Off Day

We had an "off" day today in regards to the pure excitement and adrenaline of simply being in the 1,000 hills of Rwanda for the past two days. The Kigali Memorial Centre, the Ntarama Memorial, and the Nyamata Memorial left everyone emotionally drained. In order to process and wind down, all of us were divided into two small groups for discussion. Sadness, confusion, and every other emotion under the sun were expressed during these times. Today we put faces to some of the 800,000-1,000,000 people lost to genocide. We were given photographs and back stories. With the addition of the Nyamata and Ntarama Memorials, we were introduced to the massive amount of clothing of the deceased, mass graves, skulls and crime scenes. We were left exhausted and emotionally drained hearts and minds, so it was nice to hear everyone voice their personal experiences with the memorials. The idea of reconciliation seemed far away today, but it didn't stop us from touching on the amazement and beauty that comes out of the darkness from the forgiveness, the love, and the hope of the Rwandan people.