This weekend Gitarama hosted the second? third? annual Gitfest! The theme was … well “this isn’t your parents' Gitfest” seemed appropriate to me. Either way, we were told by our gracious hosts to come as a fixture of festival life. We travelled to Muhanga (which is the other name for Gitarama) and had the bus driver a pull a big U turn in the middle of town so we could get to hotel. Of course we had friends at the back of the bus who we nearly T-boned because of our driver’s hasty decision. Either way, we made it to the Splendid Hotel just in time to meet up with Ken who was meeting with “the Band” to get us to the venue. After downing a Primus (boy those bus rides make you thirsty!) we headed out to the “Hacienda of Dreams!” We arrived and pulled out our costumes. We were….well…."With The Band." Amy made us groupie backstage passes and gave us groupie names. The night was filled with … power cuts, candles, brochettes, potatoes, music, songs sung proudly during the well known choruses and mumbles through the verses, a few dozen abana (children) shouting from the hill and generally good times. Well, except for the downpour and the lack of motos to take us back to the hotel at night. Why do I wear jeans in rainy season? (Thankfully the hotel provided me with an iron in the morning to steam my jeans dry. Never have I looked so good!)
Sunday we stopped in Kigali so that I could take Amy to the Genocide Memorial. Still graphic and difficult, I found this visit much harder. Now the pictures and the people and the locations that are discussed are closer to home. This is my home. These are my friends. I couldn’t bear to go in the children’s room again. It’s too hard.
In other news, I received some GREAT news over the telephone this week. First - I'm going to be a mother! Okay...okay. Not for real... but I was asked my a friend to be the Godmother to her baby girl who I will affectionately begin to call G. And while at the above mentioned Gitfest I got another call and ...I'm going to be an Aunt again! Okay...okay. Not for real...but one of my oldest friends is going to have a baby this year! So...I guess it's time I start heading for home so I can be there to buy cute little outfits, babysit and...only when required, change a dirty diaper. I mean, it can't be worse than pit latrines in Rwanda, right?
Here are some pictures from Gitfest.
We're with the band.
Costume called Farmer Paul. (Festival organizers encroaching on his land)
The food was gorgeous. I didn't know you get these ingredients here.
Maybe they WERE at my parents' festival
She's with the band.
I'm with the band too.
Karen and Melanie came as PortaPotties. But they smelled better.
Groupies: Trixi, Candi and Roxy
What's a festival without brochettes.
Here's the band
After walking home in the rain.
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