Today I finally got to see some of the city! Two girls, who I believe are nieces of my host-father (though I have met a bunch of people and it is hard to keep their relationships straight, especially with language barriers and whatnot) brought me in to run errands and tour around a bit. It was fun: they are both students, very friendly and about my age; they were both patient and helpful regarding the language issues; and both spoke some English, which did often prove helpful.
I forgot three things: sunscreen, bug-spray and camera. The first two I did fine without: it wasn’t an especially sunny or hot day, and I barely noticed any insects. (Really? I thought I was in the tropics…) I did kind of wish I had the camera, though; there were lots of memorable sights. Then again, maybe it was best to just absorb all of it the first time; there are those who say that having photographs of an experience is like a crutch that impedes one’s ability to actually remember things. Anyway, I have more than seven weeks left here, and I will certainly have the opportunity to go back into town with a camera before I leave.
So, to start, I should confess that I don’t actually know where I am right now. I know that the house I am staying in is in Nyakabanda sector, Nyarugenge district, in the city of Kigali. I know what direction to look from the house to see the city center, and I know more or less how to get to a bus stop. Near that bus stop is a place called St. Joseph’s Consolidated Technical School (or something close to that) and the district court of Nyamirambo, including civil courts and a military tribunal. Those of you with access to Google Maps can now place me on a map better than I can.
My two new friends led me to this bus-stop, where we caught a bus into town. Now, amazement at the workings of public transit in Kigali is probably something that every tourist and expat here has blogged about at least once, but I have to try my hand at it anyway. First off, I called it a bus-stop not because there are buses there, but because that’s the closest analogue I can think of to something you’d find in America. The vehicles that do stop there seem to be called either buses (bas) or taxis (tagisi) in Kinyarwanda. Really, they are somewhere in between. The common English term is “minibus taxi”; a Google image search for that or “matatu” (the Swahili word) should give an idea what I am talking about.
They are big vans, coming in a variety of colors, that tend to have about twelve to fifteen seats. Aside from that, they differ from Western public buses in a number of ways: (1) You pay when you get out, not when you get in. Aside from the driver, there is a guy who sits by the sliding door whose main jobs appear to be soliciting passengers at stops and collecting fees as people get out. (2) They do not run on a schedule. Depending on the mood and how promising the location is, they will probably wait around at a stop while the fee-collector runs around trying to find passengers until they fill up. (3) When I say “fill up,” I mean “reach about 120% of their seating capacity.” Three seats will seat four, and someone often ends up sitting on the console between the two front seats. Seat-belts? Don’t be silly. (4) I know, buses and subways in the U.S. don’t have seat-belts either, but those move at sane speeds. I have not noticed any speed-limit signs here, and if there are any they are not obeyed. Moreover, one lane is usually interpreted as being wide enough for one car/minibus and one motorcycle; depending on how straight the road is, two lanes might be wide enough for three cars, going in whichever direction. (5) These are private minibuses, and therefore not very regulated, and also often in various states of disrepair.
My friends noticed I was laughing at one point. They asked whether mass transit was different in America. I didn’t know how to describe it except by saying, “Yep, it’s very different!”
But I digress. We got to the city center (commonly called “ville” or “town,” with a Kinyarwanda twist). I don’t remember what struck me first, but I guess the interactions between people and cars were a big thing: especially on thinner roads, they kind of shared space and moved out of each other’s ways as necessary. Also, the heights of the buildings: short, often single-story, even in the middle of the city. There were a lot of shops that seemed to blend in very well with the street—i.e. kind of inlets in the buildings, without doors.
Another thing I notice is that the signs above the stores are not actually signs, as I would define that word. They are much more likely to be painted directly onto the walls. It’s surprisingly attractive, and lends many areas a nice consistency in their design.
So we went to a foreign exchange bureau, where my $100 became 65,000 Rwandan francs, then to buy a phone; this was surprisingly affordable (9000 francs = about $15), though admittedly we asked for the cheapest thing there. Next we went to a supermarket, where I bought a towel—having read A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I cannot believe I forgot one—and then to another supermarket, where I got some postcards.
After that, they took me to see some relatives in Gikondo, another district. These were two women, living in a modest dwelling in a residential area not too far away; being middle-aged, they spoke pretty good French but not much English. We talked for a little bit, though we didn’t cover much ground in the conversation because so many things had to be repeated! I told them I didn’t drink, and they said that was a good life choice. I told them I was studying Kinyarwanda, and they said it made them really happy because there are so many foreigners who come to Rwanda and don’t even try to speak the language. Really kind people.
We went to a restaurant for dinner afterward. I learned some good new words (see below), and we ate some very good brochettes. I am sure this is a recognized food term, but I would call them kebabs: seasoned meat, in this case goat, on a skewer. With French fries. Really good, especially with the hot-sauce.
It gradually dawned on me as the day went on how nice these people were being. The two girls didn’t need to do anything n the city themselves; they went just to help me out and show me around, and then they wanted to introduce me to their family, who seemed genuinely happy to meet me. On top of all that, they bought me dinner! It was only about $5, but still, they’re not supposed to do that. Ubutaha, they said, next time I could pay.
It was dark by the time we got home. Long day. Tiring. Fun. I like this place.
New Vocabulary Words for the Day
- kuruha: to be tired
- gusoonga: to churn
- kubagana: to bother
- gúkúumbura: to have nostalgia
- umuserebanya: lizard
- iruúngû: loneliness
- guteemberetsa: to bring to a new place
*Vowels with an acute accent (e.g. á) have a phonetic high tone. Vowels with a circumflex (e.g. â) have a phonetic falling tone. Vowels with no accent have a low tone. Vowels that are doubled are long.
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