Giraffes and impalas and hippos, oh my

Yes, we were lucky yesterday and were able to see plenty of animals while on a Safari in the Eastern part of Rwanda. We woke up early and traveled to Akagera National Park (which borders Tanzania) with Igor (one of the founders of Ubuntu) and 4 other Canadian volunteers. It was great fun. We started our trek with a half hour of seeing nothing but bush and trees. We then came upon a group of giraffes and from there things picked up significantly. We went on to see Impalas and several other species of antelope, as well as baboons, different birds and several hippos. It was beautiful; the animals were incredible. After about 4-5 hours of safari we went to a fancy hotel within the park for some lunch and then began our journey back. On our way back we stopped briefly to have a soda at a lakeside bar and then made our way back to Kigali. As we traveled to an from Akagera through the Rwandan countryside, the realities of life here continue to set in. The countryside is poor relative to Kigali and some live in considerable poverty. More and more as we spend more time here we begin to see the reality of life in Africa and especially here in Rwanda. Some of what we see is encouraging but other aspects are at times quite depressing. I am thankful that we are staying in a village amongst the locals here, it opens our eyes to many things we would otherwise not see had we been staying in a hotel like many other western travelers. But more on that stuff later. We are doing good and enjoying our time here, although I am becoming somewhat homesick. I think maybe I am becoming sick of being a spectacle. Everywhere we go we are looked at, at times mocked and at other times prodded for money by little kids who know no English other than to ask for money. It really makes one sympathetic for the challenges immigrants (especially visible minorities) face in Canada and elsewhere. In short, I guess I long to be normal, to fit in. I'll get over it just fine I'm sure. That being said, we are developing great relationships with people here. People within the community, women and men who work at the center and other volunteers as well. We are healthy, for the most part. JoAnna is battling a cold from not sleeping well during the night and I managed to get some good sunburn on my shoulders. Other than those little tidbits, we are doing great. We hope all of you are doing well and JoAnna and I send our love to all of you. In the next day or so we will be setting-up a Photobucket account for you all to see pictures of our journey as it continues.

Thanks for your comments and love,

Alex and JoAnna