Wednesday - August 18, 2004
This will be my last journal entry before returning home to the United States. I leave on Friday, so I won't be in the office to post anything for Thursday. It promises to be quiet. Casey is taking me to lunch, we're going to have a final meeting to wrap up any questions on what I did with the various finance records, and I will try to find a bottle of Amarula before going back to the cottage to finish packing. I'll likely spend time with Pet and her family, hopefully getting some pictures. I imagine I'll pay my final bill too. Then it will be off to bed and having a leisurely morning before I head to the airport at 10:30am.
Today was rather slow. The internet died midmorning, and I thought I was doomed in my quest to upload and post my pictures from Victoria Falls. Luckily, the connection came back after lunch, so I was able to finish my project, a link to which was provided in this journal yesterday. I had about 150 pictures to upload from my weekend away, and although the computer didn't post them in order, I had enough captions that people seem to be able to follow. The comments I've received have been good. Richard even said that I looked like I had lost weight! I think that may be true, but I still want to lose more.
The measles partnership call was rather bland. I got to sit in on it, but they argued a lot about the distribution of treated bed nets to help fight malaria. Some places are experimenting with combining the distribution of bed nets with measles campaigns. I kind of zoned out most of the time. I answered emails, read newspapers online, and generally waited for quitting time.
I went to Yinka's at 6pm for my farewell dinner. It was kind of a farewell/welcome back dinner in honor of Casey and me. It was nice. They had different sorts of dishes. I especially enjoyed the peanut butter noodles that Amy made! We finished dinner with a dessert of brownies. We also watched some of the Olympics, shared pictures from our various travels this summer (or winter, here), and took pictures. I did get pictures of me with Trent, Amy, and Anne Marie which I will post when I get home. I also have pictures of Yinka and Everard. I will get pictures of my WHO offices as well, and hopefully Pet, Morris, and Kirk. I got a sweet picture of Sasha, the big Mastiff that reminded me so much of my boxer babies at home. I finally got a good picture of Smiley too!
I went to sleep after the dinner, and woke up to Richard's phone call. He called pretty late, but I knew he would. I'm so glad that I will get to see him in a few days. It's been a long time, but we've kept in touch so well that it hasn't been as bad as I feared. It will still be good to finally get home to him.
With that, my round of good-byes has completed. I will miss the friends I've made here, but I plan to keep in touch. These guys are globe trotters, so I imagine they will be good at emailing. Hopefully we will run into one another again.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Time's Growing Short
Tuesday – August 17, 2004
My disengagement from the work at WHO grows. Casey had a few questions today, and she wasn’t happy when she discovered we sent money to Ethiopia for routine immunization activities. However, on her handover notes to me, nothing was mentioned about not giving another dime to Ethiopia. It appears the country is hording its money and not submitting receipts. That increases suspicion that the money is being used for other purposes, but I had no idea, and apparently neither did Robert. It’s most likely that Robert forgot though.
Otherwise, it was kind of a slow day of email and a long lunch. We all went to Sitar, the Indian restaurant near here, and had a good lunch. Even though we were the only ones in the place, the service was still incredibly slow. Still, the food was excellent, especially the mince meat with peas concoction. I tried to find some Amarula at the TM grocery at the shopping center, but they didn’t have any. I think I may have to go to that fancy Spar in the Fife Ave Shops downtown to get it. Their liquor collection was pretty large, so they should have Amarula. I simply must bring a bottle home because that stuff is good!
Tonight was the dinner with Paola. It wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as I had feared, especially when I knew it was just me. Apparently, she just wanted to cook me dinner because she thinks that I’m a cool guy. She made a steak dinner with some great sauce and broccoli. We then watched the Olympics for a while, cheering on Zimbabwe’s female swimmer who won her 2nd medal last night, a bronze, in the 200m medley. The paper here is all ga-ga over this girl, despite the fact she’s a blond haired, blue eyed white girl. I suppose going 24 years without a single Zimbabwean medal has made them not so picky. Still, it’s surprising to see Mugabe’s press hail a white girl as a national hero for winning in the Olympics. The 2nd exciting race we was the 4x200m medley relay race which the USA won by a fingertip. It was quite thrilling up to the end. Ian Thorpe (aka “The Thorpedo”) almost pulled out an Australian victory. That guy is an amazing swimmer, and I wish he was one of our guys!
After Eddie brought me home, I mostly relaxed. I could have packed more, but I didn’t need to rush things. I did transfer my Victoria Falls pictures from my laptop to the USB memory port that Casey has loaned me. That thing is awesome. It gives you all kinds of storage while being small and easy to use and transport. I must ask Leo to buy me one when I return. I think we have them in supply with the IT team. I can now use that USB storage device to transfer the pictures to the web tomorrow. I watched the women’s gymnastic competition where the US women won silver, being edged out by the Romanian team. I thought the judges were a little biased against the Americans with some of the scores, but overall, I think the Romanian team is deserving of its gold. I then read a little and went to sleep.
My disengagement from the work at WHO grows. Casey had a few questions today, and she wasn’t happy when she discovered we sent money to Ethiopia for routine immunization activities. However, on her handover notes to me, nothing was mentioned about not giving another dime to Ethiopia. It appears the country is hording its money and not submitting receipts. That increases suspicion that the money is being used for other purposes, but I had no idea, and apparently neither did Robert. It’s most likely that Robert forgot though.
Otherwise, it was kind of a slow day of email and a long lunch. We all went to Sitar, the Indian restaurant near here, and had a good lunch. Even though we were the only ones in the place, the service was still incredibly slow. Still, the food was excellent, especially the mince meat with peas concoction. I tried to find some Amarula at the TM grocery at the shopping center, but they didn’t have any. I think I may have to go to that fancy Spar in the Fife Ave Shops downtown to get it. Their liquor collection was pretty large, so they should have Amarula. I simply must bring a bottle home because that stuff is good!
Tonight was the dinner with Paola. It wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as I had feared, especially when I knew it was just me. Apparently, she just wanted to cook me dinner because she thinks that I’m a cool guy. She made a steak dinner with some great sauce and broccoli. We then watched the Olympics for a while, cheering on Zimbabwe’s female swimmer who won her 2nd medal last night, a bronze, in the 200m medley. The paper here is all ga-ga over this girl, despite the fact she’s a blond haired, blue eyed white girl. I suppose going 24 years without a single Zimbabwean medal has made them not so picky. Still, it’s surprising to see Mugabe’s press hail a white girl as a national hero for winning in the Olympics. The 2nd exciting race we was the 4x200m medley relay race which the USA won by a fingertip. It was quite thrilling up to the end. Ian Thorpe (aka “The Thorpedo”) almost pulled out an Australian victory. That guy is an amazing swimmer, and I wish he was one of our guys!
After Eddie brought me home, I mostly relaxed. I could have packed more, but I didn’t need to rush things. I did transfer my Victoria Falls pictures from my laptop to the USB memory port that Casey has loaned me. That thing is awesome. It gives you all kinds of storage while being small and easy to use and transport. I must ask Leo to buy me one when I return. I think we have them in supply with the IT team. I can now use that USB storage device to transfer the pictures to the web tomorrow. I watched the women’s gymnastic competition where the US women won silver, being edged out by the Romanian team. I thought the judges were a little biased against the Americans with some of the scores, but overall, I think the Romanian team is deserving of its gold. I then read a little and went to sleep.
Casey's Return
Monday – August 16, 2004
Casey’s back, and the transition seems smooth. I’m sure I’ve made mistakes along the way that she will have to clean up, but she’s up for the task. I handed over her office keys, which I had forgotten to leave with Yinka. I told her my network password so that she could go through my email files, and I showed her the things I had done. Other than that, Casey took it from there, and I was left to surf the Internet. I had plenty of messages from the weekend, so it wasn’t bad. I’m working at the station of the silent data manager guy who is on contract break himself until 24 August.
I forgot to bring a towel, so I couldn’t go to the gym. I don’t think I’ll go anymore. There was an accident at the gym last weekend where someone nearly had his back broken after a locally built piece of equipment fell on him. I’m about to go anyway, and I don’t need to run up my driver bill. After all, Eddie charges $200,000 Zim to drive me one way to the airport.
I hung out with Kirk some when I got home before I went back to the cottage and found that the shower worked. After taking a nice shower, I made some soup for dinner. I need to finish off as much of my food as possible, but whatever I don’t eat, I’ll just leave. I spent the rest of the night packing clothes that I won’t wear this week, watching movies, and finally the Olympics. It was exciting to watch the Olympics live, especially the men’s gymnastics team, which won silver. Then Richard called, and we had a good talk about my coming home and just what’s going on at his school. Apparently, some teacher in the Spanish department is spreading gossip about Richard and myself, and also telling dirt on her department head, saying he sexually harassed another male teacher in the past. Richard had to complain to the principal. It’s none of the kids’ business what goes on in a teacher’s personal life, and it’s certainly should not be fodder for idle gossip between teacher and student.
Casey’s back, and the transition seems smooth. I’m sure I’ve made mistakes along the way that she will have to clean up, but she’s up for the task. I handed over her office keys, which I had forgotten to leave with Yinka. I told her my network password so that she could go through my email files, and I showed her the things I had done. Other than that, Casey took it from there, and I was left to surf the Internet. I had plenty of messages from the weekend, so it wasn’t bad. I’m working at the station of the silent data manager guy who is on contract break himself until 24 August.
I forgot to bring a towel, so I couldn’t go to the gym. I don’t think I’ll go anymore. There was an accident at the gym last weekend where someone nearly had his back broken after a locally built piece of equipment fell on him. I’m about to go anyway, and I don’t need to run up my driver bill. After all, Eddie charges $200,000 Zim to drive me one way to the airport.
I hung out with Kirk some when I got home before I went back to the cottage and found that the shower worked. After taking a nice shower, I made some soup for dinner. I need to finish off as much of my food as possible, but whatever I don’t eat, I’ll just leave. I spent the rest of the night packing clothes that I won’t wear this week, watching movies, and finally the Olympics. It was exciting to watch the Olympics live, especially the men’s gymnastics team, which won silver. Then Richard called, and we had a good talk about my coming home and just what’s going on at his school. Apparently, some teacher in the Spanish department is spreading gossip about Richard and myself, and also telling dirt on her department head, saying he sexually harassed another male teacher in the past. Richard had to complain to the principal. It’s none of the kids’ business what goes on in a teacher’s personal life, and it’s certainly should not be fodder for idle gossip between teacher and student.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Victoria Falls Weekend!
Thursday – August 12, 2004
My last full day of work before going off to Victoria Falls! The day went kind of slow, mostly because I just wanted it to hurry up and end. I managed to pass out all the books I was giving away since I’ve read them already. I got everything in order, set my away message, and went home to pack. I only carried enough to last me the weekend, with just a couple of outfits. I want to be prepared for anything I might be inclined to buy. Eddie is coming in the morning around 7am, so I have to be up and eating breakfast by 6:30am. That’s the only down side I see right now. :)
I had to go directly after work to get tickets for Harry Potter, since the latest movie just opened here. Anne Marie, Yinka, and the family of a girlfriend of one of the Marine’s joined us. I wolfed down some dinner at St. Elmo’s before the movie started, and we had a nice time. I appreciated more of the subtle points in the film the 2nd time around. After dinner, Yinka, Anne Marie, and myself went back to St. Elmo’s so they could eat. I only had a salad at that point. Anne Marie took me home.
Friday, August 13, 2004 – Sunday, August 15, 2004
I got up early, but I wasn’t too difficult. Breakfast was ready at 6:30am and Eddie was on time at 7am. He said that he’d wait to be paid until after I got back on Sunday, which was fine with me, but it did make me wonder if he didn’t want me to have sticker shock for the price he would charge me to go to the airport. It is on the other side of town, far from where I’m located. Probably 20 miles, I’d bet.
Going into the airport, we had to veer away from the newer terminal used for international flights. Domestic flights take off in this converted hangar that had next to no security. They do screen luggage when you come in the door, but after that, they don’t do anything. I was flying first class on the way to Vic Falls since that was the only seat available. They had been able to get me an economy seat on the way back to Harare, which netted me $50 US. With the $710,000 Zim that I got changing out $100 US on Thursday, I was set.
Thankfully, Yinka had brought a couple of books she had finished, so I had something to read. It was A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett, and it takes place in pre-revolutionary Britain and America. Interesting reading, that’s for sure. It definitely kept me from being bored out of my mind.
