Kigali (Rwanda) for the Weekend

I don't think of myself as particularly impulsive. I mean, sure, I like a thrill. A little drama never hurt anyone. I crave adventure from time to time. And I LOVE a good story! So I guess it made perfect sense that I woke up Friday morning, had an "oh-I'm-in-Burundi!" moment, and promptly bought a plane ticket to Rwanda to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday!

What country could this be? 

As soon as I got to the hotel, I had exactly 10 minutes to look presentable and turn around. A mini Global Health Corps reunion was to follow! We danced the night away, and enjoyed a long (and delicious) brunch on Saturday, and lounged around Kigali for the rest of the weekend.

Mini GHC Reuinon

I thought about how strange it might seem for someone to take a half hour flight to go to a neighboring country, but I have to tell you, stepping into Kigali was just like I remembered a few years ago, when I spent a week there before heading countryside to visit a PIH site. It was like stepping into another world. The level of development is clear - tall buildings, amazing roads, stoplights (that are observed!), and no trash! Kigali is a city to rival several U.S. cities.

Hotel Chez Lando

I guess the city - which has become the international face of the country - wasn't always like that. In fact, 15-20 years ago, Burundi was probably the "big sister." But how two countries that still have ethnic and language overlap could be on such different trajectories - one that's considered in the bottom 4 poorest countries as compared to the other, who's GDP-PPP (gross domestic product at purchasing power parity) was more than double - still amazes me.

The views!!

Italian lunch with Dedo and Selif.

Another memorable weekend but back to work!