Gisenyi

With only 3 weeks to go in Rwanda, I decided it was time to leave Kigali and see a bit more of Rwanda. The last time I did so it was to drive up north, get lost and then climb a very cold, wet hike up Mount Bisoke, which should have taken 5 hours, but instead took 9. It was miserable and I was so muddy by the end of it that I needed professional help to get my hands a feet clean!

So, I decided instead to head off for a more relaxing weekend and I set my compass towards Gisenyi. Gisenyi is the second largest town in Rwanda and it sits right on the edge of Congo and Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is one of the only lakes in the Great Lakes Region that you can actually swim in and the vast body of water surrounded by beautiful hills makes for a truly spectacular landscape. The temperature seldom gets above 25 C, but the lush greenery and tropical plants make it look like it belongs somewhere far more hot and humid. The weekend was complete with swimming, exploring the landscape, visiting some traditional hot springs and poking around a local dairy farm. I truly recommend a visit to Gisenyi if you’re ever in Rwanda.

Catch 22

You’d think that getting into Harvard is the hard part, but no, for broke international students there seems to be an unforgiving initiation period in which you have to negotiate the worst combination of school administration regulation, the US government and banks.
I’ve worked in International Development since I left school and let’s face it’s not a lucrative field. So while I might have worked for a salary, had a less interesting CV and not gotten into Harvard, I chose instead to work for pennies doing fantastic things in Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia and Rwanda, which gave me the credentials to get into Harvard, but not the savings to actually be able to afford to attend. So, I looked to loans but little did I know what a headache that would be.
Basically put, the school/government will not issue a student visa until they see a US bank account with the entire years living costs and tuition in it. However, for people, like me, who have to take out loans to go to school (I’m lucky enough to have a US co-signer) the banks will not give you any money until they see a student visa. Then, above that –if, for example you are lucky enough to have a benevolent uncle who can lend you money for a while, trying to open a US account if you are not in the US is next to impossible. How do you enter the US to open the account without the student visa, and how do you get the student visa with out the account with the money in it? Now, try to solve these dilemmas from Rwanda.
Anyways, sorting this out has taken me months and hundreds of dollars in phone calls, FedEx costs and faxes from Rwanda and sadly has taken me away from my blogging. Please accept my deepest apologies. Nice blogs of Rwanda are in the making.