The post is in honor a friend who is working in Kigali, Rwanda (hey, that’s where I am right now! I am visiting her.) who has been proposed to almost daily. Boda drivers, guys walking down the street, old men sitting beside her on the bus…she’s seen it all, folks. I know what you’re thinking- “Natasha, why haven’t you been proposed to?” Well, that is a great question! Maybe because I am taller than 95% of the men here. Maybe it is because I live in the village. Maybe I look like I would cost more cattle than I am worth. I don’t really know, but I live vicariously through this friend and her stories.

For instance, some conversation starters only work well in Africa.

“Are you married yet? Yes? Oh. Do you have kids? No? Oh- then it is no problem! Would you like to marry me?” (conversations that begin this way are often ended pretty quickly. Unless you’re stuck on a bus with them for 2 hours…trouble. Then even the lie about being married and flashing a fake wedding band don’t really make any difference. No kids, no commitment.)

“Would you like me to come and teach you Kinyarwanda? I would love it if you would teach me English!” (sounds so innocent, right? Well you KNOW they want more than language lessons.)

“If I was with you, I would probably only take one wife!” (polygamy, though “officially” ended in Uganda, is still more common than the government chooses to admit.)

“I want a mzuuuunguuuuuu fianceeeeee!” (said with the same whine a six-year-old uses for chocolate)

This weekend, we played a little game- she tried to avoid proposals on the bus ride and I tried to solicit this fun attention. No great results either way so far, but we’re prepared to keep trying.