Here in Rwanda we are celebrating Eid with a day off from
work! This past week has been filled with holidays. We observed Independence
Day on July 1
st, as well as Liberation Day on July 4
th.
It has been 54 years since Rwanda gained their independence from Belgium in
1962, and Liberation Day marks the end of the 100-day genocide. No celebration activities were
publicized, so my housemates and I decided to celebrate the Fourth of July our
own way. We spent the morning making homemade banana pancakes (here’s the
lovely
video) and went to the Hotel des Mille Collines after for a day by the pool. Fun Fact: The movie Hotel Rwanda was based on events that
occurred at the Hotel des Mille Collines.
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| Hotel des Mille Collines |
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| Piña colada at Hotel des Mille Collines |
I also spent a good majority of the four-day weekend at Neo
Café, which is located at the top of an industrial building called The Office. The other weekend, my housemates and I participated in a mural painting activity directly outside
for Umuganda. On the last Saturday of every month, Rwandans participate in
Umuganda, which is a day of service. Since it’s a legal obligation, most people do activities such as picking weeds and digging trenches for
rainwater. We decided mural
painting was better suited to our skills than chopping tree branches with
machetes (which we all tried and failed). Our neighbors took us to The Office, where
we found a group of mostly foreigners helping their staff paint the mural.
I can’t wait to see what adventure my next Umuganda brings!
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| Me, Kerrlene, and Stephanie in front of the mural |
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| View from Neo Cafe |
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| The Office steps |
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| The Office |
Eid Mubarak!
-E
