Internet in Rwanda

It’s time to bust a myth around the quality of internet connection in Rwanda. I held on to my belief that it’s awesome for as long as I could (it certainly used to be very good – in the About me tab you will read that it was faster here than in South Africa – well, it really was, two years ago). Well, it’s time to stop fooling myself and face reality: it’s not that awesome at all.

In the land of green lemons and powerful bosses: things that can surprise you in Rwanda ;)

I once wrote about things I was getting used to in Rwanda, and I think I am indeed already used to them 😉 But this doesn’t mean there aren’t other things which I still find strange or surprising. Nothing big mainly, but still. Like lemons 🙂

Killing dogs in Rwanda (updated)

I am a member of a Facebook group for expats in Rwanda, and it’s a great forum for literally anything – if you want to buy or sell something, get a pet, need tips about hotels, restaurants or things to do in the country and the region, look for advice on best internet provider, or just want to find friends. People also share their experiences of everyday life in Rwanda, including stories of best croissants they ever tasted, best massage and manicure in town, cool events they’ve attended, but also less cheerful stories of burglaries or thefts, bad customer service, etc. A few days ago a member posted that their two pups had been poisoned at night and died. The discussion that ensued made me want to scream…

Sky is the limit

A few months ago my friends and I were driving from Kigali to Lake Kivu, and we stopped for tea and views at the Virunga Lodge near the Volcanoes National Park (I had stayed there before and wrote about it here, the views are simply spectacular). The lodge is quite a way up the hill, past a series of little villages. On the way back to the town a young boy in jeans and a well-worn T-shirt stopped us and asked for a lift to the main road. We told him to jump in and quickly found out that this was no ordinary boy.

Christmas in Rwanda

Before you get too excited – this post probably won’t give you too much insight into Rwandan Christmas! 😉 Mostly because I’m not spending it in the country this year, and also because, well, I didn’t feel particularly Christmassy until I got to Europe as there isn’t much of the so-called Christmas spirit in Kigali… Not that it’s a bad thing though! Read on to find out why 🙂