Hitching in Kigali

This weekend our Burundian friends came to visit. We had a great weekend showing them around.

On Saturday we were walking down to the taxi park to grab a mutatu (bus) into town. Buses cost around 30 cents, so it's our transportation of choice. We weren't quite to the station and a guy pulled up to an intersection and offered us a ride asking, "Where are you going?" My immediate response was, "No thanks, we don't need a taxi." He told us he wasn't a taxi and was just offering us a ride into town. If we had been going to town we would have probably declined still, but we had decided to venture off the beaten path to a part of town (up a huge hill) where buses don't go. The four of us hopped in and met Arthur, a Rwandan man who was living in Dallas, Texas since the genocide, but returned 6 months ago. We found out that he manages the Union Trade Center (the most high end retail building in Rwanda)... so he's clearly doing well. He was happy to take us up the crazy hill and drop us where we needed to go. We got out of the car amazed that we had just experienced our first free ride from a stranger.

Fast-forward 8 hours past all of the shopping, bartering, walking, coffeeing, and taxiing we did, to the other side of the city and the nicest Italian restaurant in town. As we finished up dinner we made our way to the very busy street (that Parliament, all embassies, and various government ministries occupy) to flag down a cab home. We waited and waved our hands, but only motorcycles were stopping (no thanks). Finally a car pulled a u-turn around the median and pulled over. "Can I help you?" the man said through the window. "Are you a taxi?" I asked. "No I'm not a taxi, I'm just offering to help you."

What? Twice in one day?!?! This is crazy.

We weren't going to turn this one down since there was no prospect of catching a cab. We shook Antoine's hand and told him where we were going. After a brief stop at the pharmacy for some aspirin, Antoine informed us that he works for the UN in the area of water resource management. I basically flipped out in the passenger's seat since the busines I'm working with is struggling to solve its water issues. I asked if he does anything with irrigation. He told me he specializes in irrigation and swamps (again, exactly what the business is dealing with). He was happy to give me his number and offered to give any advice that would be helpful. Then he informed us that on the side of his UN work, he has written computer software to help businesses calculate VAT (sales tax)........ yet another issue we're in the middle of solving.

I told him I think God wanted him to pick us up. That's when he flipped out. "You Christian? I am Christian. I'm saved," he informed us.

Twice in one day, no thumbs were ever pointed into the street.