From Kigali to New Haven

Habari Zenu? (how are you all?),

We decided to change the language for the greeting above since we are writing from the airport in Nairobi, Kenya. The African portion of this trip is just about over, can you believe it? This trip really flew by. The growth that has occurred, mentally, scholastically, and emotionally has been truly amazing.

Since we last left you we have spent some time finishing painting the clinic in Gisiza. Thanks to the help of the artists in our group and some local painters we finished painting all of the different wards.

On Wednesday we had the opportunity to visit the regional hospital in Shiyra which is located atop the 'worst road in Rwanda'. Shiyra is home to the King family. The husband and wife are both physicians, and they are raising their four children in Rwanda. In addition to housing the regional hospital, there is also a primary school, a technical school and a working biogas system in Shiyra. The work they are doing is truly inspirational and has planted yet another seed in the minds of our students about the importance of international health care.

Afterour visit with the Kings and several interns from UNC Chapel Hill, we ventured out to visit Gisenyi, a former Belgian vacation spot nestled on Lake Kivu, near the border to the Democrative Republic of the Congo. We managed to make it down to the shore to watch the magical African sunset and to eat a delicious dinner on the beach.

The next morning we packed up and headed out to Kigali. That evening we had the opportunity to meet with a team from the USAID office in the US embassy. The engaging dialogue both posed and answered questions about the motivations of foreign aid.

Yesterday was spent developing the presentation that I am sure will awe you on Tuesday at Yale! We did take a break to check out a local crafts market, so there are no excuses if your children don't bring you back any gifts.

That's all from this end. We can't wait to talk to you in person in New Haven next week. We have tried to show you the framework of this amazing adventure, but it will likely take many hours of looking at pictures and recounting the tales to understand the magnitude of this experience.

Murakoze Cyane,
Fiona and Dan