The planes for Air Zimbabwe were not bad. They were older, but not any older than some US jets. First class was comfortable and spacious and it was nice to be waited on. I had some juice when I first sat down, and I also got a drink and a sandwich during the flight. First, we had to go to Bulawayo and then went on to Victoria Falls. Once we landed at Victoria Falls Airport, our luggage was unceremoniously unloaded and dumped in an open warehouse door that served as the luggage area. I then found the group (United Touring Company) that I had the ride with to my B&B and boarded the bus.
I sat in the front seat and listened to the driver tell me some facts about Victoria Falls, pointing out villages and whatnot as we drove toward the town. I was the last one dropped off, since I was also the only one staying in a B&B. Amadeus B&B is nice, but it’s a bit out of town for my taste. If I could have afforded to spend the cash, I would have preferred staying at the Kingdom resort or even at the Victoria Falls Hotel, which is 100 years old. Amadeus is a nice house that has been converted into a B&B. There is the main house, and then wings have been built for guest rooms. It has a gorgeous pool, and a nice eating area where you have breakfast each morning. My room was right on the pool, and had a nice, new ceiling fan. The toilet and shower worked beautifully. The B&B’s website is at www.amadeusgarden.com.
When I arrived, I decided to jump into the pool since it was so warm, and the pool looked so inviting. That was a mistake. The pool was ice cold! I managed to swim my way to the shallow end and get out. I had to spray myself with bug spray since the flies and stuff almost immediately descended. The spray worked wonders. I relaxed and read my book until it was time to get ready for the game drive. I showered under intense water pressure which thrilled me to no end.
The game drive was pretty cool. We saw a herd of elephants and watched them destroy trees for food. I had no idea that elephants destroyed so much land in their wake, or that 2/3 of they eat passes through their system undigested. Baboons, in fact, pick through elephant dung looking for food to eat. I can’t imagine anything more nasty. I saw tons of water buck (male and female) along with baboons. I also saw some vultures that were apparently waiting for a predator to finish his meal or for another animal to die. Since it’s the dry season, all the vegetation is pretty much brown and dead.
I went to the Boma (Eating Place in the native tongue) for dinner. Everyone said I had to try it. It was this wild game restaurant that served buffet style. The owner of Amadeus Garden said I was should walk since it was close. Well, the map wasn’t matching what the streets did, and it was after dark with NO street lights. I tried walking, and quickly discovered I couldn’t see anything and had to go back and take a cab. I don’t know what that man was smoking when he had me try to walk! The Boma started me off with a drink of the native beer, which was clear and tasted like vinegar with a dash of rubbing alcohol thrown in. Then you ate. I tried ostrich (not bad, much like sirloin steak), kudu steak (stingy and tough), and warthog. Let me tell you, warthogs might be ugly, but they sure are tasty! It was as tender as filet mignon and had a taste that a cross between a filet and chicken. I also tried the peanut butter rice, and I got a certificate for eating a fried worm which is a delicacy here. It was crunchy, but otherwise OK. Reminded me a little bit of escargot, but with a unique enough flavor to be different. After the Boma, I was stuffed, and was glad to get home.
The next morning, I had a typical breakfast of cereal, juice, coffee, eggs, and ham. We then went on the walking tour of the falls. Now is the time for me to talk about the Egyptians. For every activity, and on both my flights to and from Victoria Falls, there was a couple who I found out were from Egypt. I knew she was Muslim from the head scarf, and I figured the husband was some Middle Eastern businessman. Turns out he’s the trade attaché for Egypt to Zimbabwe. I wasn’t aware that Muslim wives were allowed to henpeck their husbands the way this lady henpecked her husband. She complained about everything. She didn’t want to walk far, she didn’t want to get wet, she didn’t like to wait, etc. One of the ubiquitous street vendors tried to sell her something for $80,000 Zim, and she laughed in his face and said, “I give only $10,000!” The guy backed down to $30K, and for a carving, that wasn’t a bad price. But she wouldn’t budge off the $10K offer, which is only $1.50 US. Then, at the falls (which are 2km wide), she refused to rent a rain coat for the mist. Well, the wind shifted, and she got all upset that the falls was making her get wet! I couldn’t believe it. I just wanted to ask what she expected visiting one of the largest WATERfalls in the world?!? The kicker was the sunset cruise where she apparently didn’t like the boat. It was a catamaran, which you would expect for a casual dinner cruise on the Zambezi River. I suppose she thought she would be aboard the Queen Mary II. She refused to get on, and her husband was ready to leave her ashore and make her wait for him. Just before the boat took off, she almost burst into tears and decided to board the ship. We applauded her courage. She and her husband also wanted an alligator skin. They thought someone would just shoot one in the river for them, I suppose. I don’t know if they ever got their skin. They certainly were memorable. The Egyptian guy, too, was whiter than I am. I found that to be funny to see a Middle Eastern guy from Egypt to be so light skinned. That’s what I get for having assumptions!
The falls were fantastic. I really do not have the proper words to describe them. They are huge and seem to go on forever when you are standing at one end. Any of the individual falls that make up Victoria Falls as a whole would be breathtaking. Together, they are simply amazing. I truly understand why people harped on me to go here before I left Zimbabwe, and why Vic Falls is one of the natural wonders of the world. I am so glad I got to see them. Once I am able to upload my pictures, hopefully you can get a glimpse of the majesty that is Victoria Falls. I’m afraid my camera, even with over 150 pictures taken, cannot quite capture it.
I also watched some fool bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge that links Zimbabwe with Zambia. I can’t imagine doing that, with my fear of freefalling. I would be paralyzed with fear; someone would have to go with me or push me. After the falls, we went to the “living village” which was nothing short of cheesy. It was not nearly as authentic as I hoped, and the guide who worked there rushed us through and then brazenly demanded tips like a beggar on the street. No sense of discretion AT ALL. I could have done without that tour, although seeing examples of native huts was interesting.
I convinced the tour driver to let me off at the Kingdom Lodge, where the Egyptians were staying, so I could explore downtown Victoria Falls. It was a cute tourist town, like any other you’d see in the world. I went through the 100 year old Victoria Falls Hotel which was fantastic. It certainly deserves its 4 stars, and I imagine is not far from a 5th one. It has an elegance that reminded me of many find resorts found in the US, especially in tropical areas. If I ever return here, I will definitely make plans to stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel. Failing that, I will stay at the Kingdom lodge, which is cute in a sort of African themed, Las Vegas way. I did manage to find another book to buy (although I later discovered the book I bought was not the one listed on the jacket cover!) and a T-shirt. I would have gotten my mom a T-shirt, but the only one I liked for her was $150,000 Zim, or about $25US. No way was I paying that!
The sunset cruise, or booze cruise, was nice. It was very peaceful sailing along the Zambezi River above the falls. I found out that the Zambezi is the 4th longest river in Africa. It comes after the Nile, Niger, and Congo rivers in length. We saw some hippos and an alligator. There was a nice gay couple from Athens who had fled the Olympics by going on a Southern Africa tour. Victoria Falls was their first stop. They were very funny, and it was nice to talk to “family”. The irony was especially thick when the Egyptians had the gay couple take pictures of them. It made me think about this guy would probably support imprisonment or death for these men for being gay, but had no qualms about asking their help. I think I polished off a bottle of Zimbabwean red wine (had no idea Zimbabwe had any vineyards!) on my own. It was very good, much like a merlot but without the typical bitter aftertaste of red wines. The sunset was perfect too. I think I captured it pretty well on my camera, as the sun slowly slid below the horizon in a red blaze of glory. It just what you’d expect an African sunset to be.
I went home and just went to sleep. I slept the whole night and got up in the morning for breakfast and to pack. The bus to take me to the airport was late by about 30 minutes. I was getting very nervous that they had forgotten me and that I’d miss my flight when they finally arrived. Again, there was little security at the airport, and I sat in coach. This woman next to me had her 7 year old sitting in her lap, which I could not believe the airlines allowed. That child needed his own seat. I talked with a Danish guy on the other side of me for part of the trip, and he was interesting. I exited from a different terminal than the one I had come into on Friday. This was a new terminal designed for domestic flights. I don’t think it was finished yet, which is why they still use the old hangar. I had to wait 20 minutes past 1pm for Eddie to arrive. He got me home though, and I was glad of it. I got to talk to Mom for a while on the phone when she called, and she wanted to come visit me next Sunday after I just got home. I nixed that idea. Last thing I’ll want next weekend is company.
Pet upgraded the TV satellite service, so I can switch channels on my own without regard to what they are watching. That was nice. They also put up new shower bars to hold towels and washcloths. Nice touch. Now if they just will get a new toilet that flushes properly!
My last full day of work before going off to Victoria Falls! The day went kind of slow, mostly because I just wanted it to hurry up and end. I managed to pass out all the books I was giving away since I’ve read them already. I got everything in order, set my away message, and went home to pack. I only carried enough to last me the weekend, with just a couple of outfits. I want to be prepared for anything I might be inclined to buy. Eddie is coming in the morning around 7am, so I have to be up and eating breakfast by 6:30am. That’s the only down side I see right now. :)
I had to go directly after work to get tickets for Harry Potter, since the latest movie just opened here. Anne Marie, Yinka, and the family of a girlfriend of one of the Marine’s joined us. I wolfed down some dinner at St. Elmo’s before the movie started, and we had a nice time. I appreciated more of the subtle points in the film the 2nd time around. After dinner, Yinka, Anne Marie, and myself went back to St. Elmo’s so they could eat. I only had a salad at that point. Anne Marie took me home.
Friday, August 13, 2004 – Sunday, August 15, 2004
I got up early, but I wasn’t too difficult. Breakfast was ready at 6:30am and Eddie was on time at 7am. He said that he’d wait to be paid until after I got back on Sunday, which was fine with me, but it did make me wonder if he didn’t want me to have sticker shock for the price he would charge me to go to the airport. It is on the other side of town, far from where I’m located. Probably 20 miles, I’d bet.
Going into the airport, we had to veer away from the newer terminal used for international flights. Domestic flights take off in this converted hangar that had next to no security. They do screen luggage when you come in the door, but after that, they don’t do anything. I was flying first class on the way to Vic Falls since that was the only seat available. They had been able to get me an economy seat on the way back to Harare, which netted me $50 US. With the $710,000 Zim that I got changing out $100 US on Thursday, I was set.
Thankfully, Yinka had brought a couple of books she had finished, so I had something to read. It was A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett, and it takes place in pre-revolutionary Britain and America. Interesting reading, that’s for sure. It definitely kept me from being bored out of my mind.
The planes for Air Zimbabwe were not bad. They were older, but not any older than some US jets. First class was comfortable and spacious and it was nice to be waited on. I had some juice when I first sat down, and I also got a drink and a sandwich during the flight. First, we had to go to Bulawayo and then went on to Victoria Falls. Once we landed at Victoria Falls Airport, our luggage was unceremoniously unloaded and dumped in an open warehouse door that served as the luggage area. I then found the group (United Touring Company) that I had the ride with to my B&B and boarded the bus.
I sat in the front seat and listened to the driver tell me some facts about Victoria Falls, pointing out villages and whatnot as we drove toward the town. I was the last one dropped off, since I was also the only one staying in a B&B. Amadeus B&B is nice, but it’s a bit out of town for my taste. If I could have afforded to spend the cash, I would have preferred staying at the Kingdom resort or even at the Victoria Falls Hotel, which is 100 years old. Amadeus is a nice house that has been converted into a B&B. There is the main house, and then wings have been built for guest rooms. It has a gorgeous pool, and a nice eating area where you have breakfast each morning. My room was right on the pool, and had a nice, new ceiling fan. The toilet and shower worked beautifully. The B&B’s website is at www.amadeusgarden.com.
When I arrived, I decided to jump into the pool since it was so warm, and the pool looked so inviting. That was a mistake. The pool was ice cold! I managed to swim my way to the shallow end and get out. I had to spray myself with bug spray since the flies and stuff almost immediately descended. The spray worked wonders. I relaxed and read my book until it was time to get ready for the game drive. I showered under intense water pressure which thrilled me to no end.
