Eunice's Letter to the Brother who Robber Her (This is deep)

There is not much that separates you and I, is there? We are both made out of the same type of material – you and I bleed, feel hungry, feel joy, feel sadness, and so on. Yet the environments in which you and I have been raised sometimes convince us otherwise. We are human – it seems as though we have to use labels for everything. How else do we process everything we go through in life? So we come up with labels, good and bad – there are so many social constructions of our identities, it’s easy to forget sometimes. You are Tanzanian and I am Chinese-American. You are male and I am female. You made the decision to sprint by and take a mzungu's bag. Let us move on.

You know I’ve been thinking a lot about pride in one’s people and country. Now don’t get me wrong – I do not want to create this false sense of dichotomy between you and I just because we are from different countries. But after conversations with your fellow Tanzanians who work at the UN, I do not sense much pride in the home country. What I drew from my conversations with one particular Tanzanian UN staff is that, things like the condition of a holding cell or robbery are considered normal here – if not normal, at least expected. Why must the norm or the expected be disrespect for our fellow brothers and sisters? If that’s the norm, then I would rather be crazy. “If I’m crazy it’s because I refuse to be crazy in the same way the world’s gone crazy.” (Boolean: Peter Moran of the Catholic Worker movement, and Shane Claiborne) So, as I reference Shane: “Is it crazy to say we should help provide water access for the 1.2 billion people that need it, or is it crazy, like in our churches, we’re debated whether or not we should get a heater for the baptismal while people don’t have water?” Did you know that about America, brother? Did you know that there really is this type of discrepancy on this earth you and I share? It’s quite heartbreaking, isn’t it?

Perhaps we could learn from each other. Perhaps I could learn your story and you could learn mine. I think that’s what Jesus is all about. I think Jesus is all about going out and talking to the people who don’t look like us, speak like us, dress like us, think like us, or live like us. After all, that’s what he did. Even if you have never heard of this Jesus, have you ever heard of anything as crazy as that? Perhaps if we start sharing, – from individual to global and back – then Tuesday night instead of your unsuccessful endeavor to find money, we could have been sharing a meal together. I think that type of situation requires both of our parts, brother. And neither you nor I are perfect – we still have lots to learn and more room to grow. As long as this type of community may be called idealistic or crazy, there will always be more to do. Let’s help each other along.

Updates

I am writing this blog at 1am on a Tuesday night because I cannot sleep so I thought I might as well do something constructive :) Since we returned from Rwanda, things have been moving pretty fast. Here are some key points to update you on what has been going on:

- We finally got moved into our new apartment in the same complex. We now have a roomy 3 bedroom. Our 2 classmates have joined us so now there are 5 women living together and the 2 guys in our program have an apartment near us. 5 women and one bathroom might seem like an impossible situation for many to handle but so for it has been working out just fine. We have managed not to get on each others’ nerves and when we need a break or need to get away, we have other friends we can visit.

- We also started classes this past week. Our first class is International Law taught by a lawyer that used to work for the Tribunal and our ex-supervisor at the UN. This class is proving to be very challenging as he expects us to think like lawyers and is surprised by the lack of knowledge we have about the topic, despite having previously taken classes in International Law. Eunice and I gave a presentation on the first week of class to which he responded, “that was good expect you should have included this, this, this and this but you were the first ones to go so hopefully the rest will get better.” We knew we were going to be the guinea pigs for this project that we only had 2 days to prepare for but I am thankful that we got it out of the way. We still have a paper to write and an exam to prepare for in addition to all the reading he has given us so I was glad that this is one less things to worry about.

- Eunice, Melissa and I have been continuing to do morning devotions and pray together. We even had “church” service at our house on Sunday because it was raining really hard (1^st time we have seen that much rain since we have been here) and we could not get a ride. We pray and help support each other and I feel that we have created a deeper sense of fellowship, accountability and community through this time together which helps us to cope with things we cannot control.

- One of those things that we cannot control is a situation that happened today. Eunice and I were leaving work at about 6:30pm and despite warnings time and time again not to walk home after dark, we ignored our instincts and did it anyway. Just as we were debating whether we should take a dala dala home, a guy ran up and grabbed Eunice’s purse and took off into the woods (just like people told us they would do). We stood there in shock and some people stopped and replied “pole” as they often say here, “sorry”. Thankfully we were not hurt and from past experience we do not carry much on us so Eunice did not lose anything valuable. We were a little shaken up though (this is evident by the fact that both of us are up at this hour). For some reason, this incident seems to be bothering me more than the incident at the restaurant, which was much more of a scary situation for me. One thing that is really bothering me is wondering why this happened and I am starting to question God, whereas I do not feel I did that with the incident at the restaurant. I also feel angry that this happened to Eunice. Not that I wanted it to happen to anyone else, but those that know her, know that she is one of the most kind, selfless, and caring people that you will ever meet. I am also angry that this is just the norm here and that you have to live your life with this being the norm. Writing the blog about Rwanda right before this though also helps me to put it in perspective. Living in a society where muggings are the norm is a lot better than living in a society where genocide was the norm. I am still trying to process everything and understand how I am feeling which I think it will take some time.

