Saturday, August 15, 2009

The Hill of Resistance

We just wanted to let you all know that we are running at least a day behind right now because our days are getting very long and there has been little time for writing. We will now try a catch you up on the last couple of days.

Two days ago we left Kigali around 7:00am to travel to a place called Bisesero, also known as the Hill of Resistance. It was a very long journey that took us through some beautiful hills and quaint little villages. Along the way we stopped at a girls school that during the genocide, when the Interahamwe arrived, ordered the girls to fall into two groups. If you were a Tutsi you were in one and Hutu's in another. These brave young girls, said no this is not right. The reward they received for their bravery was execution. All of them were brutally slaughtered and any Hutu that stood up for a Tutusi died along with them. Previous to this trip, we had watched a movie about this very incident and could not believe we had stumbled across the actual place. It had a very sobering effect on us and we knew that what lay ahead would be no better.

Once again we found ourselves on roads that goats would have found difficult to traverse and slowly we made our way higher into the mountains. We drove for a short while along Lake Kivu which is absolutely beautiful -- my pictures cannot do it justice. As we traveled, it seemed no matter where we were the minute we got out of the car with a camera, children just magically appear! When we were only 4km from the memorial, we could not wait to get there as we had been in the car for 5 hours at this point. We did not know it would take another hour to travel the 4 kilometers! Upon our arrival we had to use the washrooms really badly and all that was available was an old outhouse surrounded by men. This wasn't any ordinary outhouse though, this was a "special" one. All that it was, was a hole cut in the floor, made more for the convience of a man than a woman. It took allot of talent to get in position and so for this we thought the "shorter" one should try first. So guess who was the guinea pig? You pretty much had to take a very big breath, step into the abyss, and make things happen fast, and get out! When the next candidate was ready, her caring buddy stood outside the outhouse and held the door for her, all the while running commentary about all the spiders and other bugs that were crawling along the floor. "Look up, look at all of them, look at them crawling on the floor!" Little did she know that the one in the outhouse has major arachnophobia and nearly passed out from fear!

A few feet away from the outhouse you begin the journey of the "Hill of Resistance" where again over 50,000 Tutsi's were slaughtered. What makes this story different though is that they were mostly farmers who decided to arm themselves and fight! The hill had a perfect vantage point to see the enemy approaching and the hill also came equipped with it's own natural supply of weapons for them to use....stones. Along with some of their own farm tools, they were able to fight the Interhamwe and chase them off. These tough farmers were able to hold off the Interhamwe for a 2 month period, but it finally ended in horror when the Interhamwe returned with the support of the military. Today the new memorial that has been built has 3 separate building, with each building being separated into 3 identical rooms. These represent the lives that were taken in the 9 districts of Bisesero. The bones of the deceased will be placed in these rooms in the near future. Further off from these 3 buildings is another memorial where the bodies of the men that died fighting, lie. This memorial is for the heroes of Bisesero. The aftermath of this horrible massacre was that there were approximately 1000 survivors but only men and young boys. Every woman in the surrounding villages were killed except for one, and in November of '94 the Interhamwe came back and poisoned her. It was a long journey home that afternoon but one that we are glad we went on.

Our solemn moods were suddenly replaced with shock and a little bit of fear when the Police stopped us. Enoch was talking to them while they were looking in the backseat of the car where the vertically challenged one was sitting. We thought they wanted to search the backpack, but when they hopped into the car and Enock sped off much faster than he normally drives -- we were left wondering what was going on. They were quite friendly and introductions were made and shortly after we stopped and they thanked us and said goodbye! As it turned out they had commandeered our vehicle to a criminal.


On Saturday we took a drive east of the country to a beautiful lake called Muhazi. We cannot really tell you the path we were on because the Rwandan map for some reason or other is very messed up and the route we took is not the one we were on. Regardless we made it there and enjoyed the scenery for a bit until it really clouded over and the thunder and lightening moved in. Experiencing thunder in Africa is like nothing we have ever experienced before. It feels like the whole sky is going to fall in on you and vibrates you to the very core. Unfortunately it rained on our parade and we ended up not staying very long and headed back to the hotel. This was the first bad weather that we have had since being here.

