Living inside the glow.

I'm unsure of how to begin. It is surreal that I am going to be doing this for the next 6 months (with varying degrees of dedication, of course).

I am siting in my bed at the KHI (Kigali Health Institute) guesthouse right now, hungover, happy, and having just watched one of the first rains of the season, a rain that is highly reminiscent of massive buckets of water being dumped over the entire country. I love these rains.

I find myself constantly in a state of disbelief; it doesn't seem real that I am back here. Or maybe my life in Canada doesn't seem real. I can't really tell.

So, for the more practical details! We were supposed to get in Tuesday at noon, but were delayed in Addis for 4 hours as we watched crew members work on the plane we would eventually board. (anxiety when that plane took off?) When we got into Kigali it was the unpleasant but not all together unexpected hassle of arriving without any of our luggage, which we claimed with huge amounts of enthusiasm on Friday. Hilaire and Egide were waiting (for the extra 4 hours) to greet us at the airport - it was the best welcome I could have asked for.

Anthony took us to KHI after we had a sort-of-good-nights-sleep to meet many many people with names that I can only hope will stick after a few months. We've been living it up large our first week here, eating well and generally relaxing (and/or partying). Cadillac - which was the club of choice of the 8 muzungu (white person) nurses in April, and as Miller light described "where everything from the floor to the drinks glow and the party doesn't stop till 7am" - was a huge success as well as a hit on my system, but a loving hit at that.

We (Anthony - X grad who has worked for the past 5.5 months at KHI in the Biomedical Lab Sciences department, and Lauren - also an X grad who came with me and is taking Anthony's position) went to see our house on Thursday. Anthony was entrusted with the search, and we paid for the first 3 months. 300$/month. It is in a part of the city called Nyakabanda, just on the outskirts of Nyamirambo. These two districts are sort of known as what we would call "sketchy", but in my opinion they are the best places in Kigali. They are grimy, on the poor side, and real. We move in on Wednesday (waiting for it to be furnished). I am so excited to settle in.

I am also very excited to get to Butare... there are lots of people there that I need to see, and I am just craving the bus ride there. It is my favourite part of Rwanda. And I find that since I spent most of my time in April outside of Kigali, I am hyperaware of the way that Kigali is built up to look a certain way for the international eye and for tourists in general. While tourism is becoming a major income for Rwanda (rightly so) and in many ways these changes can be seen as "development", I can't help but think about all the rural families that don't get their struggle recognized because they are not being seen. There is a whole other Rwanda outside of Kigali's walls.

On that note, tomorrow is Kagame's inauguration. National holiday. Hopefully all goes off without a hitch, the police and military presence are certainly prepared for the opposite if it should happen. After this holiday it will officially be my first week of work. I really have no idea what that will entail. For anyone who doesn't know, I am here to teach nursing students, supervise clinical placements, and participate in community outreach programs. When I sit down at a desk Tuesday morning, all I know is that I need to make some goals. We'll see what happens after that. More updates to come! Comment with questions if there is anything you are wondering about or anything you would like to hear more about :)