Find Us The Man U Game

This April marked the third genocide commemoration period that I have been in Rwanda. Every year they commemorate the Genocide. There is an official week of mourning and remembering, but for 3 months commemoration ceremonies are still held all over the country.
My first year I was here I attended a service with my Headmistress. It was interesting. I learned and experienced a lot being there, but it was not something that I really wanted to repeat again. I know how emotional I get and I didn’t care to put myself into that situation because I don’t want to take away from the Rwandans by being a spectacle (aka hysterically crying). The second year I went to Zanzibar (where I got engaged). This year we stayed in Rwanda the whole time. School is closed during this time (it is the break between first and second term).
During the first week Kigali takes on a very somber mode and most people don’t do much other than attend services and memorials. Also all TVs and Radios are tuned in to Rwanda TV, the national station. No entertainment is allowed. And I mean none. On the 6th day, which was a Saturday, Manchester United was playing. Maxon had told me that we wouldn’t be able to find a place to watch, but I really didn’t believe it. Well he was right. We went to bars, restaurants, and even fancy hotels, but none of them could play the game for us.
I realize the need to remember and commemorate, but at that time all we could think of was that we wanted to watch that game and we couldn’t.

So in case you hadn’t figured it out by now, but we are pretty big Manchester United fans. Every week we gotta watch. We got to the same place and sit with the same people. People even ‘know’ us there. For instance when I come in and Maxon is already seated sometimes I have difficulty finding him. Lucky for us workers of the sports bar will point him out to me. And last night just some random guy pointed to where he was..haha.. (This is good for me because a group of black men with shaved heads sure makes it difficult to pick out the head you want)