Last Night

Tonight is my last night in Rwanda. It's hard to know what to say about this.

The last few days in Kibuye have been beautiful. We were staying in a hotel on the lake, surrounded by hills and trees and flowers. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. We usually had programming all morning and then free afternoons, most of which I spent sitting by the lake reading. I thought about exploring more, but the fact is, I was on vacation, and I didn't want to explore, I wanted to read a book.

We eventually made it back to Kigali this afternoon. I say eventually because our bus was an hour late, and then we got a flat tire half way through the drive, which set us back almost another hour. But we finally made it, just in time to go to the African Bagel Company for one last bagel with cream cheese. I bought another one to take with me on the plane tomorrow too, because the food on Ethiopian Airlines makes high school cafeteria food seem wonderful.

Tonight was our last meal together as a group. We went to Lalibella, an Ethiopian restaurant we went to at the beginning of the program, the night before we split up to go to our homestays. It seems fitting that we ate there before we split up for the first time, and we ate there before we split up for the last time. Needless to say, I cried a little at dinner, and I wasn't the only one.

Though the program doesn't end until tomorrow, we said our first goodbyes yesterday. My friend Alyssa had to fly out this morning so that she can start work on Monday. The next will be Julie, who's leaving at 2am. I told her that she has to come into my room and hug me before she leaves. Jes is leaving at 9 tomorrow morning, and then I'm next, leaving for the airport at 2. Most people are flying out in the evening, and I'm glad I don't have to be here all day tomorrow to watch everyone else leave.

I don't really know what else to say at this point. It's been quite an adventure. I would like to thank my readers for keeping up with my stories. I was surprised when I noticed earlier that this blog has only 41 posts and over 1000 views. Thanks for the love!

While this will certainly be my final post from Rwanda, I don't think it will be the last. I'm sure I will have some really funny/interesting/awkward stories for you of travel, reverse culture shock, and reintegrating into American life, so it is not quite goodbye yet my dear readers!