Rwanda, Rwanda- Land of a Thousand Hills

I spent this past week in the capital city of Rwanda, Kigali. Rwanda is called the “Land of a Thousand Hills” due to its beautiful hilly landscape of the mountains and lush green lands that surround it. My experience in Rwanda was one that I will never forget. It was an experience that for me was filled with happiness, sadness, anger, excitement, disappointment and hope. After studying about the genocide in Rwanda for the past couple of years, actually being there and experiencing the aftermath of it myself was a life changing.

The highlight of the trip was the people that we met. Upon arriving at the airport, we met a friend of Melissa’s, whom we have nicknamed “Peace” and sometimes refer to as “King Julian” from Madagascar because he made us laugh and “loves laughing”. Peace is one of the most amazing people that I have met in a while. Despite the struggles he has faced in life and continues to face, he has the most humbling, kind, and forgiving spirit. Peace lost many family members in the genocide and was recently fired from his job as a journalist because he refused join the political party that is controlling the government. Peace spent the whole week with us and was very patient as we asked him 50 million questions, some that were very intimate about his experiences during the genocide. He accompanied us to the Genocide Memorial Museum and 2 genocide sites where thousands of people were killed. I am grateful that Peace took the time to spend with us this past week b/c I don’t think we would have had as great of an experience if he was not there. A benefit of knowing Melissa who knew Peace, was also meeting his friends who were equally as friendly and welcoming. We met his roommates, his cousin and other friends. Everyone wanted to make sure that we had the best time in Rwanda and did what they could to accommodate us.

Throughout our time in Rwanda, we met other locals here and there that Peace conversed with. At one of the genocide sites, we met 2 young ladies that were living in child-headed households and taking care of each other due to losing their parents during the genocide. We also met a little boy in the same neighborhood that was thoroughly excited to receive a pen from Eunice. As he ran away, Peace said, “He is so happy, he is running because he is happy!”. At another site, we met a woman who had recently been attacked by some men with a machete to the head and left to die. She survived but was too afraid to speak out against her attackers for fear of further violence.

As we left the airport the first things I noticed was a drastic difference between Arusha and Kigali. Since the genocide, Kigali has drawn a lot of international attention. I wonder how many lives could have been saved if Rwanda was able to draw as much attention during the genocide. As I observed the nicely paved roads, the new buildings, fancy hotels, upscale coffee shops, malls, and fancy supermarkets, I was really excited because it is more of the type of lifestyle that I am used to in the US. My excitement soon faded when I realized that all of this development came at a price, namely 800,000 people were killed during the genocide in 1994. My thought became even more disheartening when I realized that violence was still continuing today, despite all of the progress that the country is making and everything that I had learned about the reconciliation process in Rwanda.

During our time in Kigali, we stayed at St. Paul’s Guest House. St. Paul’s is also a church that was instrumental during the genocide. Many people sought refuge there and the pastor of the church was able to keep the people in hiding and saved many lives. In stark contrast, St. Famille, the church right next to St. Paul’s was also a church people fled to for protection, however, most of the people there died because the pastor was conspiring with the Interharmwe militia. Today, the church has been reopened and people fill the church each morning for worship service. We attended one of the services and while it was encouraging to see people progressing and getting back to “normal” life, it was also a weird feeling to be in a place that had been a part of taking so many people’s lives. We asked Peace how the church managed to reopen and thrive again and he explained that one of the reasons was because people thought that another genocide was eminent so they were convinced to come back to church and get saved so that if they died they would go to heaven. That was a perspective that I never would have thought of and it is something that I am really struggling to understand today.

The Hotel de Mille Collines was another place we visited that felt strange to be in. This was the hotel that the movie Hotel Rwanda was based on. Many people also sought refuge here during the genocide and most of them managed to survive thanks to the efforts of Paul Russesabagina, one of the hotel managers. Today, business as usual is conducted at the hotel and it is even undergoing construction. We went there for lunch one day and it was strange because images from the movie kept popping up in my head as I thought of what a safe haven this was for the people that were able to hide there.

