Highlight of the Day: after 12 hrs of travel actually making it to our hotel in Kibuye. This was a day of small victories.
Here's a synopsis of our day: wake up at 5:30am, dress and have breakfast. Get in the car and drive 2hrs west to Ephriam's coffee plantation. Nap in the car. Stop for 2nd breakfast before going to the plantation. Drive uphill for 30 minutes on extremely bumpy road (where are the chiropractors in this country?!). Walk around the plantation, learn about the crops and the process of growing coffee. Try a raw coffee bean, which is white out of it's pink shell and very sweet and slimey. Get back in car and drive back to town. Nap again, despite the state of the roads. Literally knocked heads with Catherine as we both did a simultaneous head bob, and woke up laughing. Have lunch - altering your ordering in any way causes complete confusion and takes at least one or two discussions. Catherine asked for no cheese on her salad - she got cheese. Ephriam sent it back for her and it took him 5 minutes to explain that she wanted the salad but without cheese. 15-20 minutes later it came back with no cheese. Success. :)
Get back in the car for 2 more hours, or what we thought would be 2 hrs, but turned into 4 hours and then we got lost trying to find our hotel- despite the many attempts to ask for directions. There are very few signs in Rwanda so getting lost is common and a good test of patience. After reaching Kibuye and after a few attempts at finding our hotel we finally hired a taxi driver to lead us here. It was well worth the 500 francs ($1) he asked for!
Couple of cultural nuances -
1. The workers at the plantation make less than $2 for a half day of work then they are free to work other jobs.
2. It's illegal to have sex before the age of 21 yrs, if you're caught then you can be convicted of statuatory rape.
Catherine feels right at home now that she's seen her first development project and now feels like she's in Africa!
We are about to have dinner at our hotel along Lake Kivu - it's so peaceful here and we're really looking forward to trying the local fish.
Please donate $50 to Global Relief and Development Partners' Social Entrepreneurship Program and Faith Victory's Orphanage in Kigali, Rwanda. Every dollar makes a difference.
- About Me
- An avid volunteer, Melanie Woodward has built a life based on passion…passion for learning and for discovering and travelling the world. Melanie had an incredible, life-altering volunteer experience with Global Relief and Development Partners in Kigali, Rwanda in December, 2009. Her self-funded trip to Rwanda is one of several initiatives Melanie has undertaken for the betterment of the Rwandan people. She is also working with Gisimba Orphanage, Faith Victory Association, she is funding the education of a 15 year old orphan she met in Kigali, and plans an annual art fundraiser (www.artforafrica.info). Melanie is thrilled to be working with Global Relief and Development Partners, where their level of passion matches her own. Melanie’s formal education and experiences volunteering have prepared her for this life-changing journey. She has traveled to over 26 countries, working and volunteering in many of them. A former event planner for events like the Juno and Grey Cup festivals, Melanie has combined her organizational spirit with her humanitarian heart for the greatest experience of her life.
Map of Rwanda
