Final week!

The final week dawned and brought with it a number of school visits - each one showing more and more positivity. I was astonished at how much progress the teachers made during our short visit. I hope this progress continues and they support each other with this in the future. I saw a lesson on different chicken types where the teachers love of teaching and of her children was evident; I saw a P1 lesson on body parts and ended up joining in with the singing and I was astounded to sit in on a P5 lesson on compound interest. All of these teachers put their own spin on our shared techniques and the children were incredibly enthusiastic. It was with a great deal of sadness that we said goodbye to the schools only wishing we could stay longer.

We boarded the buses with a huge sense of accomplishment as we left Ishara for the final time. The journey was quiet, many were exhausted but all were happy that we had had a positive impact.

Kibuye was a very different place. It was similar to a swiss resort but with that special Rwanda edge. We had lunch, eventually, then went out on a boat in the afternoon to peace island where we swam in the lake. This was a great way to unwind after all the school visits. It turns out our helm was a Rwandan Olympic swimmer. He was nice and allowed me to helm us home. We saw a lot of otters even though it was hammering with rain.

The next day we went out on the boat again but this time to bat island (Napoleon island). There were hundreds of bats flying around and the noise was terrible. Most of us scrambled to the top of the island where the views were incredible. When we returned to the boats, Jackson went swimming - an olympic masterclass!

We left Kibuye the following day tired but mostly ready to return home. My bus turned into a Disney / showtunes sing along which was fun.

Once we had settled into our rooms back in Kigali we went for dinner in Papyrus, a chinese restaurant with panoramic views over the city. It was stunning but felt very surreal. Nyamasheke was very poor and this seemed alien to the conditions we had been living in. Never the less, the change in food and comfort levels were well received and everyone had a lovely evening.

The following day we all left for our flights. We had been booked onto a long route which allowed plenty of time for contemplation / sleep.

What an incredible summer we all had. We were so lucky to be able to work alongside the Rwandan teachers and each other and I hope that all involved will continue in this positive way.