The Land of a Thousand Hills Meets the Land of a Thousand Opportunities

June 17, 2009
I told Tom Allen yesterday afternoon that I was willing to assist with the visa crisis the Rwanda Presidential Scholars were facing. The Rwanda Presidential Scholars, selected based upon national test scores and interviews, are considered Rwanda's brightest and most promising students; on account of partnerships established with a consortium of US academic institutions, they will study in the US for four years (mathematics, sciences, engineering, etc.) and then return to Rwanda to contribute their acquired knowledge and skills to the country's development. Most of the scholars were just issued passports (a few still lack passports), and they were to depart for US in about 10 days. Crisis to say the least, particularly considering the nature of the US visa application process.

Last night I told Tupo about the work I would be doing - my lack of excitement about such tedious work but my commitment to serve as needed. She said, "You're not just filling out forms. You're building their futures. You're building Rwanda's future." I realized I sort of was enabling Rwanda's brightest to achieve great things. I was a link in the potentially very significant chain. Suddenly, I felt very nervous about filling out forms. My mistake could destroy a future.

I notified those leading the team that I could help but received no word of where to be when until 5 a.m. today - fabulous. I rushed to get ready to be there on time, skipping a much needed shower. I took a moto to the location - Christ's Church Rwanda/Kigali International Community School (KICS) in Quasse Socialle. I have decided the most dangerous thing about motos is not what one might expect - the way the drivers weave in and out of traffic or speed and slow suddenly (their generally method of driving) - but rather their feigning knowledge in terms of locations. You tell a driver where you want to go, he says he knows where that is, but really he is not at all confident or has no idea. This particular ride was quite the adventure with several misunderstandings and misdirections - oh, the language barrier. Why did I not study French?

Finally, I arrive at the proper place, actually still a few minutes early thanks to my planning. The other leaders are not there yet - a sign of the way things were headed. It took about an hour to get organized - rooms and computers setup, forms passed out and explained, etc. Then a sort of assembly line procedure began, so I simply helped students complete the same form over and over and over again. The day was certainly about maximum efficiency. Both workers and students went without desired food and beverages. The staff ate and drank meagerly periodically, but I am not sure the students had anything but what they managed to take from us. It was interesting to note the differences in attitude and demeanor among the students - some were clearly diligent in this process and excited to study in US; others appeared very nervous; others seemed like this was something their parents were compelling them to do.

While paying visa fees, we used three different credit cards, with each one subsequently being shut down after a number of transactions. Suspicious activity - a number of US visa application payments from Rwanda on the same credit card.

Needless to say, an additional reason I am a US citizen: I will never have to fill out US visa application forms. Plus, when preparing to come to Rwanda for the entire summer, I did not have to apply for a visa on account of Rwanda's political relationship with the US. Interesting, eh?