Kigali, Rwanda

This tree, which Eddie says is a Candelabra tree is outside in her yard and just underneath this huge highrise building nearby. Very unusual shape.




So, today was an interesting day. Went to the IREX office to meet the staff and iron out any concerns for tomorrow's start of the seminar. Across the street is the office of Radio Flash, one of the participants in my seminar. And then, the IREX staff had a rabbit hopping around the walled in yard...come to find out, she is a pet and has 8 babies. They let mama out to eat fresh grass and then, just before I left the gardner picked her up by the ears and carried her to her little ones. I am at Eddie's house here in Kigali and it is beautiful. Reminds me very much of her place in Tegucigalpa...open, homey, comfy and filled with art and rugs that I remember in her other place. She and Brigitte have a lovely place, as you can see.

I too this photo from the dining room, looking down into the living room and into a sitting room beyond the keyhole opening. Outside there are several sitting areas for enjoying the weather. Very comfortable and way nicer than any hotel I could have stayed in.

Today, I realized this big ole house will be rather empty without her. Eddie is going to Munich to be with Brigitte for her 50th birthday.

We ate at a restaurant tonight...Bananas and I had Goat Mafe, very lovely, followed by bananas flambe, but without the flambe! Instead, in the center of the dish was a small "tree tomato" a fruitlike veggie. Very interesting flavor. We had dinner with Diana Perdue, not of the Perdue chicken family, who is a Fulbright Scholar here. Very interesting indeed...she teaches in Virginia so we have that state experience in common.

This is the outside of Eddie's house looking over the city and the little cabana to the right would be fun to enjoy a drink and snack in one evening.

There are no working ATM machines here and very few places take credit cards. So, this morning I went into the US Embassy and cashed a $400. check and left with 250,000 Rwandan Francs and it is a bunch o money about an inch thick. They don't have bills larger than 5000 franc notes.

The trip here was grueling...met a young man from Cameroon...shoot me if I said this before. Never met anyone from there before and he goes to college in Texas!