Today was a very emotional day! We visited the Nyamata genocide memorial cite! That was a lot to take in and it hits you hard. This day will be a day I will never forget. It will always be in my heart and my mind. Never forget the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Remember Unite Renew
0 Comments
Today was such a fun day! We woke up and got to do some story building with the whole village. It was great to be with everyone and not over the phone or computer. Getting to work with all these talented people in this wonderful country Is an honor. We then went to the Kimironko Market! This market was sooo busy. We were there for a very short amount of time so I feel I wasnt able to get the full feel for it, but we are going back and I am going to be much more prepared. This day was really calm and was well needed.
What a day, what a day? Today I got to do a tour of part of the Nyamirambo neighborhood. I got to see how people live and learn from them. I also got to visit the woman center there in that village. These women help other women in their community to make sustainable living. They helped with education and giving them sowing lessons. It was beautiful to hear and see what they do for these women. It was also great to see all the children in that community. After the tour of that neighborhood I got to get a home cooked meal. That food was SOOOOOO GOOD. I had dodo and rice and I am still thinking about it!
The next part of my day was pretty heavy. The village went to Kigali Memorial Center. Here it really put the reality in all that we learned through the Anne Frank Project. Of course I knew it was real, but being there and seeing it with your own eyes is completely different then someone telling you about it. My heart truly moved as I walked through this center. I feel completely differently about things and it's only the second day. Paying our respects and being there as a village was really something that helped me a lot. Being able to talk to people who just went and did what I did and had different perspectives made me see it through a new light and was very necessary. Listening is very important and you never want to shut down anyone's feelings. The rest of the day was very calm. We went to a restaurant and got some delicious food and just hung up. It was great being around good people in this fabulous Country. "This is about our past and our future Our nightmares and dreams Our fear and our hope Which is why we begin where we end... With the country we love..." This trip is taking me to a completely different environment that I am not used too. This makes me nervous and takes me completely out my comfort zone but there is a quote that I heard that stuck with me that says, “Great things never came from the comfort zone.” I truly do believe that this opportunity to go to Rwanda will be great! Being able to learn firsthand about the tragedies this country went through and how they have grown since then is very influential and inspiring and I know with this knowledge, given to me I will be able to take back to the United States and not only use it in my personal life, but teach others to affect their lives. I am very excited to learn a new culture in a personal way and I know that this wisdom will not go to waste. I am also excited to go into the schools to see how they teach there and to help the teachers learn a fun, new and different way to teach storytelling to their students. Being able to have this new knowledge is just an impact on many lives and I’m glad I can experience and learn!
Right now it still feels unreal. I am still going through my motions of what to pack? How much to pack and is that enough to pack? I have been thinking a lot about how I know this trip is going to be a life changing trip for me and that alone nervous. Not to mention the curve balls I've been thrown in my life here... I am staying strong. Well to get out of me just being nervous, I am also super excited! I excited about going somewhere new and meeting new people. I am excited to take this trip with the village! I know I am going to miss my mom here, but she is so excited and happy for me it can help but to rub off on me. She is also this excited because she wants me to bring her some new stuff. I am just excited for the journey ahead! I also been messing with this site for a couple days and i finally got it! i know i will only get better from here!!! :)
|
About TierraMy name is Tierra Purdue and I am a Applied Mathematics major with a concentration in statistics and a minor in Business Economics! With having this study background I feel honored to go to Rwanda and see firsthand how much they have grown over the years! ArchivesCategories |