Today (Sunday) has been overcast all day as well and because of that we have not felt to adventuresome. We did manage to go to "Hotel Milles Collines" this afternoon and all we can say is that it was very disappointing to see. The hotel is under construction as they are "renovating" they have been since 2006. Nothing at all reminds us of the movie, but the most disappointing was the horrific prices and the rather rude service that we received. The best part of the day was when "someone" bought a Rwandan newspaper from outside the gates of the Hotel Milles Collines and negotiated all by herself the price of the paper. They proudly came back to tell me what a great deal they got on it. I pointed at the paper, showed her the price that was printed on it, and we won't comment on that anymore!!! We have had to move rooms again because we are now becoming the "World Vision" group. There was a development over the past few days that is going to make the beginning of this new adventure interesting. Kenya Air decided to go on strike and almost all of the volunteers as of Sunday night are stranded in Nairobi. Apparently though the strike is now over but the airport is a mess and no one seems to know how or when they will be arriving in Kigali. The group that is in Kigali at the moment consists of only Joanna, and of course us!

Friday, August 14, 2009

We Have Been Busy!


Our time here seems to be flying by in a whirl wind of activity. Dates and times have all melded into one. A couple of days ago we traveled across this beautiful country to visit the memorial site in a place called Murambi. We have read about it, and watched documentaries on it. We thought we were prepared to see it, we were not. It has been a couple of days since we were there and we still cannot talk about what we experienced. What we can tell you is that the moment of arrival was surreal. There keeping watch over all the victims is a man we have seen in many documentaries. We have seen and heard his pain and now we found ourselves face to face with him. He was here when the genocide happened. The soldiers had him strip naked, kneel down and then they shot him in the head. He fell lifeless onto a heap of bodies and was left for dead. During the night, naked and suffering from a bullet to the head and sick with malaria, he managed to walk towards Burundi a neighbouring country. After days of no food or water, his head swollen from the bullet lodged inside, he made it to the border where he was rescued by the Burundian soldiers. Once he was able he returned to Murambi, people living there denied what had happened. So he began to exhume some of the over 50,000 bodies that were buried in mass graves only 50 feet from where French soldiers of Operation Turquoise were playing volleyball while the bodies were being buried. He covered them with lime to preserve them and layed them out on tables for everyone to see. He refuses to leave this place, it is where he lost his entire family. He stays here to be close to them, lost in the past, he is a prisoner of the genocide. He is an example of the living dead.

After our tour the three of us climbed into the car, with heavy hearts we began our journey back. The three of us talked and discussed things that will remain private. We may at some point share them with others but for now they will stay just between the three of us.

As we traveled on, we came to a town and stopped so that our driver could buy some chickens for supper. We hid our heads because we thought they were going to kill them right in front of us. The chickens were placed in the trunk of the car and we were sure that they had met their maker. Enock jumped back in and away we went. As we got closer to Kigali we came upon an outdoor market, the three of got out of the car and we watched Enock wheel and deal as he bought fresh fruits and vegetables for his family. Once all the goods were safely stored in the trunk we started on our way, it was at this point we realized that the chicken was still alive! We couldn't believe that they had not died from the heat as we had stopped for lunch and been driving for quite sometime. That chicken had been riding around in the trunk for over 5 hours. We joked that by the time we got to Kigali they would have eaten all the avocados in the trunk!

