Sunday

Today was very depressing. I went to Kigali, and one of the things I had heard about doing was going to the Genocide Memorial Center, so I decided to end my vacation on a very heavy note, so that I would always remember these people.

At the memorial, I was shocked. Simply shocked. They took me to maybe twenty rooms, all holing bones and skulls on tables and shelves. There was one woman there named Anne-Marie Bucyana who was a genocide survivor. She said that after she had her second son, she was taken away to a house for six days and nights. Each night, she said, she was raped. On the last night she was there, a woman took her away to hide her. After a while, she left, and found out she had HIV/AIDS. She is still HIV positive, but has survived for ten years. She says that if she survives for two more, her second son will have a chance at life.

Seeing all of the dead bodies at the memorial, I couldn't help but think of what was going on in Iraq right now. I knew that thousands of people must have been killed already, probably more, and I was overwhelmed. I had to go back to my hotel at once.

Back at my hotel, I just thought about what I had seen, for a long time. Finally, it was time for me to catch my flight back home, so I left. I think I was right in saying that I will always remember that memorial.