Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Scarred but Surviving

Today has been an adventure I'm sure we will never forget. Our original plan was to travel across Rwanda to the border of the DRC in  a bus, but due to scheduling issues and an excellent price, we took a private car instead. We were able to cross the border into the DRC and it was surprisingly uneventful. We'd heard such crazy stories and yet here were are, safe and sound in Bukavu writing our loved ones and telling you our story. I'm telling you, you have not LIVED until you've driven across Africa on some of the bumpiest roads with the craziest drivers in the world, listening to a mix of traditional African music, soul, and boy bands...in a Toyota Corona...no that was NOT a typo our car was indeed a Toyota...Corona!! 

I wrote some thoughts down as we drove and thought I would share some insights.
Rwanda is an INCREDIBLY beautiful country. There are green rolling hills, majestic mountains, and tea and rice fields as far as the eye can see. We have passed mud homes, huts with tile and tin roofs, countless churches, and town after town filled with bustling people and colorful markets. There are so many children playing by the road, waving and smiling at the cars, while we saw others playing soccer in the mud (when in rains in Africa it POURS). 

Sitting here as we watch this breathtaking country fly by it's hard to come to grips with the fact that less than 20 years ago, Rwanda was a country whose horrific violence against hundreds of thousands had shocked the world. It's a scar that although it has now become a healed wound, is nonetheless still a difficult reminder. These are the crippled we see along the road, men and women missing limbs that are a stark reminder of Rwanda's dark history. Yes these people are permanently scarred but some carry bundles, others hobble on. They are survivors and are pushing toward a better future. This is Rwanda...scarred but surviving. I can't help but think that this could be the DRC too. There are so many seemingly insurmountable problems but to the naysayers I would point to Rwanda and say "it CAN be done"! Maybe one day the children in the DRC will feel safe enough to stand along the side of working roads to smile and wave at the passing cars. This is my hope for my father's country!

~Mara

1 comment:

  1. a hope and a prayer for your hope to come true mara. if we humans all strive for acceptance of our differences and understanding of the unknown, we should be able to push through and put an end to the disasters that we humans create. forget acts of God, forget natural disasters, human disasters are certainly the worst acts committed on this earth.

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