The game drive was pretty cool. We saw a herd of elephants and watched them destroy trees for food. I had no idea that elephants destroyed so much land in their wake, or that 2/3 of they eat passes through their system undigested. Baboons, in fact, pick through elephant dung looking for food to eat. I can’t imagine anything more nasty. I saw tons of water buck (male and female) along with baboons. I also saw some vultures that were apparently waiting for a predator to finish his meal or for another animal to die. Since it’s the dry season, all the vegetation is pretty much brown and dead.
I went to the Boma (Eating Place in the native tongue) for dinner. Everyone said I had to try it. It was this wild game restaurant that served buffet style. The owner of Amadeus Garden said I was should walk since it was close. Well, the map wasn’t matching what the streets did, and it was after dark with NO street lights. I tried walking, and quickly discovered I couldn’t see anything and had to go back and take a cab. I don’t know what that man was smoking when he had me try to walk! The Boma started me off with a drink of the native beer, which was clear and tasted like vinegar with a dash of rubbing alcohol thrown in. Then you ate. I tried ostrich (not bad, much like sirloin steak), kudu steak (stingy and tough), and warthog. Let me tell you, warthogs might be ugly, but they sure are tasty! It was as tender as filet mignon and had a taste that a cross between a filet and chicken. I also tried the peanut butter rice, and I got a certificate for eating a fried worm which is a delicacy here. It was crunchy, but otherwise OK. Reminded me a little bit of escargot, but with a unique enough flavor to be different. After the Boma, I was stuffed, and was glad to get home.
The next morning, I had a typical breakfast of cereal, juice, coffee, eggs, and ham. We then went on the walking tour of the falls. Now is the time for me to talk about the Egyptians. For every activity, and on both my flights to and from Victoria Falls, there was a couple who I found out were from Egypt. I knew she was Muslim from the head scarf, and I figured the husband was some Middle Eastern businessman. Turns out he’s the trade attaché for Egypt to Zimbabwe. I wasn’t aware that Muslim wives were allowed to henpeck their husbands the way this lady henpecked her husband. She complained about everything. She didn’t want to walk far, she didn’t want to get wet, she didn’t like to wait, etc. One of the ubiquitous street vendors tried to sell her something for $80,000 Zim, and she laughed in his face and said, “I give only $10,000!” The guy backed down to $30K, and for a carving, that wasn’t a bad price. But she wouldn’t budge off the $10K offer, which is only $1.50 US. Then, at the falls (which are 2km wide), she refused to rent a rain coat for the mist. Well, the wind shifted, and she got all upset that the falls was making her get wet! I couldn’t believe it. I just wanted to ask what she expected visiting one of the largest WATERfalls in the world?!? The kicker was the sunset cruise where she apparently didn’t like the boat. It was a catamaran, which you would expect for a casual dinner cruise on the Zambezi River. I suppose she thought she would be aboard the Queen Mary II. She refused to get on, and her husband was ready to leave her ashore and make her wait for him. Just before the boat took off, she almost burst into tears and decided to board the ship. We applauded her courage. She and her husband also wanted an alligator skin. They thought someone would just shoot one in the river for them, I suppose. I don’t know if they ever got their skin. They certainly were memorable. The Egyptian guy, too, was whiter than I am. I found that to be funny to see a Middle Eastern guy from Egypt to be so light skinned. That’s what I get for having assumptions!
The falls were fantastic. I really do not have the proper words to describe them. They are huge and seem to go on forever when you are standing at one end. Any of the individual falls that make up Victoria Falls as a whole would be breathtaking. Together, they are simply amazing. I truly understand why people harped on me to go here before I left Zimbabwe, and why Vic Falls is one of the natural wonders of the world. I am so glad I got to see them. Once I am able to upload my pictures, hopefully you can get a glimpse of the majesty that is Victoria Falls. I’m afraid my camera, even with over 150 pictures taken, cannot quite capture it.
I also watched some fool bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge that links Zimbabwe with Zambia. I can’t imagine doing that, with my fear of freefalling. I would be paralyzed with fear; someone would have to go with me or push me. After the falls, we went to the “living village” which was nothing short of cheesy. It was not nearly as authentic as I hoped, and the guide who worked there rushed us through and then brazenly demanded tips like a beggar on the street. No sense of discretion AT ALL. I could have done without that tour, although seeing examples of native huts was interesting.
I convinced the tour driver to let me off at the Kingdom Lodge, where the Egyptians were staying, so I could explore downtown Victoria Falls. It was a cute tourist town, like any other you’d see in the world. I went through the 100 year old Victoria Falls Hotel which was fantastic. It certainly deserves its 4 stars, and I imagine is not far from a 5th one. It has an elegance that reminded me of many find resorts found in the US, especially in tropical areas. If I ever return here, I will definitely make plans to stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel. Failing that, I will stay at the Kingdom lodge, which is cute in a sort of African themed, Las Vegas way. I did manage to find another book to buy (although I later discovered the book I bought was not the one listed on the jacket cover!) and a T-shirt. I would have gotten my mom a T-shirt, but the only one I liked for her was $150,000 Zim, or about $25US. No way was I paying that!
The sunset cruise, or booze cruise, was nice. It was very peaceful sailing along the Zambezi River above the falls. I found out that the Zambezi is the 4th longest river in Africa. It comes after the Nile, Niger, and Congo rivers in length. We saw some hippos and an alligator. There was a nice gay couple from Athens who had fled the Olympics by going on a Southern Africa tour. Victoria Falls was their first stop. They were very funny, and it was nice to talk to “family”. The irony was especially thick when the Egyptians had the gay couple take pictures of them. It made me think about this guy would probably support imprisonment or death for these men for being gay, but had no qualms about asking their help. I think I polished off a bottle of Zimbabwean red wine (had no idea Zimbabwe had any vineyards!) on my own. It was very good, much like a merlot but without the typical bitter aftertaste of red wines. The sunset was perfect too. I think I captured it pretty well on my camera, as the sun slowly slid below the horizon in a red blaze of glory. It just what you’d expect an African sunset to be.
I went home and just went to sleep. I slept the whole night and got up in the morning for breakfast and to pack. The bus to take me to the airport was late by about 30 minutes. I was getting very nervous that they had forgotten me and that I’d miss my flight when they finally arrived. Again, there was little security at the airport, and I sat in coach. This woman next to me had her 7 year old sitting in her lap, which I could not believe the airlines allowed. That child needed his own seat. I talked with a Danish guy on the other side of me for part of the trip, and he was interesting. I exited from a different terminal than the one I had come into on Friday. This was a new terminal designed for domestic flights. I don’t think it was finished yet, which is why they still use the old hangar. I had to wait 20 minutes past 1pm for Eddie to arrive. He got me home though, and I was glad of it. I got to talk to Mom for a while on the phone when she called, and she wanted to come visit me next Sunday after I just got home. I nixed that idea. Last thing I’ll want next weekend is company.
Pet upgraded the TV satellite service, so I can switch channels on my own without regard to what they are watching. That was nice. They also put up new shower bars to hold towels and washcloths. Nice touch. Now if they just will get a new toilet that flushes properly!
Thursday, August 12, 2004
The Last Measles Partnership Call
Wednesday - August 10, 2004
When I got up this morning, I noticed that Pet and her family had returned from their journey to South Africa. In the middle of the night, I remember waking up to Smiley barking furiously at something, and it must have been them. Later, I found out they arrived at about 4am. Morris apparently got up around 7am and went to work too! I cannot imagine driving almost 12 hours, getting less than 3 hours of sleep, and heading to work.
After arriving at work, I sent out an email offering the books I've read for free to people I know here. Three of them went quickly. The Witness Protection Program book and the haunted house novel were not claimed. Shame! Someone will take them, though, because I am not carrying them back to the US.
Otherwise, the day was pretty slow. I gathered information for the measles partnership call (my last one!) and had to translate a very LONG update from West Africa into English. Thank goodness I have taken French in school. It makes life easier here to be able to at least understand the point of documents written in French. The call itself went well. I was alone for most of it, representing AFRO, but Balcha came in just in time to discuss some surveillance related topics. Soon, the call was complete, and I found myself finished with the main task of my time here! The weekly updates will go back to Casey next week.
Paola asked me over to her house for dinner again today. I think she knows I'm gay, but I can't shake the feeling she is asking me over for a date or something before I go. I'm probably imagining things, but I tend to listen to my gut in matters like this. I've turned her down twice for various reasons, but I could only put her off so long. I've agreed to come over for a light dinner next Tuesday. Hopefully, it will just be dinner and I will feel foolish for thinking she might have other…ideas.
The tickets didn't arrive today, which concerned me. I emailed Emma at Off2Africa, and she got back saying that she found cheaper tickets on the plane, so that was the delay. She was getting me a small refund. The tickets should be delivered tomorrow morning, and she will call when she sends the courier out. I'm pretty excited about my trip to Victoria Falls. I partially packed last night with the clothes I will need. It's just a weekend trip, so I'm not carrying much.
I hung out with Pet and her family last night. Pet and Morris both looked like death warmed over. Pet at least had been able to sleep in, but Morris was working on 3 hours of sleep. Pet didn't have a stitch of make up or anything. I felt bad for them! They bought a dual decoder for the satellite TV that knocked out service for a day. This will enable me to watch what I want in the cabin while they watch what they want in the house. It will be nice; pity it couldn't have been added earlier!
Turns out that Richard and I won't be able to take a vacation during the week he's off in September. It's STOP training, and everyone in the office is going to be out either on leave themselves or on official travel. It's likely to be just myself and Lisa Cairns in the office to support STOP from the measles side. Therefore, I must take one for the team and not make a fuss about a vacation. Hopefully it will buy me some "good employee" points! J I am bummed about not being able to take a vacation though. That will leave a week at Thanksgiving and then Christmas to take a vacation if we want. I'll have to see what Richard wants to do. On both holidays, we will upset family if we go off somewhere, but for my own sanity, I may need it. I haven't had a real vacation since going to NYC at New Year's, and anyone reading this journal knows that Zimbabwe is not exactly a vacation. You don't WORK on vacations! J He took the news pretty well when I called and said it wasn't a big deal. At least I still get that Friday off to go to the adoption seminar weekend we have planned. That was the last day of STOP, so it wasn't as big of a deal. I still wish we could have gone somewhere.
When I got up this morning, I noticed that Pet and her family had returned from their journey to South Africa. In the middle of the night, I remember waking up to Smiley barking furiously at something, and it must have been them. Later, I found out they arrived at about 4am. Morris apparently got up around 7am and went to work too! I cannot imagine driving almost 12 hours, getting less than 3 hours of sleep, and heading to work.
After arriving at work, I sent out an email offering the books I've read for free to people I know here. Three of them went quickly. The Witness Protection Program book and the haunted house novel were not claimed. Shame! Someone will take them, though, because I am not carrying them back to the US.
Otherwise, the day was pretty slow. I gathered information for the measles partnership call (my last one!) and had to translate a very LONG update from West Africa into English. Thank goodness I have taken French in school. It makes life easier here to be able to at least understand the point of documents written in French. The call itself went well. I was alone for most of it, representing AFRO, but Balcha came in just in time to discuss some surveillance related topics. Soon, the call was complete, and I found myself finished with the main task of my time here! The weekly updates will go back to Casey next week.
Paola asked me over to her house for dinner again today. I think she knows I'm gay, but I can't shake the feeling she is asking me over for a date or something before I go. I'm probably imagining things, but I tend to listen to my gut in matters like this. I've turned her down twice for various reasons, but I could only put her off so long. I've agreed to come over for a light dinner next Tuesday. Hopefully, it will just be dinner and I will feel foolish for thinking she might have other…ideas.
The tickets didn't arrive today, which concerned me. I emailed Emma at Off2Africa, and she got back saying that she found cheaper tickets on the plane, so that was the delay. She was getting me a small refund. The tickets should be delivered tomorrow morning, and she will call when she sends the courier out. I'm pretty excited about my trip to Victoria Falls. I partially packed last night with the clothes I will need. It's just a weekend trip, so I'm not carrying much.
I hung out with Pet and her family last night. Pet and Morris both looked like death warmed over. Pet at least had been able to sleep in, but Morris was working on 3 hours of sleep. Pet didn't have a stitch of make up or anything. I felt bad for them! They bought a dual decoder for the satellite TV that knocked out service for a day. This will enable me to watch what I want in the cabin while they watch what they want in the house. It will be nice; pity it couldn't have been added earlier!
