Week with Mama Rachel

I really don't like airports. For years I've had to deal with the unfortunate departures saying good-bye to John at airports for months and months. Good thing I have no more airport good-byes with John once I see him once and for all in June. But I had another sad airport good-bye, and this time it was with my dear Mom who came to visit me in Rwanda this past week. After a FULL week of tourism, cultural immersion, and lots of good restaurants, it was really hard to say good-bye to her at the airport. It was the last girls trip before I get married. To be honest, I'm not sure if my mom and I will ever have a full week just me and her ever again (although one day when babies come, I may "invite" her to come and live with me and teach me these things)! So it was an extremely special and memorable time that I will never forget.

My mom and I had a splendid first day. I took her to the Genocide Memorial Museum, which was sobering, but it's a good way to begin one's time in Rwanda to get a big picture on what the country has been through. Then we went and hung out at a hotel. Saturday was the Basketball Camp for Sport Kids, which was a blast to have my mom there to help! She took the tiniest little tots and taught them how to play catch, and they LOVED it, while I was relay racing with the older (out of the young crowd) ones.

Sunday, we got to go to my awesome, awesome, church and had lunch at my favorite restaurant, Heaven, and had delish french toast and other delights.

Then we went to Ruhengeri where we saw the splendid GORILLAS!

Oh YES. We survived. Although mother dearest was quite afraid. When we got to the meeting place before we split into our small adventure groups, my mother was asking as many people as possible if she should do the "short hike, medium hike, or long hike." Our guide joked with my mom and told her we were going to do a 6 hour hike each way and my mom looked positively ghostly at the prospect (she was also under the weather). Thankfully, our hike into the forest was short! We found the gorillas almost immediately.

The Big King Silverback when we first found him was not very visible. He was sort of hidden in the brush and chomping on his luncharoo. Our guides started speaking to him in the gorilla language (there are 16 sounds that gorillas make, all with distinct meanings) to greet the gorilla and say what's up. Then they started hacking all around his nest with machetes (yes, machetes) and shaking poles and making more aggressive noises to get him to move so we could find him in a more visible place. At first we were all like, um, what the crap, is this Silverback going to pounce us? But no, the big ole gorilla just said, sure, I'll give you guys a good view. He walked right on by us and settled into a big tree (well actually he made a nest pretty fast by just breaking like 10 trees all at once and sitting in the middle of their fallen branches) to continue his breakfast. Then a baby gorilla past us, trying to find his momma, and then the second head honcho gorilla of our family came and joined the big silverback! We were right in the middle of BOTH of these huge gorillas just checking them out and watching them munch away, and get up and stretch every once in a while. Magnificent.

It started raining and the leader of the family, Muhondo, stopped eating and made a noise to signal that the other gorillas should stop eating too. This is to allow the mother gorillas to cover their babies, since the mom's can't eat and cover the babies from the rain at the same time. The silverback remained perfectly still until the rain subsided, then he made the "ok, go ahead and eat noise" for the rest of the family to start to eat again, and they all started again!

It was a fascinating trip to say the least! Wow.

After the gorillas, we were able to do a slew of other things -- like visit the Anglican cathedral nearby, and also go to the tippy top of this beautiful mountain to see stunning 360 degree views. We also had dinner with Bishop John Rucyahana (the country's greatest reconciliation leader and huge development icon in Rwanda) and his wife. It was lovely. He said he'll give me marriage advice, yippee!

Then, we returned home, only to stop at the awesome tea plantation that my fellow church mate, Rohith from Sri Lanka manages. It was incredible to see how the tea is made from the tea fields all the way to the packages! A really unbelievable process.


Anyhoo, then we went on home to good old Kigali, and the next days were restful and fun. Craft shopping, good food, bringing Momma to Prison Fellowship and let her experience their EXUBERANT worhsip style (hour prayer meeting every day), heck yes. Then Mom gave me some professional advice and counsel.

And alas. Now, Mom is gone. And the work I neglected over the past week is slapping me in my tan face (my mom and I sunbathed today)... Oh well! Back to the grindstone.

Peace and Love people.