Kigale, Twanda

I woke up last night and realized that maybe I shouldnt have shared that bit about the banana ;) Yeah- it was funny at the time. So anyway- back to Rwanda. Went out in Kigale, Rwanda and it was a strange experience. The music was western, the clothing was minimal, the attitude was western. The club was the nicest we've been to. The boy outside the club tells me Rwanda is a bad country because there is no money- yet its the only place in Africa that Ive seen street lights, nicely paved roads, nice cars. I mean if you didnt look too closely you'd think you were in the states. No $- well that may be true for some. I have'nt seen a lot of the country but in Kigale there's a lot of money. There's a gloominess, a sulleness, a reserve... I can't quite put my finger on it. Then Nikki turns to me and says "the fact of the matter is that everyone here is either a victim or participated". Im looking around and Im remembering back to the morning when a young boy told me that all Americans are rich and the book in the bookstore that said "Millions- what our American neighbors are hiding" and I was struck by what it must be like to blame another country for your problems. Granted it is easier for me to get a loan- there are things that are easier for me. But- I get asked often to pay for people's schooling or car and I say- yes I would like those things too. The complaints are similar and it makes me sad that people here can't see how much they do have. America has it's own set of problems and that isn't witnessed by the rest of the world. That said- I know that I am priveledged. I just think that well- just because things are different here does'nt neccessarily mean disadvantage. I just feel like I would rather give money to a mother working in the feilds than to the random people that come up to me with their hand out. What if I stopped someone who looked wealthy on my way to work and said "hey give me some money".... it's equivilent.