I generally rise with the sun at 6am, brew some hearty Rwanda coffee (as good as Peet’s!), and walk out on my balcony to survey the stretch of road coming to life before me. At this point there are a few huge, noisy trucks, one or two joggers and a single man or woman heading to a nearby bus stop or beginning the walk to work. The air is cool and I can open both bedroom and living room doors to the balcony without the fear of inviting mosquitoes.

Within 30 minutes, groups of students in uniforms, men in impeccably ironed shirts, motorcycle taxis, private cars, small trucks, and women in long skirts, short skirts, African dress, business suits fill the boulevard below. Our guardien spends the next hour opening and closing the heavy metal doors ushering my fellow PRIMA dwellers who have vehicles out into the world.

You’ve probably already noticed that the boulevard has sidewalks and is very clean, thanks to the efforts of a team of street cleaners who appear twice a week in green robes and use straw brooms to clear away dust, dirt, miscellaneous garbage. There are small, grey metal containers posted every half block or so and I’m assuming these are trash cans, though I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone use one. Kigali is known for being one of the cleanest cities in Africa--Umuganda Boulevard is a great example. And yes, plastic bags are banned throughout. They are not even available at grocery stores!

Looking east from my balcony, I can spot the Novotel beyond the large white apartment complex, my refuge during the early days. Now I have internet access in my flat, and the delicious croissants and samosas from the hotel bakery have (finally) been replaced with healthier meals I can cook myself. I continue to frequent the hotel for my almost daily swim, a true highlight of my life here. There are Crown Crested Cranes that roam about the garden, beautiful flowering trees and an unheated pool which is indescribably refreshing in the late afternoons.

I walk to work in the opposite direction from the hotel along Umuganda Boulevard, passing curious schoolchildren, the Egyptian and Burundi Embassies, the UNICEF headquarters, the President’s work headquarters, a church and a few large government office buildings. My office is conveniently located across the street from the U.S. Embassy, where I go every morning for hot, spicy ginger-based African tea.

Though the rains have begun, they don’t seem to get in anyone’s way. People clear the street and wait for the worst of the storm to pass, then reappear, with and without umbrellas, and continue on their way. I’m loving the brief, fierce storms: the air stays warm and the rain clears the air and cleans the street.  This last Sunday was a particularly beautiful morning and a group of chanting joggers added to the church music filling the neighborhood. I feel fortunate to be able to walk along my boulevard any time of day, on lighted sidewalks at night! This is a lovely, animated part of modern Kigali.