The next morning we were off to an area called Kinihira. It is an area of Rwanda that Romeo Dallaire would travel to by himself to gaze upon the beauty of its' hills and gather his thoughts. We wanted to see this place where our Canadian hero was able to find himself and a little bit of sanity. The journey there was breathtakingly beautiful, and we are not using this description lightly. We traveled down dirt roads that we were sure would swallow us up and we would never be seen again. Along our way we came across a Tea Plantation and Enock convinced them to give us a tour. We donned our tour garb (the pictures will never be seen in public, ever!)and off we went. The production of tea is a complex and interesting process. We will never take it for granted and have a much greater appreciation for all the work that goes into the making of it. It was a wonderful experience that will remain one of the highlights of our trip. From there we continued on towards a town called Byumba. We worried if the car would make it, as the road was really meant for 4 wheel drives not a little blue Toyota! After nearly careening over the edge of a cliff and Enock panicking when ever we got out to take pictures (he thought we might fall over the edge)we made it to a road that was paved! We asked Enock if he wanted to get out and kiss the pavement, he didn't understand and we just laughed. The town of Byumba gave us an uncomfortable vibe so we continued on our way. We stopped and had a picnic along the side of the road, Enock had brought us some home cooked food that his wife had prepared. Once we were on our way, the Police pulled us over to ask if we had seen an accident, further back there was a man and his bicycle lying on the side of the road -- he had been hit by a car. It was a very long journey and the car, as well as us was covered with the red dirt of Africa. People have told us that once you set foot on the red African soil it will be in your blood forever and you will never be free of it. We know that for sure this is true. It is not only in our blood, but it is in our eyes it is in our nose, throats, hair and every nook and cranny of our bodies. We will never get rid of it! The car was so dirty we took it to a car wash and sat with Enock and the other Rwandans and talked while the car was being cleaned. It took over 2 hours! With a nice clean car Enock dropped us at our hotel and our day was finally over.

We have had a really amazing time so far, the people are warm and wonderful and everywhere we have gone the one thing they all have in common is how close knit the communities and families are. The people are always together, talking, working and the children playing. We thought we were coming here to help save these children, but I can honestly say they have saved us. In our western world we are so driven by careers, cars, and the latest technological gadget that we have lost track of what it is to really be a community. Most people consider African countries as backward and very primitive, well ask your self where has all our forward thinking gotten us, we have become a nation of self centered, self absorbed Muzungu's. We have so much to learn from these so called backward, primitive places. Each morning as we have breakfast we marvel at all the Muzungu's (whites) in the restaurant, most of them are here because they think they are saving the world with their so called unselfish acts of kindness, and yet to their own kind they can't even say good morning or look you in the eye. The Rwandans on the other hand acknowledge everyone, especially their own. This trip has really taught us what is important and the things that should mean the most to us are the ones money can't buy.

Carol & Vickie

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Nyamata Genocide Memorial


We are a little behind on posting yesterdays blog. We were having some technical issues with the internet and our skills or lack thereof, as bloggers. We were frantically trying to get the pictures from yesterday (I just told her to "photoshop" my whole face!!!)to catch up to the blog.

Our day (Tuesday, August 11th)started at 8:30am we both had a pretty good sleep last night and logged about 5 hours sleep instead of the 2-3 we have had for the past 4 days. Tonight we are making it a very short night and heading to bed very early as Enock is picking us up at 7am tomorrow.

Our adventure today took us from Kigali down, through Gahanga, Mwogo, and across to Ntarama where we stopped at our first up close and personal experience with one of the rural genocidal memorials. At Ntarama there is a church....where the Tutsi's fled to seek shelter....in this Catholic church they would find no shelter instead they found themselves trapped in what was to become their death chamber. Traditionally the church has always been a place of sanctuary and protection and they believed it would once again provide protection from the Interhamwe and the military. The military along with the Interhamwe brutally murdered approximately 5000 Tutsi's, and even after 15 years we could still see the blood stains on the walls from where they murdered the small helpless babies by smashing them against the bricks until they were dead. The victims clothing hangs from the rafters of the church to help any possible survivors identify loved ones or friends. Skulls and bones greet you at the entrance of the church and as you stand in this "house" of protection you can feel and almost hear the horrible atrocities that befell them 15 years ago. Just a short distance up a small rise,sits a house where a charred mattress made of foam lies on the ground with the skin of a mother and her child, permanently burned onto it... they had been trapped in the house and it was set on fire. As we looked around the charred remnants of what was once their home, lying on the floor next to our feet was a large clump of hair. Never as long as we live will we forget that moment.

We left Ntarama and drove through Kanazi, Kanzenze and then directly to another Catholic church in the district of Bugesera in the town of Nyamata. This is the area where the sponsored children come from and where we will be spending our two weeks with World Vision.

