We Have Arrived!!

The start of our physical journey started at 5:45 AM today, June 2nd. Our longest flight was 13 hours long. Surprisingly it wasn’t bad! We did Buffalo to JFK then had a layover in Doha, Qatar. After, we had a stop in Uganda but didn’t have to get off the plane which was convenient.

Maddie and I were waiting for the bathroom and started talking to a young man from France who was traveling to Congo to help doctors and make sure they have medicine and electricity. Maddie and I explained what we were doing in Rwanda and this gentleman’s eyes opened wide as he told us how brave we were that we are about to dig deep into an emotional experience. Here I thought he was the true brave soul going into the Congo to help doctors with primary resources, which to my understanding is much more dangerous than Rwanda.

I look forward to talking to more Rwandans about how they really feel now about the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi. From what stories I’ve heard, people really are forgiving of what happened. Even this young man said in so many words that not everyone feels compassion and forgiveness. I can understand that in a sense, but not all people feel the same way as the majority. I will have a better understanding of how Rwandans feel about all that the more I talk to people. I have so much respect for this country that after the Genocide, the people of Rwanda were told to apologize to those that they wronged and those who were receiving apologies should answer with forgiveness and respect.

​I am very looking forward to going to the Genocide Memorial tomorrow. That sentence really does read a little strange...haha! But I am so interested to learn more and how people moved through it all and to hear the stories through their on words. I know I’m an expressive person. I’m going to cry and it’s alright. Well all will be feeling a lot of different emotions and were all here to support each other. Its clear this group of people were picked with much thought in mind.