The best services to use when moving to Rwanda

What were the biggest hurdles you faced when moving to Rwanda? 1. Getting information on housing eg best and safe locations, best deals on renting, proximity to shopping centers etc.  2. General shopping information eg best and quality supermarkets, best fresh foods markets, etc. 3. Information on schools 4. Domestic help information 5. How to get around in Kigali and upcountry especially on weekends..
Were there any services available that helped? Yes..
1. Housing : Kigali life yahoo group. livinginkigali.com and now www.imali.biz website. Now there are facebook pages eg kigai buy and sell, Kigali moms and dads, Kigali expats but content in the facebook pages is quite slow.
2.. Shopping information: livinginkigali.com has some excellent information on this. However Kigali supermarkets do not stock a whole range of things, but with malls coming up hopefully one can get a one stop shopping experience.  Previously one would run all over Kigali eg get fresh foods at Kimironko drive 20 minutes to Nakumatt to get dried foods/household stuff drive 5 minutes downtown to T2000 for household bric-a-brac ( yes I know... literally!) which makes a very exhausting shopping day! UCT Kigali city tower and now Kigali heights seek to change that. but they are on a pricey end.. and nothing like hunting those bargains while shopping right?
3. Information on schools: This is usually word of mouth mainly.. but there are limited options anyways narrows to 3: Green hills Academy, Kigali Christian School and Kigali International Christian school.. This is a pretty much word of mouth information.
4. Domestic help information: Domestic workers is the best way to manage given the big houses and bigger compounds and petty house thefts in Kigali.  Unfortunately its purely a network thing.. your friend's house help knows some friend who needs a job.. but its usually a risky way and the domestic help are poorly trained in house matters, poor English/Swahili,.  This was a major pain point having young children.  However Kigali life and Kigali moms and dads group usually has someone leaving and wanting to pass on their domestic worker.. so a great place to source someone with reference..
5. How to get around Kigali... definitely livinginkigali.com also have a map.. Another way is to check tripadvisor reviews on Kigali.. google Kigali/rwanda and hunt out some blogs usually contains some little tidbits that are quite helpful. Blogs are a refreshing read.. don't hold your breath on the mainstream media online newspapers..

Which services helped you most upon your arrival in Rwanda? Yes..1.Getting a local simcard and internet connection.  MTN is the widely used mobile phone network although airtel is wider in Africa coverage.  Internet set up is not limited to the mobile companies.  Liquid telcom and BSC (found at telecom house Kacyiru)  and MTN and Airtel  would be my preference in that order... I'm sure there could be smaller internet providers giving a better service.. but the cost of going with them not worth it would rather stick to the big guys..  2. Identifying your preferred health care provider.  This is word of mouth.. have yet to see an online site on this..
Were there any that helped you adapt and integrate in your new home? Yes, the above.

Are there any services that you wished were available when you moved to Rwanda?
REally depends on what part of the world you come from and how convenient your life was. For example limited online shopping in Kigali. Some online food delivery services although not sure how good they are.  Kigali is a small place, easily 45 minutes to drive from one end of the town to the other on a good traffic jam free day.. so just getting out to meet friends, hang out in restaurants etc is fun.

Did you find the price of the different services available reasonable? A lot of things in Kigali/Rwanda tend to be on the high end unfortunately.  Only thing I find reasonable is the fresh food markets in Kigali with wide varieties and very very fresh vegetables and fruits.. Not much reviews unfortunately online either to be able to compare prices so...
Were there any that were overpriced, to your mind? Housing is very very expensive actually overpriced.  Althought this year (2017) prices seem to be coming down.. On a good side. the housing are of a good standard and many so you can have a wide range of choices to pick from!
(PS this was a looong list lol)