As we gathered in the hotel lobby to say goodbye to 9 of our intrepid team on Saturday (they were returning to the UK), the group was overcome with a sense of sadness. Hugs were exchanged, reflections of an incredible week together were shared, laughter rang through the group as we recalled all the “in-jokes” and moments of (in)sanity that we had survived. Where else could we find an accomplished Opera singer, a retired banker, a primary school teacher, and a former vet turned service provider for people with disabilities, ‘chatting the dusty breeze’ with college students, recently graduated university students, and high-flyers from the business world?
Only on a CWB trip! We may only have been together for 7 days, but the bonds that are built in the playgrounds of the Kigali schools, on the bus rides across the city, braving the hotel pool, and over the dinner table are bonds we will share for life. It was with profound gratitude for the opportunity to live and learn next to one another this past week that the remaining 6 volunteers (Tanya, Rachana, Oliver, Paige, Molly & Lara) boarded the bus for our 3-hour drive to Nyagatare and week 2 of this amazing experience. A final shout out to all the staff at the Keza Hotel for their hospitality and their continued stacking of the pool bar with Virunga Silver to keep the CWB crew hydrated!
The 6 of us watched the hustle and bustle of the Kigali streets fade into our rearview mirror as the bus wound its way through the Eastern Providence of Rwanda towards our home for the next week, the Nyagatare Diplomat Hotel. The scenery outside shifted, from the bustling metropolis of Kigali, to farmlands and rolling hills.
We passed through many rural towns with their residents hard at work in the fields, enjoying a break in the shade of the banana trees, or sharing community in their store fronts. Vibrant splashes of color in everyone’s clothes, the walls of the houses, cut through the green of the fields and the hills behind us. We passed men hauling huge bunches of green bananas up the hills on the back of their bicycles, women walking with their kids, others transporting the yellow water butts that are synonymous with this region.
A privileged insight into the daily lives of the communities we would be working with this coming week. The energy in the bus was lively- we were excited for the challenges of a smaller coaching team, a new Ambassador (another Eric!), and new sets of schools and kids hungry to learn all about this game we love so much…..Rapid Fire….jk, cricket of course!
Lest you think that CWB trips are all hard work and no play…. before we reentered the cauldron of CWB coaching, we spent our Sunday morning visiting Akagera National Park on a ‘Big 5’ safari. The 4am start was brutal but the payoff was immense. While the lions and rhinos eluded us, we saw giraffe, impala, elephants, crocodiles, buffalo, warthogs, hippos, fish eagles, velvet monkeys, baboons, and a plethora of birdlife! It was an incredible experience that will live with me for a very long time! We left the Park as the weather closed in around us to begin our journey back to the Diplomat, only to encounter a roadblock manned by the local police. Ah…the Tour de Rwanda was passing through. A chance to see more ‘wildlife’….the Tour de Rwanda Peloton in its full glory! A spectacular, unexpected treat in our Rwandan experience!
Week 1 was a beautiful week of joy, laughter, cricket, rapid fire, connections, character-building, reflection, personal growth….The Nyagatare team is excited to see what Week 2 holds for us!
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