During my many long moto journeys, I often think about how different my life is in Rwanda and I enjoy comparing aspects of my life here to things back home. Here are some of my recent thoughts:
Travelling in 'economy' - This is something most people associate with flying in an airplane when you cannot afford the ridiculous price of First class. However, my interpretation of economy travel in Rwanda is where your moto driver cuts off the engine and coasts down the hills, gathering as much momentum as possible so that you make it half way up the next hill before having to restart the engine. The first time he did this, I thought we had run out of petrol, but now I understand it is a way of saving petrol when driving. I don't know how safe it is but at least I can predict when it is coming up these days.
Traffic control measures - In England, people get upset by the number of pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and traffic-calming measures which seem to be in place every two minutes on any journey. In Rwanda, my journey involves no such things. But we often have to break suddenly in order to allow the family of goats, chickens or children to cross the road. My favourite so far has been the piglets and the calf!
Washing - This is something I will never take for granted again. Hand washing clothes is a long-winded process, especially when you are constantly battling the orange dust which is abundant during the dry season. The other day a group of teachers were laughing at my rain coat because you could not tell if the original colour was black or orange. A washing machine would certainly be useful out here. Although line drying clothes in Rwanda doesn't take much longer than a tumble dryer thanks to the heat and I rarely have to use an iron.
Weekends - For the past two weekends, I have treated myself to a day at the pool. After the two hour bus ride to Kigali, I am able to select a hotel and rent a lounger for the day for less than £5. It is times like these when I truly appreciate working in Rwanda - having the ability to visit beautiful places at the weekend or just plan to sunbathe for a day, safe in the knowledge that the British weather will not ruin my plans! And just look at my poolside view:
Traffic control measures - In England, people get upset by the number of pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and traffic-calming measures which seem to be in place every two minutes on any journey. In Rwanda, my journey involves no such things. But we often have to break suddenly in order to allow the family of goats, chickens or children to cross the road. My favourite so far has been the piglets and the calf!
Washing - This is something I will never take for granted again. Hand washing clothes is a long-winded process, especially when you are constantly battling the orange dust which is abundant during the dry season. The other day a group of teachers were laughing at my rain coat because you could not tell if the original colour was black or orange. A washing machine would certainly be useful out here. Although line drying clothes in Rwanda doesn't take much longer than a tumble dryer thanks to the heat and I rarely have to use an iron.
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