Time in Rwanda is a strange concept. It passes the same way it does everywhere else, but there’s something about it that is hard to put into words. Some days feel like they last an eternity, like the sun is never going to set and the clock isn’t even ticking. Other days seem to pass by in the blink of an eye, like waking up and going to bed happen within minutes of each other.
April was a month full of exploration, adventuring, and growth. I know you probably think that sounds cheesy, and you are one hundred percent correct. It is incredibly cheesy and sappy and all of those other words. Rwanda has softened me in a lot of ways and opened me up to ways of thinking that I would have never even considered before moving here. I’d have to say that’s a good thing, considering how hard my outer shell was before coming to Rwanda.
During the month of April, I traveled outside of Rwanda and around the continent for the first time. My first stop was in Kenya, where we got to go on a boat safari on Lake Naivasha and ride bikes around Hell’s Gate National Park. If you’re anything like me, seeing the hundredth zebra is just as cool as the first one. After Kenya, we headed to Tanzania to catch a ferry to take us to Zanzibar. As much as I enjoyed the animals and wildlife in Kenya, laying on the beach with a mocktail in my hand is much more my speed. Zanzibar consisted of eating seafood, petting dogs, and strolling from lounge chair to lounge chair. I know, it sounds like a dream (it was). After leaving Zanzibar, we spent our last night abroad in Dar Es Salaam, where it was flooded from the rain and we were serenaded to sleep by the chorus of frogs outside our hostel.
One of my worst habits is future tripping, which is always heightened when I am doing something super fun and enjoyable. When I’m on vacation, I am constantly thinking about when it is going to end and when I’ll have to get back to home and reality. This time, something about it felt a bit different. Instead of flying across the entire world and back to America, I’d be headed back to my second home in Rwanda. Instead of the typical pit forming in my stomach, a sudden longing for the village kicked in. Out of nowhere, I found myself craving samosas from Imigongo and the comfort of my mosquito net in Rwinkwavu. That is proof in itself that I am growing here, feeling less like a little kid and more like an adult wanting to return to the familiarity of routine and work.
The rest of the month went by quickly, filled by days on the computer and nights at the courts of Kayonza. I can feel my relationships with the Shooting Touch members growing with every passing hour. The coaches feel like family and the people at the courts feel like friends. Kids now address me by name, which is a big deal in case you were curious. I’ve managed to knock most of the dust off of my jump shot, despite what some of you may think.
We finished April with a Family Day event at our court in Mukarange. Tons of members of the community came out for scrimmages, shooting competitions, mini-games, and health testing. I wish I had enough words to describe the atmosphere of an event like this one, but I wouldn’t be doing it any justice, so I won’t try. I’ll just tell you that until you have seen a lady put her baby down, tie back her skirt, and proceed to win a shooting contest, you haven’t lived.
Overall, April was full of growing pains, both the good and bad kind. I’ve been here for four months now and I’m sure I’ll be home before I know it. My biggest takeaway from my time here so far has been this: take the time to enjoy the present, because it will be the past before we know it.