Day 8: University of Rwanda Cultural Exchange
Day 8 was centered around the University of Rwanda in Butare. One of the most meaningful days of the trip. We spent the day in a cultural exchange with biology students on campus, and the conversations that came out of it were the kind you keep turning over.
The Exchange
The format was informal, which helped. We sat with the students, asked questions, talked about our respective academic work. The students were sharp and welcoming and genuinely curious. The kind of conversation that happens when both sides show up interested in the other.
The conversation that hit hardest came from one student in particular. He pulled me aside and told me he had survived the genocide. He was six years old in 1994. He lost ten immediate family members. He was still a child and nearly his entire family was gone in a matter of weeks.
What struck me most was not just the weight of it, but that he wanted to tell me. He said he wanted to connect with people outside Rwanda, to share survivor stories. He asked to exchange emails and stay in touch. I kept thinking about it afterward — here was someone who had every reason to turn inward, and he was doing the opposite. Studying biology, building a life, asking a stranger to help carry part of his story forward. I said yes.
Vervet Monkeys on Campus
The campus also had a very healthy population of vervet monkeys. They were everywhere. Mothers carrying babies clinging to their undersides or riding on their backs. The juveniles were a highlight — some of them had entered that phase where they needed to look tough. Puffing up, making faces, trying to intimidate. Not convincing. Small and scrappy and deeply committed to a performance nobody was buying. Reminded me of middle schoolers trying to seem older than they are.
The Arboretum
Also had time in the university arboretum, which houses over 400 plant species. Beautiful, quiet, well-maintained. Nice contrast to the social intensity of the morning. The university clearly takes pride in it.
Three-hour drive to the next destination after the campus visit. Plenty of time to sit with the day. Some experiences on this trip have been about places. This one was about a person. Those are the ones that stick.
