Im here!

I made it to Rwanda with really no trouble at all. The flights were fine... food was a little questionable but no biggie... luggage made it safe and sound. I was so relieved.

Rwanda is BEAUTIFUL! The rolling green hills look absolutely amazing from the air. The weather reminds me of California - sunny and warm during the day, chilly at night. Its near the equator so the days and nights are around 12 hours each.

I didnt bring my laptop with me so all my internet usage will be from the computers at internet cafes which have different keyboards that are kinda frustrating.

To give you some background on what Im doing here: Im with a human rights advocacy organization called Global Youth Connect. The purpose of this trip is to learn about Rwandas human rights issues and how it is dealing with the genocide that happened in 1994. Its also to promote a cross-cultural dialogue about these issues and help Rwandans who are working in the field.

Today was our orientation and I can tell that this will get a little challenging at times just because of the sensitivity of the issues we are dealing with. Physically, the trip doesnt seem like it will be that rough - the accomodations are fine and so far Im not getting sick (knock on wood). This will be a valuable learning experience, and Im looking forward to what all we will be seeing and discussing. Already today we dived into some serious topics regarding trauma, reconciliation between perpetrators and survivors of genocide, and hate speech. What made the discussion so interesting is the fact that the people from the delegation come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds, and we had a couple of Rwandans to offer their perspectives as well.

My specific goals for this trip:
- to learn more about how justice is being carried out with the perpetrators of genocide: the gacaca process (trials at the local level), how Rwandans feel about gacaca versus the ICTR, how it is helping them move forward
- to learn more about how Rwanda is balancing the demands of justice, reconciliation, and economic development
- to share my experiences and thoughts about all this as much as possible here
- to figure out how I want to fit this experience into my career goals since Im interested in law, human rights, and international relations but not completely sure of what I want to pursue after SRA.

I like the idea of being removed from everything that is going on in the US. Im going to try and focus completely on being in Rwanda and not focus on things I have going on in the US. What made Switzerland and Korea difficult was being attached to Peter and being homesick; luckily this time I dont feel that (doesnt mean I dont miss you!). I didnt get a cell phone because I dont really need to make phone calls; emails will suffice. I did call my mom real quick to let her know that I arrived and tell her to pass the news along to the rest of the fam. Hope she got the message.

This keyboard is getting frustrating. I have so many thoughts I want to share from todays discussions but maybe Ill wait another day when I can just borrow someone elses computer.

But before I leave, heres a question I want to pose to you based on something we discussed today: What are your impressions of Rwanda? Not what you think the average Americans impression is... what YOUR impression is.