Last weekend, I went white water rafting on Uganda’s Nile River. Fear filled my bones for days leading up to the trip, along with most of the five-hour voyage down the mighty […]
I rafted the Nile
Frank and Liliose
One of my hardest adjustments to living in Rwanda has been that of having hired help around the house. Well, let’s say it’s been my hardest and easiest adjustment. In Rwanda culture, […]
A pause
It has officially been two months since I exited the plane at Kigali’s International Airport. Life since then has been what I imagine life to be like if staring inside a tornado […]
Six days on Rwanda's roads
I recently spent six days traveling the Northwest corner of Rwanda. My brain has not yet processed the amazing, frustrating, enlightening adventures of the week. And, that makes writing about it difficult. […]
Words of my Rwanda life
Goats Everywhere Banana trees Cover the hills Motorcycles Most popular mode of transportation Bare black baby butts Seen frequently around neighborhoods Hills Not a single part of Rwanda without them Carrying on the head The large items locals […]
Shaila meets the gorillas
I made my way toward town under a bright, star-filled sky. It was 4:30a.m. Locals still meandered their way home from the bars, but I had my hiking boots on in preparation […]
White girl in a black world
The locals call us mzungus. The word is a Swahili-adopted Kinyarwanda term for “foreigner,” or “white person,” and also the first Kinyarwanda word I learned. Few days pass when this the term […]
Just another day in K-town
I wake up on an average Sunday in Kigali and go for a journey through town. It is an ordinary day to most, but everything seems new and exciting to my two-week-old […]
I broke the toilet
Literally. I broke my toilet. I had been in Africa for two days and already started tearing things apart. This shattering of the ceramic toilet-top perfectly symbolizes my adjustment process to the […]
Adele, a driver and me
I opened my eyes and stared up at the tee-peed mosquito net that surrounded me. It was 7:30a.m., and I was in Africa. My flight from Istanbul, Turkey landed fewer than eight […]
