Roadtrippin’

So, roadtripping in Africa is not like roadtripping anywhere else. Or at least not anywhere I have been before. There are many aspects that need to be considered. It is also important to remember that in the beginning  (or maybe the entire time?) of being a Youth Delegate, you don’t have much say in what activities your days will consist of, so surprises might come. Luckily, in our case, it has been a lovely week.

Ready for take-off. Paul and the driver. Pic: Harald Viken

The first thing you need for when going on a road trip in Rwanda, is patience. You never know when you are starting or what might come up to delay the plans that you have made. Our first trip was planned for saturday morning at nine. We actually started, impressively on time; Harald, Paul, Aline, the driver, Masted, and me were on our way to Gisenyi, in the North-West of Rwanda. The drive was scenic, the company was good and the roads, most of the way, had a standard way above my expectations. The drive was spent trying to name African countries and capitals – let’s just say our knowledge has room for improvement.

Me and Aline, with goat. Pic: Harald Viken

The other thing you need is an open mind for what you might be doing. Our first day in Gisenyi was spent on the shores of beautiful lake Kivu, which has loads of natural gas, which can cause you to drown, so swimming has to be done with a life jacket. We also all of the sudden got to see a rwandese farm. Aline’s aunt lived by the lake and we said hello to happy cows and fat goats just outside her house. Then we were driven, on the extremely bumpy and potholed, dirt roads, to visit a convent.  The convent was beautiful, calm and had a wonderful view. We spent the afternoon playing cards and we tasted the homemade wine and cheese the nuns had made.

Esra, nun, cheese and me. Pic: Harald Viken

One more thing which is good to bring, is a strong stomach. Motion sickness is not to be recommended when potholes are as large as the car itself. And when attending the Red Cross Youth activity, blood donation, it is not good to be a too sensitive soul. The activity itself was great. 80 people donated blood, Aline held a very good presentation about reproductive health and we got to do our first introduction about the Youth Delegate Programme for around 200 people. We finally got to meet a lot of local volunteers and saw what kind of activities we might be doing in Butare later on. Our stomachs did feel pretty weak after a while though, due to no food besides biscuits between 8 am to 6 pm –  and after what I have seen, I think we have to get used to that.

Aline is lecturing while I'm the assistant. Pic: Harald Viken

The last part of our roadtrip to the North was a trip over the Congolese border. DR Congo is a country that has gotten a lot of attention in Norwegian media lately, but we managed to get both in and out without major problems. We were introduced to another Red Cross activity, namely the dissemination of information about the volcanic activity in the region. In 2002, the city of Goma was hit by a major volcanic eruption where 150.000 people lost their homes. We got to see how the monitoring works and how destructive a volcano can be. I almost considered taking up geology studies for a while, when talking to the professor in charge. Almost. The most impressive sight though, was the red light coming from the volcano at night. Sometimes you can also see sparks and smoke coming out of it. It is one of three volcanoes in the world with an active crater, and can erupt at any moment. Monitoring and informaiton is the only way of being prepared for what might come.