Bedlam

Just had a slightly upsetting - or rather, bizarre - experience.

Went to collect my new spare bed from Alexis, but we were having problems with some of the bolts so he and Fabian went off to the shop to look at other beds (?) which didn't prove fruitful. No worries, I'm in no rush :) Whilst they were doing that, I carried the mattress back to mine. Gods bless Rwandan Foam (TM) - at least it's light :op

Anyhoo, I was part-way back, passing Kimironko station, when two little boys step off a bisi. The first grabs something the second boy is carrying - a bit of cardboard by the look of it - and runs off, but this second lad, who can't be more than about six or seven, falls flat on his face off the step of the bus!

Immediately (and quite rightly!) he starts crying. Seems he's hurt his leg. So, looking around for a second, I put the mattress aside and run over to the poor lad. Ouch! You could feel the pain - he rolled up his trouser to display a finely grazed (but thankfully not bloody) knee. I gave him a good rub on the back and asked him if he was okay - feeling my Kinya to be woefully inadequate.

So, there's me with this kid who's just taken quite an impressive tumble, surrounded by moto riders and passing pedestrian. Did anyone stop? Did anyone hell. A couple of middle-aged women glanced whilst passing. I tried to draw attention to him but they just looked over and told me to leave him! A bloke walked past and I caught his eye - not even vaguely interested.

It's quite disturbing the sheer number of very young children walking around Kigali completely unaccompanied. Most have about nine brothers and sisters, so I guess mum can't go everywhere with them, but still - if that'd been more serious, then what? Is there a degree of pain at which people would stop and do something? How serious does it have to be?

I could get really angry and say it's Rwandan mentality, but it's not - not entirely - as there was the instance of the young girl in England who was hit by a car and had to physically drag her broken body to the nearest village whilst cars zoomed passed without stopping. When I got mugged and stabbed in Cardiff, I tried to stop someone in the street - they muttered the bare minimum before hastily walking off.

I just don’t get it, I really don't. People stared at me as if I were mad. Well, feck 'em. He was alright, just the shock I think. Managed to get him back on his feet soon enough. Hard life.

But yeah, that image is going to stay with me for a while I think.