Day 7 in ASYV

Garon 

And just like that, we had completed our last full day in Rwanda at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. The week had been full of highs and lows (mostly highs) and to be honest I wish we had a little more time here. We began the day with a project, watching the baby goats frolic by the plantain trees from the kitchen window as we chopped vegetables and talked about regrettable high school experiences. Afterwards, we toured a solar power plant less than 5 minutes from ASYV, the largest in Rwanda and second largest in sub-Saharan Africa, which supplies Rwanda with 6% of its total power. We wound down afterwards with group downtime, avocado sandwiches, and sitting in on the students’ extracurricular programs in art and science. While we didn’t get as much direct 1-on-1 time with the students, I hope to maximize our time before we head out tomorrow and bid a heartfelt goodbye to all of the friends I’ve made at the village.

Arin

After a few days of jam-packed scheduling, it was refreshing to have a normally scheduled day at the village. I really enjoyed being able to hang out and eat meals with students whom I have befriended over the past week. One of my highlights of the day was joining in on the students’ kitchen skills class, which involved making mass quantities of amandazi, a traditional Rwandan pastry, to be sold in the village canteen. We made over a hundred of these desserts, deep-frying them over a bonfire. We’re definitely planning on recreating this treat back in Boston! Later in the afternoon, we had two group discussions. We first focused on our opinions of how one can best allocate money to helping others and then we later discussed the meanings and implications of tourism and travelling. Although our discussions often lead to more confusion personally, they have also really led me to think deeply about the meaning of our time here, the experience of ASYV students in general, and a lot about my purpose and presence. I am sure that the rest of our time here will be bittersweet, but I am looking forward to enjoying every moment we can. 

Day 9: Akagera National Park!

Safiya 

Having woken up for 5 am, the group was absolutely pumped for what lay ahead today – the Akagera Safari. Four safari trucks picked us up at ASYV. From there, we ventured out to Akagera. We stopped once during the 2-hour drive on the way there to pick up snacks, which included amandazis and chipatis (absolute heaven in the form of food).  After arriving at Agakera, the guides briefed us and then we set out in the jeeps. The views from the safari were absolutely breath-taking. I feel as if there are no words to capture the beauty of the land; it was stunning, gorgeous and beautiful. I even felt that pictures of the land could not capture its true beauty – it was something that one simply had to see and experience on their own. The animals that we saw on the trip included zebras, antelopes, gazelles, impalas, elephants, hippos, giraffes, various birds, and so much more!

I had such an amazing time today. I was in awe of the beauty of the land and the animals. Furthermore, a lot of us had the opportunity to sit on top of the jeep and see everything from a birds’ eye view. Sitting up there was slightly scary, as the dirt-road was bumpy but it was SO worth it. Overall, it was a great day and definitely one for the books!

Megan 

When we all woke up around 4:30 a.m. to be ready for the 5 a.m. jeeps, we were undoubtedly excited for the safari. However, some of us were a little less than thrilled to be up so early! We decided to make the most of the wake-up time by watching the sunrise. However, the sky was so cloudy this morning that there was no sunrise! Light just sort of happened. This became sort of the group joke of today—that we got up to watch the sunrise that didn’t happen. This turned out to be the most wonderful aspect of the safari, though.

Because the weather was just slightly overcast, no one was too hot on the jeeps and the lighting was absolutely perfect for photos (although the land was so vast and the animals were so close and so incredibly beautiful it’s hard to capture the whole idea). We had a blast sitting on top of, on the backs of, and standing in the windows of, the jeeps. Some highlights have been waving to each other as we passed jeeps, taking photos half-hanging out the window, and getting twigs (branches) stuck in our hair. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and kind, as everyone in this country has been, and stopped whenever we saw an animal or expressed interest in a certain view.

After the safari, we spent time with our families. Everyone is having a blast getting to know the students and mamas in their families. Most of us have played games, or had conversations or traded gifts and every experience has been unique and special. The students are extremely kind and have worked so hard to make us feel at home. The village is a very special place.

The group feels really close, and when we listed positives and negatives of the day, today was so incredible that there were hardly any negatives to say all around. It was a gorgeous day, with wonderful people, and I think most would agree it’s been one of the best so far.

Day 8: Mucaka Mucaka!

Allie B. 

We began our day with Mucaka Mucaka, the weekly Saturday morning run to the nearby village with the students.  Waking up at 5:30am seemed tough, but the energy of the kids, with their chanting and games, was so energizing.  After Mucaka Mucaka we returned to the village and joined our families in their assigned chores around the village, such as mopping the dining hall or shoveling on the farm.  Despite the busy schedule, no one complained about the work, and afterword the students had free time to play sports or go to club meetings. Some of us went to the Genesis meeting, which is the super-modeling club, and practiced our fierce runway walks with guys and girls of all ages.  Saturday afternoon in the village was like any weekend at Tufts, with kids relaxing and playing and watching television in their houses, and the universality of our age group really struck me in a somehow very comforting way.

