I haven’t talked much about my weekend adventures yet, and I’ve already forgotten some of the things I’ve done, so to keep my mind young and fresh, here’s a quick overview with commentary:
1st Weekend: Wedding, Sleeping, and Father of the Bride
My only real memory of this weekend is that Placide and his groomsmen wore matching gold ruffly shirts and I thought I woke up really early one morning, only to learn that my clock was set to Eastern Standard Time and it was actually noon…but I didn’t realize this until dinnertime.
2nd Weekend: Silverback, Eggs, Leisurely Stroll to a Convent
My introduction to Silverback, before I fully appreciated how amazing it is. Amazing eggs cooked by Lauren by noon the next day. And then we pulled ourselves together to walk 3 miles to a convent that overlooks Lake Rhondo from on top of a cliff. Not a bad place to pray, or to awkwardly tell a priest that you’re not Catholic. This was also the only time I attempted to go to church, which I failed at because my Christian escort forgot that it was school holiday so there was only one English service.
3rd Weekend: Whitewater Rafting in Uganda
I think I talked about this enough…but I love Uganda and its food. And I kind of loved being hardcore while rafting.
4th Weekend: Silverback, Giseyni
The first time that I truly appreciated Silverback. And then the next night we rented a house in Giseyni, the “Hawaii of Rwanda.” No campfire, but lots of night swimming, Rwandan card games (good thing I was drunk enough that my competitive edge did not show), gazebo dance parties, and skipping stones. Led to my 2nd worst hangover ever, when I got a stomach virus for 2 days.
5th Weekend: Party @ CCHIPs House, Volcana Lounge, Umaganda, Baking Extravaganza
Lots of Peace Corps volunteers were visiting Musanze for the weekend, and we also decided to invite over many Rwandan co-workers and acquaintances. Good thing because it meant that we showed up at Volcana Lounge, which is usually pretty quiet and boring, with a large enough group to start a real party. The next day was Umaganda, which is a public service day for all Rwandans. Us Americans were constrained to our compound for the day. We did not suffer though: we took advantage of this time to make fried egg and BACON sandwiches with pre-cooked bacon that Amy’s mom mailed over (don’t care if that’s not safe/healthy/whatever…it was amazing), bacon/cheddar/chive biscuits, and oatmeal/chocolate chip bars. I was a very full little fatty by the end of the day. I’m pretty sure that we couldn’t even bring ourselves to eat dinner that evening.
6th Weekend: Hiked Bisoke, East African Expo in Kigali
Girls bonding weekend: We watched 10 Things I Hate About You on Friday. Three of us hiked Bisoke (3711m volcano) on Saturday. We all watched Slumdog Millionaire Saturday Night. And then three of us bought matching jewelry at the Expo in Kigali on Sunday. The boys spent the weekend at Giseyni…again. The only interruption to girls bonding was that a man joined us on our Bisoke hike. This was not too bad though since he had volunteered in Rwanda for 3 years after college, had met and married a Rwandan woman, had a nice camera and shared his pictures, and treated us all to a dinner of brochette and fries after the hike! On Sunday we proved that traveling as 3 girls continues to have its benefits, as we bargained with the owner of a restaurant in Musanze and got him to offer us free soup.
1st Weekend: Wedding, Sleeping, and Father of the Bride
My only real memory of this weekend is that Placide and his groomsmen wore matching gold ruffly shirts and I thought I woke up really early one morning, only to learn that my clock was set to Eastern Standard Time and it was actually noon…but I didn’t realize this until dinnertime.
2nd Weekend: Silverback, Eggs, Leisurely Stroll to a Convent
My introduction to Silverback, before I fully appreciated how amazing it is. Amazing eggs cooked by Lauren by noon the next day. And then we pulled ourselves together to walk 3 miles to a convent that overlooks Lake Rhondo from on top of a cliff. Not a bad place to pray, or to awkwardly tell a priest that you’re not Catholic. This was also the only time I attempted to go to church, which I failed at because my Christian escort forgot that it was school holiday so there was only one English service.
3rd Weekend: Whitewater Rafting in Uganda
I think I talked about this enough…but I love Uganda and its food. And I kind of loved being hardcore while rafting.
4th Weekend: Silverback, Giseyni
The first time that I truly appreciated Silverback. And then the next night we rented a house in Giseyni, the “Hawaii of Rwanda.” No campfire, but lots of night swimming, Rwandan card games (good thing I was drunk enough that my competitive edge did not show), gazebo dance parties, and skipping stones. Led to my 2nd worst hangover ever, when I got a stomach virus for 2 days.
5th Weekend: Party @ CCHIPs House, Volcana Lounge, Umaganda, Baking Extravaganza
Lots of Peace Corps volunteers were visiting Musanze for the weekend, and we also decided to invite over many Rwandan co-workers and acquaintances. Good thing because it meant that we showed up at Volcana Lounge, which is usually pretty quiet and boring, with a large enough group to start a real party. The next day was Umaganda, which is a public service day for all Rwandans. Us Americans were constrained to our compound for the day. We did not suffer though: we took advantage of this time to make fried egg and BACON sandwiches with pre-cooked bacon that Amy’s mom mailed over (don’t care if that’s not safe/healthy/whatever…it was amazing), bacon/cheddar/chive biscuits, and oatmeal/chocolate chip bars. I was a very full little fatty by the end of the day. I’m pretty sure that we couldn’t even bring ourselves to eat dinner that evening.
6th Weekend: Hiked Bisoke, East African Expo in Kigali
Girls bonding weekend: We watched 10 Things I Hate About You on Friday. Three of us hiked Bisoke (3711m volcano) on Saturday. We all watched Slumdog Millionaire Saturday Night. And then three of us bought matching jewelry at the Expo in Kigali on Sunday. The boys spent the weekend at Giseyni…again. The only interruption to girls bonding was that a man joined us on our Bisoke hike. This was not too bad though since he had volunteered in Rwanda for 3 years after college, had met and married a Rwandan woman, had a nice camera and shared his pictures, and treated us all to a dinner of brochette and fries after the hike! On Sunday we proved that traveling as 3 girls continues to have its benefits, as we bargained with the owner of a restaurant in Musanze and got him to offer us free soup.
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