Turns out that Richard and I won't be able to take a vacation during the week he's off in September. It's STOP training, and everyone in the office is going to be out either on leave themselves or on official travel. It's likely to be just myself and Lisa Cairns in the office to support STOP from the measles side. Therefore, I must take one for the team and not make a fuss about a vacation. Hopefully it will buy me some "good employee" points! J I am bummed about not being able to take a vacation though. That will leave a week at Thanksgiving and then Christmas to take a vacation if we want. I'll have to see what Richard wants to do. On both holidays, we will upset family if we go off somewhere, but for my own sanity, I may need it. I haven't had a real vacation since going to NYC at New Year's, and anyone reading this journal knows that Zimbabwe is not exactly a vacation. You don't WORK on vacations! J He took the news pretty well when I called and said it wasn't a big deal. At least I still get that Friday off to go to the adoption seminar weekend we have planned. That was the last day of STOP, so it wasn't as big of a deal. I still wish we could have gone somewhere.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Half Day!
Tuesday - August 10, 2004
Coming in to work was quick this morning since there was no traffic on the roads, since this was also a national holiday. When I got to the office, I discovered that the shared file server was down, but at least the Internet was not. I could at least work on catching up on my email and look at the newspaper online. Around noon, we got a forwarded email that the Regional Director for AFRO apparently sent us last week. However, since our communications were down, the message obviously was not delivered. It announced that not only were we to take Monday off, but that we'd get a half-day off on Tuesday in honor of Defense Forces Day! This meant I got to go home at 1pm!
Eddie took me home, and I basically bummed around all day. I got a little antsy in the evening, as I wanted something to do besides lay down and watch TV. I tried to order a pizza, but there were no drivers thanks to the holiday. Definitely wouldn't see that in America! Drivers work holidays, but they also get paid time and a half to do it. So it was a soup and rice night for me. That's fine. I don't really need the pizza, do I? J
Mom called and chatted with me for a while. It was good to talk to her. She sounds happier than she usually does, which is great. I hope it lasts. I had some trouble falling asleep, but I think that's because I've napped so much in the last few days. I was able to get a shower, which was nice.
Coming in to work was quick this morning since there was no traffic on the roads, since this was also a national holiday. When I got to the office, I discovered that the shared file server was down, but at least the Internet was not. I could at least work on catching up on my email and look at the newspaper online. Around noon, we got a forwarded email that the Regional Director for AFRO apparently sent us last week. However, since our communications were down, the message obviously was not delivered. It announced that not only were we to take Monday off, but that we'd get a half-day off on Tuesday in honor of Defense Forces Day! This meant I got to go home at 1pm!
Eddie took me home, and I basically bummed around all day. I got a little antsy in the evening, as I wanted something to do besides lay down and watch TV. I tried to order a pizza, but there were no drivers thanks to the holiday. Definitely wouldn't see that in America! Drivers work holidays, but they also get paid time and a half to do it. So it was a soup and rice night for me. That's fine. I don't really need the pizza, do I? J
Mom called and chatted with me for a while. It was good to talk to her. She sounds happier than she usually does, which is great. I hope it lasts. I had some trouble falling asleep, but I think that's because I've napped so much in the last few days. I was able to get a shower, which was nice.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Holiday Weekend Update
Friday - August 6, 2004
Miracle of miracles, the Internet came back today at 8:30am!!! Of course, it's slow, because everyone and their dog is trying to get online and catch up on all sorts of things. The email ended up getting clogged and delivery was delayed. I managed to get messages out to friends and family that I was back online. The nice thing is that I had several friends who emailed me to make sure that I was OK since my daily postings on LiveJournal suddenly just stopped. I had some trouble updating from the website, so I had to download a free client that would update for me. That finally worked, so I put up a whole week of entries at once.
I also contacted the Off 2Africa people based here in Harare and asked about a trip to Vic Falls for next weekend, which will be my last one in Africa. It actually worked out! I got a round trip flight (in business class b/c that was all that was available) and lodging at a B&B for $100 a night. I also set up a sunset cruise, a morning walking tour of the falls and an "authentic" African village, and a PM game drive. The nice thing is that all these activities will pick me up and drop me off at the B&B. According to the Lonely Planet book on Zimbabwe, the Amadeus B&B where I will stay is a nice, mid-range facility. Hey, as long as the toilet and shower works, I'm good. I'll fly out next Friday morning and return on Sunday. Robert never got back to me about next Friday, so I am taking that silence as acquiescence. He got back to me on other things, and he is now in Uganda if the plane tickets I saw on his desk are right. He won't be returning until after I'm gone. I guess it's a good thing that he decided to take leave while I was still here; hopefully, it means he has confidence in me that I'll be OK without him here. Anyway, my trip cost about $650, which isn't too bad, and it leaves me with enough money to pay Pet and Eddie for the rest of my visit.
After getting my trip situated and paid for, I went to the gym and had a pretty good workout. I like going mid-afternoon with no one there. After the gym, I went home to rest a bit before going to the Marine house to see Shrek 2. Eddie put something on his bill to me this week that I had not noticed before and which, quite frankly, kind of pissed me off. He included "waiting charges" for when we went to the grocery and other places, including the ticket agency. I'd heard that he sometimes did that, but it didn't sit well with me. I know I should have challenged him, but I didn't. It wasn't important enough for me to fight about. But don't think I'll forget it.
I went to the Marine House, had a drink, and watched Shrek 2. It was quite funny, and I don't know why Richard hated it as much as he did. It wasn't as funny to me as the first one, but I still really enjoyed it. After the movie, we were still having drinks at the marine's bar. One thing that amazes me about Zimbabweans that I've met is their capacity for generosity. I barely had to pay for any drinks on my own. People will buy a round for everyone when their drink is empty. I think I bought my own drink twice over the course of the night, and I always had a drink in my hand. I stuck with rum and coke because the beer here sours on my stomach after 2-3.
We went to Origins, which is the hip, mostly white dance place in Borrowdale. It was the one that was closed on a Saturday night a couple of weeks ago when we ended up at Vogue with the pregnant, drinking, and smoking teenagers. The club was pretty cool. It reminded me of Fahrenheit in Richmond. I had a pretty nice time, the crowd was much more attractive than at Vogue. Sebastian, the kind of creepy white Zimbabwean who hangs out with embassy staff, was there. He was high on something I think, and drunk, which is not a pretty combination. He started getting belligerent about my sexuality. I'm not sure if someone said something to him or not, but the way he asked me, "Are you a fag?" made me extremely uncomfortable. I refused to answer, and then I denied it. I felt it was safer for me to say no. The odd thing was that this started with him grabbing at my crotch when I sat on a stool to see if I was hard. I thought, "What the hell?!?" Then he rubbed my thigh and asked if I liked it. I said no, and he took Leslie's hand (a friend of Anne Marie's) and rubbed my thigh with it, asking again if I liked it. Then he caught sight of someone at the bar and asked that guy if he was fag, and then said that he would beat his faggot ass. Luckily, at this point, Trent rescued me and had me follow him to the dance floor and away from whatever was going on with Sebastian. I'm not sure what to make of the guy. No one seems to know what he does, or how he can just travel all over. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a drug connection of some sort.
Anne Marie took me home, and I accidentally swiped her CDs. She had asked me to hold on to them, and I forgot I had them until I was at my cabin door. I called Richard, and we were able to talk a little bit before I went to sleep. He filled out my absentee ballot for me over the phone, which is good since the election is on Tuesday.
Saturday - August 7, 2004
I slept in, and it was nice. The day was quite warm and sunny. I called Eric Weisen at 10:30am, and asked about the international book fair, which he had asked me to do. He said that he'd be around by 1pm to pick me up for the fair. I had toyed with the idea of calling Eddie to take me, but I remembered his "waiting fees" and decided against it. If I could find a free ride, I would. This is my punishment for his bullshit charges. I know it's passive aggressive, but I don't care. It satisfies me, and it makes my point. Eddie may not realize it, but I do and that's what matters.
Eric's a weird guy. We went and picked up a colleague of his that works on malaria issues for the South ICP. He's from Mozambique, but I can't tell if he's African or a descendant of the Portuguese colonizers. He could be either, but his head was shaved, so I didn't know. We went to the book fair, and it was LAME. Over half the stalls were empty, even though the fair lasted until Sunday. They mostly had education-related books and some issue related literature. I did find a couple of education books about administration and social studies that I bought for Richard. I thought he'd get a kick out of reading about African theories of education. We were there maybe an hour and a half, and then left.
At this point, Eric wanted further adventures. He suggested that we got see some cave paintings that are apparently 2 hours out of Harare. Luckily, his friend talked him out of it, but Eric would not dissuaded from his adventure. He suggested we go to a cheetah park and a snake farm. So out of town we went. I got to see some of the southern suburbs, and they are squalid. They have these high-density suburbs where houses are rammed together. In the US, it's like the cluster homes you see, except our cluster homes are at least big. These are tiny houses rammed together in a fashion that is quite claustrophobic. Then there was housing for the poor. I can't even begin to describe what these looked like. They are settlements built on repossessed white owned farms, about the size of the shanties that Pet's staff lives in. They don't have running water, electricity, or any other amenities. Many of them are built out of sticks or mud with thatched roofing. It makes the US public housing look luxurious, and I'm horrified that anyone has to live like that.
We eventually made it to a lake outside of town, where there was allegedly a game park. After paying $15K Zim per person to get in, we saw nothing. No animals at all. Turns out, if you want to see animals, you have to pay for a guide. What a racket. We drove all over the park and saw nothing. At this "Isle of Remembrance", we stopped. It looked like a ruin of some sort, and I'm not sure what the place was supposed to remember. Eric hopped out of the car, b/c he wanted to explore the area. Of course, we had all sorts of signs saying not to get out of the car. Eric didn't care. He was in sandals and shorts, and running around in really tall grass. His friend mentioned snakes, and Eric just shrugged it off. He apparently does this sort of thing often, and it's just bizarre and a bit immature like he is some sort of teenager who feels invincible.
Then there is matter of his accent. This boy is American, born in NYC, and raised in Boston to what I imagine could be immigrant parents. Still, I have known plenty of children of immigrants who had American accents, although they might have a foreign one at home with family. He spent only two years in Ghana before coming to Atlanta and eventually landing the job in Zimbabwe through my office. Yet, he speaks like he's some kind of native African for whom English is a 2nd language. Richard says he must be faking it, but I'm not so sure. His accent has grown thicker too since he arrived in April. I'm not sure how you could permanently lose an American accent and adopt a West African one in two years. Just another example of his bizarre personality.
After we got back from the "game park" that had no animals, we went to pick up this native Zimbabwean who apparently takes short term contracts with NGOs on the continent and moves from one place to another. At this guy's townhouse, which was a wreck, they met some Angolan girls who the Mozambique guy started cat calling from the car in Portuguese. The girls ignored them, and he went on and on about how big their butts were, "like a map of Africa". Then he told us that girls in Angola often have lots of facial and chest hair. There's a fun fact I could have done without.
We went back to the Mozambique guy's house and drank some and ate cheese. They went on about girls, fucking girls, and gambling. Eric mentioned that he totally has yellow fever that cannot be cured. In the gay community, we call that being a rice queen, in that he loves Asian girls. I surprised to hear that, as I assumed (and I'm apparently not alone in this thought) that Eric is gay. That has been why I've been hesitant to just "hang out" for fear that he'd try to make a move. That's a place I just would not want to go. Well, after Eric announced that Shona was pretty easy to learn if you had the time, the Mozambique guy said he preferred the "pillow method" of learning. I wondered how in the hell I was going to escape this, when Eric got a mysterious phone call and excused himself. Then he came back and said he had something to do and would be back later. He totally made it seem like he had a booty call. I asked to be taken home, and I was told I was welcome to stay, and I begged off citing my weekly phone calls to family. Anything to get out of there!
After getting back home, I fixed some dinner, and watched CNN. The ladies had closed up the house, so I couldn't set the satellite TV on anything else. I finished the Alexander Hamilton biography, which was fascinating, and then went to sleep early.
Sunday - August 8, 2004
Anne Marie called this morning around 10 to see if I wanted to go with her to the game park she volunteers at and to have something to eat. I agreed, and she picked me up about 11:30am. I managed to get a shower, which was nice, especially since I had managed to get one just the other day as well.
