Visas and Sad Departures

Today I went back to immigration to pick up my visa. I got a text message telling me my visa was ready for pick up and it was all very straightforward. A lot of the people waiting with me were the same people I waited with last week so there were some nods and smiles of greetings everytime someone new came in and took their number. I only had to wait an hour this time and then I was able to leave passport in hand. Now I am here in Rwanda legally. Hurrah!

Today I also said goodbye to Maddy, one of my housemates. She is going back the the US for two weeks and gets back three days after I leave here. I'm sad that she is gone and the rest of my time in the house will be a little lonely. I still have Dora, who I love, but she works all day and then has school in the evenings so she often does not get home until 9:30 or 10:00 at night. So I have the house mostly to myself.

I am really excited about this weekend. Ashley, a friend and classmate doing her research in Uganda, is coming here to Kigali. She finally got her visa today as well. We haven't decided exactly what we're going to do while she's here but it will probably be a lot of hanging out and relaxing. Hopefully the weather cooperates. We may do a day trip to Gisenyi, a lakeside tourist town near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. (don't worry mom, we won't cross the border...) I'm also excited because Katherine, a friend I met last time I was in Rwanda will also be coming back next weekend. Hopefully she can hang out with Ashley and I a little and I'm looking forward to catching up with her and hearing about her adventures.

I only have two weeks left here in Rwanda - TWO WEEKS!!! and there is still so much to do. If I think about it too much I start to get discouraged but I'm still confident that I can get most of the data that I still want to get. I have not been feeling 100% the past two days so I am hoping that I feel better quickly. It is not fun wandering around the land of a thousand hills looking for not very descriptive addresses when you are not feeling well! And, now the power is out and my battery is dying so I will post this in the morning :)

** The power was out last night for more than three hours all over my area of Kigali (Kabeza) and most of Giporoso as well. This is the first time the power went out for that long when it wasn't raining. I had almost forgotten how unreliable the electricity used to be here because it has been so good lately. Now I'm in Bourbon at the MTN Center in Nyatarama to type up my last two interviews and enjoy some yummy coffee. Looks like it should be a great day!