Celebrations

Muraho (hello in Kinyarwanda) & Happy Fourth of July!

This past weekend has been filled with celebrations - on June 30th I made my way to the American Embassy for the Fourth of July party! There were tons of Americans, American food (popcorn, fries, burgers/hot dogs, veggie wraps, brownies, etc.), and American beer (Bud Light was in especially high demand). Instead of real fireworks, there was a movie projector playing fireworks for everyone to watch. It may not have been the most exciting Fourth of July but since this is my 3rd time celebrating the Fourth outside the country (once in Mexico and once in Cambodia), I knew not to have high expectations.

You might also be wondering why the Embassy celebrates the Fourth of July on June 30th...well, this holiday weekend isn't only significant for America but also for Rwanda! July 1st is Rwanda's Independence Day and July 4th is Liberation Day, which also means a four-day weekend! Independence Day celebrates Rwanda's independence from Belgium while July 4th, or Liberation Day, marks the day the Rwandan Patriotic Front took back Kigali eventually ended the genocide. So out of respect, the American Embassy celebrates the Fourth of July on the 30th of June.

For Rwandans, Liberation Day is much more important than Independence Day. I was lucky to see all the festivities at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali - here are some of the highlights...

President Kagame at the start of the celebration

The Rwandan National Army

Traditional Rwandan Intore dancers

Me!

Many of you have also been asking me about the food in Rwanda, especially since I'm vegetarian. I happen to be very lucky that I live in Kigali because Italian, Chinese, and Indian restaurants are  everywhere in the city! Sadly, there's no Mexican food yet but I'm hoping that will change. Surprisingly, there are no Western fast food chains here! That's right - no McDonald's or KFC! The public health student in me thinks it's great, but the sugar-loving Navita in me would really love to get soft-serve ice cream from McDonald's.

Since I shouldn't eat at restaurants everyday and there's no fast food, I actually cook! Here's a picture of the market I've been going to for some of the freshest (and cheapest) foods...

Kimironko Market

I've been trying to bargain but being a muzungu (or white/foreign person) makes it tough to get the best deals! On a side note, muzungu is a blanket term that Rwandans use for everyone who is not African. Despite difficulties in bargaining, the avocados here are still only 150-200 Rwandan francs...that's around 30 cents! Also, I finally found chocolate - it's definitely over-priced relative to other Rwandan goods but I'm happy to know there are M&Ms and Kit Kat bars in case a craving kicks in =)

Stay tuned for more pictures of Kigali that I plan on posting very soon...