At 19, Eric Sabi Nsengiyumva is already employed, operates a grocery business on the side, and is a budding musician. In September, he will join university to pursue his dream course, Tourism. Moses Opobo caught up with him in Nyakinama village, Musanze District where he works as reservations manager at the Red Rocks Backpackers’ Campsite.

Talk about your work 

I am in charge of the reservations line for Red Rocks. When clients call, I make bookings for them. We handle reservations mostly from the US, Canada, India, Australia, and Germany. I speak French and English well and I try a bit of Swahili. Most of the tourists come to see gorillas, and for mountain hiking in Bisoke. Here at Red Rocks, they are mostly interested in experiencing banana beer production, village walks, and camping.

What else do you do at Red Rocks?

I also double as a bar man serving drinks to guests. When I started working here, I realised that there was no shop in the neighborhood from which people could buy day-to-day basic needs.

So I went to see my boss, Greg Bakunzi, and sold him the idea of selling some basic consumables from my reservations office, and he gave me a go ahead.

With my little savings I stocked some essential commodities like soap, drinks, cigarettes, rice and biscuits. Even the tourists who visit Red Rocks sometimes want to buy some items so they come here instead of going to Musanze town, which is 7 km away.

How did you end up in tourism?

As a child, I liked traveling and to take care of people, especially guests and customers.

After my A-Level at Ecole Secondaire Islamique de Ruhengeri, where I emerged the best student, I came here in 2012 for my internship as a Tour Guide. It was my first time to guide people, especially foreigners. My first assignment was to guide two clients from Slovenia on a hiking trip in one of the mountains, and on a village walks.

They told me about life Slovenia, and their tourism industry. This made me become interested in knowing about what happens in other parts of the world and in other tourism destinations.

What is your typical day like?

I work from Friday to Sunday, and then I take a rest on Saturday because I am an Adventist. I report for work between 6:00 and 6:30 am, and close between 9-9:30 pm.

I live in Ruhengeri town with my parents and five siblings. I am the oldest child, I think it is partly the reason I started work early. My father is a farmer, and my mother is a business woman.

Where do you see yourself in the near future?

I am waiting for September to join university. In the meantime, I’m happy to be gaining experience in my hospitality career, while also broadening my understanding of things because I interact with people from different parts of the world every day. It’s like another internship I’m doing!

At the university, I want to study tourism. I want to be an expert in tourism. I want to gain as much experience in tourism as possible. After school I want to own my own business but in the field of tourism. I haven’t yet decided on what I want to do. It will all depend on the capital at hand.

I like singing and I’m a member of the choir at the Adventist Church in Musanze town. I do mostly gospel music, and I have a commemoration song –Komera Rwanda, which I recorded as a collabo with friends after I failed to raise studio fees alone. I have many songs but I lack the money to produce them.

I perform at church and at commemoration activities in schools. Want to do music as a side job, but my first love is tourism.