A Very African Adventure (Part 1)

I've come to learn to expect the unexpected in Africa. You simply can't get by without flexibility and a good sense of humor here!

For the past three days my housemates and I have been in Kigali, Rwanda to visit some other AIM missionaries, learn about their ministry in a Christian school there, and enjoy a quick vacation. I've been wanting to visit Rwanda for quite some time now, and it didn't disappoint! Breathtakingly picturesque landscapes, cleanliness and organization, world-renowned coffee, and blending into the crowd slightly more were just some of the high lights.

Traveling to Kigali was my first experience with the bus systems in Africa. It's by far the most affordable and most commonly used mode of transportation for international travel, so we decided to try it out. The Friday before we left, we went down to the booking agent to check the bus schedule for Monday. After quite a lot of cross-cultural miscommunication and misunderstandings, he told us that a bus would be coming through Mbarara at 9am on Monday and that we should arrive at 8:30 to check in and purchase tickets. We also found out that another bus company would be coming through at "10 or 11." We felt good having more than one option in case the first bus to come through was already full.

At 6:20 on Sunday morning, Martha received a phone call from the bus company representative saying that the Monday morning bus had been cancelled and there will only be a night bus. This didn't seem likely, so we did a little more investigating in the afternoon and was finally able to figure out that there would be a 1pm bus. Since this was a lot later than we were hoping to get on the road, we decided to try for the "10 or 11" bus with the other company.

We began our adventure on Monday morning in typical Ugandan style. Our faithful boda drivers came to pick us up along with our backpacks and one small suitcase that we shared between the three of us. It was already a chilly morning (68 degrees...I've become so acclimated to the cold!), but as soon as we stepped outside it began to drizzle. We couldn't wait out the rain as we'd usually do because we needed to get to the "bus stop" by 10am, so we piled ourselves and our belongings onto the bodas and set out. By the timer we reached the "bus stop" (a petrol station where it stops to refuel), we were quite damp but still excited to get on our way. After asking an attendant about the bus, we found out that it had already come through at 7 that morning. Okay. Plan B. Wait for the 1pm bus.

We purchased tickets for the next bus, which of course was not a quick process, but we were still left with over 2 hours before the bus was due to arrive. It was raining heavily by now, so we decided to head over to the Skinner's for a little while. Jill picked us and our belongings up, and we spent the next hour and a half hanging out with their family.

We got back to the "bus stop" around noon to be sure we didn't miss it. If only we knew... Fortunately, one of our favorite restaurants is right next door, so we ordered some lunch to-go, and kept an eye on the petrol station watching for our bus. While we waited, Kelsea, Martha, and I remembered we were heading to a French-speaking country and discussed what little French we knew. None of us have ever studied it, so between the three of us we knew buffet, ballet, fiance, s'il vous plaît, merci, cafe, and boudoir. Probably not the most useful vocabulary.

Our lunch came, but the bus hadn't arrived yet. After waiting awhile more, we decided to go ahead and eat. We finished, and the bus was still no where in sight although it was after 1pm. We kept reminded ourselves and each other that This Is Africa, and things almost never start "on time" or go as planned. We kept ourselves entertained by watching large groups of safari tourists come and go, inventing new games ("I would rather..."), and rewriting the words to "The Wheels On the Bus"  (the wheels on the bus go so slow, the people go waa, and the driver says shh).

By now it's 4pm, our bus is three hours late, and to top it all off we were starting to get hungry again, and because it takes over 5 hours to get to Kigali, we'd also been trying to avoid drinking much. We decide to order a plate of chips (fries) to share as a snack/dinner explaining to the waiter that as soon as the bus comes we'll have to leave. He graciously brings us a plate quickly, we pray thanking God for the food (again) and asking that the bus might come right when we finish eating.

(to be continued...)