The Dean of Travel

It has been a busy couple of weeks here in Rwanda

It has been a busy couple of weeks here in Rwanda.    I had my first trips into the forest with the researchers.

 

As our white SUV wound around the curvy roads towards the park entrance, my ears popped, a sign that we were gaining some altitude.   The truck raced by green cornfields, banana trees, large linen sacks filled with potatoes lined the road ready for market.

 

Pavement soon gave way to a bumpy rock road that has seen better days.   Farmers would stop their hoeing in the fields to stare at our vehicle, as it slowly made it’s way higher up the volcano.   Small children wave their hands wildly as if we were some kind of parade passing by with a car filled with dignitaries.

 

This same experience is repeated each trip into the Volcanoes National Park.

 

 

I will share more about the adventures of going into the forest in the future.  It’s nothing short of magic to spend time in the forest with the gorillas.   The researchers at the Dian Fossey Organization are very dedicated and well trained.  If you haven’t yet, please check out their web site; www.gorillafund.org.

 

 

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the wedding of one of our staff here in Karisoke.

 

The wedding lasted all day.  Our group stayed for 3 hours of the event, than headed home.  The drive to Kigali is two hours on dark and winding roads, so it’s best not to drive late at night.

 

I’ve never seen anyone as happy as Gaetan about getting married.

 

Congratulations to him and his bride.

 

 

 

The Karisoke Research Center also had a Christmas party where as much as the staff as possible gathered together for a moment of fun and celebration.

 

 

 

You see, even in the heart of Africa people are taking a moment to celebrate Christmas.   Rwanda is a predominantly Christen nation.  But you would have to look hard to find western Christmas symbols.  I have talked to a few local people asking how they intend to celebrate Christmas. They don’t exchange gifts, send cards or decorate trees.  They plan to attend church, usually for 2-3 hours and then gather together at the houses of family and friends to feast through out the day.   Can you imagine a Christmas without the stress of racing around trying to figure out what to buy for someone who already has everything they need?  Or walking downtown and not seeing one Christmas Sale sign in a store window?  The town I live in has a population of 93,000 people.   The hotel where I normally eat Sunday dinner has a sign that says Merry Christmas, that’s about it.    This doesn’t mean Christmas means anything less to the people of Rwanda; it’s just their way of celebrating the holiday.

 

In my spare time over the weekends I have spent a little time exploring the area.  Please come back and check out some of the photos on the blog.

 

 

As the season of Christmas settles upon us, may it bring you a sense of peace and joy no matter where you are, who you are, how you celebrate it or don’t celebrate it.  For it is a time to nurture hope and love.

 

Cheers,

Dean

Nebraska world traveler on a new mission

NET Radio aired a broadcast about me recently that I wanted to share with all of you. Here is a little about NET radio:

NET Radio is a statewide public radio network originating in Lincoln, Nebraska and composed of nine transmitters. As part of Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, they are governed in part by the NET Commission and assisted by the NET Foundation for Radio Board (formerly the Public Radio Nebraska Foundation Board).  

They are committed to bringing you the best in public radio and work around the clock to broadcast news and classical music that will educate, challenge and inspire. Though they receive some state and federal funding, their largest source of funding comes from their listeners.

If you'd like to know more about NET Radio, there are many ways to contact them. You can email them at radio@netnebraska.org or call 402-472-6141 or 888-638-7346.

Here is the broadcast: http://publicbroadcasting.net/netradio/arts.artsmain?action=viewArticle&id=1433070&sid=17

Fremont resident Dean Jacobs circles the globe taking

photographs and writing articles. Now, he's working

to assist the endangered Mountain Gorilla

 

Cheers,

Dean

Week 3 in Rwanda

As I prepared for my trip to Rwanda, often people would ask me if it was going to be hot in Rwanda.

 

The answer to the question depends on which part of Rwanda you are talking about.   On the top of the volcanoes it can snow. The highest peak in Rwanda is called Karisimbi that stands an impressive 4507 meters or 14,873 feet.

 

 One of the volcanic peaks viewed  from my house.

 

It is also on these majestic peaks that border with the countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda where the mountain gorillas call home.   My base is the Karosioke Research Center, the hub for the research conducted by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) in Musanze.

 

Everyday I step out from my house; I look up to these mountains.  Two feelings are consistent in that moment; first a curiosity where the gorillas are and second is a pull to climb to the top of the mountain. 

 

 Smiling faces of young people in Musanze Rwanda.

But not so fast, first is the issue of quarantine.   Before I will be allowed in to the park by the Office of Rwandan Tourism and Parks National (ORTPN), I must spend three weeks in Rwanda.

This is a management practice to insure I do not bring any unwanted diseases in to the gorilla population.    My visit will not be the typical one hour visit, the time normally allotted to tourist groups.  I will be accompanying researchers and will be spending up to four hours in the company of the gorillas.  Second is the appropriate permission granted by government agencies.

 

 Sunday dinner at the restaurant.  French fries and grilled goat.

I have not been short on work to do.   DFGFI is an active organization that has several other programs it helps to manage.  They support local health programs in the villages around the national park and educational programs in primary schools.    Besides the corner stone work of gorilla studies for the last 40 years, they also do research on golden monkeys, birds and butterflies.  All of these have interesting and exciting things to learn about and explore.

 

Cheers,

Dean