We also visited 2 memorial sites in Nyamata and Natarama where massacres occurred. These sites are living reminders of the genocide that took place as they have been left in the same condition that they were 15 years ago. Clothes, shoes, belongings, and even bones of the people who were killed are still there. Words cannot describe what it feels like to see these type of reminders of the capability of mankind to treat one another with blatant disrespect and disregard for human life. At these sites, no one was spared, not women, men, children or babies. I had a hard time at first trying to convince myself to actually go into the churches but then I looked at Peace and he helped give me that courage. If he, (a person directly affected by the genocide and the aftermath of it) could do it, then I, (a person who has never had to really experience pain and suffering in her life) could do it.

People often talk about the poverty line and what it means to live below or at the poverty line and this was a concept that was illustrated for us in Kigali. Michelle took a picture as we were driving one day that showed old shacks and very basic houses on one side and luxurious new houses on the other side. She remarked that a good description for the picture would be “poverty line”. You could literally see the drastic distinction between the neighborhoods that appeared to be so close together. Peace explained that one thing the government was doing in the name of development was to “buy” up peoples’ properties and then use the land to build these new houses designed for foreigners and high ranking officials that could afford them. The people that were moved out of these areas could certainly not afford to live in the newly built houses and many were forced to relocate out into the villages. This immediately reminded me of the re-gentrification movement in Atlanta where many of the projects are being torn down and people are given money to relocate but similar to the situation in Kigali, cannot afford to move into the newly built houses. This does not help relieve poverty; it only spreads it out instead of it being more concentrated. The similarities of what I saw in Kigali and what is happening in Atlanta and other cities throughout the US was really baffling but it also showed that we are more connected than we think.

The visit to Rwanda is one that will stick with me more a long time and one that I hope I will continue to reflect upon. The people we met and the fact that we felt very comfortable and safe there, made the trip so much more enjoyable. The insight that we gained from being able to bear witness to some of the aftermath of the genocide, both positive and negative, helps to give me a better framework and understanding of the social life of post-conflict societies. However, I don’t think that I will ever be able to fully understand the depth of the circumstances, struggles, hopes and fears that the people of Rwanda will have to contend with for generations to come.

I leave you with a list of things that you can see/do/hear in Kigali that you do not see/do/hear in Arusha:

- Traffic signs, traffic lights, and crosswalks (Arusha has one stop light and I have not seen any traffic signs)

- There is a quietness that fills that air in Kigali. Arusha is very noisy in comparison (i.e. dogs barking, the call to prayer 5 times a day, horns and music constantly blaring, people shouting- these are all sounds that were a lot less frequent in Kigali)

- Hills (these were evident in all of our walks and drives around town. You could not go anywhere without going up and down a hill.)

- Kigali has much more development, paved roads, new houses and buildings, more of a metropolitan feel than Arusha. In contrast, Kigali seemed a lot less touristy than Arusha.

- In Kigali we felt very safe. People constantly ensured us that it was one of the safest cities in Africa and that it was OK to walk after dark which is something we could never do in Arusha.

- On the other hand, genocide memorials and museums are ever present in Kigali but not in Arusha. It is strange how a city in a country that has lived through a genocide is safer than a city in a country that is known to be one of the most peaceful in Africa. Tanzania does not have any history of war, conflict, ethnic strife or genocide whereas Rwanda has suffered from several genocides throughout history.

- Purple flowers were planted all throughout Kigali as a symbol of grief and morning.

News/ Updates

- We now have a generator at out apartment complex which makes us part of the “privileged”. This means, in theory, that when the power goes out, the generator will kick in and we will still have lights. I think they are still working out some of the kinks b/c it doesn’t seem to be functioning completely but it is a step up.

- Our 4 other classmates will be arriving this week and next week so I am excited about that. We start classes on the 15^th of Sept. which I am both looking forward to and dreading at the same time. Looking forward to the actual classes but not the papers that come with them.

- We are traveling to Rwanda next week and I am trying to prepare myself for this life changing experience. We will be visiting the Genocide Memorial Museum and some genocide sites where massacres were actually carried out so it will be a pretty intense trip. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to it b/c it helps to put a face to all of the things we have been learning about conflict and reconciliation over the past year. I am interested to see what the sense of reconciliation is like and what it feels like to be in a country where almost everyone was affected by the genocide in one way or another. We have heard that there is still an eerie silence that is present in the country despite all of the progress it has made today, 15 years after the genocide.

- My roommates/ housemates and I have been getting together in the mornings before work to do devotions and start our day with prayer. We read a daily devotion from my Bible (thanks Poppy) and then pray for a productive day, for safety and that the Lord will continue to use us to be a blessing to each other and the people we meet. We have been struggling to find a church home here so this helps to keep me focused and grounded.