We went out of town to the game park, which is a small place and white owned. It also has significant white clientele. This park is also a refuge and conservatory. It has the largest leopard in captivity in the world, and he is a site. Anne Marie knows most of the animals, they came to her when she called. I got to pet a hyena, a lion, and a parrot. It was pretty cool. I had a great tour, and Anne Marie and I had a nice time talking too. She would be such a cool friend to have back home. She and Amy don't want me to go, but unfortunately, I don't share the sentiment. I'm getting to the point I really am ready to come home to my family, to Richard, to my friends, and my job at CDC. I will miss them, though, and I hope to stay in touch. It can never hurt to have friends the world over.
We watched the feeding of the animals at 4pm too. It's kind of gruesome, but they butcher a horse for the animals. They really don't like cows, since cows aren't typical African fare. Horses, however, are good for them and they like the meat. They use all the horse too. Not a part is wasted, and it's all consumed. The lions went into a holding cage while they placed the meat out. They paced in sync, ready for the meal. They went to their separate corners and tore into the meat. It was interesting to watch.
Anne Marie brought me back, and I had some dinner, and went to bed early. My mom called, and I talked to her a while. When I hung up, I was wide awake. I read some more in the Newsweeks that Yinka loaned me until I dropped off around 1am.
Monday - August 9, 2004
The gate bell rang at 7:45am. I just knew it was Eddie and that he forgot I didn't go to work today. I went to the gate with my bed head going wild. I opened the gate and told Eddie he had forgotten that I didn't work today. I worked tomorrow, but not today. He admitted he forgot. He hasn't driven me anywhere since Friday, which means his fee will be much less this week. Considering his bill with "waiting fees" cost me $132, he can get over it. I've also decided to not to go the gym this week, so he'll only have $70K charges on Tues, Wed, Thurs, and a one-way airport ride on Friday. He certainly won't get another $132 out of me this week.
It was nice today, but not warm enough to swim unfortunately. I had breakfast, and went into the house to watch TV while they cleaned my cabin. I set up the TV schedule for the rest of the day and pretty much decided to be lazy. Reading Newsweek and watching TV…what better way to spend a holiday? Also, it's considered ill advised for white people to be out on this holiday since it is a celebration of the defeat of the colonialists (read white people) in 1980. The people apparently drink, a LOT, and it can be dangerous to be a white person out on the town, especially at night. I figure that's all I need to know. I have no problem staying on Pet's property where it's perfectly safe.
The power went out right in the middle of cooking dinner! Very inopportune moment, but luckily, the "Mince Mate" (known as "Hamburger Helper" in the US) was over half done with the recommended cooking time, and by leaving it on the stove, I was able to finish cooking it as the coils cooled and the mix kept cooking. The power was down for about an hour before coming back. I had to refix the TV schedule for the evening.
I found myself getting sleepy around 8pm, which is extremely early for me. I ended up dozing off until Richard called me around midnight. I had a nice chat with him, and then watched the end of "Waiting to Exhale" before going back to sleep.
Miracle of miracles, the Internet came back today at 8:30am!!! Of course, it's slow, because everyone and their dog is trying to get online and catch up on all sorts of things. The email ended up getting clogged and delivery was delayed. I managed to get messages out to friends and family that I was back online. The nice thing is that I had several friends who emailed me to make sure that I was OK since my daily postings on LiveJournal suddenly just stopped. I had some trouble updating from the website, so I had to download a free client that would update for me. That finally worked, so I put up a whole week of entries at once.
I also contacted the Off 2Africa people based here in Harare and asked about a trip to Vic Falls for next weekend, which will be my last one in Africa. It actually worked out! I got a round trip flight (in business class b/c that was all that was available) and lodging at a B&B for $100 a night. I also set up a sunset cruise, a morning walking tour of the falls and an "authentic" African village, and a PM game drive. The nice thing is that all these activities will pick me up and drop me off at the B&B. According to the Lonely Planet book on Zimbabwe, the Amadeus B&B where I will stay is a nice, mid-range facility. Hey, as long as the toilet and shower works, I'm good. I'll fly out next Friday morning and return on Sunday. Robert never got back to me about next Friday, so I am taking that silence as acquiescence. He got back to me on other things, and he is now in Uganda if the plane tickets I saw on his desk are right. He won't be returning until after I'm gone. I guess it's a good thing that he decided to take leave while I was still here; hopefully, it means he has confidence in me that I'll be OK without him here. Anyway, my trip cost about $650, which isn't too bad, and it leaves me with enough money to pay Pet and Eddie for the rest of my visit.
After getting my trip situated and paid for, I went to the gym and had a pretty good workout. I like going mid-afternoon with no one there. After the gym, I went home to rest a bit before going to the Marine house to see Shrek 2. Eddie put something on his bill to me this week that I had not noticed before and which, quite frankly, kind of pissed me off. He included "waiting charges" for when we went to the grocery and other places, including the ticket agency. I'd heard that he sometimes did that, but it didn't sit well with me. I know I should have challenged him, but I didn't. It wasn't important enough for me to fight about. But don't think I'll forget it.
I went to the Marine House, had a drink, and watched Shrek 2. It was quite funny, and I don't know why Richard hated it as much as he did. It wasn't as funny to me as the first one, but I still really enjoyed it. After the movie, we were still having drinks at the marine's bar. One thing that amazes me about Zimbabweans that I've met is their capacity for generosity. I barely had to pay for any drinks on my own. People will buy a round for everyone when their drink is empty. I think I bought my own drink twice over the course of the night, and I always had a drink in my hand. I stuck with rum and coke because the beer here sours on my stomach after 2-3.
We went to Origins, which is the hip, mostly white dance place in Borrowdale. It was the one that was closed on a Saturday night a couple of weeks ago when we ended up at Vogue with the pregnant, drinking, and smoking teenagers. The club was pretty cool. It reminded me of Fahrenheit in Richmond. I had a pretty nice time, the crowd was much more attractive than at Vogue. Sebastian, the kind of creepy white Zimbabwean who hangs out with embassy staff, was there. He was high on something I think, and drunk, which is not a pretty combination. He started getting belligerent about my sexuality. I'm not sure if someone said something to him or not, but the way he asked me, "Are you a fag?" made me extremely uncomfortable. I refused to answer, and then I denied it. I felt it was safer for me to say no. The odd thing was that this started with him grabbing at my crotch when I sat on a stool to see if I was hard. I thought, "What the hell?!?" Then he rubbed my thigh and asked if I liked it. I said no, and he took Leslie's hand (a friend of Anne Marie's) and rubbed my thigh with it, asking again if I liked it. Then he caught sight of someone at the bar and asked that guy if he was fag, and then said that he would beat his faggot ass. Luckily, at this point, Trent rescued me and had me follow him to the dance floor and away from whatever was going on with Sebastian. I'm not sure what to make of the guy. No one seems to know what he does, or how he can just travel all over. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a drug connection of some sort.
Anne Marie took me home, and I accidentally swiped her CDs. She had asked me to hold on to them, and I forgot I had them until I was at my cabin door. I called Richard, and we were able to talk a little bit before I went to sleep. He filled out my absentee ballot for me over the phone, which is good since the election is on Tuesday.
Saturday - August 7, 2004
I slept in, and it was nice. The day was quite warm and sunny. I called Eric Weisen at 10:30am, and asked about the international book fair, which he had asked me to do. He said that he'd be around by 1pm to pick me up for the fair. I had toyed with the idea of calling Eddie to take me, but I remembered his "waiting fees" and decided against it. If I could find a free ride, I would. This is my punishment for his bullshit charges. I know it's passive aggressive, but I don't care. It satisfies me, and it makes my point. Eddie may not realize it, but I do and that's what matters.
Eric's a weird guy. We went and picked up a colleague of his that works on malaria issues for the South ICP. He's from Mozambique, but I can't tell if he's African or a descendant of the Portuguese colonizers. He could be either, but his head was shaved, so I didn't know. We went to the book fair, and it was LAME. Over half the stalls were empty, even though the fair lasted until Sunday. They mostly had education-related books and some issue related literature. I did find a couple of education books about administration and social studies that I bought for Richard. I thought he'd get a kick out of reading about African theories of education. We were there maybe an hour and a half, and then left.
At this point, Eric wanted further adventures. He suggested that we got see some cave paintings that are apparently 2 hours out of Harare. Luckily, his friend talked him out of it, but Eric would not dissuaded from his adventure. He suggested we go to a cheetah park and a snake farm. So out of town we went. I got to see some of the southern suburbs, and they are squalid. They have these high-density suburbs where houses are rammed together. In the US, it's like the cluster homes you see, except our cluster homes are at least big. These are tiny houses rammed together in a fashion that is quite claustrophobic. Then there was housing for the poor. I can't even begin to describe what these looked like. They are settlements built on repossessed white owned farms, about the size of the shanties that Pet's staff lives in. They don't have running water, electricity, or any other amenities. Many of them are built out of sticks or mud with thatched roofing. It makes the US public housing look luxurious, and I'm horrified that anyone has to live like that.
We eventually made it to a lake outside of town, where there was allegedly a game park. After paying $15K Zim per person to get in, we saw nothing. No animals at all. Turns out, if you want to see animals, you have to pay for a guide. What a racket. We drove all over the park and saw nothing. At this "Isle of Remembrance", we stopped. It looked like a ruin of some sort, and I'm not sure what the place was supposed to remember. Eric hopped out of the car, b/c he wanted to explore the area. Of course, we had all sorts of signs saying not to get out of the car. Eric didn't care. He was in sandals and shorts, and running around in really tall grass. His friend mentioned snakes, and Eric just shrugged it off. He apparently does this sort of thing often, and it's just bizarre and a bit immature like he is some sort of teenager who feels invincible.
Then there is matter of his accent. This boy is American, born in NYC, and raised in Boston to what I imagine could be immigrant parents. Still, I have known plenty of children of immigrants who had American accents, although they might have a foreign one at home with family. He spent only two years in Ghana before coming to Atlanta and eventually landing the job in Zimbabwe through my office. Yet, he speaks like he's some kind of native African for whom English is a 2nd language. Richard says he must be faking it, but I'm not so sure. His accent has grown thicker too since he arrived in April. I'm not sure how you could permanently lose an American accent and adopt a West African one in two years. Just another example of his bizarre personality.
After we got back from the "game park" that had no animals, we went to pick up this native Zimbabwean who apparently takes short term contracts with NGOs on the continent and moves from one place to another. At this guy's townhouse, which was a wreck, they met some Angolan girls who the Mozambique guy started cat calling from the car in Portuguese. The girls ignored them, and he went on and on about how big their butts were, "like a map of Africa". Then he told us that girls in Angola often have lots of facial and chest hair. There's a fun fact I could have done without.
We went back to the Mozambique guy's house and drank some and ate cheese. They went on about girls, fucking girls, and gambling. Eric mentioned that he totally has yellow fever that cannot be cured. In the gay community, we call that being a rice queen, in that he loves Asian girls. I surprised to hear that, as I assumed (and I'm apparently not alone in this thought) that Eric is gay. That has been why I've been hesitant to just "hang out" for fear that he'd try to make a move. That's a place I just would not want to go. Well, after Eric announced that Shona was pretty easy to learn if you had the time, the Mozambique guy said he preferred the "pillow method" of learning. I wondered how in the hell I was going to escape this, when Eric got a mysterious phone call and excused himself. Then he came back and said he had something to do and would be back later. He totally made it seem like he had a booty call. I asked to be taken home, and I was told I was welcome to stay, and I begged off citing my weekly phone calls to family. Anything to get out of there!
After getting back home, I fixed some dinner, and watched CNN. The ladies had closed up the house, so I couldn't set the satellite TV on anything else. I finished the Alexander Hamilton biography, which was fascinating, and then went to sleep early.
Sunday - August 8, 2004
Anne Marie called this morning around 10 to see if I wanted to go with her to the game park she volunteers at and to have something to eat. I agreed, and she picked me up about 11:30am. I managed to get a shower, which was nice, especially since I had managed to get one just the other day as well.
