Fanta Fiesata

During my training in Nyana a current volunteer mentioned that there is a lack of critical thinking and imagination in Rwanda. I notice it a little this on a daily basis and because of it I often ask questions that require an out of box thinking just to see what kind of answer I will get. Being a muzunugu I feel I can get away asking ridiculous questions on a regular basis, it is like being a child, why why why why, whats is this, what is it for, why is it here, etc…. Recently, on my last trip in Kigali, I noticed signs everywhere for the new flavor of Fanta, to me this is very normal, new flavors or beverages come out, you try it, if you like if you buy it again, if not then you stick with what you know. When I saw this new Fanta flavor in a local shop in town (my host mother has a shop in town so I go in there everyday on my way to work to talk to the girls that work there-who may or may not also live with my host family, still unclear) I asked a crazy out of the box question, “oh, what is this?” pointing to the new flavor of Fanta. “Oh- they made a mistake when bottling, it is just Coke in the wrong bottle.” Hmm…I know that is not the right answer. When at my host mothers house a few days later the same situation arises, my host mother has friends over and brings out a case of fantas, coke, and sprite, and in the case there it is, so again, I ask, “oh, what is this?” “It is sprite but dark- they made it a different color” Again, that is not right. Point, it takes a while for things to catch on, and any sort of change comes very slowly. Something important for me to remember in my daily activities here. And PS Fanta Fiesta takes like a meted snow cone, sweet but delicious!