How to cross the border between Uganda and Rwanda

Well, this is not exactly a post about children. It is a post that can make your life easier if you need to cross the Ugandan-Rwandan border at Gatuna.

We went on holidays to Uganda from Rwanda, and on our way there we had quite some delay because we did not know what we had to do exactly. Having three children in the back of the car, and having them going in and out the car several times did not help to have a good start of the holidays!

So, on our way back, I made a small list with the steps to be taken when crossing the border, this time from Uganda to Rwanda.

1. Cross the first gate
2. Go to the Ugandan Immigration Office. Get the passports stamped. Give the Interstate Pass that you got when leaving Rwanda.
3. Go to the police station. Show your car papers, driving licence and the driver's passport.
4. Go to Uganda Revenue Authority and get a stamp.
5. Go in the car and cross the second gate. You will cross a river over a bridge.
6. You will get your temperature checked.
7. Cross the third gate.
8. Go to the Rwandan Immigration Office (entry). Get the passports stamped.
9. Go to Customs.
10. Go to the police station, and show paper from previous police station.

11. Cross the fourth gate, and give the paper you received from the police.

Good luck!

Picnic in Lake Muhazi

A couple of weeks ago we went to Lake Muhazi to have a picnic in the afternoon. A friend of us wanted to show her plot of land where she plans to build a leisure center, maybe including a camping or bungalows for families to stay over.

The place is beautiful! We just spent few hours in the area, and it is a good place for small children to entertain themselves for a while. At the Muhazi Water Sports, you can buy some drinks and simple food (we ordered roasted chicken and bananas). Of course, it is always good to carry some crayons or small toys! A ball was not a good idea, since it was easily rolling into the water.

For directions, check the website of Muhazi Water Sports, the way is well described. I recommend it for a lazy weekend afternoon!

Dowry giving ceremony in Kigali

We were invited to a dowry giving ceremony in Kigali. We have learned that a Rwandan man pays the dowry to the family of the bride. The dowry is the money (or cow) that the man's family pays to the woman's family in the process of marriage. So, quite a different story that in other countries like India! 

In this ceremony, no cow was given (to our disappointment), but money. The bride's family was sitting in one side of the room, (the bride was not present), and the groom's family was sitting on the other side. A lot of speeches and comments were exchanged between the two sides, most seeming an exchange of jokes. Unluckily, our knowledge of the local language is very limited, so we could not follow much!

Anna, of course, did not miss her chance to sit as much as possible with the groom. At a certain point, and when the dowry was accepted, the bride came into the room, and some dancing and singing took place.

I was very happy that we could be present, but I do not recommend it for European children who are not used to sit in a chair for more than half an hour!

Wedding time in Kigali!

Last weekend our nanny was getting married with our gardener; a big day for the household!

We were invited to the church, and sort of forced to be sitting in the first row. Not that easy, since we were with Paul and Anna, but ok. Paul felt asleep after few minutes (even with all the loud music around) and we kept Anna busy easting cookies. I was thinking it was embarrassing that Anna was eating in the church until I saw a lady sitting behind us who was just breast-feeding her baby. So, I guessed that a two-year old toddler eating cookies should be ok as well. The ceremony was full of music, so although all of it was said in Kinyarwandan, it was not boring at all!



After the church ceremony we went to our garden to take few pictures with the closest part of the family. To be honest, it was a very nice experience, and we were very happy to be included in the celebration!



Few advices for foreigners being invited to a wedding in Rwanda.

- Wear appropriate clothes. For men this means a suit with a tie, and for ladies a long dress. It is very likely you might be considered a guest of honor, and be a bit on the spot, so be sure you wear neat clothes.

- Being on-time or not? I am not sure about this point. In our invitation it was said that the ceremony in the church started at 14. We arrived there 5 minutes late. The bride & groom were waiting outside, and when we rushed inside, we found the church almost empty. The ceremony started few minutes later, and people just came in during the ceremony and also afterwards.

- Presents? Ask in advance about which present could be appropriate, depending on your relationship with the people getting married. If you plan to give money, consider giving it in advanced, so that they can use it to pay for the wedding. This way you also make sure it does not get lost, since you may not have the right moment to give it. During the reception, people close to the couple, gave their present and they also made a speech. So, be ready to hold a speech as well!

Hand-made elephants

The house where we stay in Gisenyi is located in a beautiful spot with views to the lake Kivu. We went up to one of the hills to get a better view on the little bay and take some pictures. Out of the nothing an old man appeared, opened a bag with some wood crafts and waited patiently for us to come back to the car. The gorillas were not my thing, but the elephants were quite cute. My mother finally bought a couple of them after some bargaining. Not that it was expensive; he offered the full family (five elephants) for 12.000 RWF (around 15 euros).



Congratulations to this anonymous artist for his good work!

Primus guma guma superstar?

Primus guma guma superstar? What is that? Well, imagine a mix between "star academy" and what we know as "operacion triumfo" in Spain. But then placed in Africa. A couple of weekends ago there was a performance at Gitarama, the second largest town in Rwanda. So, there we went to enjoy the show!



It is still something to get used to, that people look at us from time to time, the muzungu, instead of looking at the show...

An amazing amount of energy was displayed by the artists playing; I am looking forward to see the final in Kigali! To get an idea of the show, check this video in YouTube.

How to eat passion fruit

Since we moved to Rwanda we are eating more and more fruit. Many flavors are new to us, and we are happy to try them all!
One of the new ones is passion fruit. So far we are eating it by cutting it in the middle and taking the pulp with a spoon. Anna seems to like it a lot!



According to Wikipedia, fresh passion fruit is high in beta carotene, potassium, and dietary fiber. Passion fruit juice is a good source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and good for people who have high blood pressure. So, it is not only tasty, but also healthy!

Moving to Rwanda

This is not exactly a post where I recommend some genial idea on what to do with children. This is a post to announce that in two weeks we will be moving to Rwanda. Our house is empty and all our stuff is shipped in a container. First to Rotterdam and then to Tanzania. From there it will go into a truck to Rwanda (expected time is three months).

So, although being full time with the children does not mean I have a lot of free time, I still wanted to share a picture on the lake Kibu in Rwanda. We were there last January to visit the place and decide whether we wanted to move or not. We decided to move and therefore there was some silence in the My Mama Day blog; all my time was devoted to prepare for the moving!



Change is scary, but so exciting!