Kamonyi in the sky !!

Today I took it upon myself to visit my village, Kamonyi, located 30km from Kigali. I took a moto to the main bus terminal (where nearly 100 buses were stationed- it was a circus!) and then caught the bus to Gitarama, which promised to let me off at Kamonyi (about halfway to Gitarama). Actually, many of the locals on the bus called to the driver to let the "muzungu" off when we neared Kamonyi. It was kinda cool. Still with me here? Then I took a moto up to the District Education Office, which was literally up, up, up a very steep hill on an unpaved road. It was in fact a 10km ride, directly up ! When I reached the top I looked out on the horizon and discovered that I was at the same level as the clouds ! I think if I do begin work here, I will acclimatize pretty quickly- which in the long run serves me well for my future Kilimanjaro trek.
I said a quick hello at the District Office- the trip was more for my benefit than theirs, and returned to Kigali. Tomorrow I will travel to Gitarama and visit with Bruce for a few days. He has promised to take me on some school visits and I am really looking forward to doing some work- even simulated work will do.
Not much else to report, so here are some random Rwandan facts.
- In 2006, Rwanda banned plastic bags. You must travel with your own bag to carry your things.
-Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way, in fact, I am not concerned with falling off a moto- more concerned about being hit by one in motion.
-Birdwatching is big here. No wonder, given each day sounds like a "Nature" CD
- The government randomly decided to make English Rwanda's language of choice recently so along with Kinyarwanda and French, people are encouraged to speak English. On my bus ride to Kamonyi, a language tape was playing.
- The main roads here are in incredibly good shape. Smooth, paved and easy to travel. I think Ontario's urban planners could take notes, as there are actually few potholes. The unpaved roads however are a different story. I was actually raised from my seat several times as I rode the moto up to Kamonyi on a dirt road.
-Shopping so far is very random. In the markets, each store seems to sell the same stuff. Lots of bags/backpacks/purses, rubber bins, flashlights, hair products and an assortment of things. In the larger shops, for example the Nakumatt (Rwanda's Walmart), there are many familiar products like Head & Shoulders and Toblerone. Even in the most remote rural areas I've seen signs for Coca-Cola. Total world domination, eh?
Anyway, I have many more trivialities to share with you, but I'm quite tired. (Fatigue is a common thread on my blog, I'm hoping that it's just an adjustment period). Hope everything is going well back in Canada.
Footnote: I have been asked on three occasions now-mostly by other expats, why Canadians always wear the symbol of Canada ? (I have a Canadian flag pin on my bag). I tried to explain that a) I am proud to be from Canada and b) I don't want to be mistaken for an American and c) even if I were at home, wearing Canadian paraphernalia is not uncommon. I guess I'd never given it much thought but it's true- we do love our Maple Leaf :) Wait until July 1st, eh?