At 5:15 in the morning, Numerien knocked on my door. Here we go again ! Madame Francine we have to leave at 6 AM, will you be ready ? You want hot water ?Numerien ! Go Away! I was planning to get up 5:50 to be ready at 6! I don’t want water!!!! Ok Madame Francine. 6:00 o'clock Francine are you ready ? Shit! I forgot to get up! Numerien give me 5 minutes I will be readyyyyy! We were heading for a long walk to the town. Rutsiro looks like the Flemish country side. It is a very charming landscape and the buildings are very religiously Flemish. The school in town was also called Stella Maris. Go figure. We arrive in town, ready to take the taxibus but the driver wasn’t there yet. I thought to myself, Numerien you are in Africa; why did you expect him to be on time?? If it was up to me, we would have arrived late and been technically on time. I don’t know how he survives. Numerien must be waiting all the time and going loco. He got pissed off the wait so he wanted to go eat an omelette. We enter a very basic place and I didn’t want to risk eating anything. Numerien promised me it would be safe. Go ahead, I say. He had been talking about this omelette lady for 2 days. He craves her omelette all the time. The lady asked me omelette with chapatti? Chapatti Yes go ahead, for me a chapatti omelette. Numerien didn’t lie; the omelette was good but the chapatti wasn’t all that. In the meanwhile the taxi driver had arrived and we had to go. Numerien said no keep eating. He is the one late, he can’t leave without us. It’s our only way out of town. Taxibus started his engine, we ran outside. He wasn’t going to wait. Again, Numerien TIA. Numerien wanted me to have the best seat, right next to the driver. It was the worst seat ever. I fell asleep on the driver, my foot fell on his gas and my sleeping bag on the break. This was just the beginning of the ride. I was going to sit there for 7 hours. From 7 AM to 2 PM in a matatu. This was for me a hard limit. The road is impossible and with an overly packed taxibus, my mood began to change. It wasn’t until someone got on with chickens that I was getting really pissed off. My limit had been reached! I was tired, uncomfortable, suffocating and the stank of the chickens was becoming unbearable. Two chickens got lose and were acting a fool underneath the seats. A baby was crying and an old woman was sick. I gave her strepsils as I couldn’t handle the throat scraping and spitting through the window anymore. There was no end to this ride. I told Numerien that I wasn’t going to get off at Pfunda but go straight home. This was too much and it has broken me. I still have a plan to finish and right now I am beyond tired. Numerien wanted me to cash my DSA check but I couldn’t care anymore. I needed a shower and food. I arrived in the Centre in Gisenyi at 3pm. I entered the shower but the water was off. The day was getting worse and worse. After being in the shower for an hours trying to get the drops out, while handwashing my clothes. ( tip from the Dutch girls.) I went for late lunch. All of a sudden I feel a hand on my back. Numerien ! No ! Seriously! We have to go cash your check. FML! Fine! But first Francine, I noticed you got a little uncomfortable so I am giving you your going away present early. Go open it in your room, Numerien says. I go to my room and open the gift. I got so happy, it’s a Rwandan panier ! I really wanted one and he knew that. Considering the last taxibus experience, that was his way to soothe the misery. I thanked him gratefully but then he said take off the African shorts and change into long pants. There we go again ! Ugh! Obedient as I am on this mission, I change my shorts and head out to the bank. It was a 2 hour wait to cash my check. My head kept bopping as I was so sleepy. I didn’t even want the check ! Ugghhhh…. Back at the lodgement, he said we have to hide our money. No one may see it! Aghghh, Numerien this is Rwanda. No one steals here! It’s safer than freaking Dubai. Goodbye I see you tomorrow at 7AM. No blogging for me. The tiredness was too much.