Final Stop Tanzania

In about 15 hours I'll be on a plane leaving the country of Rwanda. As I reflect on my time here it brings mixed feelings, as with any other event on this trip so far. I have loved the city. It's developed, clean and relatively organized and has a surprisingly western feel. The financial sector in the city is booming and the economy in general is growing, new office buildings and hotels are going up all over the city and in the works is a plan to build East Africa's largest airport. Everything seems to be wonderful and perfect on the surface, but the country has a dark, often forgotten history. You would never know walking around that 1 million people were killed here just 14 years ago. But the people here seem are reserved and much quieter than in other East African countries. There seems to be deep underlying tension when you look past the high rise buildings and fancy western restaurants, but it's hard to get any answers here. That rumors that run wild of discrimination and division along ethnic lines cannot be confirmed. You can't find anyone who will openly criticize the government or debate the policies they've implemented. It feels like I'm in a movie where everyone is happy and is living the "ideal" life, but then you find out that there's more...

And so, I move on to the final leg of my journey! I will be in Tanzania for 10 days before returning home. I hope to find time to relax and see the sights. We're going to be in Arusha, in the northern part of the country and will be very close to Mount Kilimanjaro. I'll keep you posted of course and can't wait to see you all in 11 days!

Peace,
Matt