Rwandering

Recently what I’ve been learning here in Rwanda is that what you see on the outside is not always what you find out on the inside. I am learning this especially with these boys that I tutor. On the outside, they are just dirty little schoolboys. At first I didn’t really look past that. I knew they were supposedly on the street stealing or doing drugs, but when I saw them, they seemed too young and innocent to do any of that; I was just their teacher. However, learning more about the boys and seeing them on house visits, I have started seeing that each of these boys has a story that would break anyone’s heart. Some boys sleep on the ground in their one room house (I can’t even really call it a house), some have AIDS, some boys sell themselves to get drugs, some boys steel at the market to get food for their family. Clearly these boys aren’t just the young innocent boys you see in the classroom.

I see this a lot with Rwanda as a whole. Rwandans are people who don’t show their emotions. On the outside everyone seems fine; however, on the inside people might be hurting. This phenomenon enhanced quite a lot with the end of the genocide. The pain and the hurt people have felt because of this mass murder get bottled up inside of them. People don’t talk about the genocide now. Secretly they are hurting, but on the outside they seem fine. The month of April (the month the genocide took place) is the one time Rwandans show their emotions regarding the genocide. They gather at the national stadium to mourn and let out the pain that has been bottled up all year long. This is the one time in the year they feel they are able to show how they have been hurting.

Not only do I see this pattern with the street boys and the genocide, but I see this pattern in every day conversation.

A normal greeting in Rwanda goes like this:

 “Mwatamutse Neza”  (Is the morning fine?)

“Mwatamutse” (goodmorning)

“Amakuru?” (How are you?)

“Ni Meza” (I am fine)

These words are spoken word – for – word every time two people greet.

Every time you greet someone with “Amakuru”, the responder always says “Ni Meza”, no matter how he/she really is feeling – kind of reminds me of American culture too. Same with the greeting “Bite” (what’s up?) – the responder always responds with “Nbjieza” (I’m good). As I am writing this, I am hearing Rwandans speak these words.

The same idea coincides with the architectural structures of developing Rwanda (in Kigali only). On the outside, the buildings look beautiful and interesting. However, on the inside, the building might not be so efficient, space –wise. Instead of the square, every-inch-used buildings we see in New York City, Kigali has different shaped buildings that take up a considerable amount of space compared to their efficiency. The buildings might look “fine” on the outside, but their infrastructure might not be “fine”. I am learning these sorts of ideas all the time as I am living in Rwanda.