Mzungu

Yesterday I took a bike ride with Krista, one of the vet students working on a public health project here. We rode through the town and turned a few heads. A couple of children called out "Bonjour Mzungu!" with big smiles and waving hands. It was very sweet! Last night Krista and I ate at a small restaurant in downtown Ruhengeri called the Modern. We had beans and rice, hot cabbage salad and chipatas. mmmmm!! The two of us ate for under $4. We were the only mzungus in the restaurant, and 2 of a handful of mzungus living in the city. Mzungu means white person, and does not seem derogatory. There are all kinds of folktales about the derivation of the word, dating back to when the first Europeans arrived in Africa. One I've heard is that in the early colonial days each time a white person walked by, the locals thought it was the same person (we all look alike!). So Mzungu means people who walk in circles.... There are other stories, but this one sounds good to me! So I'm a mzungu - different from the people who live here. I will always be an outsider here, but the people seem open, curious and friendly. I am honored to be allowed to work in this beautiful and complicated country, and I plan to learn as much as I can about the people and culture while I'm here.