We went out of town to the game park, which is a small place and white owned. It also has significant white clientele. This park is also a refuge and conservatory. It has the largest leopard in captivity in the world, and he is a site. Anne Marie knows most of the animals, they came to her when she called. I got to pet a hyena, a lion, and a parrot. It was pretty cool. I had a great tour, and Anne Marie and I had a nice time talking too. She would be such a cool friend to have back home. She and Amy don't want me to go, but unfortunately, I don't share the sentiment. I'm getting to the point I really am ready to come home to my family, to Richard, to my friends, and my job at CDC. I will miss them, though, and I hope to stay in touch. It can never hurt to have friends the world over.
We watched the feeding of the animals at 4pm too. It's kind of gruesome, but they butcher a horse for the animals. They really don't like cows, since cows aren't typical African fare. Horses, however, are good for them and they like the meat. They use all the horse too. Not a part is wasted, and it's all consumed. The lions went into a holding cage while they placed the meat out. They paced in sync, ready for the meal. They went to their separate corners and tore into the meat. It was interesting to watch.
Anne Marie brought me back, and I had some dinner, and went to bed early. My mom called, and I talked to her a while. When I hung up, I was wide awake. I read some more in the Newsweeks that Yinka loaned me until I dropped off around 1am.
Monday - August 9, 2004
The gate bell rang at 7:45am. I just knew it was Eddie and that he forgot I didn't go to work today. I went to the gate with my bed head going wild. I opened the gate and told Eddie he had forgotten that I didn't work today. I worked tomorrow, but not today. He admitted he forgot. He hasn't driven me anywhere since Friday, which means his fee will be much less this week. Considering his bill with "waiting fees" cost me $132, he can get over it. I've also decided to not to go the gym this week, so he'll only have $70K charges on Tues, Wed, Thurs, and a one-way airport ride on Friday. He certainly won't get another $132 out of me this week.
It was nice today, but not warm enough to swim unfortunately. I had breakfast, and went into the house to watch TV while they cleaned my cabin. I set up the TV schedule for the rest of the day and pretty much decided to be lazy. Reading Newsweek and watching TV…what better way to spend a holiday? Also, it's considered ill advised for white people to be out on this holiday since it is a celebration of the defeat of the colonialists (read white people) in 1980. The people apparently drink, a LOT, and it can be dangerous to be a white person out on the town, especially at night. I figure that's all I need to know. I have no problem staying on Pet's property where it's perfectly safe.
The power went out right in the middle of cooking dinner! Very inopportune moment, but luckily, the "Mince Mate" (known as "Hamburger Helper" in the US) was over half done with the recommended cooking time, and by leaving it on the stove, I was able to finish cooking it as the coils cooled and the mix kept cooking. The power was down for about an hour before coming back. I had to refix the TV schedule for the evening.
I found myself getting sleepy around 8pm, which is extremely early for me. I ended up dozing off until Richard called me around midnight. I had a nice chat with him, and then watched the end of "Waiting to Exhale" before going back to sleep.
Friday, August 6, 2004
Internet Shutdown!
Friday - July 30, 2004 to Sunday - August 1, 2004
I cannot tell you how much I love getting off at 2pm on Fridays! It makes coming into the office such a delight, when you know that your day will be short. By the time lunch rolls around, you're almost ready to go home! There wasn't much to do at work, and Yinka took Paola and myself out to lunch. Yinka couldn't believe I wasn't going to go anywhere, and said she'd lend me money if I needed it. So I'll see what I can on Monday about getting a trip to Victoria Falls for my last weekend here. The other option is to mess with my flights home, but I really don't want to do that.
I went to the gym, which was gloriously empty on a mid-afternoon Friday, and then went home for a short nap. I got up and made some spaghetti before it was time to head to the Marine House for the goodbye party of the Gunney Sgt who commands them. The party actually was kind of lame. The cash bar didn't help matters, especially when they ran out of change. I did get to listen to two foreign service officers speak about the situation in Zimbabwe, and they basically think there is no hope. As bad as things have gotten, the people never rise up. They cannot imagine what would finally rouse them to action. I got to speak as well with the hottie foreign service guy who arrived the same day I did. His name is Mike, and he was very pleasant to talk to. Everyone thinks he's cute enough to eat with a spoon, but he's married with 3 kids, so it's definitely "look, but don't touch". Anyway, it's hard to objectify someone when you actually get to know them.
Once the alcohol ran out, the party died. I left with Yinka and Everard. I didn't even have that much to drink. After a few beers, my stomach started acting like it was going to hurt, so I stopped drinking. I did don an Afro wig that the marines own, and had my picture taken. I'm told I was quite fetching with an Afro a foot high.
I slept in on Saturday and eventually rolled out of bed when Eric Weisen came over. He is now back from Ghana, where he was visiting old friends from the peace corps. He wanted to see how I was doing, and to see if I wanted to tag along for a ride to pick out a braii grill. We stopped on the side of the road, and he looked at various grills, finally deciding on one. The seller wanted 80K for it, and Eric offered 50K. I couldn't believe it when he mentioned that price! He wanted a grill for under $10 US. They dickered back and forth, and eventually settled on a price of 70K with a couple of bundles of firewood thrown in. I know that bartering and bargaining are mainstays of the African culture, but it would drive me nuts. I like being told a price and then deciding if I want it or not. I don't like negotiating and not knowing if I'm getting the best price or not. Eric seemed to really enjoy it. Next, we went to a flea market at Avondale shopping center, which was OK, but that's more bartering. I was about to finish my last book here, and I wanted to see if there were other books I wanted to read. Well, the used book stand had books from the 1960s and 1970s, many of which were not in that good of shape. I didn't find anything I wanted to buy, and the books I did find were in such poor condition, I wouldn't buy them. So I left empty handed. It struck me that I haven't seen a real bookstore since I arrived. It definitely makes you wonder about the literacy rate of this country. I suppose reading a pure leisure activity, like wearing deodorant. If you don't have money for basics, you sure aren't going to spend money on those things. I miss my Borders and Barnes & Nobel!
Saturday night was the birthday gathering for Trent. I had found out from Amy the night before that he had not even mentioned the cake she made him on Thursday for his birthday, let alone thanked her for it. She was very surprised when I mentioned that Trent had bragged on it to me. I'm not sure where his manners went, but I texted him before the dinner and told him that he definitely ought to thank her for the cake. Sure enough, at the dinner, he mentioned to her how good that cake was. I thought, "Good boy." J
The dinner at Thai Thai was pretty good. Turns out the uptight assistant security officer at the embassy is a Georgia Tech grad! Small world, huh? Anyway, I had some chicken satays (chicken strips on a stick) with peanut sauce and hot prawn soup. The soup was definitely hot, too. Poor Amy ordered her meal extra spicy, and it arrived so spicy that her face turned blood red and she almost burst into tears. I've never seen anyone react like that to spicy food! I can only imagine how spicy it was. Trent even danced with the hostess/co-owner of the place in a traditional Thai dance. It was pretty cool.
Afterward, we went to the Sheraton. Amy and I arrived early, and she found out that the music was "old school" which meant early to mid 1980s. She prefers rap and hip hop, so we went to the Sheraton bar for a drink to wait for the others. We had a good talk, and she definitely knows I'm gay. Abe, the marine that is scared of gay folk, was there too. He had been tending bar at the party the night before. Really uptight guy who looks like he could explode at any minute. I found out that he is from RURAL West Virginia, which probably explains why he's afraid of gay people. The permanent scowl on his face would keep most people away, I'd think, man or woman. He just doesn't seem like a pleasant person to be around. I could be wrong, but that's the impression he left with me.
At midnight, Amy had had enough of the "old school" disco. So I left with her, and she took me home. Some people were going back to Vogue, but I didn't care to head back to that cheesy dive that serves pregnant teenagers alcohol. I read for a while, and watched a movie before going to sleep.
Sunday was another lazy day. I ate breakfast, read, napped, and read some more. I spent most of the afternoon dozing in and out of sleep. I slept too much though, because I have had trouble falling asleep tonight. It's about midnight, and I'm wide awake! I eventually got up, and Pet invited me in for tea. She also gave me my bill for the last week of June and the month of July. It wasn't bad. All told, it was $1700 for 36 days. She basically charged me $10/week for the dinners I eat with them, which isn't bad at all. I went through my money stores, and took out what should be the charges for the last 20 days of my stay as well as what I pay Eddie. Even taking out $120/week for Eddie and setting aside $1100 for Pet (which is higher than it should be, but I wanted to be safe), I still have over $600 left to spend. That means I can probably afford a trip to Victoria Falls, assuming Robert is OK with me leaving that Friday morning. I hope it can work out. Then everyone will get off my back!
Monday - August 2, 2004
The Internet collapsed at WHO on Sunday afternoon, and it was down ALL DAY today! The only thing that would have been worse would be an electrical failure, but at least in that situation, I could have talked to other people. I was stuck in my office all day without connectivity at all, except for the internal web. All I could do was basically play games on the computer, which consisted of solitaire, mostly. What a waste of a day! Good thing I don't have my own car here, b/c I would have left. I can only hope they fix it overnight so that I don't have to go through ANOTHER day of this! It would certainly make getting the updates more difficult if we have no Internet. Grrr.
Went to the gym and had a nice workout. I was sorely tempted to ask Eddie to take me to a pizza place for takeout, but I resisted. I ended up making Cream of Tomato soup with rice. It was pretty good. Of course, in measuring out the rice, I spilled some all over the stove and floor. I managed to clean it up, but I was annoyed with myself.
After dinner, I watched some TV and then decided to start listening to my book on CD of Alexander Hamilton's biography. It was pretty good so far. I listened to nearly 2 hours of it. It made me sleepy, especially with the guy reading it having such a deep, soothing voice. I dozed off until Mom called to see if I was alright. Apparently, there was something in the news at home about missionaries in Zimbabwe being removed from the country, or kicked out. I'm not sure which, and Mom didn't have details. She only heard the headline and freaked out. I told her everything here was fine, and if there was trouble, I am on the list of Americans to be evacuated. It makes me wonder if our Internet outage at work has anything to do with this news. I doubt it, but one never knows. If there was something that Mugabe didn't want us to know, making sure the Internet is "down" would be a good way. I did find out that these outages occur several times a year, but only for a couple of days. Once, the Internet was down for an entire week. I'm not sure I can handle that. A lot of what I do is communicating with outside partners of WHO, and those communications are now cut off. It's very disconcerting. Also makes for a LONG, boring day. There's only so much Solitaire a person can play!
Tuesday - August 3, 2004
The monotony continues! Day Two with NO INTERNET access whatsoever. Apparently, our office phones aren't exactly accepting outside calls either. I honestly do not have enough to keep me happily occupied for 8 solid hours, so the day is taken up with trying to find new things to do. I've read everything in the office that I can get my hands on; I've played every game on the computer until I'm sick of all 4 of them. I honestly don't know what else to do. If this continues all week, I will be miserable. Worse still, I can't get updates for the measles partnership call tomorrow. Even if I could get updates, I wouldn't have a way to send them out. What a nightmare! I really hope they get this problem fixed soon.
I also miss having a way to see what's going on at home. Apparently, email to my WHO account is being bounced; the shutdown is complete it seems. Mike emailed Richard to see if anything was wrong here in Zimbabwe. Richard, of course, didn't know since he was in class yesterday, but mentioned he had not heard from me either. He knew I'd at least email. It was the reason I called his cell phone and left a message. I've also informed Leo of the Internet outage here on his office phone. Hopefully he can spread the word. It's very frustrating to be cut off like this!
I had Eddie take me to get take out pizza at St. Elmo's. I also was able to get some more yogurt and crackers for the cabin while the pizza cooked. It was Hawaiian pizza with pineapple and ham. Definitely satisfied the craving I'd been having for the last couple of days. When I got home, I ate the pizza, and settled down with my CD Walkman and the Alexander Hamilton book on CD. It was very good, and I was surprised when the author hinted that Hamilton may have been bisexual. Apparently, there was a fellow officer in the Revolutionary War that Hamilton was extremely close to, and his letters to this guy have an almost romantic tone to them. When this man was killed at the end of the war, Hamilton was devastated and never got as close to another man again. There was a third figure in this friendship: Marquis de Lafayette. Being French in the late 1700s, flowery language is expected, but Lafayette's letters to Hamilton were filled with even more fervor than Hamilton's letters to his fellow officer. Of course, we'll never know if there was a physical aspect to these relationships, but it was quite surprising to hear.