At the Nyamata church there were over 10,000 Tutsi's murdered and the gentleman that greeted us at the entrance is a genocide survivor that had been in this very church along with his family. Unfortunately, he does not speak any English at all, and everything was being translated by Enock. Almost immediately we knew that this stop was going to change our relationship with Enock forever. As we watched and listened to him interact with this gentleman we knew that there was a whole lot more to Enock and what was going on in Rwanda than we had been led to believe by the media and other things we had watched and read. The two men were extremely emotional and passionate in their exchange of words. We were mesmerized watching their faces as they spoke to one another. We could almost feel what they were talking about even though you could not understand one word. T heir pain and anguish was palatable and we were very moved by the way two men who only moments before had been strangers, where now sharing something so intimate and personal as the atrocities that they endured and ultimately survived. We were now privy to a scene that we had only read about in books.

The Nyamata memorial is fairly large. Some of you that are reading this blog might be trying to visualize what we are seeing and we are going to try and be as descriptive as possible because it is not what you are picturing in your head. It is not some beautiful tribute or new museum that the government has constructed in the victims memories. It is the original church in the same condition it was in during the genocide with the addition of bullet holes that riddle the ceiling, blood stains on the walls and the cloth that drapes the altar. This is the blood of the innocent victims. As soon as you enter the doors of this church, your eyes cannot believe what is lying all over the pews and floor. The clothing of all the victims has been left on the alter, pews, and floor. There is an area at the back of the church where the floor is literally piled a couple feet high with clothing and again you cannot miss the blood stains on the walls where they also chose to exterminate the babies by smashing their little bodies against the cold hard bricks. A fresh bag, that looks like something you would put potatoes in, leans against the wall. It is filled with new bones that have just recently been found. They are awaiting their final walk to the crypt located behind the church where they will be put to rest with the other 10,000 victims. This number is not a constant, it continues to go up as new remains are being found on a regular basis. The gentleman walked us through the church out the side door and around to the back where a huge underground crypt has been built for the victims remains. One crypt holds numerous coffins, while the other is home to thousands of bones and skulls that line the walls and reach from the floor to the ceiling. There are no lights down there, only from the windows above. It really brings into perspective just how horrible it was. At first we wanted to flee from that crypt, and then we realized how incredibly selfish that would have been. These people had been tricked into coming here to this church for protection, they had no food or water and then they were mercilessly killed in a most horrifying manner. We stayed down there for a long time listening to the two men share their stories of survival. When we could no longer breath and the feeling of all those souls were pressing down upon us, we climbed back up the cold dark stairs and out into the fresh air and sunlight. We left the two men alone when we came out, the realization of what we had witnessed while down there with them was powerful and heart wrenching at the same time. We walked off to the side of the memorial and talked ourselves about how unbelievable it seemed that you could even fit that many people into this church. They were literally sitting ducks in so many regards, the first one being that they believed the church would save them and offer refuge. As grenades and bullets ripped into that church, witnesses have said they were dignified and died quietly with barely a whimper passing their lips. We believe this to be true, and as we walked among their remains we could not hear the sound of their screams.

The killers weren't much of men or otherwise, being able to walk into a place of worship that would not have had room for even a mouse to squeeze into, swinging their machetes and clubs and hitting someone every time. Even being here today we cannot imagine the horrors that unfolded here, and it will be even harder for you...but we ask that you try.

What really jarred us both in a good way today, was the conversation that took place after that visit. Our angel Enock has been very traumatized by the acts of genocide. He told us that he once had a very large family and now there are only 4 members left. We were told that if a "Hutu" taxi driver would have brought us to the memorial sites it would have been a very bad experience for us, he also said that the "Hutu's" that live across the street from this church and who killed all those inside will not come to the church and see what they did. We have been told that no one uses the Tutsi and Hutu reference anymore because of what happened and that the country is in a huge reconciliation process. We are given the impression that the ripples on the water are being smoothed out,that is not what is being told to us today. I was shocked and confused when he started using the words that are supposedly not spoken anymore. We know that there is more to this story and we will just listen as it unfolds because we have no right to comment. There were 2 uncanny plea's for help today, at both the Nyamata and Ntarama genocide sites. We were asked to make sure to share everything we have witnessed with everyone in our country. We promised them both that we would do that for them. We did nothing for them during the genocide, but this is the very least we can do now.

