So our time in Musanze was at an end and it was time to head off to Huye in the South of Rwanda. I have to say Musanze and all the people there were terrific. It is a new location for CWB and I can only see a bright future for our relationship with the schools there in the future.
We set off with our bus full to the brim with kit and luggage. Thanks to all of the wonderful donations we actually have great difficulty fitting everything in and so to lighten the load we had great fun giving away a few hundred tennis balls through the windows of the bus to local children as we drove through the outskirts of Musanze. It never ceases to amaze me how much the children treasure something as simple as a tennis ball. This freed up some space to take on extra kit, tennis balls and donations of clothing, toys and learning materials that we had left in Kigali.
After a journey of about 2 and a half hours through the absolutely stunning hills of the Rwandan countryside, we arrived in Kigali where we made a brief stop to pick up some of the kit we had left with the Rwandan Cricket Association. I have always been told that it is not possible to take too many tennis balls on a CWB trip, but we seem to have pushed that theory to the absolute limit. Not too fear though, they will all find a good home and make many Rwandan children very happy, it is simply a matter of the logistics that is proving a little difficult.
After this we were off to visit the new Rwnadan national cricket stadium where we were given the opportunity to watch a division 2 match that included several players that had been introduced to cricket by CWB. A particular highlight was hearing Tall Eric, one of the CWB ambassadors, sledging a player for being almost as short as our own Lee Booth.
Unfortunately, not long into the match the rain came. A monstrous downpour that left the pitch under water in a matter of minutes. After a delay of about an hour, which was filled by the CWB volunteers partaking in a few of the local beers bought from the “Yorkshire Tea” kiosk, even the incredible optimism of our hosts was washed away with the deluge and the game was abandoned.
So we headed off to a local restaurant “Meze Fresh” to sample their fantastic Burritos, each one weighing in at about the same weight as a baby elephant. Then we were back in the bus for the three and a half hour drive to Huye.
Once we arrived in Huye and found our Hotel we met up with another of the CWB ambassadors, Joseph, who is a medical student based there. Then off out for a few beers and chips, the huge burritos we had all consumed earlier meant that no-one was desperate for much more than that. A few games of cards and then off to bed before seeing what the morning will bring in the very hot Huye.
Clive Hawthorn
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