Experience Worth Sharing (29 August 2010)

Bourbon Coffee. It’s as about Western as things can get in Kigali. A coffee house with a coffee menu to make any Seattle native at least comfortable, and a dine-in menu with such things as a goat cheese baguette sandwich, various panini, and a selection of five variations on the hamburger. To top it all off, an internet connection suitable for a relatively stutter-free Skype video chat (well, at worst we have to switch between who uses video, but we get to see each other).

There are multiple locations of Bourbon Coffee (as there would be for any good western-style restaurant). One of the locations is at the MTN Centre, about a 30 minute walk from where I am staying. The Centre houses three floors of bars, restaurants, shopping, and offices for MTN, a telecommunications company. Janet and I planned a “Skype date” at 4:00 p.m. Kigali time, and I set out a bit after 3:00 p.m. to make my way to the MTN Centre.

As I was walking, about ten minutes from my goal, I spied walking towards me on the sidewalk three lovely ladies. The first, was a two-year-old girl, walking with choppy but excited steps as someone just shy of mastering the art of being a biped. Just behind her, wearing what presumable were her Sunday church clothes was who I presume was her mother, perhaps a woman aged in her thirties. Finally, as you may guess, the last woman of yet an older generation was in tow, wearing a most exquisite traditional African dress. As we met on the sidewalk, and wanting to respect my elders (the two of them, that is), I stepped off the curb just inches onto the roadway so they could comfortably pass, without maneuvering around some lumbering rugby-player sized expat clumsily hiking the streets of Kigali.

As I stood there, watching the delightful family pass, the most wonderful thing happened. This little girl, adorable in anyone’s eyes, changed course and aimed her happy deliberate steps right at me! Without a hesitation, she opened wide her arms, and gave me the most welcoming hug a two-year-old could give. “Miriwe” I said in reply (meaning hello) and we adults all shared smiles with one another. It absolutely made my day, and gave a wonderful story to tell Janet when we connected.