I know it’s been a minute since the last update and for that (as always) I apologize. I actually have been busy over the past few weeks and just have not had the time to think about anything but work and life. However, as Christy sits next to me working on another application letter and I realize I’m wasting time playing Spider Solitaire, it dawned on me to go ahead and give a bit of an update.
I’ve been busy here in Harare for the past few weeks writing proposals, meeting all of the players in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector and generally bringing myself up to speed on ZimAHEADs activities, both current and past. I’ve met some interesting people over the course of the last few weeks, but the most intriguing of all are our new friends who are born and bred in Zim who have been through the worst times and are now wondering just exactly what is going to happen. It’s quite amazing how it wasn’t until Christy and I traveled south to a town called Chiredzi that we realized most people in general throughout Harare have no idea what is still going on in their country. Most of the people we met down there were still fighting for their lives and livelihoods, both in and out of court. Dollarization (yup, that is the official term for adoption of the US dollar as the main currency) has created a sense of euphoria in the capitol as goods are on the shelves and commerce is allowed to flourish, but in fact, the rest of the country is still struggling to make ends meet. It was a sobering trip, that much is for sure, and has given us a new appreciation for the struggles that the normal person here in Zim have to face. This includes ourselves; still without running water, erratic lights and a general sense of instability (work-wise and personally).
Anyway, in an effort to keep this short, I will give a bulleted summary from here forward of some of the highlights from the past few weeks, starting with the big winner:
1. Hit my first animal on the road and to my great pleasure it was a…(drum roll please)… guinea fowl! That’s right, he ran straight out in to the road Saturday late afternoon as Christy and I were coming back from a day trip out to a place called Tanganenga (a rock sculpture art community). I figured that he, like most of his kin before, would immediately dart back across the road. Nope. He kept on running and managed to find the bottom of my rear right wheel. Pay back is sweet! For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, ask me again sometime later, but rest assured I am due my vengeance.
2. Whirlwind trip across the South African border to re-up our double entry visa at the beginning of this month found me having to make my first official bribe of a public official. Not my proudest moment, but the situation called for it as there was really no other solution. A lack of information (not having a police clearance to go across for 2 days!), unsympathetic staff at the border, and no time to get said document (our visas were expiring that day) forced my hand. To add insult to injury, we were making good time all day after having already logged something like 600 km on the Beast, arriving at the border well ahead of all the traffic, this short delay forced us to join a queue of about 500 people waiting to enter SA. Lucky for me, I’m technically a resident and could use the short line. Average time spent at the border each time: 4 hours. Time it took to come back across after our 2 day break: 45 minutes!
3. Christy and I were stopped at a police roadblock about 70 kms outside of the town of Mutare and immediately were hassled about the state of our number plate. In Zim, there are three types of number plates: black typeface on yellow background (private vehicles), red typeface on white background (public vehicles – transport), and black typeface on white background (diplomats and government officials). Well, we currently have the last type, but our vehicle is private. This of course has created confusion at the many police roadblocks and this one was no exception. After about 30 minutes of inquiry and a failed phone call to Mutare headquarters, they decided to put their flamboyantly gay comrade in the truck with us to go to police headquarters in Mutare to check whether our vehicle was legal. What an interesting hour drive! OHHKAYEE! In the end, everything was fine and I’m not even sure they checked the legal status of our vehicle. I think they just wanted to give our friend a ride.
4. Made some quick contacts in the development arena and managed to get invited to some parties very early on in our visit. To date we have gone to 3 parties, which is 3 more than we have gone to in the past 2 years! The most recent was with a group of teachers from the international school, whom we met at a recent event for the new US Ambassador to Zimbabwe.
5. Have made some very nice Zimbabwean friends who we have joined for dinner and drinks on a few occasions. In fact, one night Christy and I were so desperate to use a real kitchen that we asked if we could prepare a Mexican night for two couples. We had a wonderful evening and even managed to avoid discussions about politics and the economy for most of the night.
6. The Beast is still limping along with her typical need for maintenance about once a month. While a recent oil leak was repaired this week, it appears that the mechanics managed to mangle her beautiful wench up front! I will be going back to have that fixed, free of charge of course.
That’s really about it. The Jacaranda’s are no longer in bloom, but they have been replaced by their fiery brothers the Flamboyant, with their bright red and orange blooms covering the entire canopy. This country is absolutely beautiful and Christy and I only hope that we will be able to extend our stay beyond these short two months.
