Day 4 - Nyamirama Secondary School

July 13, 2018

Written by Naima

Our Friday began in the city of Mukarange, where we had stayed the night before. We started the morning perusing a local market that had a bounty of vegetables: beets, onions, green beans, garlic, and pineapples. Deeper into the market, we came upon beautiful textiles, but decided to hold off on purchasing because there will be many more buying opportunities in Kigali. After taking a photo with the cow statue in the middle of the traffic circle (a tradition in Kayonza), we headed back to the hotel to practice our dance performance. We drew a big crowd from the street who peered into the hotel gates to see us “muzungus” boogie down. An unexpected pre-performance!

We took a quick drive out to the Women for Women boutique where we all purchased some Rwandan goodies for our loved ones - baskets, jewelry, bags, art, and much more!

Our original plan was to visit the Icyerecyezo community, but due to some last minute changes, we weren't able to meet. Instead, we had a very special gathering with the leadership of the 5 Never Again communities we'd been with the night before. This was an intensely emotional experience, as many stories from the Genocide were shared – please see the following blog post .

After the meeting, we headed to Nyamirama Secondary School, our last stop of the day. There, we met with the students who have partnered with San Marcos High School as part of our Sister School program. The Nyamirama students were excited about the exchange and wanted to learn more about their friends abroad. We passed out the letters from the San Marcos stundets, and watched as their recipients held them close, reading every word – in English! We gifted the headmaster 3 brand new laptops for the students, as well as some new volleyballs and two volleyball nets.

We joined the kids outside to play volleyball before the real party started – the dancing! The students formed a large circle, making room for two hip hop performances by their peers. It was a tough act to follow, but the World Dancers stepped up and showed the kids some of our own dances. Before long, it was a one big dance party, full of laughter, friendship, and some wicked dance moves.

We ended our time at Nyamirama by gathering with the school’s leadership. We discussed our partnership, and our hopes for this very special Sister School program.

Another fulfilling day for us all...

Thoughts from Travelers:

Naima: The most fun part of the day was playing volleyball with the students and their teachers. We danced for each other in a large circle in the field made by students and teachers. They showed us ‘Seka’ which is called romantic dancing. It’s comprised of doing small, subtle steps while moving the hips a bit. Ending the day with this large celebration was so beautiful and uplifting. It was cool to connect through dance with all of the students. Loving this trip so far. Each day is full of learning and connecting in new ways.

Leesbeth:

Can you imagine seeing and hearing the woman speak who 20 years ago, while pregnant, saw her husband and 3 children murdered during the genocide. To then 8 years later, when the perpetrator came out of jail, decided to forgive him and pursue a path that would build both a deep friendship, and a shared life in a co-op they called “never again”. To also hear the story of the man who so violently changed this woman’s life, and then afterwards hug and shake both of these people’s hands and know that over the years their friendship and forgiveness is solid.

Can you imagine that after listening to a woman describing how student sponsorship has changed her and her daughter’s life, to find out that this woman is the mother of the child that you have been getting the thank you letters from.

Can you image playing volleyball, and dancing for and with the children in a boarding school till the stars come out.

Can you imagine all of this happening in the same day on this lovely stage called Rwanda.

Can you imagine ever feeling the same again about this small country and its gentle people at the other side of this planet.