Life is great! And then it's not.

I wrote this post during a restful, child- and husband-free weekend. Then came a week of culture shock lows,* including dark rage at terrible drivers and total exhaustion. I didn’t have the energy to finish writing this positive piece. That said, I’m going on vacation tonight and that feels great! Thinks are looking up again, so I feel like less of an impostor sharing the things I like about living in Kigali.

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Everyone who has lived in Kigali will tell you that it is a great place to live, especially with small children (older children are another story). It is safe, clean, and not too oppressively hot. For the most part, I agree with those who came before me – Kigali is a great place to live. Here are some reasons why.

Sunshine. Coming from Seattle, sunny is a big deal. Sunny in December is an even bigger deal. Every winter at home, after interminable months of damp, waking up to darkness and arriving home from work in darkness, I’d start researching jobs in hot, dry locations. At some point, winter just becomes too oppressive. Not in Kigali! It’s December 13 and it’s still 80 degrees!

Here's the 5-day weather forecast for Seattle:

While I haven’t had to look up jobs in sunny locales this winter, I will admit to yearning for a ski vacation.

Outdoor time. This is related to the above, but I get to spend a lot of time in the outdoors. Because it’s almost always warm and sunny, I spend Saturday and Sunday mornings drinking coffee in the backyard while Lark runs around in her diaper. When I walk the dog, I don’t usually need to wear a raincoat and waterproof pants. It is glorious.

My commute is nonexistent. Not to brag, but I can walk to work and be there in 15 minutes or I can drive and arrive in three minutes. In my previous life, I spent hours in traffic every day, often squeezed next to disgruntled strangers on the bus. I traveled to and from home and work, to and from work and daycare, and on and on. Here, I’ve become so spoiled that a trip to downtown Kigali now seems like a huge chore, though it takes no more than 15 minutes.

Housekeepers. I know that the idea of having a housekeeper is distasteful for some – power dynamics and all that – but I’m just going to come right out and say this: Having a housekeeper is awesome. Everything is clean! All the time! Our clothes are actually ironed! It is so calming. I keep reminding myself that this will not continue in my life. Someday, Ritchie and I will move back to the US and once again be stuck folding piles of laundry on Sundays and arguing about who is going to unload the dishwasher. For now, however, I am breathing in the serenity of a spotless kitchen and perfectly rolled socks in my dresser.

Slow pace of life. Life here just is not that busy. In part, it’s because we have about five friends (you know who you are), so there are limited demands on our time. Also, see above about having a nonexistent commute and a housekeeper to iron our clothes. There’s just not a ton going on here. This means a lot of slow dinners at restaurants (because service is slow), time spent playing with Lark in the evenings, and hanging out in the garden on weekends.

Family time. This is one of the primary reasons why I wanted to move here and we have a lot of it. Because we don’t commute, because we have someone to help us around the house, and because life is quieter, Ritchie and I have more time to spend on each other – both as partners and as parents.

*Check-in again in two weeks, when I’ll probably be riding a culture shock high.