Rwanda: Did you know?

Fun Facts about Rwanda
Did you know.......

Bananas could taste so good!? These bananas have a fruit cocktail-like explosion of taste. American bananas are tasteless compared to these tiny things.

Vehicles Drive on the right side? Many neighboring countries drive on the left side, which can cause confusion at border crossings. (Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya follow the British way)

Termites fly? We may not have the four seasons but we are learning about other seasons. For instance, last week our house had dozens of tiny flying bugs appear suddenly one evening. We had to sweep up all their wings because they apparently were dying and losing their wings. The next day we saw wing piles all over the neighborhood. We later found out that they were baby termites and losing their wings is simply a part of termite puberty. The boys have enjoyed watching the termites in our yard and poking around in their mounds.

Termite Wings

Rwanda is the most densely populated country in continental Africa? Two tiny islands in the Indian Ocean are recognized as African & have a higher density.

Rwanda has mandatory community service one Saturday per month? It's called Umuganda (rough translation: coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome) and from 8AM-11AM on the last Saturday of each month everyone works together in the community. All businesses are closed and the streets are eerily vacant (except for checkpoints to ensure no Rwandans are on the road) since, by law, all able-bodied people above the age of 18 and below 65 are expected to participate. This began after the 1994 genocide in an attempt to unite the country and work together for its betterment.

A typically hectic intersection; this is at 10AM on Umuganda

Plastic Bags are illegal? Single-use plastic bags (i.e. Walmart bags) are illegal in the entire country and will be confiscated upon arrival. Due to this effective ban and other factors, Rwanda was ranked #3 of the greenest destinations of the world in 2015 and you can clearly understand why when you arrive in Kigali - it is astonishingly clean by any standards.

Malaria is transmitted by a specific type of mosquito? There are malaria mosquitoes and non-malaria mosquitoes and some people can tell the difference by looking at them. Perhaps it’s helpful to think about venomous and non-venomous snakes.

Brinson and Aiden's mosquito net covered bunk bed

All of our windows are open 24/7/365? Year round daytime temperatures are between 75 and 85 due to elevation (similar to Denver) and being just off the equator.  Nighttime temperatures dip 10 degrees or so. Naturally we have screens on all the windows (see malaria section above).

Don't drink the water? This picture says it all. But we sure are thankful for running water! Most of the country (and continent) walk long distances to fetch water each day. We have running water about 6 out of 7 days.

Before and after the tap water goes through our simple filter

Sunrise and sunset don’t change much throughout the year? Sunrise varies from 5:38AM-6:09AM and sunset from 5:49PM-6:19PM. We’re experiencing the earliest sunrise this month.  We’ve also noticed how quickly the sun sets here at the equator. Dusk is pretty much not existent. It goes from light to dark in a matter of minutes. {Note: the reason is that near the equator the sun sets perpendicular to the horizon, while at higher latitudes, the sun can set at a more oblique angle, allowing it to remain close to the horizon after sunset for a longer period of time.}

Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills? Beautiful!

Rwanda's chief exports are coffee, tea, and minerals?  The small farms, steep slopes, and cool climate are ideal conditions for coffee and tea.

Rwanda is home to some of the last free range mountain gorillas? With less than 900 gorillas remaining in the world, they are considered critically endangered. Most of them are in Rwanda; a few are in the DRC and Uganda. Tourists can pay $750 per person for a guide and a brief close encounter. The fee is steep but it provides a strong incentive to conserve the park and guard the gorillas.