Source: Autumn Marie
By Autumn Marie
If you’ve ever visited Rwanda or scanned news stories about the present day country, you have no doubt encountered their remarkable accomplishments, from the capital city of Kigali being one of the cleanest cities in the world to the use of drones to deliver medical supplies. A few days here or a few news stories from Rwanda will change your perception of what’s possible. While many countries in the world sat idle until corona reached them, Rwanda installed portable hand washing stations at high traffic areas such as bus depots and busy marketplaces a week before there were any confirmed cases in the country. This is the type of swift and deliberate action the country has become renowned for.
On Saturday, March 14th, the first confirmed case was announced, and the government immediately closed all schools, universities and places of worship. Within one week, all commercial flights were halted, restaurants moved to take out and delivery only, motos (motorcycle taxis) were no longer allowed to carry passengers, and we were mandated to stay home except for food and medical essentials. Essential workers needed passes or identification to travel to work and police set up roadblocks to enforce the mandates on main roads.
All of this was a drastic lifestyle shift for me, an extrovert who is used to walking daily, running long miles, taking meetings all over town, traveling and living an on-the-go lifestyle. The first week was a hard adjustment. I struggled and felt confined and then I found my best life online. I started partying on Instagram Live with some of my favorite DJs and quickly realized bumping into people in the comments felt just like bumping into them on the dance floor at an actual club. I was able to transport myself to NYC nightlife circa 2008 without ever leaving my living room.
I was soon back to taking dance classes with my favorite teachers at Joel Hall Dance Center and Ailey as well as with teachers in London and Florida without ever getting on a plane. Normally I rarely talk on the phone. Usually everyone, myself included, is too busy or just too caught up in the cycle of life. Now everyone has time even with the complications of different time zones. And while it may be odd for some people to be connecting via video with loved ones, for those who live abroad we are well accustomed to talking to family and friends virtually and are just happy to see more of you more often.
Source: Autumn Marie
Though some business has declined or shifted, this time has also presented infinite opportunities to create. My company KGL FWD (Kigali Forward), produced Rwanda Live!, a weekend of DJ’s and live jam sessions, the first weekend we were mandated to stay home and we are now working with an annual arts festival here that is transitioning to become digital. I am also a partner in Afia Organics, Kigali’s first plant-based restaurant. Luckily, we were already on both of the delivery apps here and offered our own delivery so we have not had to scramble to adjust.
While things have changed dramatically with day-to-day living, overall life has been easy to navigate. We were already accustomed to ordering groceries online for home delivery and now even more stores have moved to online platforms or made it easy to correspond via Whatsapp and provide delivery. Grocery stores here are not crowded or overrun. Shelves are not empty and farm fresh produce is still plentiful. The government and businesses have pivoted and allowed us to see potential actualized. More than 1,000 people are being tested daily, confirmed cases are still under 300, and almost half of those have recovered. Mobile money transfer companies have removed fees to encourage cashless transactions, the Rwandan government has been distributing food to vulnerable communities, and this past week we saw the first Rwandan manufactured ventilator being tested.
It has been frustrating at times to watch news stories about the U.S., especially as someone who lived in New York City for 15 years and still has a huge community of friends and extended family there, but by no means do I wish I was there right now. It is hard not knowing if we will be able to make our annual summer visit to the states to see our families and enjoy the New York, Chicago and Cali summer time vibes but for now we are happy and safe where we are.
Follow Autumn’s experience abroad during Covid-19 on Instagram @iamstagram and Twitter: @MsAutumnMarie
