Long Time, No See!

So, it's been quite a while since I've posted last on this blog (I believe it's been almost 8 months)! While the months have been quite packed with writing, experiments, meetings, courses, travel, and more, I finally feel as though I have some fun things to share with you all - and that's because I'm writing this post in Kigali, Rwanda!

I'm in Kigali for a research visit to Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU Africa). The university is small but mighty, and has engineering and computer science Master's programs. I am here for two weeks with a colleague, and we're each doing some teaching as well as getting to know some of the students and staff. I was very excited to do two double lectures (2 hours x 2 days) - one on using artificial intelligence for language translation and one on interoperability in digital health. The class sizes are small (15-30 students for this class) so it was a great opportunity to get the students to interact and discuss the topics.

Outside of the classroom, I've gotten to learn a lot about Kigali and Rwanda. The country is small, just under the red pin on the map to the left. It has a population of ~14million, compared to South Africa at ~60million. Kigali is the capital, and is a beautiful city with tons of hills. I visited Mount Kigali, though I cheated to get to the top - I took a motorbike and didn't hike. Motorbikes, or 'motos' are the most common form of transportation. You just hop on the back of the moto, and the driver will take you where you need to go, and for a price of (usually) <$1.

I also took a trip to the Genocide Memorial, which provides an educational experience on the 1994 genocide that took place in Rwanda. It provides a place for families and survivors to share their stories, and also an opportunity to understand the history of the country and how they have rebuilt since 1994. I think the visit it was important to my experience in Rwanda, and I would encourage anyone who comes to the country to also go.

My trip isn't over yet, but in only a week and a half I've experienced quite a lot. There is also so much to do here that I know I won't get to unfortunately, but I'm very grateful for the experience that I have had. I've gotten the chance to learn about a country I previously didn't know much about, and also met a lot of great students and researchers in the university here. I would love to come back again someday!