Tomorrow is going to be an incredible day as Enock is opening up to us more and more each day, and we will be traveling to Butare which is south of the town where he grew up, called Nyanza. Enock has never been to the memorial in Butare and we are wondering if we are about to find out if that is where his family was massacred. The drive to Butare is 4 hours long and Enock has repeatedly told us it is going to be a very long day. I think in many regards it is going to be harder for him than us. We cannot tell you what an incredible honor it will be to visit this memorial site with him. With heavy hearts, for both Enock and all the victims who lost their lives in these two places, we must find a way to move forward and keep our promise to share what happened.

Vickie and Carol

Monday, August 10, 2009

Meeting Ishimwe


Today Carol and I were off to Gihinga so that I could meet my little boy Ishimwe that I have been sponsoring for 4 years. Ishimwe is the first little boy I have ever sponsored in my life and I never in a million years thought I would get the opportunity to meet him. Today when I laid my eyes on him I fell madly in love and when he came up to me for a hug, I am pretty sure that I squeezed the stuffing out of him. I have never hugged so desperately a child that has meant so much to me in a split instant. My heart ached and I did not want to let go of him. I thought that I had prepared myself to meet him and apparently I did not. Carol and I were sent into a fairly large church where they promptly asked us to head up to the stage and sit in the white plastic chairs that they had set up. For the next hour or so, 284 children performed just for us, songs and traditional dances. The music,so hauntingly beautiful that it made the hair on the back of your neck stand up, and all the while you are trying to hold back the tears. The dance was so fluid and elegant and I know I felt like an idiot when one little girl came to me with her arms outstretched, wanting me to dance with her. I tried to follow her but there is no way on god's green earth that I can move elegantly, like an elephant maybe, but not elegantly. Now Carol on the other hand........WOW! Now I know what she does in her free time!

Afterwards, we got to go to Ishimwe's house and meet his little brother Nkurunziza and their grandmother. It is not a known story, but I believe it to be a sad one in that the boys are in their grandmothers care as both of their parents are dead. This is an all too familiar story. Grandma presented me with a beautiful hand woven basket that was filled with sorghum because it was a symbolic act of her telling me thank you for all that I had done. Once again I do not know why they thank us when it is me that is getting so much more out of it than they are. We had a wonderful afternoon in Gitarama at a great restaurant that John found for us. Carol and I have been "awe struck" by all of the firsts that we got to participate in today with those two little boys. Take a moment to read over the list and then reflect on all that you have and maybe take for granted:

-1st time in a car
-1st time out of the village
-1st time Nkurunziza saw his picture
-1st time that Ishimwe took a picture on a camera
-1st time in a restauraunt
-1st time in a "real" bathroom
-1st time trying to get soap out of a dispenser
-1st time using a hand dryer
-1st time having "fried" chicken
-1st time chewing gum

I am going to bed tonight with a song in my heart and a smile on my face, and a little bit of sadness for a boy I may never see again and great wonder as to where his life is going to lead him.

It was a good day because I was privileged to meet these children and share these firsts with them, I don't even sponsor them and yet today I fell in love and had my heart broken all at the same time. It was a good day because at the end of it all Vickie and I were able to give them a pregnant goat and 3 chickens all for $30.00 bucks! We shared an experience with these two precious little boys that time and distance can never take away. These special moments when you look into the eyes of a child and realize this is the first time he has ever seen himself or chewed a piece of gum are so profound and private, your heart just swells and at that very instant of pure joy, your heart is shattered by the shear injustice that has been thrust upon them.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

We Made It!

We made it! Today was our first full day in Rwanda! Things sure have taken a turn for the better, as of last night we were both wondering if we needed our heads examined. Both of us are suffering from major sleep deprivation and Carol is black and blue from our experience in London, upset stomach's, headaches, blah, blah, blah. This has felt for me to be one of the longest trips ever! I don't remember it ever taking this long to get to South Africa, but who knows.

