True Story

Well, Asst 2 has also "put a ring on it", sent the requisite "hey leaving the country" email aaaaaaaaand we're off, friends.

While (as Asst 1 noted earlier) many initial reactions to our adventure announcement are overwhelmingly positive, even those who are excited for us have paused upon hearing our destination and gone, "Rwanda? Is that the place where they killed people?"

Which. OK. Fair.

But there are several things to keep in mind when assessing Rwanda's current situation (and we had them very much in mind when deciding whether or not to travel there). First, Rwanda's genocide occurred over a decade ago, and as near as anyone can tell, having been a relatively peaceful nation up until that point (largely due to the Belgium-imposed monarchy), the country essentially scared the crap out of itself when it became suddenly and overwhelmingly violent and killed a million people. Following the violence, Rwanda got very, very quiet, and has stayed relatively stable for the last ten years. Second, Rwanda was one of the only African countries that experienced a genocide and followed up with Western style prosecutions and trials, essentially giving the entire nation a way to grieve and air their pain openly.

That said, Rwanda suffers from "the usual" ailments: high crime rates, particularly theft, extreme poverty, widespread abuse, and pockets of the countryside where customs that, yes, I will go out on a limb and describe as "barbaric", still have hold. There is a fine line between "really unacceptable" and "cultural differences", but I feel I can safely say that female genital mutilation crosses that line. It's not a widespread custom in Rwanda, but it does still happen.

Other hazards we have been informed we should be wary of include: theft, theft, theft, HIV/AIDS, guerilla warfare along the borders, and the ever-popular malaria.

Some of the things to get little-kid excited over include: gorillas a la "gorillas in the mist", the previously-mentioned fantastic weather, coffee, tea and GIRAFFES, Rwandan beer served in vast quantities, french, mountains, breathtaking views, and the exchange rate.

We both have program guides to go through this weekend with extensive instructions on immunizations, packing, shopping and general preparedness to be done in short order - it feels like a long time before we leave, but it goes by quickly when you're not getting things done.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Rwanda