want to treat myself!), the aerobics class called “Gym and Tonic” (which is quite the partayy) and karaoke Thursday’s at Excellent Bar (yes, it is excellent). The karaoke is particularly my favorite because Rwandans love to sing and go all out, no shame no gain. The other night someone even sang “climax” by Usher (very high pitched and slightly inappropriate) and no one batted an eye. My kind of people.

Like in many East African countries, the word “muzungo” is a term that I have become very familiar with. Muzungo is a

Swahili word that translates to “white person” and is used by locals to categorize foreigners. It isn’t used in a negative way

but as soon as you hear someone say muzungo you know that someone is talking about you and usually not subtly. In Huye, people call me muzungo more than my actual name, and I’ve come to respond to it. Gabby who? In the villages that we work in where the community rarely sees people from outside of

their community, it has become a game to see how long it will take for us to enter a site before I am spotted. Kids are curious and fascinated that I look different and it usually starts with one kid spotting me from afar and squeaking “a muzungoooooo”, bringing the rest of the gang running. I find myself surrounded by a tight circle of 30 wide eyed children, starring at the strange creature that was brought to school today. A new spin on show and tell. During my first few days working with HPA it was very surreal to be started at so intensely by so many people and I felt very shy not knowing what to do with my body or if I should crack a joke to lighten the mood. Fast forward a few months and now I enter schools fist pumping my homies left and right; always stared at but always welcomed with warm smiles.

These past few months have been a true learning experience, not just through my work but from being in a place so vibrant and different from everything that I know. Weekends have been spent exploring the many lakes and lush greenery of the country and of course discovering my new favorite tunes, Afro-beats! Check it out y’all, you won’t stop shaking it.