I made it!

This is a sunset I saw on the plane on the way to Brussels.

And a few hours later... the sunrise! So beautiful!

This is the boy who sat in my empty seat for a few hours of the flight to Kigali. He is Jonathan and he's four. And adorable.

Wow! I really can hardly believe I actually made it here! I arrived last night into Kigali around 7:00, walking out of the baggage claim to a group of people calling out, “Kerry! Kerry!’ to every single white girl who passed by. They rushed me when they saw me and I was introduced to the headmaster, several teachers, and some families, including one of my students-- Grace! It was a wonderful welcome.

I was driven to my house with a family and one of my roommates, Emily. She is a second year KICS (Kigali International Community School) teacher from North Carolina and she has a great southern accent! Along with some years of teaching in the U.S., she also taught a year in Kenya before coming to Rwanda. Upon my arrival at my new house I also met my other roommate, Kelly, who has already been in this country for 6 months or so with the Bridge to Rwanda program. They are so nice, easy going, and fun and immediately made me feel comfortable here. We spent the evening unpacking and talking and then I was actually able to get a fairly good night of sleep!

Our house is very nice, with the three bedrooms upstairs, each with a king sized bed, which is kind of crazy. Most things are decorated in green, which is extra nice for me. We are at the top of a hill and my view is of the city! We have a bathroom upstairs with a shower/bathtub with hot water, which is exciting. It is a handheld shower head so that will take a little bit of getting used to. Downstairs we have a small kitchen, living room/dining room, a storage room, and another bathroom with a shower and a toilet. Right now we can only use the upstairs shower and the downstairs toilet.

I write this as I lie in bed, but we don’t have internet at our house so I’ll post it once I get to school. We’re meeting there at 10:00 for orientation. Tomorrow we are going to the genocide museum, and although it’ll be very sad, I’m anxious to go to learn about their history and how much this country has overcome.

I’m stoked to see what everything looks like in daylight since I arrived after dark last night.

Oh! My flights all went very smoothly. From Detroit to Washington D.C. was a quick and easy flight and I got to my next gate with fifteen minutes until we had to board. From D.C. to Brussels (7 hour flight) I sat next to an 80 year old Croatian man who had moved to the U.S. when he was 32 and started a family. He had 2 children (his daughter graduated from Harvard Law!) and 2 grandchildren. He spent most of the flight reading financial newspapers and shared articles with me that I would find of interest: one about recent college graduates and another about Africa. He had actually been to Rwanda (of course) so he could tell me a little about it. When he stood up he always asked me to hold his cup (he drank lots of tomato juice!) and then told me, “Old people are like old cars--they require lots of care.”

I had a few hours in Brussels where I met a Ugandan man named Peter who has been living in L.A. for several years but was traveling home for his brother’s wedding. I also met some pastors from a church in Nashville who were traveling to Uganda because their church is working with two orphanages there. When I told them what I was doing they prayed for me, my safety, and my trip.

Saturday is a meet and greet type night where I’ll meet all of my students and their parents, so it is my goal to have my classroom all set up by then. Tuesday is the first day of school-- a half day. Eeeek!!

Well, thanks for all of your support. I could not have made it here without the love and encouragement from all of you.

With love and hugs from Rwanda,
Kerry