Julia Stein 

It’s difficult to explain how incredible Mucaka Mucaka was through a blog post, but I will try my best. It’s important to note that I absolutely hate running and most forms of exercise, and was in fact dreading this particular activity. But, I begrudgingly rolled out of bed at 5:27 AM, just in time to catch the sunrise over the hills, did some stretches, and waddled out to meet our families at the mango tree. I knew the second we all started running that this would be a different experience. The chanting, the clapping, and the encouraging words from our fellow Mucaka-ers made it an awe-inspiring experience, and might even make me reconsider my no-running-before-10 AM-/-never rule.

After Mucaka Mucaka, we joined our families for a hearty breakfast of porridge and ONE (very strict rule) roll, and we taught them the cup song that we had performed at Village Time. Afterwards, we joined our families for farm, and my family in particular got to pull weeds from the road, which is actually one of my favorite activities. I had such great talks with a couple of girls from my family, and we ended up gossiping and chatting like any group of gal pals would! Definitely trying to maximize my time spent with the family in our last couple of days here.

Day 5: Murambi Genocide Memorial

Zoe

After a few hours of driving through beautiful terrain and some (questionably treacherous) mountain ridges, we arrived at the Murambi Genocide Memorial. The memorial is situated at the top of a hill, with maybe the most stunning 360-degree view I’ve ever seen. However, the killings that took place at this school site reflect the complete opposite of this beauty. As we walked around the memorial grounds I could not fathom the statistic that 50,000 Rwandans were brutally killed within this fenced area during a span of 8 hours one morning in 1994. This memorial is unique for its preservation and presentation of victims’ bodies throughout some of the school’s rooms. Just a few feet away from the memorial’s fence is a small town with smiling children and an active community. This contrast illustrated the forgiveness and resiliency that exists in the lives of Rwandan people.

AJ

Going to Murambi was a difficult eye-opening experience that I was thrilled to have gone through despite the emotional challenge of walking through the genocide memorial. Traveling to the site was a transition from the daily life of the village, which allowed us to take in views of the Rwandan countryside and several towns along the way.  When we finally arrived to the memorial, I was immediately overwhelmed with emotion, as many of the stories we had been discussing in the readings and throughout the trip came to life before me. We stood in the very place where about 50,000 men, women, and children were killed just 21 years ago, and remained preserved in the horrified states of their final moments. Walking past the bodies, blood-stained clothes, and mass grave sites was a moment to reflect on the reality of the experiences during the Rwandan genocide, the extend to which people were driven to such acts on their fellow humans, and the importance of remembering the moment so that it may truly never happen again.

Day 4: Tikkun Olam

Allie

Today I had the honor of working in the ASYV kitchen for six hours which puts my total time in the kitchen here to ten hours. You may be questioning my decision to fly half way around the world to just work in a kitchen, of which we have plenty in the US. But I will try to get those doubts out of your head. In these six hours I had the opportunity to speak with students at the school and I got a much better sense of just how deep Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) seeps into the students here. I had the pleasure of shucking green beans and sorting peanuts, but I watched one of the sisters in my family here chop carrots with such focus and precision. If she can chop with such determination, imagine what she will do for Rwanda and for the world. My time in the kitchen, though long and indoors, helped solidify all this village stands for. At dinner tonight, I will see much more than rice beans, and veggies—I will see the determination, stamina, and smiles that Rwanda’s future stands on. 

Jerry

This village blew me away. After coming here for almost a week and gotten better sense of the village and everything, my conversation with students becomes more than simply introducing ourselves. Especially after yesterday’s village time, I got to see different talents of ASYV students. So I took extra notes on this subject and tried to dig more about their interests and how they have developed those. I met this student Frank who was also in the debate team. And through brief discussion, I learned that he represented ASYV debate team and won the national championship last year. Alas! What’s more surprising was that he also decided to work on IDebateRwanda (an NGO dedicated to popularize the grassroot high school debate movement in Rwanda) and start a chapter in his own province. But isn’t that too hasty to skip college? I questioned internally. So I tried to diplomatically ask his tactics. Turned out the founder of IDebateRwanda was the coach and mentor of him and ASYV debate team, and he has already talked to different schools in his district about their interests in expanding and enhancing their school activities. “In this way, I’ll also have time to work on my college application.” A solid gap year plan, I thought to myself.

However, what really blew my mind was my other conversation with Chris, another ASYV student. When I mentioned my conversation with Frank to him, he immediately said, Frank is one of the smartest students in the school. But the story didn’t end here. When Frank first went to secondary school, or middle school, with full mark in national exam in Rwanda. He just lost his mom; his dad was long gone. A situation like this would be really hard for anyone to support him or herself, let along the immense schoolwork. What’s more surprising is that Frank also has three younger siblings that he has to raise.  Life is very difficult. However, knowing his situation alleviates the heartbreaking sorrow but also adds in my awe for him. This is the life of an underdog finding its way to a good education through determination and hard work, and yet he still commits to his passion instead of letting the fear of poverty taking him over. Stories like happen and dazzle me all the time during this trip.