Le premier janvier This year for New Year’s Eve, I didn’t have to worry about where to be – Joselyne decided, we went to Kigali. I didn’t have to worry too much about what to wear – I have a relatively limited wardrobe here. I didn’t have to decide where to go or what to do – Emmanuel and Joselyne decided; we went to a restaurant and then dancing. I didn’t have to decide who to celebrate with, because I only know a handful of people in Kigali – where my two friends went, I followed.
I loved the simplicity of this New Year’s Eve. A group of us met at a restaurant/pub and seated ourselves outdoors. There, we had a spectacular view of Kigali and the lights along the hilly terrain. (I realized, too, why this felt strange – I’ve never celebrated NYE outdoors before. In this way, it felt a little more like the Fourth of July!) Friends’ friends, friends’ cousins, their husbands, their second cousins – I really don’t know the relation among them all, but they were all wonderful. The twelve of us talked about our hopes, dreams, aspirations over Primus and Mutzig (a necessary addition to a Rwandan New Year’s Eve), and were really having a great time. We ordered some food, traditional just about any time you sit down to a drink in Rwanda, and waited. And waited.
At midnight, a roar erupted from inside, and we all joined in the jubilee. We hugged one another and shared “Happy New Year,” “Umwaka Mwiza,” “Bonne Annee!” We’d just met, but I was honored to bring in the New Year with them.
I called my family to tell them how 2011 was so far (calling from the future, of course), and then called my American friend in Kigali. “Do you think it’s really 2011 if it’s still 2010 in New York?” “I guess so, we’re here, afterall.”
Just after, our food arrived. Now let me tell you a bit about “eating out” in Rwanda. Your choices are mainly between different types of brochette – skewered cow, pig, or goat meat. You then get to choose between grilled or fried potatoes, or even grilled bananas to go with it (I’ll really miss them when I leave). So we’d ordered two large platters of meat and potatoes, all of which you eat with your hands. It was a beautiful experience for me partaking in a meal together, truly sharing not just eating at the same table, with my new friends in the New Year. Maybe it didn’t feel quite as special to them all as they’re native to Rwanda, but for me it was moving.
At about 1:30 we finished our food and drink and got up to leave. Oh no, not to go home – we’ve got to bring in the New Year right. “We have 364 other days in the year to sleep,” said Emmanuel. We headed off to Alpha Palace, a club just up the road which featured a live band for the evening. I’m pretty sure they featured every type of music I know, from Reggae to Traditional Rwandan to Rock to Eighty’s. We danced and dance and danced until we couldn’t dance anymore. Then we took a quick break and went back in.
I was sure that, like every club in the United States, it would be closing at some point. I really didn’t think much of it as I was without curfew or fatigue, so we continued dancing away. When we finally left the club (and the group was down to just a few by this point), we were shocked to realize that the sun was already out. I guess that makes sense, as by 5h30 or 6 every morning in Rwanda (year-round), the sun is out, but nevertheless it was a surprise.
We walked our way home to Kicukiro past people going off to work and just laughed. The sunrise was absolutely incredible, too, a vibrant orange and pink. Once we got home, still revved after a full night of dancing, we put on the radio and waited for the New Year’s countdown from Time’s Square. Five… Four… Three… Two… HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I couldn’t help it, but I thought to myself okay… it’s REALLY 2011 now. I wondered what my family was doing. I wondered what my friends were doing. I wondered what I would be doing if I weren’t in the middle of Africa. Strangely enough, I wasn’t nostalgic. I’ve gotten to bring in 22 new years in the United States in familiar traditions, and I’ll have many more. It was refreshing to have a new experience – one I’ll surely never forget. And truly, what a way to bring in 2011.
I loved the simplicity of this New Year’s Eve. A group of us met at a restaurant/pub and seated ourselves outdoors. There, we had a spectacular view of Kigali and the lights along the hilly terrain. (I realized, too, why this felt strange – I’ve never celebrated NYE outdoors before. In this way, it felt a little more like the Fourth of July!) Friends’ friends, friends’ cousins, their husbands, their second cousins – I really don’t know the relation among them all, but they were all wonderful. The twelve of us talked about our hopes, dreams, aspirations over Primus and Mutzig (a necessary addition to a Rwandan New Year’s Eve), and were really having a great time. We ordered some food, traditional just about any time you sit down to a drink in Rwanda, and waited. And waited.
At midnight, a roar erupted from inside, and we all joined in the jubilee. We hugged one another and shared “Happy New Year,” “Umwaka Mwiza,” “Bonne Annee!” We’d just met, but I was honored to bring in the New Year with them.
I called my family to tell them how 2011 was so far (calling from the future, of course), and then called my American friend in Kigali. “Do you think it’s really 2011 if it’s still 2010 in New York?” “I guess so, we’re here, afterall.”
Just after, our food arrived. Now let me tell you a bit about “eating out” in Rwanda. Your choices are mainly between different types of brochette – skewered cow, pig, or goat meat. You then get to choose between grilled or fried potatoes, or even grilled bananas to go with it (I’ll really miss them when I leave). So we’d ordered two large platters of meat and potatoes, all of which you eat with your hands. It was a beautiful experience for me partaking in a meal together, truly sharing not just eating at the same table, with my new friends in the New Year. Maybe it didn’t feel quite as special to them all as they’re native to Rwanda, but for me it was moving.
At about 1:30 we finished our food and drink and got up to leave. Oh no, not to go home – we’ve got to bring in the New Year right. “We have 364 other days in the year to sleep,” said Emmanuel. We headed off to Alpha Palace, a club just up the road which featured a live band for the evening. I’m pretty sure they featured every type of music I know, from Reggae to Traditional Rwandan to Rock to Eighty’s. We danced and dance and danced until we couldn’t dance anymore. Then we took a quick break and went back in.
I was sure that, like every club in the United States, it would be closing at some point. I really didn’t think much of it as I was without curfew or fatigue, so we continued dancing away. When we finally left the club (and the group was down to just a few by this point), we were shocked to realize that the sun was already out. I guess that makes sense, as by 5h30 or 6 every morning in Rwanda (year-round), the sun is out, but nevertheless it was a surprise.
We walked our way home to Kicukiro past people going off to work and just laughed. The sunrise was absolutely incredible, too, a vibrant orange and pink. Once we got home, still revved after a full night of dancing, we put on the radio and waited for the New Year’s countdown from Time’s Square. Five… Four… Three… Two… HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I couldn’t help it, but I thought to myself okay… it’s REALLY 2011 now. I wondered what my family was doing. I wondered what my friends were doing. I wondered what I would be doing if I weren’t in the middle of Africa. Strangely enough, I wasn’t nostalgic. I’ve gotten to bring in 22 new years in the United States in familiar traditions, and I’ll have many more. It was refreshing to have a new experience – one I’ll surely never forget. And truly, what a way to bring in 2011.
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