There is so much to love about visiting Rwanda and the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. Check out Information Technology Fellow Kevin Horst’s musings on a few of the many joys that have made his first few months in Rwanda so special. 

The Tastes -

• The local pineapples are so delicious. I discovered that ASYV’s Head Chef, Hilam, and I both love the pineapple core even more than the fruit! 

• Rwandan coffee and teas are various and delicious, so aromatic, and very affordable too.

• I can't eat enough of the BEST peanut butter - no sugar, no salt, just pure peanut-y goodness.

• I celebrated my birthday by enjoying some specialty foods from Bar Feel Ok up the road from the Village, including brochettes (skewers) of goat meat and an omelette filled with french fries and super spicy sauce on the side.

• Fresh amandazi (donuts) from the canteen are a sweet and filling way to start the day, accompanied by some warm, milky, spicy Rwandan tea.

The Sounds

• I often stop my walk at night to listen to the night sounds, a melody of crickets, frogs, and other creatures, and the faintest post-dinner conversations and giggling from the kids.

The People

• The Village Mamas are a powerful bunch, full of energy, love, opinions, and experience. They are a force!

• I love that many people I’ve met are hungry to learn - and listen patiently and intensely.

The Sights

• The birds, the birds! They are everywhere and with colors so striking, from iridescent greens, blues, and flaming reds. There are birds of prey gliding above with massive wingspans and so many little birds all around. Some of the little clever birds fly into the noisy dining room while we are eating to grab a few beak-fulls of spilled rice before they make an acrobatic exit out the top windows.

• The country is so clean and tidy - litter is rare and even so, doesn't stay there long.

• And then, there are the stars...because it's so dark here in the countryside, the night is packed with stars and planets visible to naked eye. And this February's super harvest moon was for us an enormous, yellow, super orb, floating majestically in the velvet sky.

Submitted by Kevin Horst, Information Technology Fellow 2019