Same day, continued.

3 January 2010 Part 2

Rwanda entry: 2

Today turned out to be quite magical. After our “work,” we stayed by the pool, reading mostly. I was reading “Aiding Violence” by Peter Uvin, a book about how the development industry played a role in the genocide of 1994. I had put on my swimsuit, thinking that at one point I would get into the pool. Instead I just had to deal with the awkward effects of swimsuit netting in concert with butt sweat. Nevertheless, the afternoon was quite enjoyable.

We had a drinking lunch. I wasn’t quite hungry enough to order a full course after my large breakfast. So I ordered from the “Hot Snacks” portion of the menu. I found something called “Bahjia.” I didn’t know what this meant, so being adventurous, I ordered it. The waiter told me that it was “comme frites” because we had been speaking French, which turns out to be more understandable than Rwandan English. Bahjia was more like beer-battered scalloped potatoes, and quite bland, but nonetheless an experience. It is served with a sort of spicy mustard called “pillipilli.” I’m not sure if that is how it’s spelled, or even if that is what it is called. This is due, in part, to the fact that Rwandans are most likely the quietest people that I have come in contact with. Even last night, as we sat at the bar around 11 o’clock I couldn’t hear any of the 10 or so people talking at the bar. It is constantly a challenge to understand our waiters, not really because of the language barrier, but just as a result of the low level at which Rwandans speak. I find it interesting, and I’m not sure what it means culturally, but I look forward to a thorough investigation.

I had three beers with lunch, so of course I subsequently took a long, and quite fulfilling nap. I’m not sure if it was the beer or the jet-lag, probably both. We’ve been drinking a beer called Primus. It’s an African beer, and it’s only 1,500 Rwandan francs, the equivalent of about $1.50. I have found the label quite interesting. The Primus that we’ve been drinking is apparently the 50^th anniversary edition, and this is written in English and Kinyarwanda. The ingredients are written in French. There is something about Rwanda (and for that matter, many other African countries) and its lingual indecision that must have something to do with their culture, and with the field of development. Again, I look forward to a thorough investigation.

I woke up around 6 p.m. We went to dinner at a restaurant called Cactus for pizza. Our driver, Martin, picked us up in his Land Rover, what I realized was actually a Land Cruiser. I knew it had something to do with land. The restaurant was delicately placed atop a hill over looking the lights of Kigali. The whole restaurant was simply a patio covered by an awning that allowed the mountain breezes of the night to softly intermingle with the scent of the wood-fired stove and the ingredients of Rwandan cuisine. Out of the awning was a well-kempt lawn with wicker furnishings where we smoked.

The gin is different. I think Amanda said that it was from Botswana or Tanzania, I can’t remember, but it was… tangy, I suppose that’s how I can describe it. The meal was a total of 36,200 RFW, which is the equivalent of about $60, which is sort of impressive for four people eating and drinking cocktails. It was another experience that did not quite seem real to me. I am excited about the rest of my journey here; I know that my experiences will soon be markedly different. Still, I find this country immediately unforgettable and unavoidably beautiful in so many ways.