So I made it one month and four days without so much as a serious illness, injury or incident. Go figure fate doesn't give me a kick in the tush until 24 hours before I leave. I started packing yesterday morning only to find that all of my American cash is missing. I prided myself on living on a tight budget here. So much so in fact, that I forced myself to go on a shopping spree last weekend because I would've felt guilty returning home with so much money.

Two hundred American dollars is the amount that is gone. That is half of my book money for first semester. I didn't want to tell Gasana because I knew she would assume it was someone in her house. But I told her as we reached the office yesterday morning. She was horrified and speechless with her hands covering her face for a good 5 minutes. When she finally spoke it was to tell me she was going home. Damn! Just what I didn't want to happen.

I can't imagine how hard it must be to wake up at 6 each morning, go to bed at midnight each night, and work tirelessly all day. To be at your bosses beck and call. To cook while they watch TV, set the table while they chat, iron clothes while they shower. And what for? To barely make it by. To get up and do it all over again the next day. Because they are some of the lucky ones -- They have a job.

Yes, I'm bitter and part of me is pissed off, but I don't want this incident late in the trip to taint my whole experience.

Last night Gasana had all of my friends over for a goodbye dinner. It was perfect and very touching to see all of the friendships I have made this past month. At the end of the evening I was given a Rwandese name, Malaika, which means angel. They chose this name because I'm "very humble". Then Natty Dread (a reggae artist) sang a song about coming back to Rwanda from exile and hugging the people, and culture and country. Gasana told me I would soon be hugging Americans. Yes, but I will also fondly remember how I was embraced by this country.

I leave in a few hours for America. I look forward to hugging you all.