July 15, 2007 –
What a difference a mosquito net makes for the psyche. Spending the night at Motel de Mont Huyé in Butare was so refreshing because we actually got mosquito nets to sleep under. Since moving into a room with Garrett, I’ve been sleeping exposed to those pesky mosquitos, some that carry deadly malaria! (Deadly, I don’t know but I heard it feels like it.) Anyway, I’ve been getting too many mosquito bites which could be dangerous so the push to get our own nets is on. I’m scratching some on my leg right now.
It’s true. Butare is much sleepier than Kigali. The streets aren’t as crowded and there’s not as much yelling, traffic, smog or bustle. It’s nice. But Kigali is friendlier, in my opinion. People stare at us foreigners more often. I guess because they don’t see us as often.
The National Museum is pretty cool. After we quickly toured the inside, this kid took us around the stuff outside. Enthusiastic little guy. The huts Rwandans lived in were awesome. It was a pretty hot day outside but the inside of the hut felt air conditioned! Of course, it wasn’t.
And we strolled through the woods down a hill until it opened up again and we saw some farmland below. While we were taking pictures, Meagan said she heard a child yell, “BONJOUR!!!” And then later we heard, “MUZUNGU!!!” How this kid saw us I don’t know. I couldn’t see him. Pretty amazing these Rwandan children.
Speaking of the kids, I love it when they hold out their fist to get props. It’s so homely, cooler than shaking hands.
And the Rwandan man who sat next to me on the bus seemed intrigued by my iPod. I let him listen through my headphones and everybody was amused by it. But I don’t know if he actually enjoyed the music.
andrewng.media 