Umaganda free morning

So, umaganda is a day (usually the last Saturday of the month) where Rwandans are required to volunteer (oxymoron, I know) in their communities. Shops are closed and you are not allowed on the streets unless you are volunteering. IT's always tough to come to Kigali then because you have to sit at your hotel until noon, when it ends. But last week was national tree planting week so the government change umaganda to then. That means today is a normal Saturday!! So, I planned to come to Bourbon, have a coffee and Skype with Aimey and her friends who where there to decorate a tree. I was skeptical that it would all work out but guess what....it worked. With absolutely no problem. The thing is...a snow storm in Calgary meant that Ang couldn't be there to say 'hello'. I was really disappointed. :( So I'll give a shout out to you now! 

Yesterday was more productive than I think I've ever been in this city. Usually I come here, laptop in bag, and plan to Skype, buy food, do this, do that...and usually I get nothing done. Yesterday, however, I was lucky. Met Karen at 10am (both of our busses were one time) and wandered around to find the Tanzanian Embassy which Lonely Planet said was on one street. I should never EVER trust LP but I did and we were lost and finally the guard at the Belgian embassy pointed us in the right direction....across town. We hopped on motos and mine had a death wish but it was my fault. I told him to go fast. He did...yikes. We made to the embassy 20 minutes before it closed. Applied for our visas. Then to St. Paul to find out there were no rooms. Phoned around and found nothing available so we went to a hotel. An actual hotel with actual ensuites. A big expensive but a nice treat. We went to Nyamagobo bus park to get our bus tickets for Zanzibar and we even managed to that it just over an hour. Wow! Dinner at Sun and Moon with Patricia who was taking a 3am flight to Egypt before heading home to Montreal next week. We said our farewells and headed back to the hotel (with an actual ensuite).

So, here I sit with internet that is working and I got a great email from a friend with an article about Lake Lebarge that was in the Globe and Mail just last week! I'm looking forward to breakfast before I head home to deal with a mice issue at my house, visit the market and head to bed early. Don't forget, I'll probably be woken at 5am. yes, I know that the dancing and singing of Rwandas should be an experience and I should be out with them enjoying it. But dammit! I want to sleep in!!!