Frustration

Monday, July 19, 2004

Bad news awaited me in my mailbox this morning. Emma, the lady I’ve been working with to get a trip scheduled for Victoria Falls wrote back with bad news. Apparently, the ONLY flight to Vic Falls leaves at 9am on Friday, meaning I would have to skip work on Friday to go. From my pre-trip briefing, that is an impossibility and would be frowned upon by the powers that be. The only way I could do that would be to get permission from Leo to do so, even if it made Robert unhappy. With me being here such a short time, I’m not sure that permission will be forthcoming. So I’m screwed there. If that weren’t bad enough, the travel agency wanted me to pay in CASH. No wire transfer, certainly no credit cards (Zimbabweans don’t know what those are, apparently.), but cold, hard US dollars.

Can I just make the observation that a “cash only” economy SUCKS ASS?!?!? Pardon my French! I didn’t withdraw my entire advance for the trip because I never though I’d need it, and besides, carrying around $7K in cash was not my idea of a smart move. Besides, I thought for sure that my credit would be accepted at major establishments. WRONG! So most of my money is spoken for to pay for my room, board, and driver. That still leaves me plenty of spending money, but only if I can use credit cards or a wire transfer of money to pay for any trips. I can’t just be paying cash to head to Vic Falls or anywhere else! It makes me so angry, and it makes me feel trapped here. I have come all this way, and I’m not going to see crap outside of Harare. It’s a rip off, if you ask me. I’ve written Leo for some advice, but I haven’t heard from him. I wonder if he’s in the office right now or not. So here I am, stuck in Harare with no way to get out, and a credit card with a nice, fat limit that is useless to me.

I went to the gym again today and worked out. It was good, and I got to take a real shower too, which is always a treat. I find myself also looking for ways to NOT take a dump in the cottage since I know it won’t ever flush for me properly. I know I seem to harp on this, but it’s just so disgusting, and there’s nothing I can do about it! I don’t know why other toilets seem to work OK and mine doesn’t. Let’s not even mention the lack of shower water or water pressure. I can wash off in the kitchen sink, but that just seems WRONG to me. I’m going to have a spa day when I get back. I’ve not had one since I first took the bar exam in Virginia. I think after this ordeal of not being able to get a regular bath, I deserve a nice spa day. I’ll have Richard set it up for me for my return. I plan on taking a couple of days off anyway to recuperate. No way will I travel on a plane for 26 hours only to head to work within 48 hours.

I had more of my soup, which was nice. I’m so happy I found soup. I just need to get Eddie to take me to a Spar instead of those damn “Bon Marche” stores. I got to read more last night. The book I’m reading now is called “The Dwelling” and it’s a bit difficult to get into, but I’m plowing through. It’s not like I have loads of alternative reading.

Good news today, though! I got an email from Casey telling me where to find her PUK code. Yinka and I went to her house at lunch and it worked!! I have a cell phone that works now!! Yippee! I can now give and receive calls…so very happy. Amazing how just having a cell phone can be such an uplifting thing.

I’m really not as unhappy as today’s entry probably reads. I’m just frustrated with my inability to travel around on weekends and see things that people tell me I have to see. Yet I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Having the prospect of travel ripped from me, I find myself feeling trapped and anxious to get home. At least there, I can use credit cards, and I can travel wherever the hell I want whenever the hell I want! It’s the helplessness that I feel right now that grates on me. I pray it will pass.