"Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores": June 2012

I can still hear "sawa sawa" and "bella bella" ringing in my head and miss hearing this on Friday nights in Kigali and at St. Joseph's while sipping on my orange fanta. I have been back in Vancouver for over a month now and readjusting to the life-style and culture here. Actually, let me rephrase that. My mom is visiting me as well so I'm trying to dive back into the Canadian and Nepali culture.

Mom and I before my graduation :)

I thought I should share some of the moments right after I got back to Vancouver:

1) The first thing I wanted to do when I saw babies in Vancouver was hug and hold them but right, that's not Canadian culture. The mother would probably freak out and wonder why a stranger is touching her baby. After being surrounded by babies for couple months in Rwanda and being able to hold, hug, take pictures, it seemed rather odd to me why mothers are so selfish and all protective with their babies! Rwandan mothers loved it when we held their babies and took picture of them.

Kristina and I holding twin babies. Kristina's baby: "Who are these mzungus?|

2) I had a few Rwandan coins left in my wallet and I've been told twice that it wasn't the currency that they use in Canada. (I swear, it looks like a tooney)

3) One of the first things I did when i got back was I dumped all 30 kgs of clothes in the washer with tons (unnecessary) amount of detergent. I had been doing my laundry in Rwanda by myself almost every day and I can tell you that 1) it wasn't clean 2) it never smelled like fresh laundry. I must say this is one of things I've learned to appreciate when I was in Rwanda.

4) It's so nice to have a home finally and not have to live in hotels that have mattresses that sink in the area you sleep on. More importantly, moving around every week and packing and unpacking every week got a bit tiring after 3.5 months. It was really difficult to do any work because I did not have that physical space where I enjoyed working. This is definitely something I need to keep in mind when I move on to my next adventures in a different country.

5) I am so happy that I don't have to eat out every day. I was really starting to get sick of eating out every day and not having a kitchen to cook in Rwanda. Cooking and home-cooked meals feels so luxurious. My mom and I have been cooking for each other (she does most of the delicious cooking).

Delicious Nepali Dessert type dish called Yomaris (molasses and rice flour)

6) I met so many people from all over the world in Rwanda who were working in international organizations and everyone greets differently when you meet someone new. I may have given hugs to people I JUST met when I came back here only realized as I was giving the hug that this is not normal in Canada and felt like an idiot. I think I had to shake myself a few times and tell myself people don't touch each other on the arms or the back when they're talking here unless you know them really well. They keep hands to themselves. I've always been the touchy type of person and I blended right into the Rwandan culture but the issue is when I come back to Vancouver. People seem to perceive being touchy as being flirty, a sign of interest or rather "creepy" in Vancouver.

7) One of the things that I miss the most about Rwanda is how well the men and the women dance. They really know how to get their groove on. On top of that, you haven't partied in Rwanda until you've seen the sunrise and had breakfast and then finally head to bed. Not only that but going out was like a networking experience for me. You always meet people from all these different organizations and get a chance to talk about the work I'm doing and he/she is doing. It was also really interesting to get their point of views on travelling and living in Kigali + other countries.

8) Rwanda was not just about the nutrition internship. It was a transformative experience and has really helped me decide where I want to go next with my career. Being in Rwanda has expanded the opportunities and I've decided that I would like to travel and work in various countries for the next 15-20 years. I was pretty set on going back to Nepal to work after graduation but I've realized that going out of my comfort zone makes me feel more accomplished and this is why this Rwanda trip has been so satisfying. Being able to interact and learn about another culture can be a frustrating process especially when you don't speak the primary language but once you do delve into it, it is fascinating to compare the various cultures you've been involved with.

9) Some memorable pictures/people I miss from Rwanda :)