This is what I told the immigration officer last week as I crossed from Congo into Rwanda. He looked at me with a cocked head and said ‘Really? You’ll come back?’ My first instinct (and perhaps the polite Southerner in me) was to reply ‘Of course! We had a wonderful time and want to see more!’ However, fulfilling this promise will no longer be as easy as it has been the last four years because Nathan is moving to a different program…in a different country…on a different continent.

Yep, we are moving! I can’t say just yet where Nathan’s job will take us next, but I can say that we are very much looking forward to the move. We thought we would be in Tanzania a few more years, so it’s taken me some time to swallow the news. However, the last few months have been very challenging, professionally mostly but that can take over your personal life. It just feels like I work all. the. time. So perhaps it’s time for a change.

That said, I will miss Tanzania with all my heart, despite the daily frustrations that can make you want to scream (unwarranted traffic tickets, power outages, impassable roads that may never be fixed). Tanzania feels like a second home and I’ve learned to laugh about the challenges, so that I don’t cry. We are surrounded by poverty and injustice, serving as a constant reminder of our born ‘luck’, making me appreciate every tiny thing I’ve ever had. We are also surrounded by stunningly beautiful landscapes and people, reminding me to keep exploring and stay positive.

I will move after my school year finishes in July, so until then, I plan on taking advantage of every moment of this amazing East African life.

First stop…

RWANDA

Nathan attended a renewable energy conference in Kigali, so I met him there once my term was finished last week. Straight away, we realized Rwanda is different from other African countries. On the surface, you see pristine streets, nice infrastructure, order rather than chaos. Parts of Kigali made us think we were back in South Africa. But there is something else and I think it has to do with the people. They are calm and friendly, but maybe even a bit shy. There are SO MANY young people and babies everywhere you go. This could be explained by the genocide that was just over 20 years ago. An estimated 1 million people were killed in 100 days, and Rwanda only had about 7 million residents at the time. I was hesitant on my short trip to talk to anyone about the effects of this history on their lives today. It’s a beautiful country that I would love to visit again, especially on a bike tour.

Next stop…

CONGO

Nathan has wanted to go to DRC for years and the upcoming move was the push we needed to make it happen. The main goal was to climb up Mt. Nyiragongo in Virunga National Park and see one of the world’s largest lava lakes. Nathan did not tell me until our last day, back at the border crossing, that the State Department currently recommends tourists to ‘reconsider travel’ (due to organized crime and civil unrest). I’ve never been anywhere like Congo – UN trucks, police patrols, UN helicopters, aid containers, foreign military officers all EVERYWHERE.

Crossing over from Rwanda is a jolt of energy, and you are instantly more alert and all your senses are on overdrive. At breakfast on our first day, on lovely Lake Kivu, we were the only tourists and all the other guests were UN workers wearing their field vests and were being watched by their plain-clothes armed guards with earpieces. Surreal.

However, one of the UN workers asked me what we were doing and as I prepared myself for a safety talk, he instead smiled and thought it was great we came to Congo. ‘I don’t see many tourists here’ he said before wishing us a nice volcano hike. Surreal again.

The hike itself was the most difficult one I’ve ever done. You hike straight up the mountain, gaining 5,000 feet in elevation in 5 miles. No switchbacks. Lava rocks. Rain. The top is at 11,500 feet and with shaking, exhausted legs, you look down into the crater to see one of the coolest things on Earth – a sputtering, bubbling, hissing lava lake. The smells, sounds, and heat made me think I willingly brought myself to Mordor. Okay, Congo is surreal, yet again.

The hike down was equally challenging, especially since the soles of my shoes ripped off and I got a blister under my big toenail. We took the advice of friends and spent two days on amazing Tchegera Island which is also part of Virunga National Park.

It was on the island, sitting on a rock watching kingfishers and falcons and sunbirds fly around me, that I realized I am moving. I am leaving the continent that I wanted to live on since I was in third grade and I used to send in mail requests for free travel brochures to East Africa from National Geographic. I felt confused and sad until I started reminding myself to be appreciative of the hundreds of experiences we’ve had over the last four years. Nitarudi.

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Last stop…

KENYA

While I had been to Kenya a few times, I had not been to see my teacher friends Laura and JP and their sweet new baby girl, Aaliyah, since they moved from Dar. It was nice to feel a bit more like a resident than a tourist for a few days and spend time with them. Laura is a patient, calm, wonderful mom and she gives me hope that if she can do everything she does, I can also manage the next few months of chaos in my own life.

Kenya feels a lot more like Tanzania but we like to compare it to New England whereas Tanzania is like the Deep South – things are just so much slower in Tanzania. I shopped in new, shiny shopping malls and went to a supermarket that must have had 30 types of juice and 22 types of bread. What? How? Nairobi is a hectic, sometimes overwhelming city but I can see the attraction – always something going on, perfect climate, driving distance to beautiful parks, great hospitals.

Thank you, Laura and JP, for being great hosts and not getting mad when I asked you to repeat things slowly for this non-British and Irish accent understanding Southern lady!

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East Africa is a hard place to describe and I feel like this trip made it even harder for me to do so. I’m thankful we were able to visit so many places before we move, but I still want to see more. It’s one of my favorite places on the planet and I’ll try my hardest to return. Nitarudi.

NERD ALERT

Nyiragongo is the most active volcano in Africa, with an eruption occurring about every 30 years. The last eruption was in 2002.