This past week has been a roller coaster. Not only was it my
last week here in Rwanda, it was also my busiest. On Monday, Petek and I were
able to fix more blood pressure cuffs and a pulse oximeter. We were super
excited about the pulse oximeter because it was our second electrical fix! We
found out that there was a broken wire within the circuitry, which caused a
short circuit when the probe was connected to the reader. We also were able to
try out a new restaurant that was in town! I don’t remember what it was called
exactly...it had the word “pizzeria” in it. I ordered a beef stir fry with rice
and mango juice for only 2500 RWF. It was super delicious!
On Tuesday, Petek and I were able to paint the tires for the
second half of our secondary project. We let them dry for the rest of the day and
assembled them on Wednesday, when Maddy and the CEO of EWH, Leslie, visited. We
gave her a small tour of our hospital and showed her our secondary projects in
action. Afterwards, we made our way to lunch with our head BMET, Serge. Petek
and I originally planned to go eat at the pizzeria restaurant we found earlier
in the week but Serge suggested going to his favorite restaurant that served
some killer Rwandan food.
Thursday was an interesting day…well at least the night was!
First off, we finally had water for the first time since Monday! We didn’t have
water for a very long time because there was a huge conference that was
happening since the middle of last week. Since there were a bunch of people
staying at the hotel, there was a shortage of water. Petek and I were very
excited to be able to shower that night lol…Because it was our last night in
Byumba, we planned on relaxing in our room and packing up our suitcases.
However, Serge randomly called us and told us to come outside immediately.
Thinking it was an urgent matter, we walked out. After waiting for
approximately 30 minutes, we were greeted by Serge. He told us to walk with him
to a hotel to meet with our director. We originally thought he wanted to talk
to us about giving us a ride to the bus station since we had large suitcases
with us. However, when we arrived, he invited us to sit down and have a few
beers. It was a pleasant surprise because we never found the time to sit down
and talk to him or Serge. We were able to enjoy each other’s company until the
topic of religion came up. The director asked us if Petek and I were Christian
and we both answered “no” since she’s an Atheist and I’m Buddhist. The director
kept throwing us questions about our beliefs which made us uncomfortable
because he kept asking us why we weren’t Christian. Fortunately, Petek and I
were able to go back to the hotel before he could ask us anymore.
On Friday, Petek and I went to the hospital to say our final
goodbyes to everyone. We also set up one of our chairs in front of the maternity
department and delivered the other to Jacques at the physical therapy
department. And with that, Petek and I made our way back to Kigali. Our first
stop in Kigali was La Palisse Hotel, where the conference was held. Petek and I
dropped off our luggage there and waited for the others. About an hour and a
half later, a bunch of the others showed up. We spent some time catching up
before a few of them decided to go to Kimirongo to buy souvenirs. Jenny, Richard,
and I made our way to Meze Fresh since we were hungry. We were able to gaze out
into the Kigali landscape as we caught up some more and enjoyed our taco
salads.
Sitting on the chair we made!
One last photo with the dentist before we left for Kigali.
On Saturday, all of us found our way back to La Palisse
Hotel after Umuganda to start our conference. All of us were able to share many
stories and laughs from our experiences at our regional hospitals. It was very
refreshing to learn about everyone else’s adventures. Petek and I were also
able to present as well. We even made a fun video to wrap up our presentation. LINK HERE! Since we were the last to go for the day, we all made our way to our last
dinner in Rwanda. Of course, we ate a Rwandan buffet. Afterwards, we all went
to the pool and had a few drinks. It was all good vibes that night. J On Sunday, we finished
up with the conference. After, we waited for our bus to take us to the airport.
It was sad to say goodbye to everyone. Some of us were even in tears! Although
I’m glad to be home, I really do miss Rwanda, the students and OTGCs of EWH,
and all the people I met in Rwanda. This was definitely an once-in-a-lifetime
experience that I will never forget. J
One last food pic (so bittersweet...)
I can’t believe that this will be my last post for this
blog! Before I end this, I’d like to write up a little reflection. These past
two months have been amazing. Not only was I able to learn a ton (ie. About
engineering and life), but I also made lifelong friendships. I’m so glad I
chose to go on this trip. Ever since I got back home, I kept on reminiscing
about Rwanda. I feel as if no matter how much I try to write about my
experience, my words could never fully express how I really felt or fully describe
the experience. You would have to go there yourself to understand my experience
completely. Thank you EWH for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip.
Thank you to all my donors who supported me financially. Thank you to my
friends and family back at home for keeping in touch with me whenever I missed
home. And finally, thank you to my EWH friends who I shared this experience
with. I would not have wanted it any other way! Would I want to do something like
this again? It’s highly probable. Would I recommend someone to do this? YES YES
YES!
This was by far the most memorable summer I’ve had. I couldn’t
thank everybody enough for making this internship so perfect. J
One last selfie with everyone... :) I miss you all!
