Day of Departure

May 9, 2009
Today is the day we leave for Rwanda, Africa!!! :)

Here is a tentative schedule of what we will be doing each day.

May 9- Leave from DSM airport at 3:00pm.
May 10- Spend the day touring London
May 11- Arrive in Kigali the capitol of Rwanda. We will arrive in the morning, check into our hotel, and visit a genocide memorial
May 12- Tour Kigali and become familiar with our surroundings. In the evening, we will go to the orphanage for the first time.
May 13- Go to the local junior high and high school for our first school visit. We may go to the market and we will go to the orphanage again.
May 14- We will return to the schools and the orphanage
May 15- Go to a nursery school (ages 3-6yrs old)
May 16- On this day, we will climb a mountain and trek while gorillas. Have you seen gorillas in the mist? This is where I will be.
May 17- A much needed day of rest! We will be on Lake Kivu relaxing on the beach and attend a local church.
May 18- Service day- we will be working in gardens and planting trees
May 19- We will visit a park and a refugee camp from the genocide.
May 20- We will visit another school. This is the school where the students have no resources and write with chalk on pieces of slate. This will be an interesting visit.
May 21- Another school visit today. However, this is school is on the other end of the scale. We will be at Green Hills, and this school mirrors a typical American school. The President’s children attend this school….very well funded. In the afternoon, we will return to the orphanage.
May 22- This day we will visit a women’s center. Most of these women were left with nothing after the genocide and live in this center. In the afternoon, we will go to the orphanage.
May 23- Rwandan history day. We will go to a museum today and also visit the national college.
May 24- Today we will go to the largest church in the country. The church was a gift from Belgium, and 3000 people attend services every Sunday at 7:30 AM!
May 25- We will meet the Minister of Education today.
May 26- At the national college, we will present what we have learned during our visit to Rwanda. We will also fly to Tanzania at night. Our flight leaves at 4AM!!!
May 27- We start our safari experience this day! We will visit three parks in 2.5days.
May 28- Another safari day
May 29- On this day, we will visit a very traditional tribe.
May 30- Arrive is Des Moines at 6:30pm

On June 11th, I have been invited to share my experiences with my 4-H group. I am inviting anyone who would like hear about my trip and see pictures! It will be held at 7:30pm at the Carlisle Family Life Center (405 School Street, Carlisle, IA 50047)

I hope you have the opportunity to follow my blog!