More of our adventures (the kid's point of view)

My brother and I are starting to get a bit used to Rwanda now, but it is still really different from Canada.   Going to the city is fun.  First of all, there's no seat belts in the Land Rover we ride in.  In the front seat, there's some, but in the back, there's only two long benches facing each other.  We've learned to hold on tight, because we can turn quickly or stop fast.  The roads are smaller and there's different kinds of vehicles on the road.  We have seen big trucks, small trucks, cars, vans, squeeze buses and lots of motor bikes (called motos).  There's people walking along the edge of the road.  Some are pushing bicycles loaded with yellow jugs of water, huge bundles of cow grass or several people.  Many people carry loads on their heads.  One time, in the city, we saw someone carrying 10 single mattresses on his head!

When we go to the city, it's usually very crowded, especially in a place call Nyamygogo.  This is where there's lots of buses and people.  It's always busy.  The city of Kigali is built on several hills, so the roads always go up and down.  The police try to help make sure the cars are following the rules, but the driving still seems crazy. 

We are starting to learn our way around the city.  Last week I (Joel), had to go to the hospital to get some medicine and I saw the government buildings, like the big office where we waited a LONG time to get our visas.  The hospital was kind of like our hospitals, the nurse and doctor were nice and after my visit, I got medicine and am now all better.  

My favourite places to go are the KCT (Kigali Center Tower) and Nyamygogo.  At KCT, there's a grocery store-- Nakumat--that is kind of like Walmart.  It has lots of food and clothes.  You mostly see mzungus (white people) shopping there, because it's too expensive for most people.  You can get cereal there, but it costs 10,000 Rwandan Francs, that's over $15 for a small box!  This is where we buy our meat, milk, yogurt (but my mom makes it now), cheese and butter.  We also saw apples there, but they are only for a very special treat.  At one store, my mom and dad saw 11 lbs of chocolate for RWF 75,000 ($125 Canadian).  Chocolate is very expensive in Rwanda.  Did you know that you need to buy your electricity there, too?  You pay for it at the Nakumat and get a code you enter at home in the electrical box.  We can also eat at the KCT.  Our family had Canadian food there.  There's hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, spaghetti and more.  I had a yummy hot dog with cheese.  Ethan had a hamburger, but it was too big for him to eat.  

Another place I like to go to is Nyamygogo.  This is where most people shop and get the best prices. There's no Canadian food around.  Here, you can barter or argue for a better price.  We get our friends to buy some stuff for us, because if you have white skin, the price usually doubles!  We can get rice, beans, cooking oil, sugar, flour and soap there.  We can also get some yummy food there.  For RWF 1500 ($2.50 Canadian), I got a plate of food and a fanta (pop).  The Rwanda food had rice, fries, cassavah, carrots, peas, lettuce, onions and a special sauce with a tiny bit of meat.  It tastes great and is not spicy.  Did you know that most people here only have meat once a week?  Our family has a little meat every two days, but not like we used to in Canada.  

A special treat we get is Fanta--there's sprite, coke (coka), orange (orang), grape (fiesta), lemon (citron) and tonic water (my dad calls that toxic water).  

We are learning to cook more food ourselves.  Tonight we had pizza and birthday cake for my sister's birthday. I think I am starting to like Rwanda more, but I still miss Canada.

Thank you for writing!  I've received 2 letters from Canada.  I will answer them and every letter I get.

Have a great day.

Joel (and Ethan)

BP box 4918

Kigali, Rwanda