Sunday started bright and early with the first of many vehicle journeys! Private car to the bus station in Kigali, which was a very busy place with people travelling, people trying to sell you everything from samosas, soft drinks, headphones (they looked a bit dodgy) and socks!
For the next two hours I just enjoyed the views from my fantastic window seat. Rwanda is a beautiful country!
Close to the border with Uganda, we got off the bus, then into another private car that took us to the border. Three different checkpoints later, I had another stamp in my passport 😊
Then another private car took us to the bank where I withdrew half a million Ugandan Shillings. Felt very rich, but it’s only around £115 / dkr 1,000. And at the final vehicle change in Kisoro we met with a few other Big Beyond team members (will write about Big Beyond as an organisation a little later) and went for lunch before the last stretch to the final destination of Rubugeri on the outskirts of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The natural beauty continues into Uganda, it’s so fantastically green here and there’s lots of hills and mountains.
My two first official volunteering days were taken up by orientation. A really great introduction as well, consisting of:
- Vision and purpose for Big Beyond and the work they do here
- A local community challenge
- Cultural orientation
It was really well done and prepared…in particular I enjoyed the challenge even though it was scary being sent into the community with a few instructions a list of questions to answer over the next 5 hours! But what a great way to get forced into integrating with the local community…and as I was sitting in the local pub with my new ‘family’ I was reflecting on a day of great conversations, a couple of marriage proposals(!), planting a tree called Omumba, which apparently cures a few illnesses but mainly testicular cancer (how do they know that?) and some great hiking.
Today was the cultural education day. I learnt a little Rukiga (pronounced rushiga), learnt about the local culture – but more on that later – until I went with one of the coordinators (Friday is his name, another of the coordinators is called Sunday but more about that another time too!) to a local house for lunch. The hosts, Simon & Josephine, were wonderful. She showed me the process of cooking the meal, he entertained by singing & playing a musical instrument called ‘enanga’ which was beautiful. And then it was story and riddle time – very enjoyable although the riddles were a little weird!
BETINA IN AFRICA 