Catching a ride with Pastor Ed from Victory Family Home Of Champions into Kigali is one of the smarter things we did today. Hauling two suitcases, three backpacks and a bag onto a matatu would have been a colossal nightmare! And it most likely wouldn't go to our doorstep either.
Ed takes two of his children to the international school which is just like an American school and based on the American school system. Since the family is returning to the US it makes sense. The school is basically for the children of diplomats and International dignitaries that come to work in Rwanda on a long term basis.
It so happens that Ed drops the kids off at the school and then drives right by the front gates of Christian Life Assembly. It was kind of him to agree to take us, but it meant being at the road at 7:00 a.m. He stopped along the way to fuel up the Landcruiser. Regular gas is 1000 francs per litre or about C$1.50.
Dropping the kids off at a school with armed guards at the gates really took Branden by surprise! But with children of high profile people in the country, the protection needs to be extended to the most vulnerable.
Ed drove us onto the CLA grounds and took us almost to the door of our guest house accommodations. We unloaded and went in search of a key and found Jeff in the Administration Offices of the Wellspring Foundation. We walked leisurely through the grounds, gleaning information along the way. What an amazing operation. We scheduled an hour with Jeff to get a guided tour of the whole operation the next day.
Our quarters were more than adequate and very comfortable. We took the rest of the morning to have hot showers and get cleaned up. There is a catering group on campus that provides meals for the school. We are able to eat a big cooked lunch for 2500 Rf each (less than $4). Now we are really feeling spoiled! After a lunch like that, it's time for a nap of course. Then it's homework, journalist and blogging. We can't get a wifi password until tomorrow, so to connect to the Internet we need to go to the Bourbon Cafe at the MTN Center. It's only about a 12 minute walk.
When we reach the MTN Center, I am able to get unlimited Internet on my phone for a week for about $10. And I top up my airtime for the phone. Next surprise. The ATM's here don't accept Mastercard. OK, we'll go and eat supper. The supper tab came to a little more than what I had, and Branden hadnt brought any money. Down three floors I raced to get what I had left of Kenyan currency changed into francs. Now we had enough. We walked home in the dark down a cobblestone street, wondering why the street was vacant and coming up with scenarios that got more weird with each one. I mean, is this street one that has a reputation for muggings or robberies? There are no street lights...I wonder why. Look! There's someone coming out of the bush...and he's got a stick! It's a piece of bamboo. Grab it, Branden! Why me? Cause you said you could run real fast! Just then the shadowy figure turned off the street onto a path that took him away from us. So much excitement.
I tried accessing my bank account on the cell phone that night with my new unlimited connection, but my bank must have recognized a foreign source for the access request and blocked my password. Not much we can do now but research a few options. I texted a friend in Rwanda who is also from Canada. He too had serious difficulties in transferring money on his first trip. On a return trip to Canada, he got an international Visa Debit card and has no trouble at all now, unless a bank machine has run out of money.
I have time to make a Skype call to my Diane in Canada before she heads out the door to work, and I turn in for the night.
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