Presidential Cabinets, Pick Pocketing, Preschoolers and Puppies

I had a meeting in Kigali, the capitol city of Rwanda, a few days ago. I was to meet with World Vision-Rwanda and the Secretary General from the Ministry of Education. My meeting with World Vision went very well, but I was unable to meet with the Secretary General due to the fact that he was out of town or something. Because my meeting with the ministry was cancelled, I decided to visit a nice little coffee shop in Kigali called Bourbon Cafe.
While I was there I ran into a friend of mine that owns a coffee washing station. He was trying to get some governmental business taken care of and was meeting with one of President Paul Kagame’s cabinet members. It was pretty cool to sit and have coffee with one of the advisor’s to the president. The coffee was good to.
After visiting with the presidential advisor in the coffee shop, I headed to the bus station to purchase a ticket for the ride home. After purchasing the ticket, I exited the complex and started walking down the street to look for a book store that might have books in English. (I have read over 10 books since I have been here, and I am out of books to read.) I was a few feet from the bus stop when a Rwanda grabbed my right arm and started talking to me in Rwandan. I couldn’t understand what he was saying to me, but it looked like he was trying to sell me something.
As my mouth began to formulate the word “I don’t want it,” (In Rwanda I have learned to say ‘I don’t want it’ before even looking at the merchandise. It is a bad habit, but I am tired of people trying to sell me 20 year old maps, or mechanical parts to machines that I didn’t even know existed, and I am especially tired of people trying to sell me pants that are 3 sizes to small and one shoe...not even a pair...one shoe!)

“I don’t wa...” then my words were cut short as another man grabbed my left arm. Before I even knew what to do, the person grabbing my left arm had already removed the contents of my left shirt pocket. He them tried to reach around to my backside and remove my wallet. I started swinging my arms in all directions like one would do when being attacked by bees. I wanted to punch one of them in the face, but there were so many people around, I couldn’t tell who was robbing me and who was a bystander. My method of swinging my arms like a wild man worked as the criminals darted away like a child chasing a bouncing ball, running into the street without even looking at oncoming cars. They didn’t get hit like I hoped they would.

Before I could even yell, “I’ve been robbed!” they were gone. A Rwandan friend of mine asked me to describe their appearance. My reply:

Well, they were short, dark skinned, and had buzzed off hair. They spoke Rwandan, were skinny, and ran very fast....it wasn’t you was it?

All Rwandans look the same to me, and these were no different. The contents that these thieves escaped with:
One World Vision business card, a bus ticket, a piece of paper with two phone numbers and a little doodle of a house (I drew the little house), and one used phone card.
The only thing of value was the bus ticket, which I had refunded. I am already planning my next trip to Kigali. I am leaving my shirt pocket wide open with a role of 100 Rwandan Franks. Inside of these franks will be three razor blades, some super glue, and a note saying “enjoy the cash you filthy animal” in Rwandan of course. The total cost of this prank that will cause a lot of pain to both the hand and the moral of the next thief that tries to rob me: about $5 USD. Money well spent. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Kigali is not all bad as I have been there many times and never been pick pocketed until recently. I went there last week and played ball with some kids. They were a lot of fun. They are part of an orphanage that holds children that are HIV infected. They had never seen a white person before, so they loved playing games with me. They also sang songs and danced for me and some other visitors. It was a very enjoyable experience. I hope to see them again before I leave.

Lastly, to bring this blog full circle, my friend that was eating with the presidential cabinet member has a little puppy named “TGENDE.” Tgende means “Let’s Go!” I really like that puppy but it is a pain to deal with. Tgende as almost completely torn the bottom off one of my pant legs. They don’t have many dogs in Rwanda since the genocide, so it has been a pleasure to play with Tgende. It is funny to find the things about home that I miss. I miss a cold glass of milk, chicken fried steak, family, friends, driving, and until now, puppies. (Oddly enough I don’t miss my cell phone at all. As a matter of fact, I don’t really want one when I get back.) Now that I have Togende to play with, my list of things that I miss is a little shorter. I’ll be home in a few weeks, and I am now ready to be back.

Don’t take things from my pockets, or you might hurt yourself.

Peace, prayers, and parties to all of you.

-blaze