Rwanda's Influence on Me

In early September, I was listening to a very good friend from college  tell me about his amazing trip to Bermuda in a cruise. He was telling me about the huge amount of food and alcohol, the gambling, the beautiful pools and beaches, and complaining about the small rooms.  Then he started telling me how I should save up to go on a similar cruise because it is so amazing. And suddenly I realized I was annoyed, but more than annoyed, I was downright angry with him.

Why? I had to step back and figure that out.  The fact is I just can’t imagine going on such an excessive trip right now.  While he was eating a second dessert, I was struggling to get medical help for a young woman. While he was in the jacuzzi, I was grateful that the tap was working right now. While he was relaxing on the beach, I was balking at the low educational standards and listening to someone tell me how they can’t go to school because it is too expensive.

Of course, with my Rwandan stipend, a cruise is not quite on my radar right now anyways. But even if it was, I’m just unsure I’d be able to enjoy it.  When I arrived, would I admire the beautiful resorts or would I notice the extreme food and housing prices and worry about how the locals were able to thrive in such a market inflated by foreigners? Would I appreciate the food or would I wonder if it is fair trade? Would I enjoy interaction with the locals or would I wonder which of them are sex workers struggling to care for their children?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that people should not enjoy a cruise. Not at all. But it will take me a long time (or maybe I never will) to move away from this mindset of exploring the hidden causes and intricacies of social problems.  This cruise conversation was so eye opening to me. I honestly thought that I was still the same overall person and hadn’t changed that much.  In reality, my values and opinions have clearly fundamentally changed.

On a separate note, but one I always like to promote, I have always been a bit of an minimalist. This article has always been my mantra: http://mnmlist.com/the-true-cost-of-stuff/  But this outlook clearly has gotten stronger through my year in Rwanda.