There are so many things to love about Rwanda. From the vibrant people to the sunny days, it’s hard to complain about my days here. Adjusting to life 9,000 miles away from everything familiar is no easy feat, and I’d be lying if I said it was without its challenges. I would give almost anything for some Chick-fil-A or a movie night with my twin brother. Waking up under a mosquito net will probably never feel entirely normal. But for every rough day I may go through, there are ten good days to make up for it. I could go on for hours about all of the things I love here, but there are a few that stand out. The best part about living in Rwanda can be summed up in eleven words: if you pet a dog in Rwanda, it’ll follow you home. This has been my favorite lesson to learn in my first two months here. From the scruffy dog that lives at the local cafe who loves to rest his head on my knee, to the small dog who loves to walk ten feet behind me in the village, I have made a bunch of fluffy friends.
The basketball in Rwanda is something you won’t get to experience anywhere else. People are extremely passionate about every element of the game in a way that I have never seen before. Every rebound is the most important one, every made basket is a victory in and of itself, and every flashy pass belongs on its own highlight reel. The rules of the game are universal and remain the same no matter where you are, but Rwandans put their own spin on every other aspect of the game. The camaraderie among teammates cannot be duplicated. When the kids are playing and one of them scores, the smiles on all of their faces are blindingly bright. The coaches that work for Shooting Touch are invested in so much more than just the athletic success of our beneficiaries. They genuinely care about the well-being of every person that steps onto one of our courts, which has definitely rubbed off on me. I love learning people’s names, high-fiving them, and being greeted with warm hugs and grins. The courts are starting to feel like home and the people are starting to feel like family, which is better than I could have imagined.
Adjusting to a culture that is literally worlds apart from the one I have grown up in has been an adventure to say the least. The language barrier was extremely challenging at first, but I have found that a few key phrases can get me to almost anywhere I need to go. Being able to ask how much something cost, how someone’s day is going, and what someone’s name is has helped me learn a ton about the people around me. Life in Rwanda has become comfortable for me, and it happened much quicker than I anticipated. I have never been a fan of change, and this is probably the biggest possible change I have faced in my life. But because of the people, the atmosphere, and the love of basketball, Rwanda has become my home away from home and I have never been more grateful for something.