Our day started out at approximately 4am this morning as both of us were wide awake. Apparently Carol went to bed at 1am and I am not sure what time I went, but it was before her and I just died. Whatever it is we are not getting enough sleep and we are now considering Primus beer as a possible drug for sleep???? OK kidding, we haven't even tried one yet!

This morning after breakfast, we spent allot of the morning very dazed and confused as to what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. We acted like stupid tourists and asked a few people their opinion on cab's and rates and eventually had the front desk phone one for us. Just when we thought all hope was lost an "angel" walked in and after 2 full seconds of negotiations, we were off! Our angels name is Enock and we can confidently say without a shadow of a doubt that by the end of the week he will become our closest friend in Rwanda. He took us to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where Carol and I proceeded to lose track of time and I am not sure how long we were there, but I do know that after all those months of reading books and watching documentaries, there are no words for what we experienced there today. It is too hard to comprehend that over 300,000 Rwandans were buried below our feet. That number continues to grow as more mass graves are uncovered all the time throughout the country. The children's area of the memorial was too much for either of us and no amount of reading could have prepared us for the pictures and descriptions of how the children were murdered. When I came down the stairs from seeing it, the girl at the reception desk asked me what I thought of it and I could not even speak, but my tears told her what I was feeling.

Enock patiently waited the entire time for us outside in the car (I wish my husband was that patient!)and off we went on another adventure in another direction (or so he told us). We found ourselves being driven through the most magnificent area of Kigali where the "townships" are being bought up by the government and being turned into very swanky resorts and homes. I'm not a betting person, but allot of those homes must be in the millions and too me it seems a bit mad especially when right across the alley from some of them are people living in shacks that would not be fit for our animals to live in. I only pray that the beautiful country of Rwanda never sells its soul to the devil again and lets foreigners take over land that is so badly needed by the Rwandans. I fear that this is true. At some point Enock pulled into a brand new shopping mall and immediately we smiled with excitement, there in front of us was a huge sign advertising that there was a "Bourbon Cafe" inside! To those of you that don't know, this is the Rwandan Starbucks and Starbucks had better hope that they never come to North America because they would have a run for their money. Carol got to experience first hand the length of time it takes to order drinks/food, etc., and the number of people that it takes to facilitate that order. We told Enock to order one of the wonderful pastries that was in the glass case and a drink. I never paid much attention for the first little bit because I myself was mesmerized by the sights in the glass case, but Enock came up behind us and we again repeated our request for him to pick out something that he would like. He walked over to a shelf that held a water thermos and told us that he would like one. We bought him that thermos and you have never seen a grown man who is 47 years old, so moved and so appreciative. He was beside himself with thankfulness -- it was like we had just bestowed upon him a million dollars. Let me tell you how silly we both looked as he with tears in his eyes told us he loved us and we sat there and cried. Starting on Tuesday, Enock is going to be touring us around Rwanda and we are scheming!!!! More to follow.....later!!!!!

Back at the hotel.....oh yeah.....for those of you from World Vision that will be joining us in a week....nothing electronic works!!!!!! For our husbands....good news...we haven't used our credit cards, but the wad of cash you sent us with is nearly gone!!! At this rate we might be coming home early because we are being told that nothing electronic (in the whole country!!!)will be working again for another week and if that is the case once the cash is gone we are in big trouble!!! Anyways, back at the hotel we had a short break in our room and then off to the restaurant where our waiter was a spitting image of Forrest Whittaker just 150lbs. lighter! Carol had the BBQ local chicken that looked like it was still running on the plate and I again had the Tilapia that was coated in flour. Yes, eating is a huge challenge when you have food allergies and I am very thankful that I brought 3 boxes of protein bars because pretty soon I am going to look like Carols chicken and it was the skinniest chicken I have ever seen! We tried to convince Wally to come with us today but he was so jet lagged he can't see straight! Really, his eyes are pointed in two different directions, Wally looks like we feel, Vickie says it's okay he can pull it off because he is cuter than us!

We put a few pictures on and will download more today, it took forever! Anyway will post more later.

Vickie & Carol