- We are continuing our morning runs and I think I am actually starting to like them which is something I never thought I would say.

- We should be starting our French classes at the UN soon and we are constantly improving our Kiswahili.

- I am getting better at washing my underwear by hand but I still use my “febreezing” method on my other clothes. I will have to come up with a plan B soon though b/c I am almost out of it.

- Most of my Tanzanian friends did not like when I got my hair done and it was straight. They said they said I should get my “halfcaste” hair back and that when my hair was straight, it was “muzungu” hair.

- I slept under a mosquito net for the first time since I have been here this week. Melissa and I had a pesky, little mosquito that kept buzzing in our ears so we decided to set up the contraption they call a mosquito net. It felt very confining b/c you are supposed to tuck it under you mattress so that they mosquitoes can’t get in. Luckily, it is still pretty cool here so we do not have a big mosquito problem but one is enough to mess up an otherwise good night’s sleep. I was hoping that I would not have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom but as fate would have it, I did. I managed to slide out with not too much trouble but getting back in and getting situated again was a bit more of a challenge.

HARUSI + pictures

This past weekend we were invited to a Tanzanian wedding (aka harusi). It was an interesting and delightful experience to say the least. We traveled with our friend Alfred, who has his own safari business, namely Alfred safaris. We were connected to Alfred some time ago through a former IPCR student that spent almost a year here in Arusha. We jumped into his safari jeep and drove about an hour outside of town to a town/village/community that we still do not know the name of. All I know is it was on the way to the airport and then we took a left turn before the gas station by some stores and went up a very bumpy road with patches of green trees and bushes and brown dust.

We passed random houses and kids outside playing and yelling at us, “hi muzungus” before we came to a small village and made a right turn down another bumpy, dusty road. We soon got confirmation that we were going in the right direction when we saw groups of people walking from the church to what ended up being the reception site (the home of the bride and groom). We had missed the ceremony at the church but arrived just in time to see the ushering in of the bridal party.

As the MC made some announcements, family and friends danced around a decorated car that had the bridal party inside. After a few minutes, the bride and groom along with the best man and maid of honor exited the car and made their way through the crowd to join another group of people who were gathered outside of the couple’s new house.

We learned that the couple had built the house (yes, actually physically built the house together, not had the house built for them) and the pastor was now blessing it for their new life together. Alfred had some VIP status so we were able to maneuver through the crowd and sit in the shade while the blessing of the house took place. We watched as the caterers prepared the buffet lines and readied everything for the serving of the meal. We were surprised to see one of the caterers had on a Starbucks apron and wondered where in the world he got that from.

Soon the bride and groom emerged from the house and went to form the receiving line. We again benefited from Alfred’s VIP status and were allowed to eat as hundreds of people bearing gifts took their place in the receiving line to congratulate the happy couple. The meal was delicious consisting of rice, beans, chicken, beef, bananas, and salad. As we ate we watched the people progress through the receiving line. If I ever get married, I would like to have a receiving line like this couple. They were receiving gifts that they actually needed and could use. They received many goats as gifts along with household items such as beds, tables, chairs, dishes, and even some type of metal that I assume could be used to build something if they wanted to. It was a pretty funny sight to see people dragging goats and carrying things like chairs on their heads but it really made sense when you think about it. They wouldn’t have to hassle with taking any gifts back to the store b/c they did not like them or need them and try to exchange them for something else. Even it they got more than one goat, they could make use of all the things they received.

After we ate, we decided to try to get into the receiving line to congratulate the couple considering we had crashed their wedding and already ate such good food. The couple was so busy welcoming their guests that they had not even eaten yet. We managed to get into the middle of the line which was still fairly long at this time and we shook hands with the bride and groom greeting them with “hongera” or congrats. Sensing that it would still take a long time for everyone to make it through the receiving line and eat, we did what typical black folk do and said, “We hate to eat and run but we gotta go!”

On the way out, we passed by what was apparently the outdoor kitchen where all the food was being prepared. The caterers were washing dishes and still preparing food, mainly the “cake”. The Tanzanian version of wedding cake was actually a grilled goat. It reminded me of a pig pickin, except there was a goat instead of a pig. We were looking at 2 whole goats (head, feet, legs and all) with sticks stuck through their bodies being roasted over an open flame. The goat was then wrapped in aluminum foil, placed on a tray and presented to the bride and groom. It was a little shocking and I felt sorry for the poor goat so I passed on tasting some of the wedding “cake”. We loaded back into Alfred’s truck and prepared from the long, dusty journey back home.