The main roundabout in downtown Kigali, overlooking some of Kigali's suburbs.
Up the road from the roundabout is the tribute to Rwanda's growth: buildings rising, supermarkets open 24 hours, and all manner of bustle.
Welcome to Rwanda, the land of several thousand moto drivers.
Jara--Kiva Fellow in Tanzania, visits! Here, John and I show her Lake Muhazi.
I have developed a massive love of Sour Patch Kids and request bags from the U.S whenever I get wind of a new American arriving. John, on the other hand, does not seem to be taking to them.
John sees some fellow lake-visitors fishing and decides to give it a shot. It shouldn't be surprising that they had far more success than he did.
As we hitch a ride back to Kigali, the driver makes a stop at his brother's farm and we're given a tour of the hilltop estate.
Me and stranger's farm
We finally make it to the part of the farm we've been waiting for: the cows! Most were out grazing, but there was one angry one inside the fencing.
All things considered, that's a pretty lucky cow. I mean, check out the view!
This goes down as the best smile I've ever elicited from a Kiva client during a Journal Update Interview. It's my shining trophy of what can be accomplished if I'm willing to make a bit of a fool of myself immediately prior to pressing the button.
Sipping on tree tomato juice, helmet in tow, at a small restaurant in downtown Kigali.
John, Teddy, and I decided to look miserable for the camera. This, after we tried traipsing around Kigali on foot to find Kiva clients, but were sabotaged by massive downpours every few minutes. Here we are taking respite in our fourth shelter during yet another downpour.
Bar tab meets credit card: a Kiva client keeps a log of IOU's to track who bought what but could not pay.
Remera, Kigali.
At a market in an outskirt of Kigali, an onion vendor sneaks in a nap.
The most well-stocked neighborhood shop I've seen in Rwanda. This is owned by a Kiva client. I particularly like that he writes the prices right on the shelves so that muzungus like me can't be ripped off.
Kigali at sunset. Construction materials in the foreground serve as a reminder to how quickly the city is growing.
A nice little Sunday, taking a walk around Kigali with Gabi and Miriam.
We found an abandoned truck cab so, being 4 years old, had to get in and pretend to drive it.
Andre, tailor extraordinaire, finishing a dress for me.
In Southern Province, I ventured to a remote part of an already-remote town to meet with a Kiva client. Within 20 seconds of my arrival, a crowd twice this big (you can only see half in the picture) had gathered and remained throughout my time at the client's shop. I'm fairly accustomed to attention by now, but this was unprecedented. Notice how all age groups are represented.