Anyway, I had trouble getting to sleep last night thanks to dozing early in the night. Richard called and told me about his day. He's very happy with his schedule as of now, but there is still a chance that his AP sections might have to be combined and he would be assigned a regular US history class. So far, his two AP classes have 12 and 13 kids in them, and he absolutely loves it. I hope he can maintain his current schedule, because he will be highly upset if he cannot.
I think word is out now that the Internet at WHO is down. I really hope it's back tomorrow. This kind of thing would NOT be tolerated in the US. I'm not sure why Africans don't expect more.
Wednesday - August 4, 2004
Day Three of the Internet Outage. This is the message that the Help Desk people sent out to everyone this morning (remember, we have internal connections but nothing externally): "Dear Colleagues, Since Sunday, Telenor engineers have been working remotely with ICT team here in Harare to solve the GPN problem. However, due to the complexity of this problem, a Telenor engineer is on his way to Harare. In the meantime, we are looking for an alternative solution to address the issue. We will keep you updated on the progress. Thank you for your understanding."
Understanding! I'll show you understanding! Grrrr. I don't know who this Telenor company is, but they should have figured out on Sunday (Monday at the LATEST) that this problem could not be solved remotely. It should not have taken three days for them to reach the conclusion that they might need to show up in person to fix the problem. In the US, such shoddy work would result in the quick closure of this company. Especially when a client as important as WHO is left cut off from the rest of the world! There is simply NO excuse for it! I'm not sure what they mean by "alternative solution" but I just want my connectivity back!
It's very isolating to be cut off from the world. The only news I get is from the South African channels on DSTV. Not being able to be in touch with my friends and loved ones, though, is what annoys me the most. Talking every day via email to my mom, Richard, and friends like Mike make my time go by faster and also takes care of any loneliness I might feel. Without that contact, I feel a bit stir crazy.
Amy picked me up from work and took me to the Book Café for what she billed as a happy hour and political discussion. It sounded interesting, so I decided to go. It was downtown at this place called the Book Café, which is owned by this white Zimbabwean who fought on the side of the blacks during the struggle for independence. However, this guy is a real free speech advocate and this places him squarely in the crosshairs of the Mugabe government. Apparently, keeping the Book Café open is quite a struggle, as police harassment has increased. The event last night certainly makes it clear why the government doesn't like this business.
The panel discussion involved a reverend, an old communist sympathizer from Finland who has written extensively about Zimbabwe and the liberation struggles in Southern Africa, a professor of history at the University of Zimbabwe, and a retired professor who was once expelled from Zimbabwe in the early 1960s for his support of the black nationalist movement (this guy is a white Brit). Their topic was how the history of Africa will inform the future, and part of that question is whose history do we use?
At first, I couldn't decide what the reverend was doing on the panel. Over the course of the discussion, however, it became quite clear that he was the government mouthpiece. Apparently, this guy is a powerful Pentecostal preacher who is a Zimbabwean equivalent of a televangelist. He is frequently on the state run radio and TV, supporting the government line and has been richly rewarded for it. He reminds me very much of the "Bishops" that exist in the Atlanta area, especially in my home county of DeKalb. I put bishop in quotation marks because these guys are independent preachers who are not part of any apostolic line. I'm pretty sure they just anoint themselves Bishops after attaining a certain position of power. Anyway, these "bishops" at home are also politically active and control thousands of parishioners. They too wear flashy suits, wear expensive jewelry, and drive upscale cars, all while proclaiming the gospel of Christ, which wasn't too keen on ostentatious shows of wealth. This preacher had on very expensive dress shoes, a very nice watch, and a black pinstriped suit that certainly was not cheap. Mugabe apparently treats his most ardent supporters quite well.
The place was probably half white, half black but not many of the whites spoke. There were some very brave blacks who roundly condemned the government, spoke of living in fear, and spoke too of the lies that Mugabe's government tells the people through men like the preacher. The room was full of Mugabe's intelligence agents who are sent to any forum or event that could likely cause "trouble". That these people spoke so openly, knowing that Mugabe's spies were in the audience taking notes, moves me. Their bravery in speaking out for their own freedom is astonishing. We take it for granted in America that we can speak out against the government without fear of being beaten, killed, or expelled from the country. Even if Bush would like to silence those of us who loudly denounce his policies, he cannot do so under our system. Our freedom of speech is so deeply ingrained in us a people that to squash it openly would provoke a firestorm. But here, people are beaten and driven out all the time. Knowing the danger they are placing themselves in by speaking out is a true act of bravery and courage.
The issues could not be deeply explored with only an 90 minutes allotted to the discussion, and at times, it seemed like the emotion in the room was about to explode into a heated dispute. The preacher was most enlightening on the mindset of the government. They truly hate the white people and what was done to them during colonialism, as they have a right to. The Europeans in so many ways wronged the Africans here over the century of colonial rule. Their bitterness, however, has overtaken them. They think they can excise totally the European influences in the culture, but as one audience member pointed out, the colonialist period changed Africa and has become part of the fabric of modern Africa whether anyone likes it or not. You cannot erase that experience or its legacy, so the choice must be made to embrace it and mold it for the future.
There were hints of this acknowledgement by the preacher when he talked about the 4th Chimurenga, which is the local word for struggle or revolt against colonialism. The 1st Chimurenga occurred in the late 1800s when the local tribes in Zimbabwe revolted against the colonialists who were stealing their land. This revolt was crushed brutally, but was revived in the 1970s by the 2nd Chimurenga, which was the guerrilla war of independence fought here that resulted in the 1980 establishment of a free black government. I guess the 3rd Chimurenga is the land reform that has occurred in the last several years where the white lands were forcibly returned to black hands. Of course, this land was not returned to the "people" from which it was taken. The land was taken from one group of elites (white Zimbabweans) and given to another (politically connected black nationalists). At least the whites improved the land and managed to make it fertile. Currently, the land in the hands of the black elite is simply wasting away.
The 4th Chimurenga is a struggle for the minds of Zimbabweans. This isn't too bad when you think of freeing the local population from the mindset of colonialism and freeing blacks to understand that they can become anything they want. They can dare reach for the stars and dream big dreams without fear. They also can drop the shackles of thinking that white people simply do things better than blacks ever could. However, I don't think that is exactly what the preacher meant. There were hints of re-education camps where people who are "ignorant" of their own history and misguided by false "truths" will be "enlightened" (which I interpret to mean brainwashed) to the "real" truth, which apparently is whatever the government position is. There was a lot of talk about respecting people's differences, backgrounds, and ideas…but only if everyone acknowledged that the government espoused the basic truth. In other words, Mugabe's government will respect you so long as you understand that your opinion is wrong. How magnanimous of them!
It was interesting to note some people I knew at this rather small gathering. First was Eric Wiesen, who I thought was traveling. At least, that is what he told me in an internal email (which is the only damn thing that works right now!) earlier in the week. I don't think he saw me, and I didn't know the people he was with. I also saw Eddie as the program ended. I wasn't sure what to make of that. He was with a white woman, so I'm not sure that he was there as a spy for Mugabe or not. I'd tend to think he wasn't a spy for Mugabe since he can be pretty critical of how things are in Zimbabwe. Intriguing to say the least.
Amy was able to get something to eat while we were there, but they didn't have any of the items I wanted. I made spaghetti for myself when I got home. Amy also told me her boss grounded her from going anywhere. Apparently, even though Amy has NO training, if something happens over the weekend, her boss wanted her there. Amy works in the public affairs office, so she deals with press a lot. It made me chuckle since Mike's a big press guy too. My only foray into the press was when I was editor of my law school newspaper, the Juris Publici. Anyway, her boss is going away on a trip, so that meant Amy can't. It's basically a power play by someone who is renowned for being a royal bitch. Apparently, Amy's predecessor lasted six months before he was sent home. Normally, that would ruin a Foreign Service officer's career, but this lady's reputation is such that this guy will survive. However, this lady is apparently very good at handling the state run press, so everyone is afraid to get rid of her. That means I'm stuck here over the long weekend. Oh boy! It's a four day holiday here, so most people will be heading out of town, and just about everything will be closed. The only thing that is going on is a book fair (please, God, let there be a book or two I can buy to last me the rest of this trip!) and possibly a day trip to a game park reserve. Anne Marie volunteers at a pretty nice game park outside of town, so maybe some of us who are stuck in town can arrange a day trip or something. I know I'd love to go! Pet and her family will be heading to South Africa tomorrow, so they will be gone until Wednesday, leaving me alone with the staff. At least I will have control of the TV J
Thursday - August 5, 2004
Day Four of the Internet Outage. We got that message that an engineer with this Telenor company was on his way to Harare yesterday, from where they didn't say. Since we STILL have no contact with the outside world, my guess is that this person is based deep in the heart of DRC, somewhere near the equator. Of course, he will be coming to Harare ON FOOT! I cannot believe that the Internet has been out here for five days, and looks like it might be out until next week! That is inexcusable.
Eddie failed to mention being at the Book Café event last night when he picked me up this morning. So, either he didn't see me, or he didn't want to talk about being there. At first, I thought it was none of my business, but on the way home from work, I asked if he had been at the Book Café last night. He said no, which I knew wasn't the truth. I then mentioned that I could have sworn I saw him there, and then Eddie changed his story. He said, "Oh, you mean Book Café? Yes, I was there." I don't know if he actually did think I said "book fair" but he certainly changed his tune when I said I was there too. He didn't say much about the event except to say that it was "very interesting". I have the feeling there is more to Eddie than meets the eye.
I called Richard around noon to tell him I was still without phone or Internet at work. He was about to walk out the door! I have been away from home so long, I've forgotten how early he likes to get up and head to work! God bless him, because I could not operate that way for long. The nice thing about having a driver showing up at a certain time to take me to work is that it forces me to roll out of bed at 7am sharp, no excuses to sleep "just a few more minutes". My mom tried to call me at work and since our external phones are also down, the call didn't go through. She got pretty upset but Richard calmed her down. If it weren't for the cell phone, they would have little way to reach me, unless they got through at the cabin. Luckily, the word is out about our problems here. The sad thing is that it's just considered par for the course in Africa that something would go wrong like this. That's one attitude that Africans need to get rid of. They need to have higher expectations than they already do. They should demand of themselves and their leaders to be heading toward the developed world's standard of living. They should demand running water that works, electricity that works without blackouts, and roads that are in decent condition, and have a general expectation that society will work well for them. Without expectations, there is nothing to aim for or work toward.
I had Eddie pick me up at the regular quitting time of 4:30pm since the Internet is still down. I went to the grocery to get food to last me throughout the weekend, especially with Pet and her family leaving for Jo'burg tomorrow. After the grocery, I went home and hung out with the Adamses, watching TV and having dinner. It was pork chops (I think), greens, and sadza with a bean gravy. Very nice! Poor Kirk got his grades today, since it was the last day of school until September. He did well in most classes, but he did poorly in a couple. Pet was not happy. To me, it seemed to be a mixed bag. In the harder academic subjects, Kirk did pretty well, but he bombed classes like comparative religion. Pet's pretty sure he can do better. She's probably right.
The rest of the night, I spent in the cabin, watching TV and listening to my book on CD about Alexander Hamilton's life. It's a really good book, and I think I'll have Richard listen to it when I return home. It certainly gives an interesting perspective on the politics of our early republic.
I have also decided that when I get off work tomorrow, I'm headed to the Off 2 Africa travel office which I don't think is too far from WHO. I'm going to bring enough cash to pay for a weekend in Victoria Falls and see if I can't get a trip for next weekend (my LAST one here!) set up. It's time to take the bull by the horns. I've probably been too passive in trying to set up trips, but I'd really like to see the falls before I go. Hopefully, it will work out.
Friday - August 6, 2004
Miracle of miracles, the Internet came back today at 8:30am!!! Of course, it's slow, because everyone and their dog is trying to get online and catch up on all sorts of things. I've also had a hell of a time getting this thing to upload on LiveJournal.
I cannot tell you how much I love getting off at 2pm on Fridays! It makes coming into the office such a delight, when you know that your day will be short. By the time lunch rolls around, you're almost ready to go home! There wasn't much to do at work, and Yinka took Paola and myself out to lunch. Yinka couldn't believe I wasn't going to go anywhere, and said she'd lend me money if I needed it. So I'll see what I can on Monday about getting a trip to Victoria Falls for my last weekend here. The other option is to mess with my flights home, but I really don't want to do that.
