Back to Reality

Back to Reality

I have so many stories to share that I don't know where to begin!  I guess I'll start with the ten day training that myself and the other PCVs attended almost two weeks ago.  The training was held in northern Rwanda in a district called Musanze and ohhhmygeeee it was sooo very beautiul!!! (Musanze is a touristy type spot; this is where the volcanoes, gorillas, and tons of other beautiful sights are located).  In case you're wondering, no I didn't get to see the gorillas, but I will definitely be going next year with my family when they come to visit!! Yayy mee!!!

PC put us in a fancy hotel with hot water and tons of good food!! It even had a swimming pool! I'm sure I don't have to tell you that I over-indulged in the food and probably over-did it with the HOT showers (you have no idea how good it felt to be able to take a HOT shower with RUNNING water).  For the bulk of the time, we were in meetings alllll day long and once we were finally able to take a break and explore the town, we all seemed to get culture shocked all over again.  I must say, it was tough being around familiar faces all day, every day, for ten days and then having to come back to our sites by ourselves.  A few volunteers had warned us that after being gone for longer than a week, you kind of have to reintegrate yourself back in, and I now know that they weren't lying.  It's not so much reintegrating though, it's more getting used to the standard of living again; back to bucket baths and cooking for two hours before you can eat...back to the critters and staring at the strange spot on the wall for what seems like hours because you have nothing better to do...lol (that last one is a half truth, I don't do it all the time, but I have caught myself staring off into space on more than one occasion). 

Anywho,

for the entire bus ride back home, I was kind of dreading having to get off, being stared at, and being asked a million times by a million people, "Where did you go?  Why?  What did you bring me?  What did you eat?  What did you do?"  The list goes on...and on.  When the bus finally stopped, I got off and hopped on a moto to my village and before we were even halfway there, it began to pour down rain!  The driver wasn't wearing a jacket (and Rwandans don't exactly like being outside in the rain) so he pulled over once we made it to the road that would have led us into my village.  I wasn't in any kind of a mood to stop and have to wait for God knows how long for the rain to pass, but I'm glad we did!  I ended up meeting the cutest little high schoolers and they helped me to find a bus home since the rain didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon.  I think I sat with them for nearly an hour taking pictures, talking, and laughing my little heart out.  By the time I finally hopped onto a bus to head home, I was in much better spirits and ready to go back to "village life."  Its little moments like the one I shared with those students and that I share with other people in my community that make me happy to be back in the village.  The people here are so much more genuine.  You just don't find that in the city. 

Love and Peace Corps,

Dametreea

PS

Here's another reason why I love coming home: I always know I'm almost to my house when everyone I pass begins to yell out with excitement, "Keza, Keza!" and then waves like crazy as the moto passes!  I always smile inside when this happens and any sour feelings of being alone in the village begin to go away.  Afterall, how can anyone not be happy to be back with so many smiling faces around welcoming you and shouting your name?

<3 Rwanda (: