Gisenyi Paradis

Hello agai, sorry again for the mishap last night, topping that last blog off with all that happened today was quite confusing and so it was cut short, sorry! Hope you liked it anyways.

Hello from Gisenyi day 2, I wish I could say that I was up and ready to bounce out of bed today like I did yesterday morning but that would be a complete and total lie... I'll start by explaining that last night, I did not sleep to save my life, I closed my eyes at 1:30am but am quite sure I didn't coast off to sleep till late morning, so safe to say morning (7am) came very wearily. With a quick breakfast and a quick packing of the bag we headed off to a meeting at the Right to Play office in Gisenyi were the people and especially Eve taught us some great stuff and treated us like family.

After a good family photo and quick explaination we found ourselves learning the "inspirational motivers" as Eve our guide and one of the head honchoes at the Right to Play office in Gisenyi, which consisted of some french and some italian sayings built up into a song and dance. Unfortunately my dumb internet access won't let me upload them so I will try tomorro when we return to Kigali.

My 7 minute video of Steph, Helen and Roz dancing to the story game which went so very wrong (haha) including a challenge between "quality" and "karate" for a confused Helen Upperton.

After the funny stuff was over we all moved on to the meeting with the assistant to a contributing organization for children, creating a place for them to come and play and learn and be apart of something, much like Right to Play. A Mr. Nouvelle I believe, he really only spoke french and so we needed Eve and Massamba to translate and that didn't go too well, since I was already completely dead tired from little to no sleep last night, I had already nodded off a few times in Eve's 30 page powerpoint, 2 hours presentation, so listening to french then english for an hour was very hard and took alot of energy just to stay awake and listen.

Other then the long speeches and conversations in languages I really couldn't understand anything, we were quite busy it seemed until we hit Paradis!

Paradis was a little restaurant built into a cove on the rocks looking out over the water at a few islands, all the fishing boats and all the native homes and people, bathing in the waters, swiming for fun, kids playing, women and children gathering water to make food and drink. It was one of the most beautiful place I've ever been, so peaceful and amazing. We had the privilege to eat with the team of Right to Play Gisenyi on the sand of the cove, as well as got to look at some very pretty wild life, beautiful flowers, wonderful company, and little fish... ya the whole thing. Something called Samoosa, a type of small fish hat they cook up and you just eat the whole thing, head, tail and all, they were fine not terrible fish but bad texture... and they were looking at me... CREEPY!

Along side that we also had Tailapia that was fantastic as well as very woderful chips and a few other African dishes.

After our lunch in Paradis we headed off to a scouts center or something like an after school program for these kids to keep them out of trouble!

We arrived to play games and immediately all 4 of us went in opposite directions and jumped into the circle to start playing the games, it was warm ups first in which the kids taught us how to run when the coach said something and to attack when it said another, after that we played "share the ball" you had someone in the middle of the circle and passed a tennis ball around the outside until the person in the middle said "STOP!" and the person with the ball had to pass it along and then stand up and answer a question about HIV or AIDS, which was very informative! Then if your answer was right you went in the middle and got to say "STOP!".

After this the children showed us a surprise display of arrcobatics, flips, climbs, bends, etc, it was incredible, these children are so talented and so special they could be something so big they don't even know, its just a game to them but they know that they are proud and feel good doing it and that is all that matters, that the smiles stay on te faces of these kids.

We were ready to leave, all the games were done and we thought our time was over there, then they started singing... and dancing and hanging out and just being so awesome, everyone joined in and it was so beautiful they're songs and they took us all into they're dances and danced us all the way to the car doors! it was hilarious and awesome and amazing and when we finally got into the car and drove away it was sad to leave all the wonderful kids! we met and made so many new friends! The kids are just s amazing!

The night came very fast, once we got to the hotel we had about an hour and a half we went to the beach for dinner and dancing but once we found out we would be eating the same food we did for lunch we lft and went to a n ice restaurant just down the street from our hotel and we had a lovely dinner, although some talk about politics came up and Eve got a little over excited which led us into a 30 minute conversation about african and american and canadian and any other places politics and governments... woohoo... take me to bed. So I am laying in bed ready to sleep but I wanted to get this done!

Unfortunately my photos didn't load and I don't have time or energy to wait for them so I'm sorry but there is only the one photo tonight but I promise there will be muh more tomorrow as I am charging my phone since I forgot to last night and it died today.

Just a note...

Do me a favor. Stop what your doing and think about your life... forget about all your friends and family and possessions, just stand... and ask yourself "What do I want?"  What comes to mind?

Now try again, clear your mind. Now ask yourself "What do I need?". What comes to mind?

would it be strange to hear someone say nothing... that right now they needed and asked for nothing, would you believe them?

Being here in Africa, in Rwanda of all countries on this continent I've learned that I don't NEED anything... that I may want things now and then but my want for my love and my family is just something that needs time to come. I will be home to my love within a few days, I will see my family soon aswell, so those WANTS aren't that at all, they are really just ideas that will happen with time.

I don't NEED anything, I have everything I want and need, I have a family that I love and that loves me, I have a wonderful job and beautiful, amazing horses, I have friends that I charish and adventures I'll never forget, I have a wonderful family of my own and my love for Mike to top it all off.

I NEED nothing... but it is not because I have everything in the world, its because I am around people that have nothing, or that have lost everything. Think, what would it be like to move to a country after your father is murdered and 7 months later have your 5 older siblngs murdered alongside your mother and friends from a disgusting war... Or to loose your siblings, mother, father and be left with nothing, but still work everyday, still wake up and get on with your day. I wish I was as strong as these people... they amaze me with their courage towards life and their strength to move on, to be something and to live the life they need to live and leave past in the past.

I wish I was this strong.

People say that someone who has gone through something like that can never survive it, well I have met the people that do... I have shook they're hands and greeted them with hellos and hugged them goodbye and all the while I could barely contain how much strength they showed.

So next time you think you need something, or you want something that is really unnessessary, when you whine about anything... think of these people.

Next time you loose someone, think of they're strength and learn from it, learn to wake up in the morning and go on with life.

No matter how hard your past might be, it is always and will always remain the past, it can never come back and replay in your future. So for these people, for those who live through hell and come out stronger and braver and wiser, go on... and leave past to be past. And leave memories to be memories.

Cheers from Gisenyi, Rwanda. Africa

~a.grange~

First Impressions: Kigali, Rwanda

Mwiriwe! (Good Evening) from Kigali, Rwanda, yes we arrived in one piece although the last 25 minutes of our wonderful 8.5 hour plane ride sure didn't feel like we were going to come out in one piece.
After confusing line-ups at the Kigali International Airport (which is about the size of a McDonalds with 2 stories) our VISA's for the country and acceptance letter let us past security and with the keen eyes of colourful Helen Upperton catching the 2 bags with Canadian flags on them and one hockey bag (which belonged to guess who) we were out the gate and greeted by a large black man that acted as if we were reunited bestfriends! Also known as Fred our Right To Play volunteer representative driver for the week.
It is amazing that even climbing from an airbus onto the runways can give you such an overwhelming sence of how far you are from home, the trees are beautiful even in the darkness of night and the hilly torain serves for beautiful light shows covering the mountains, topped with largely lit hotels and office buildings overlooking the valleys. The people seem so nice, but once in the truck on the way to our hotel you could see the precausions that are taken in a country like this, even with the hospitality you may see everyday. The streets are guarded every kilometer or so by military men armed with AK's, everything is under lock and key it seems and even though the streets were alive with people on the communities down day (Sundays), the shops were still boarded up and there were looks over the shoulders for sure.

After a quick and bumpy ride to the hotel in which Helen enjoyed thoroughly due to a "motorcycle taxi" business, we unloaded and were taken to our respective rooms.
A very small hotel called "Inside Africa" where we are the only residents and the people are as accomidating as anything, offering us sealed water bottles and breakfast in the morning before we start a long day.


The hotel itself sits on the edge of a hill it seems, looking out over a valley caked with lights from the homes below that line the hill side.







The hotel overlooking the hills covered in lights in Kigali City, Rwanda





The 4 rooms we are in overlooking the hillside







Beautiful rooms with hand crafter African art and a much needed bug net.

It is amazing how simple it is to fall into a feeling of individuality when you travel so far away, maybe it is because this is the first trip I have taken where I really am alone, by myself, no family memebers, because realistically I am travelling with 1 aquaintance and 2 strangers, so I guess in a way that is un-nerving in a sence.

On the planes out here it seemed that the closer and closer we got to Africa, the more and more I wanted to be home, the more I missed home and my horses and my pets and Mike, etc. But maybe its the fear that comes with a trip like this, knowing anything could happen anytime gives an illusion like there is a chance (no matter how 0.00000002% a chance) that you could not go home, which thanks to movies and books makes it seem so much worse then it is.

All I can really do for now is be careful and stay with my travelling buddies, but even sitting and talking to the girls in the coolness of the Kigali night air, I thought 'I could be home, with Mike and Mack and Maverick and be laughing and joking around in the safety of my own home with those that love me' instead of here... with strangers who talk alot about how awesome they are and how this trip isn't a big deal cause they've been like EVERYWHERE in world so I'm a little left out on the conversations. The first night jitters right? I'll snap out of it when the trip starts tomorrow.

But for now, I am going to take a t-3, crawl into a musqitoe netting bed, with my stuffed cow "lucky" (yes he came half way around the world, my own little taste of home) and wonder what the next week will bring, morning will rise beautiful and early, need some rest.

Love you all.

Cheers,

~a.grange~



Amsterdam --> Kigali

8.5 hours later we land in Amsterdam. Mum you were right, the duty free if you can call it just that is ridiculous, there is a mall in an airport... I apparently was the only one that thought that was loopy.


The flight here wasn't so bad, shoulder pain held off on anything other then 1 hour sleep which was interrupted by the lights on, apparently when they turned the lights off at 7pm Toronto time you're supposed to sleep till midnight and then get up and be ready to go for 6+ hours in Amsterdam, not bad, arrived at 2am Toronto time and continued onto a cold pizza slice and a soda for my "midnight" snack. Oh and mental note don't drink "Chocomel" thank you Stephanie for the guinea pig there!

Sitting drinking coffee with 2 gold medalists isn't a bad start to a day, although it is completely intimidating hearing all of there stories and normal life stuff... "ya i train and drive $500,000 bobsled and I drive the best Canadian bobsled in 7 years" and "I have $15,000 ski's and i train and have a major pump up song", steph is at ease and all I'm sitting here thinking is... I take care of horses.... 6 days a week, and i play volleyball and drink beer on Wednesday's? Haha, talk about a really exciting life huh?
They can have they're travel and million dollar gear i say, I got my HUD :)

10.5 hours to go to Kigali, Rwanda then bed.... Very good bed hopefully! Not positive I'll sleep on the plane but not worried about it too much, free movies, free booze and a comfy seat, good deal? I think so.

Till i land in Kigali, thats all for now. (aka - yes mum I'm fine still)

For those who are worried about me, love you very much and I'll have pictures up real soon I'm sure.


Cheers from Amsterdam international airport

~a.grange~

The day before

T-minus 20 hours or so till take off on our mission to Rwanda for a Right to Play charity behind the scenes. Unfortunately the jokes about the flight aswell as a few "important documents" warning me of some highly unlikely scenarios have become unhumorous to say the least from the standing point of a fear-flyer and a nervous/excited first time to Africa traveller.
Although the excitement for the trip is growing it is also bringing stress due to many reasons including one of my mum and I's horses being less then perfect which is not ideal, as well as being the worst packer I have ever known which means one thing is bound to be forgotten! Although I have written a list and checked it a hundred times I'm sure it isn't going to do much good in attempting to break my forgetful streak.
I have been told that this trip will "change my life" and even though I don't doubt that to a degree I think it will more change my view on life and my view on what is important in life. I might come back and find electronics not as needing as they once were,  find a better appreciation for the little things that cost nothing in life rather then the expensive ones or maybe I'll come back and cherise the people I have in my life more then ever (ie: family, friends, mum, dad, Mike, Wade, etc). No doubt the kids will touch my soul as I've heard has happened to many before me and will do to many after, the camp will be a sight to see I believe the families and the way they make the village work with so little will be amazing to be apart of.
The excitement sometimes is over shadowed by what it will feel like to really be in a place that has such a history like Rwanda, one of our first activities is to visit the Genocide museum which I am excited and nervous about, it will be so much to walk through those doors and just feel the power of something that happened so long ago that it will be extremely overwhelming.
But never the less it will be the trip of a lifetime, that is until the next trip, and the one after because I'm sure I will become addicted, no doubt about it and Papa Grange is certain he is joining me on the next one, we'll see how this one goes first shall we?

The packing will resume tonight and hopefully I'll be organized to do nothing tomorrow (ie: packing last minute, scrambling to find stuff) but visit my ponies one last time for the next week and a bit, cuddle with the pup, shower up and get to the airport ready for a 23 hour trip to Rwanda. Wish me luck?


~A.Grange~