Memorable People in Rwanda (Part 2)

Pictured above are more awesome people whom we met in Rwanda and will always remember. Starting from the top left, clockwise, is our guide Oliver whom we trekked with through the Virunga Mountains in search of mountain gorillas. The next is a woman named Winnie, who taught me how to make two Rwandese dishes, followed by our Amahoro Tours guide Abi and his sidekick Omar. In the last photo, is an American named Julie, a passionate conservationist. Each of them left lasting impressions on me and my view of life.

Oliver was such a knowledgeable guide. His eyes lit up whenever he talked about the mountain gorillas. Since my trip to Rwanda in 2006, we managed to exchange emails here and there. I fondly remember one of our last emails in which he shared his excitement about the birth of some baby gorillas; it's a time to rejoice when a baby gorilla is born, because they are the future - little by little their species is inching away from the clutches of extinction. There are about only 700 mountain gorillas left in the entire world.



Oliver was featured in an Animal Planet documentary as part of a group of rangers and guides, who took Sigourney Weaver to see the gorillas she came to know during the filming of Gorillas in the Mist. The feature also revisited the work of late naturalist Dian Fossey and how she paved the way for stronger conservation efforts.

Winnie worked for our tour operator Greg Bakunzi. Giggly and friendly, she would laugh at how I mispronounced the names of the Rwandese dishes we prepared in Greg's native outdoor kitchen. It was in meeting Winnie that I realized how hard some African women have to work. She told me many women work in the fields all day and then come home to cook, clean and tend to their children. There are those who've risen to political positions and hold careers; still many toil in the fields, tilling the soil and harvesting the crops. I have so much admiration for hardworking African women like Winnie.

Julie, the American conservationist, was a smiley person with kind eyes and a jovial spirit full of hope. She'd been in Rwanda for some time teaching artisans and locals to become self-sufficient: helping Rwandans utilize their artistic talents to make a living and all the while instilling in them the importance of wildlife conservation. Her dedication serves as an example of what can be achieved when people open their hearts and share their knowledge with others.



Our guide Abi was a soft-spoken Rwandan who liked listening to our stories about life in America. One day he told us his story: he was the only one in his family to survive the 1994 genocide. At first, I was surprised and humbled by his willingness to share such painful memories and misfortune. But in the end, I came to understand that this was his way, as it is for many Rwandans, to continue the healing. Not to ignore what happened but to tell the story of their horrific past to others, so such a tragedy will never happen again.

And last but definitely not the least, there was our driver Omar. He couldn't speak or understand much English. However, he spoke perfect French - a language I manage to butcher when I try to speak it. Every morning I'd greet him with "bonjour" and "como ca va?" (how are you in English). During our excursions, I'd turn to him and say "como ca va" every once and a while. We would laugh at our inability to communicate anything else other than that. But what we lacked in words, we made up for this in smiles.