Muraho friends!
We are in Rwanda!! Everyone arrived in Kigali on Sunday (July 15th) without a hitch. At the airport, we met Wally, our main translator and in-country contact with our partner-NGO, Village Makeover (VMO). It was a quick trip from the airport to the hotel, as Wally had to make sure we were done by the time the World Cup final started. We quickly dropped our bags at the hotel and took a taxi to a World Cup final viewing party at a city park. While most of the crowed was cheering for Croatia, they all cheered for any goal that was scored. The park was extremely crowded so Wally took us to a Chinese restaurant with a "good screen for the match." Sadly, according to Wally and Carlo, France won the game.
Today was a day of errands and shopping around Kigali. We first went to the bank to make sure all of our finances were in order. The first shopping stop for the day was Safintra in the Kigali industrial district where we bought our roofing and gutters. When we were there, we saw a truck being loaded with building materials for the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).
Next, we picked up an extra SIM card for our local phones and then moved on to the first of two piping store we visited during the day. The piping store had the lengths of PVC we needed for the piping between the tanks but didn't have the correct taps or caps for the first flush system so we had to visit a second store. On the way to the second piping store, we stopped to check out a store to buy rebar. When looking at rebar, we realized that our American rebar sizes were different than the Metric sizing but luckily we had a conversion chart that helped us figure out which Metric sizes we needed. We then stopped for a quick snack/lunch at a supermarket called Simba before going to our final shopping stop. The final shop we visited was a large warehouse style hardware store. After about two hours (at least) we were able to find the rest of the piping materials we needed.
Throughout the whole day, we had a single cab driver who took all of us around the city. He spoke about 15 words the whole time we were with him but was a rockstar and deserves a shout out!
By the time we were finished with all of our shopping, it was about 6:30pm and we were ready for dinner at Max's favorite restaurant in Kigali, Meze Fresh (the Rwandan version of Chipotle). We were lucky enough to meet Austin Riley, the EWB USA CU Chapter President, at Meze Fresh for dinner! Austin is working in Rwanda with Water for People as his practical in the CU Mortensen Center's Engineering for Developing Communities master's program. During dinner, Austin was able to meet Wally and we had the chance to talk to him about our upcoming project. With both Austin and Carlo present, we were able to have a great conversation about project logistics and community sustainability.
Currently we are sitting in the common area of a great hostel Max found in Kigali, called Mijo, reworking mortar and concrete calculations so that we are prepared to purchase the materials to get started on the foundations for the tanks and columns once we get to Musanze. Mijo has a great view over Kigali where you can see all the lights dotting the hills of the city.
Tomorrow we will be finalizing a couple purchases here in Kigali and arranging transport for materials to the village (Kibaya) before visiting the Rwandan Genocide Memorial Museum. After our visit to the museum, we are traveling to Musanze, checking in at our hotel and getting ready to start the project! On Wednesday, we are planning to meet with local government officials and the Community Vision Board before beginning construction on Thursday when the materials we purchased in Kigali are scheduled to arrive.
We are in Rwanda!! Everyone arrived in Kigali on Sunday (July 15th) without a hitch. At the airport, we met Wally, our main translator and in-country contact with our partner-NGO, Village Makeover (VMO). It was a quick trip from the airport to the hotel, as Wally had to make sure we were done by the time the World Cup final started. We quickly dropped our bags at the hotel and took a taxi to a World Cup final viewing party at a city park. While most of the crowed was cheering for Croatia, they all cheered for any goal that was scored. The park was extremely crowded so Wally took us to a Chinese restaurant with a "good screen for the match." Sadly, according to Wally and Carlo, France won the game.
World Cup Final watch party in Kigali
Today was a day of errands and shopping around Kigali. We first went to the bank to make sure all of our finances were in order. The first shopping stop for the day was Safintra in the Kigali industrial district where we bought our roofing and gutters. When we were there, we saw a truck being loaded with building materials for the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).
Next, we picked up an extra SIM card for our local phones and then moved on to the first of two piping store we visited during the day. The piping store had the lengths of PVC we needed for the piping between the tanks but didn't have the correct taps or caps for the first flush system so we had to visit a second store. On the way to the second piping store, we stopped to check out a store to buy rebar. When looking at rebar, we realized that our American rebar sizes were different than the Metric sizing but luckily we had a conversion chart that helped us figure out which Metric sizes we needed. We then stopped for a quick snack/lunch at a supermarket called Simba before going to our final shopping stop. The final shop we visited was a large warehouse style hardware store. After about two hours (at least) we were able to find the rest of the piping materials we needed.
Safintra Warehouse
Lunch at Simba: Will, Sonrisa, Wally, Zayna
(Max and Carlo were focused on water and chapati)
Throughout the whole day, we had a single cab driver who took all of us around the city. He spoke about 15 words the whole time we were with him but was a rockstar and deserves a shout out!
By the time we were finished with all of our shopping, it was about 6:30pm and we were ready for dinner at Max's favorite restaurant in Kigali, Meze Fresh (the Rwandan version of Chipotle). We were lucky enough to meet Austin Riley, the EWB USA CU Chapter President, at Meze Fresh for dinner! Austin is working in Rwanda with Water for People as his practical in the CU Mortensen Center's Engineering for Developing Communities master's program. During dinner, Austin was able to meet Wally and we had the chance to talk to him about our upcoming project. With both Austin and Carlo present, we were able to have a great conversation about project logistics and community sustainability.
We found Austin!!
(Will, Sonrisa, Zayna, and Austin)
Currently we are sitting in the common area of a great hostel Max found in Kigali, called Mijo, reworking mortar and concrete calculations so that we are prepared to purchase the materials to get started on the foundations for the tanks and columns once we get to Musanze. Mijo has a great view over Kigali where you can see all the lights dotting the hills of the city.
Carlo, Will, and Max
Tomorrow we will be finalizing a couple purchases here in Kigali and arranging transport for materials to the village (Kibaya) before visiting the Rwandan Genocide Memorial Museum. After our visit to the museum, we are traveling to Musanze, checking in at our hotel and getting ready to start the project! On Wednesday, we are planning to meet with local government officials and the Community Vision Board before beginning construction on Thursday when the materials we purchased in Kigali are scheduled to arrive.
Kigali at night from Mijo Hostel
Glad you got to see the game, it was a thriller!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the project and keep those updates coming.