It was lovely to climb down to the tarmac last night at Kigali airport and immediately to feel the warm air and to smell that faint hint of eucalyptus charcoal in the air. We arrived on time, having had a very smooth period of travel. Emmy was there to greet us, with his joyous smile. A great surprise was that Emmy's girlfriend, Mary, came too. She kindly brought me a bouquet of flowers. It was hard not to feel badly about her being up at 2 AM knowing she has to be at work at 7 AM this morning.
The apartment is in great shape. It looks like Janice, Ruth and André have made some good contributions. There is finally a table in the kitchen! Christophe came this morning and was very happy to hear all the good wishes sent to him. He showed me his grades at university and promises to keep working hard.
Mat and I headed to the market to stock up on passion fruit, mangos, pineapples, avocados, and that yummy local cheese. Then we've spent the rest of the day getting operational - cell phones working, Serena Hotel membership. We are tired but thrilled to be here. It is quite a luxury to have two days to rest before jumping into teaching on Monday.
Mat thinks I know everyone in Rwanda. Even the Serena staff are welcoming me back to my second home. I am smiling and feeling my coronary arteries open up. Very happy indeed.
xo
Patty
Very glad to hear you arrived safely, Patty, and that you made it through YYZ smoothly. I had no idea you were flying Turkish -- Istanbul is a great city, but you probably only sold the airport. Then again, you have been to Istanbul, haven't you?
ReplyDeleteIt must be great to see all your old Rwandan friends. The fresh tropical fruit sounds wonderful.
Hope the rest of your stay goes well!