Three weeks in, I am starting to get acclimated to Rwanda.
To make a long story short as to how I got here, during my senior year at Chapel Hill, I wrote my thesis on various forms of International Aid and Development. As I researched, I stumbled across “sport-for-development,” which is the field of international development that uses sports to create growth and opportunity. The idea hooked me as it blended my academic interests with what I knew best, basketball. A few lucky conversations, interviews, overpriced vaccines, and a fundraiser later, and here we are. I am incredibly thankful for the many folks who helped me get here.
I have been traveling around with Courtney and Kojo, the two other members of my Shooting Touch Fellowship cohort, both of whom are from NY, as well as Chloe and Sam, who are Shooting Touch’s Director of International Programming and Director of Communications, respectively. The first few weeks were focused on orientation, half of which took place in a classroom setting as we discussed culture, our roles, and Shooting Touch. The other half took place at the courts around Rwanda’s Eastern Province.
It has been exciting just to have to figure things out. After living in places I know so well in Charlotte and Chapel Hill, it was eye-opening, stressful, and exciting to realize that here, I know nothing.
There are things that are very different; the language, the pace of life, and the food (while delicious, rich, and well-seasoned, there has been some conflict between the cuisine and my stomach… the two are currently in post-war peace talks, yet sporadic regional conflicts have slowed the treaty process), and the fact that no matter what I do, say, or wear, I will never blend in.
There are also things just so slightly different, such as new flowers or birds that I have never seen before, or the traffic rule that the car outside of the roundabout has right away, which after a few close calls becomes easily remembered.
Yet, when moving to a place where everything feels new, ironically, it is the things that are the same that have stood out the most - the power of a simple polite gesture, the excitement of music, and the community of sports.
Walking down the street, it is common to catch more than a few uncertain looks. Most people (including myself sometimes) wonder what the strange white man in Carolina Blue is doing here. However, early on, Chloe advised me that a quick gesture and a smile can completely break the stare and turn it into a smile. After two weeks, I know about four words in the Rwandan language, Kinyarwanda. My go-to is amakuru, which just means “how are you.” I say it about 400 times a day, but it works magic. I figure that as long as we find a little common ground, the rest will work out okay.
I’ve tried my best to speak Kinyarwanda and oftentimes when I do, I am met with a wave of laughter - I asked Chloe whether I was being laughed with or at, which she made it clear they were always laughing at me. Glad to play my part.
I had heard that the music scene in Rwanda was incredible, and it was a priority to buy a guitar as soon as I could. Although I had hoped in the back of my mind that at some point I would find a couple of folks to play with, I had no idea that it would be the folks that would find me! Multiple times during travel, while I’ve had my guitar with me, I’ve been approached by folks who just want to play a song. One moment that particularly stood out came at a gelato shop, where the lady working the counter asked if she could sing while I played. The two of us performed a little duet that made me feel like Adele’s backup guitar player, as her talent far exceeded mine. Just a cool little moment that was special to me.
The hoops culture in Rwanda is dope and humbling. I realized this on day one as I was being guarded full-court by someone's mom who was not wearing shoes. I sat in awe as 200 women surrounded one of our courts, cheering, singing, and dancing in support of the 60-year-old women launching threes and running in transition on the court in front of them. The recognizable human response of a roaring crowd comes after a deep jump shot. Shooting Touch has created an incredible grassroots basketball ecosystem. The program, aside from a little money coming from the states, operates almost entirely by Rwandans on the ground here. They have established an efficient system for training great coaches, and it shows that many of the Shooting Touch kids have received scholarships around the country for basketball.
So far it has been a great experience. Rwanda’s land, development, wildlife, and culture are beautiful and vibrant. There is constant singing, smiling, and laughter. I certainly miss everyone back home a ton, but I am thankful that the service out here is good and I can hop on a phone call. I am excited to see everyone soon.
Until next time,
Duwe