Property in Rwanda

 Diaries of an emigrant: how a Ukrainian woman lives in Rwanda

it.ua continues the rubric "Diaries of an emigrant", in which it asks Ukrainians living in other countries to tell about their new life. This week Katya Vinh tells about life in the African city of Kigali.

Having come for two days to walk around one of my favourite cities, Montpellier in the south of France, my husband and I were attracted by the huge globe which was adorning the central square. It seemed to hint that our journeys were not yet over. After two years of living in China, after six months apart (Philippe in Australia and me in Ukraine and France) we decided that we were tired of endless moves and it would be time to settle down (although we continued to look for work abroad).

When choosing which side of the globe to photograph, the continent of Africa seemed to us the prettiest. The next day, Philippe received a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offering him a job in Rwanda.

When the plane starts to land, you immediately realise that this is not at all the Africa we had imagined. Rwanda is not a desolate desert or a dense jungle. Rwanda is a country of a thousand hills, reminiscent of Ukraine's Polonina, but with an African accent.

Such cleanliness we have not seen anywhere else. Well-maintained alleys, no rubbish on the pavements, good main roads without potholes and with a bright lane marking.

One of the best things was realising that the average Rwandan speaks 3 languages: French, English and Kinyarwanda. Therefore, there are no difficulties in communication at all and one feels completely comfortable in everyday life.

A very delicate and funny thing in the first month was the names for us. One of the most popular names is Jean from God ("Jean de Dieu"). Then there is Jean of Love ("Jean d'Amour"), Innocent/Innocente ("Innocent/Innocente"), Elvis ("Elvise"), Prince ("Prince"), Liberty ("Libérata"), Joan of Arc ("Jeanne d'Arc"), Blessed by God ("Béni de Dieu"), Théobar ("Théobar"), Desirable ("Désirée"), Jean Saviour ("Jean Sauveur"). Well, and the funniest name we heard was Jean Dollars ('Jean Dollars'). His parents must have proceeded from the proverb: "As the ship is called, so shall it sail".

We live in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and you can buy almost anything here, but at triple the price. If you eat local produce, the prices are no different from those in Ukraine, but the range is slightly different: mango, passion fruit, papaya, avocado and delicious bananas. As it turns out, I'm even allergic to one variety, and the sad thing is, it's the one I love the most.

The taste of the fruit is of course different from those imported to Europe and one never leaves the feeling that it's not the real product, but some kind of concentrate - so strong is the sweetness and flavour.

As it happens I am not a fan of markets: all the colourfulness of trading doesn't appeal to me, I would even say it irritates me. So I do almost all my shopping in the Nakumat supermarket. But I never miss an opportunity to buy fresh fruit from the local vendors, who carry a huge bowl of goodies on their heads and just walk around the city looking for custome Property in Rwanda rs.

As for some trinkets, the Chinese have found their centrepiece here too. A large supermarket on two floors offers everything from plastic to shoes.

Rwanda is a country that grows great coffee, but doesn't know how to make it at all. It's often served in half-litre or litre thermoses, and that amount of water uses as much coffee as I usually add to one cup. As the number of foreigners increases, cosy coffee shops start to open, but the prices are, of course, like those at Starbucks.

The minimum rent for a muzungu house (in Kinyarwanda it means 'white', 'foreigner') is about $500, renting a room is $250. The price includes 24-hour house security, an assistant who cleans, does laundry, can shop and even cook. You can't refuse all this when you rent a house - it's not customary. And agree, few of us would be willing and able to hand-wash bed linen, towels and clothes - a washing machine is a luxury gadget here. It's nice to come to a clean flat after a long day at work and not have to think about cleaning. However, I am left with the cooking - I don't trust anyone else to do it.

My husband was on his way to Rwanda with a signed contract to work, and I, as the wife of a Decembrist, am no stranger to it. We are both French teachers by training. Philippe works at the French Institute (L'Institut Français) as teacher coordinator. It took me two months to find a job. I am now a French teacher in an international Montessori school. It was here that I learned that children can love school and that education is not a "compulsory torture" that everyone, from 5 years old, has to go through 

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