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Rwanda: Day Nine

Today was only a half day of class (Saturday--thank goodness), so it ended up being much more eventful than the last few days!
The country of Rwanda has a day once a month they call "umuganda."  It is a day where everyone has to do community service--the last Saturday of each month.  I love that!  I wish we had that in America!  Anyway, today was Umuganda and it didn't really effect us much, but I just loved knowing it was happening--I actually wish we could have been a part of it, but I'm not in charge of the schedule!

After class the kids napped and then we headed to town with a bunch of my classmates.  We went to the market and then we went out for what ended up being a very nice dinner where many more classmates joined us.  And now we are having a sleep over with Shelley and Lauren (they are having a sleep over here with us--Dax says we're 7th graders.)

The market was a great experience for the kids!  It was everything all at once!  Sights, smells, things to touch. . .it wasn't just a craft market, but an everything--their version of Super WalMart almost.  They had foods--everything tom flour to chickens still alive waiting to be killed to meat hanging by hooks to hair nets and shoes to tools to crafts and on and on.  EVERYTHING!  It was crowded and colorful and completely overwhelming in the best and most African way possible.  At first the kids seemed very uncomfortable, but after we started buying things and talking to the shop keepers, they began to feel more secure.  It was awesome!
Then we headed to dinner.  The restaurant was perfect because the food was great, the atmosphere was great and we were up above the city at sunset and it was beautiful.  The food food nearly forever, but the conversation with my friends and my kids was just so great that it didn't seem that long at all.
After dinner, Shelley and Lauren came home with us and we all laid in Maggie's bed and talked and laughed for hours.  I can still hear Shelley and Maggie in there talking as I type this.  I'm so glad that Maggie is getting to know them so that she can have some really fun and neat girls to look up to--girls who are making a difference in the world!

I'm content.  I'm happy.  I'm thankful.  I'm blessed!

Tomorrow we are heading to Lake Kivu with the class.  I cannot wait!!!

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