Welcome Back to Rwanda!

I was both excited and anxious returning to Rwanda. Excited to be renewing and deepening friendships from my last visit, seeing familiar places and discovering new ones, and, most importantly, participating in the life of communities close to my heart. Anxious that I might fail to meet the expectations of my hosts, that my good intentions might not lead to the right outcomes, or that my health my not allow me to do what I set out to do. Within moments of exiting Kigali Airport, inhaling the pleasant humid night air, I felt myself held in the warm embrace of this beautiful place and my anxieties began to wane. 

Rogers had hired a bus to collect me, filling it with an enthusiastic group of my friends who commenced celebrating my return immediately. It was singing and dancing all the way back to the Gashora, where we arrived a little before midnight.  This time, I was prepared for the marvelous midnight feast. For once, jet lag was in my favor, since my tired body thought that it was only the early afternoon. We ate. We honored the occasion with speeches and singing. Hugs and smiles were abundant.

Settling into my room filled with colorful paintings at the guesthouse gallery, so familiar from my last visit, I descended into sleep. I was where I wanted, and needed, to be.