We are well into our sixth week in Rwanda. It’s been a week
and a half since all of us have parted ways to work at our regional hospitals.
I can’t help but feel a bit sad when I think about being away from the rest of
the EWH squad. The days are much quieter and a lot slower. I even started
counting down the days until the conference and my departure back home. Without the rest of gang here, I started to feel more and more homesick. Maybe I
just need to find ways to keep myself busy to think about these things… On a brighter note, Petek and I were able
to fix plenty of equipment. We fixed an infant warmer, a few pulse oximeters,
and a surgical lamp, just to name a few! Both of us are very excited to see
what else we can fix at the hospital. We also have been able to take warm showers daily here in Byumba. We were almost in denial that the water coming out of the faucet was warm! We spent a few minutes standing in our bathroom, running the hot water over our hands and almost burning ourselves! As for food...although there is not many restaurants to try, the hotel we're staying at has excellent food. The new city has definitely been treating us well!
Checking to make sure the pulse oximeter works. (It does.)
Despite the slow days at the hospital, Petek and I look forward to see
familiar faces on the weekends. This past weekend, we traveled to Kibuye to
visit Lake Kivu with Laura, Jade, and Bre. We later found out that everyone else
also decided to go to Kibuye as well. Planning the trip with everyone was
very disorganized so everyone decided to follow with their own plans. On Saturday, we made our way to the environmental museum. We learned about the different sources of energy there is in the world, and what kinds of energy Rwanda uses. At the end of the tour, the museum guide showed us an herbal garden that was located at the top of the building. It was interesting to see what local plants can be used to treat burns, stomach pains, and many other ailments. Afterwards, the five
of us, and Katie who joined us later in the day, went on a boat ride on Lake Kivu.
We visited two islands: Napoleon Island and Peace Island. We hiked up Napoleon
Island and were able to catch an amazing bird’s eye view of the lake. On our
way up to the top, we saw plenty of bats. All of us were unsure as to why all
the bats were out in the daylight. We tried asking our tour guide but he wasn’t
so sure either. At Peace Island, we were able to swim in the lake.
Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my swimsuit, but I was able to dip my toes into
the cool water! We ended our boat ride by stopping in the middle of the lake
and watching the sunset. It was my first time seeing the sunset in its full
glory so I was in awe of its beauty. We ended our day by eating at the restaurant in the hotel we stayed at. I ordered a hamburger with vegetables but ended up getting sauteed vegetables in between two buns. I was sad to not see meat on my burger! I decided to not ask the kitchen to make a new one since waiting time is a lot slower than that in America. Overall, the weekend was great. I was able to see everyone and was able to experience Lake Kivu and all of its glory!
We're on a boat aaand...it's going (not so) fast aaaand! (Anyone recognize the song?)
Super posed pic on Napoleon Island. FYI: Don't wear flip flops when trying to hike up a nearly vertical slope.
Watching the sunset on Lake Kivu.
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