5:40 Maid and children enter my room, get clothes out of closet, and proceed to ‘shush’ each other and loud as humanly possible.
6:00 First alarm. Tell myself I’m going to get up and work out.
6:02 Fall back asleep.
6:55 Second alarm. Lay in bed and listen to A) my host mom yell in French B) Daniella throw a fit C)Doors slam D) All of the above
7:05 Third alarm. Fourth alarm. Tie up mosquito net and stumble out to the back. Ask the maid to heat water for my shower in broken Kinyarwanda and a hand motion of pouring water on my head. Walk into kitchen and microwave a bowl of oats, raisins, nuts, and water.
7:15 Take bucket shower. This involves me standing over a drain and scooping the water from the container into a cup and dumping it on my head. Lather and repeat.
7:30 Dress and apply a pleasant perfume of sunscreen and bug spray.
7:50 Walk up an incredibly steep hill to the street. This adds a lovely layer of sweat to the mix.
8:05 Admit to myself that no vacant buses are going to come. Start walking.
8:20 Arrive at Kimironko Market (the largest market in Kigali) and ask around for the bus to Kacyiro-Nyabugogo.
8:50 Climb over people to get off the bus, pay 200 Rwandan Francs (about 35 cents). Climb up a hill then all the way down another.
9:05 Arrive at SIT, fill water bottle, steal the coffee, and talk until the day begins.
While I write my morning routine slightly facetiously, I do enjoy it. I always talk with friendly people along the way and watching the beautiful, bustling city in the morning is an incredibly uplifting way to start each day.
6:00 First alarm. Tell myself I’m going to get up and work out.
6:02 Fall back asleep.
6:55 Second alarm. Lay in bed and listen to A) my host mom yell in French B) Daniella throw a fit C)Doors slam D) All of the above
7:05 Third alarm. Fourth alarm. Tie up mosquito net and stumble out to the back. Ask the maid to heat water for my shower in broken Kinyarwanda and a hand motion of pouring water on my head. Walk into kitchen and microwave a bowl of oats, raisins, nuts, and water.
7:15 Take bucket shower. This involves me standing over a drain and scooping the water from the container into a cup and dumping it on my head. Lather and repeat.
7:30 Dress and apply a pleasant perfume of sunscreen and bug spray.
7:50 Walk up an incredibly steep hill to the street. This adds a lovely layer of sweat to the mix.
8:05 Admit to myself that no vacant buses are going to come. Start walking.
8:20 Arrive at Kimironko Market (the largest market in Kigali) and ask around for the bus to Kacyiro-Nyabugogo.
8:50 Climb over people to get off the bus, pay 200 Rwandan Francs (about 35 cents). Climb up a hill then all the way down another.
9:05 Arrive at SIT, fill water bottle, steal the coffee, and talk until the day begins.
While I write my morning routine slightly facetiously, I do enjoy it. I always talk with friendly people along the way and watching the beautiful, bustling city in the morning is an incredibly uplifting way to start each day.