At a loss for words

Actually, that's a complete and utter lie. I'm not at a loss for words at all regarding our trip to Rwanda; I'm buried under a mountain of them and don't know quite where to start.

I could start with the news articles that were coming out just days before our departure, with titles ranging from "Rwanda stirs deadly brew of trouble in Congo", to "At least 1,500 Rwandan troops enter Eastern Congo" or "Militias in Congo tied to Rwanda and government". Or with our encounter with a "brother" of a friend not but 12 hours after our arrival who happened to be a General in the Rwandan army who, when asked about the joint Congolese-Rwandan mission to oust the rebel militia in Congo, replied with great enthusiasm "Oh, yes! I just got back from supervising the troops all last night! It's only half hour from here by helicopter; the mission is going well". The next day, as we bounced along Rwandan back roads, we heard over a crackling radio that one of the Congolese rebel leaders "who once seemed untouchable" was arrested by the joint Congolese-Rwandan mission.

But such stories - for as true as they may be - seem to represent only what the outside world wants to see of Rwanda. As one Rwandan newspaper journalist wrote when one famous celebrity decided to give birth in Namibia: "Like me, you must be wondering why Namibia and not Rwanda, for instance? Let us consider the facts. Namibia is a hopeless banana republic famous mainly for its empty spaces and large Kalahari Desert and backward bushmen, right? On the other hand, Rwanda is a beautiful, lush, evergreen country with flowing hills and valleys, which is known for, mmm ... er, so sorry to break this to you, but Rwanda is famous for just one thing, genocide".

That the country and its people have been deeply scarred by the horrific events of the past is undisputable (over dinner just hours after our arrival, our generous host - a priest - confides: "I know this sounds a little pagan, but sometimes I pray that God would just kill everyone over the age of 15 so we could start all over again without embedded ideologies"), but Rwanda - and the Rwandans - deserve a reputation much greater than that of a violent past - they deserve media attention that more accurately depicts both the country and the people as a phoenix bird, rising from the ashes of the past in a most awe-inspiring way.

I could start with my sheer amazement of seeing a country so alive - nothing of sitting around, lacking of things to do. Nothing of street side beggars asking for a coin or two (you'll see more of those in uber-riche Geneva than Rwanda). The country is alive with people working, building, walking, transporting, studying ... Rwanda's not waiting around for anyone to pick her up and carry her forward; she's doing that for herself.

I could start with the national highways, which are perfectly paved, perfectly painted and with perfect, wide shoulders - as good or better than any you'll see in the States.

I could start with the stunningly lush green hills that look too surreal to be real; the fields of banana and corn plantations; the hills that are so alive with people walking, biking, running from one destination to the next that it looks like a nest of busy human ants.

I could start with the "szzwweeerrrpping" sound of the generator shutting off for the day: only 2 percent of the country has any electricity at all.

I could start with the sweeping changes taking place: policies banning plastic bags, encouraging families to limit themselves to three children, setting the minimum age to marry at 21, making English the official language by 2010.

I could start with the "surreal-ity" of stepping off the plane with only one hour time difference and being in a whole 'nother world. When going to/from Asia or the Americas, somehow it feels a tad more "acceptable" for their to be such striking differences - after all, you're half a world away. But Africa to Europe? It's like walking through the threshold of a doorway ... but not quite understanding how a single step could have possibly brought you to such a different place.

But this does not describe the people, the drive, the resolution for the future, which, unspoken as it may be, is as powerful, and as unique as that found anywhere in the world.

And so, at a loss for words, I leave you for the moment with PHOTOS and a request to disregard - if but for a moment - the international news stories "representing" Rwanda, trusting that, before long, the words finally will come.