Suppose you’re considering traveling to Rwanda soon. In that case, you’re welcome to the nation with the cleanest city on the continent, the land of a thousand hills, the heart of Africa, flowing with milk and honey, and not to mention the most stunning women.
I assume you already know all of these famous traits about Rwanda. But let me tell you that there is more. Certain aspects of Rwanda give visitors from other countries—particularly those from nearby African nations—the impression that they are on a separate continent.
As a foreigner living in Rwanda for over five years now, the following things have left me mesmerized.
Safety, safety, and safety
If you’re visiting Rwanda for the first time and decide to drive or stroll around Kigali’s streets, you’ll observe that every motorcyclist has an extra helmet for their passengers. Road safety regulations dictate that this is the right thing to do, so it shouldn’t come as a shock.
However, in cities like Kampala, safety is synonymous with cleanliness and attractiveness. Even if motorists decided to hand out helmets to their passengers, they wouldn’t take them, with claims of; “I don’t trust the person who used it before me-hygiene, and if it’s a lady, they wouldn’t want to ruin their hairstyles.
Rwanda is incredibly safe and secure—so safe that you can travel in the middle of the night on public transportation, such as motorcycles, and still make it to your destination safe and sound. Think it’s underrated, try it elsewhere.
Unsupervised order
If patience doesn’t exist in your DNA, do yourself a favor and stay away from bus parks in Rwanda. But if you’ve heard of the adage “the early bird catches the worm”, then go ahead and enjoy the public transport. The people of Rwanda are very disciplined that even with no supervision, they will gladly line up and wait for the next bus, and when it finally arrives, ‘survival for the fittest doesn’t apply’, instead, ‘first come first serve’ does.
By the book
Just like the passengers, bus drivers in Rwanda respect each other. You won’t ever witness these gentlemen battling for passengers—instead, they will patiently wait for their counterparts to load their cars before doing the same. When it comes to driving, they will drive at the recommended speed even during the so-called ‘rush hour’. Nevertheless, bus stops are highly respected to the extent that even if you’re just seconds away from one, the driver will never stop to either load or offload a passenger.
Spotless clean
I come from a country where we litter so that the cleaners have what to clean. If you’re one like me, please don’t try that in Rwanda. Just because the city has sent out its entire staff to clean up doesn’t mean you should go around throwing garbage, always make it a point to look for the dustbins on the streets or carry your trash home.
Light in the dark
The first time I traveled outside Kigali was to Kiramuruzi- Eastern province. Because of work, I had to travel back that same day even though it was at night. To my surprise, I could still see the stunning views of Rwanda during my trip, thanks to the street lights that serve their purpose.
Home away from home
The worry of losing contact with your loved ones when visiting Rwanda shouldn’t even cross your mind. Why? Although still regarded as a developing country, Rwanda proves to be past-developed. Not only is the Internet widely available, but it’s also reasonably priced.
Downtown is actually uptown
People from larger nations than Rwanda like to attribute Rwanda’s cleanliness to its size. I say Rwanda would remain a clean nation even if it were larger. Rwandans are so responsible that if you dare to throw anything on the street, it’s not the authorities that will call you out, instead fellow citizens. So, don’t put a limit to your travel while in Rwanda because you think cleanliness is only in a few places- Downtown Kigali is uptown in other nations.
Living in the moment
Now many of you have greatly admired the Rwandan cultural dance, their ladies, and how soft and calm the people are, yet find the guts to complain about their cuisine, specifically the one that combines chips (French fries) with dishes like beans, groundnuts, isombe(sauce from pounded cassava leaves), and not the usual fish, liver, chicken, and beef that you’re used to. Allow me inform you that Rwanda will take what may seem insignificant, and make a fortune out of it. Take a look at the gorilla conservation story, Tour du Rwanda, among others. Just like Night Birdie said: “Don’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore to enjoy it”, down here, people enjoy their meals the way they possibly can.
