I was filled with joy, excitement and hesitation because I did not really know what to do, how to behave, and what to expect. I will tell you about some of the funny and awkward moments of my trip. You can laugh or feel sorry for me but this experience was one of the happiest moments of my life… and for that reason I will come back to the U.S.
My Experiences
Escalator: Kigali International Airport was my first time getting on an escalator, and I almost fell because I stood too close to the edge of the stairs. I know there is another in the Insurance Plaza but I never went to that supermarket.
Automatic toilet flush: In Amsterdam, I went to the restrooms and after a short call I looked for a button or handle to flush the water. I couldn’t find any and a senior citizen who had been looking at me said in a little voice “it’s automatic, just move a little bit away and see” I wonder what would have happened if he wasn’t there!
Hot nights and the sound of the fan: At Yale University, the first night in New Haven wasn’t a night at all. I saw the other fellows looking at me and stop as if they were looking at a stop light because my eyes were so red. The continuous noise from the fan also didn’t help me fall asleep. Hot weather coupled with the continuous noise from the fan was a nightmare.
Walgreen’s pharmacy store: When I reached New Haven I had to charge my phone and I thought I had the right cables but it turned out I had to get another one suitable for American outlets/sockets. I asked Maggie (one of the amazing interns) where I could buy one and she recommended Walgreen’s. She drew a map and when I reached the location on the map there was a big sign saying “pharmacy” I said to myself maybe she didn’t understand what I needed to buy. Because in Rwanda, a pharmacy store is a place you go to get the medicine prescribed by a practitioner/physician.
I went past Walgreen’s and wandered around and all the people I asked were telling me to go back to Walgreen’s. I returned back to the “pharmacy” and you can only imagine my surprise when I saw flip-flops, cosmetics, etc. Things that had nothing to do with the “pharmacy” concept that we have in Rwanda. I sent a message to my friends back in Rwanda telling them that I had bought flip flops in a pharmacy and they were said, “admit you got lost and you don’t know where you got them!”
A wide variety of food: When I entered the Davenport dining hall at Yale, I said to myself, “I never had allergies before and this is not the time to have one.” I tried each and everything during the first week and the second week was about eating only the dishes that I liked. Most of the time, I ended up having meat and vegetarian food on the same plate! At least I wasn’t like some of my fellow friends who loved bacon and didn’t know it was pork and it was “haram” for them!
Sushi and Wasabi “pepper”: At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, I ordered sushi and there as a small green paste that came with my order, which I saved for last. I took a spoonful of this green paste, not realizing that his was some potent form of pepper. Before I knew what was happening, my eyes turned red, my ears were ringing and I almost choked from the attack on my throat.
Back home: Getting off the plane at Kigali International Airport was the best feeling ever. The struggle was over, I was going to enjoy the Rwandan food and do things I knew I won’t have to ask for advice or wait to copy what the people around me were doing. The joy that my mother had on her face when she saw me, my little sisters Gerry and Sandy jumping around, Eng Nadia waving a sign with my family nickname on it, my brother John was already inside the luggage waiting hall and my father who said ”Welcome home, my American son” was priceless.
Thank you all for making this an amazing experience.
When people say that they have been to the US, I will proudly reply “I have been there too” with my head held up high.