I went to the gym, which was gloriously empty on a mid-afternoon Friday, and then went home for a short nap. I got up and made some spaghetti before it was time to head to the Marine House for the goodbye party of the Gunney Sgt who commands them. The party actually was kind of lame. The cash bar didn't help matters, especially when they ran out of change. I did get to listen to two foreign service officers speak about the situation in Zimbabwe, and they basically think there is no hope. As bad as things have gotten, the people never rise up. They cannot imagine what would finally rouse them to action. I got to speak as well with the hottie foreign service guy who arrived the same day I did. His name is Mike, and he was very pleasant to talk to. Everyone thinks he's cute enough to eat with a spoon, but he's married with 3 kids, so it's definitely "look, but don't touch". Anyway, it's hard to objectify someone when you actually get to know them.
Once the alcohol ran out, the party died. I left with Yinka and Everard. I didn't even have that much to drink. After a few beers, my stomach started acting like it was going to hurt, so I stopped drinking. I did don an Afro wig that the marines own, and had my picture taken. I'm told I was quite fetching with an Afro a foot high.
I slept in on Saturday and eventually rolled out of bed when Eric Weisen came over. He is now back from Ghana, where he was visiting old friends from the peace corps. He wanted to see how I was doing, and to see if I wanted to tag along for a ride to pick out a braii grill. We stopped on the side of the road, and he looked at various grills, finally deciding on one. The seller wanted 80K for it, and Eric offered 50K. I couldn't believe it when he mentioned that price! He wanted a grill for under $10 US. They dickered back and forth, and eventually settled on a price of 70K with a couple of bundles of firewood thrown in. I know that bartering and bargaining are mainstays of the African culture, but it would drive me nuts. I like being told a price and then deciding if I want it or not. I don't like negotiating and not knowing if I'm getting the best price or not. Eric seemed to really enjoy it. Next, we went to a flea market at Avondale shopping center, which was OK, but that's more bartering. I was about to finish my last book here, and I wanted to see if there were other books I wanted to read. Well, the used book stand had books from the 1960s and 1970s, many of which were not in that good of shape. I didn't find anything I wanted to buy, and the books I did find were in such poor condition, I wouldn't buy them. So I left empty handed. It struck me that I haven't seen a real bookstore since I arrived. It definitely makes you wonder about the literacy rate of this country. I suppose reading a pure leisure activity, like wearing deodorant. If you don't have money for basics, you sure aren't going to spend money on those things. I miss my Borders and Barnes & Nobel!
Saturday night was the birthday gathering for Trent. I had found out from Amy the night before that he had not even mentioned the cake she made him on Thursday for his birthday, let alone thanked her for it. She was very surprised when I mentioned that Trent had bragged on it to me. I'm not sure where his manners went, but I texted him before the dinner and told him that he definitely ought to thank her for the cake. Sure enough, at the dinner, he mentioned to her how good that cake was. I thought, "Good boy." J
The dinner at Thai Thai was pretty good. Turns out the uptight assistant security officer at the embassy is a Georgia Tech grad! Small world, huh? Anyway, I had some chicken satays (chicken strips on a stick) with peanut sauce and hot prawn soup. The soup was definitely hot, too. Poor Amy ordered her meal extra spicy, and it arrived so spicy that her face turned blood red and she almost burst into tears. I've never seen anyone react like that to spicy food! I can only imagine how spicy it was. Trent even danced with the hostess/co-owner of the place in a traditional Thai dance. It was pretty cool.
Afterward, we went to the Sheraton. Amy and I arrived early, and she found out that the music was "old school" which meant early to mid 1980s. She prefers rap and hip hop, so we went to the Sheraton bar for a drink to wait for the others. We had a good talk, and she definitely knows I'm gay. Abe, the marine that is scared of gay folk, was there too. He had been tending bar at the party the night before. Really uptight guy who looks like he could explode at any minute. I found out that he is from RURAL West Virginia, which probably explains why he's afraid of gay people. The permanent scowl on his face would keep most people away, I'd think, man or woman. He just doesn't seem like a pleasant person to be around. I could be wrong, but that's the impression he left with me.
At midnight, Amy had had enough of the "old school" disco. So I left with her, and she took me home. Some people were going back to Vogue, but I didn't care to head back to that cheesy dive that serves pregnant teenagers alcohol. I read for a while, and watched a movie before going to sleep.
Sunday was another lazy day. I ate breakfast, read, napped, and read some more. I spent most of the afternoon dozing in and out of sleep. I slept too much though, because I have had trouble falling asleep tonight. It's about midnight, and I'm wide awake! I eventually got up, and Pet invited me in for tea. She also gave me my bill for the last week of June and the month of July. It wasn't bad. All told, it was $1700 for 36 days. She basically charged me $10/week for the dinners I eat with them, which isn't bad at all. I went through my money stores, and took out what should be the charges for the last 20 days of my stay as well as what I pay Eddie. Even taking out $120/week for Eddie and setting aside $1100 for Pet (which is higher than it should be, but I wanted to be safe), I still have over $600 left to spend. That means I can probably afford a trip to Victoria Falls, assuming Robert is OK with me leaving that Friday morning. I hope it can work out. Then everyone will get off my back!
Monday - August 2, 2004
The Internet collapsed at WHO on Sunday afternoon, and it was down ALL DAY today! The only thing that would have been worse would be an electrical failure, but at least in that situation, I could have talked to other people. I was stuck in my office all day without connectivity at all, except for the internal web. All I could do was basically play games on the computer, which consisted of solitaire, mostly. What a waste of a day! Good thing I don't have my own car here, b/c I would have left. I can only hope they fix it overnight so that I don't have to go through ANOTHER day of this! It would certainly make getting the updates more difficult if we have no Internet. Grrr.
Went to the gym and had a nice workout. I was sorely tempted to ask Eddie to take me to a pizza place for takeout, but I resisted. I ended up making Cream of Tomato soup with rice. It was pretty good. Of course, in measuring out the rice, I spilled some all over the stove and floor. I managed to clean it up, but I was annoyed with myself.
After dinner, I watched some TV and then decided to start listening to my book on CD of Alexander Hamilton's biography. It was pretty good so far. I listened to nearly 2 hours of it. It made me sleepy, especially with the guy reading it having such a deep, soothing voice. I dozed off until Mom called to see if I was alright. Apparently, there was something in the news at home about missionaries in Zimbabwe being removed from the country, or kicked out. I'm not sure which, and Mom didn't have details. She only heard the headline and freaked out. I told her everything here was fine, and if there was trouble, I am on the list of Americans to be evacuated. It makes me wonder if our Internet outage at work has anything to do with this news. I doubt it, but one never knows. If there was something that Mugabe didn't want us to know, making sure the Internet is "down" would be a good way. I did find out that these outages occur several times a year, but only for a couple of days. Once, the Internet was down for an entire week. I'm not sure I can handle that. A lot of what I do is communicating with outside partners of WHO, and those communications are now cut off. It's very disconcerting. Also makes for a LONG, boring day. There's only so much Solitaire a person can play!
Tuesday - August 3, 2004
The monotony continues! Day Two with NO INTERNET access whatsoever. Apparently, our office phones aren't exactly accepting outside calls either. I honestly do not have enough to keep me happily occupied for 8 solid hours, so the day is taken up with trying to find new things to do. I've read everything in the office that I can get my hands on; I've played every game on the computer until I'm sick of all 4 of them. I honestly don't know what else to do. If this continues all week, I will be miserable. Worse still, I can't get updates for the measles partnership call tomorrow. Even if I could get updates, I wouldn't have a way to send them out. What a nightmare! I really hope they get this problem fixed soon.
I also miss having a way to see what's going on at home. Apparently, email to my WHO account is being bounced; the shutdown is complete it seems. Mike emailed Richard to see if anything was wrong here in Zimbabwe. Richard, of course, didn't know since he was in class yesterday, but mentioned he had not heard from me either. He knew I'd at least email. It was the reason I called his cell phone and left a message. I've also informed Leo of the Internet outage here on his office phone. Hopefully he can spread the word. It's very frustrating to be cut off like this!
I had Eddie take me to get take out pizza at St. Elmo's. I also was able to get some more yogurt and crackers for the cabin while the pizza cooked. It was Hawaiian pizza with pineapple and ham. Definitely satisfied the craving I'd been having for the last couple of days. When I got home, I ate the pizza, and settled down with my CD Walkman and the Alexander Hamilton book on CD. It was very good, and I was surprised when the author hinted that Hamilton may have been bisexual. Apparently, there was a fellow officer in the Revolutionary War that Hamilton was extremely close to, and his letters to this guy have an almost romantic tone to them. When this man was killed at the end of the war, Hamilton was devastated and never got as close to another man again. There was a third figure in this friendship: Marquis de Lafayette. Being French in the late 1700s, flowery language is expected, but Lafayette's letters to Hamilton were filled with even more fervor than Hamilton's letters to his fellow officer. Of course, we'll never know if there was a physical aspect to these relationships, but it was quite surprising to hear.
Anyway, I had trouble getting to sleep last night thanks to dozing early in the night. Richard called and told me about his day. He's very happy with his schedule as of now, but there is still a chance that his AP sections might have to be combined and he would be assigned a regular US history class. So far, his two AP classes have 12 and 13 kids in them, and he absolutely loves it. I hope he can maintain his current schedule, because he will be highly upset if he cannot.
I think word is out now that the Internet at WHO is down. I really hope it's back tomorrow. This kind of thing would NOT be tolerated in the US. I'm not sure why Africans don't expect more.
Wednesday - August 4, 2004
Day Three of the Internet Outage. This is the message that the Help Desk people sent out to everyone this morning (remember, we have internal connections but nothing externally): "Dear Colleagues, Since Sunday, Telenor engineers have been working remotely with ICT team here in Harare to solve the GPN problem. However, due to the complexity of this problem, a Telenor engineer is on his way to Harare. In the meantime, we are looking for an alternative solution to address the issue. We will keep you updated on the progress. Thank you for your understanding."
Understanding! I'll show you understanding! Grrrr. I don't know who this Telenor company is, but they should have figured out on Sunday (Monday at the LATEST) that this problem could not be solved remotely. It should not have taken three days for them to reach the conclusion that they might need to show up in person to fix the problem. In the US, such shoddy work would result in the quick closure of this company. Especially when a client as important as WHO is left cut off from the rest of the world! There is simply NO excuse for it! I'm not sure what they mean by "alternative solution" but I just want my connectivity back!
It's very isolating to be cut off from the world. The only news I get is from the South African channels on DSTV. Not being able to be in touch with my friends and loved ones, though, is what annoys me the most. Talking every day via email to my mom, Richard, and friends like Mike make my time go by faster and also takes care of any loneliness I might feel. Without that contact, I feel a bit stir crazy.
Amy picked me up from work and took me to the Book Café for what she billed as a happy hour and political discussion. It sounded interesting, so I decided to go. It was downtown at this place called the Book Café, which is owned by this white Zimbabwean who fought on the side of the blacks during the struggle for independence. However, this guy is a real free speech advocate and this places him squarely in the crosshairs of the Mugabe government. Apparently, keeping the Book Café open is quite a struggle, as police harassment has increased. The event last night certainly makes it clear why the government doesn't like this business.
The panel discussion involved a reverend, an old communist sympathizer from Finland who has written extensively about Zimbabwe and the liberation struggles in Southern Africa, a professor of history at the University of Zimbabwe, and a retired professor who was once expelled from Zimbabwe in the early 1960s for his support of the black nationalist movement (this guy is a white Brit). Their topic was how the history of Africa will inform the future, and part of that question is whose history do we use?
At first, I couldn't decide what the reverend was doing on the panel. Over the course of the discussion, however, it became quite clear that he was the government mouthpiece. Apparently, this guy is a powerful Pentecostal preacher who is a Zimbabwean equivalent of a televangelist. He is frequently on the state run radio and TV, supporting the government line and has been richly rewarded for it. He reminds me very much of the "Bishops" that exist in the Atlanta area, especially in my home county of DeKalb. I put bishop in quotation marks because these guys are independent preachers who are not part of any apostolic line. I'm pretty sure they just anoint themselves Bishops after attaining a certain position of power. Anyway, these "bishops" at home are also politically active and control thousands of parishioners. They too wear flashy suits, wear expensive jewelry, and drive upscale cars, all while proclaiming the gospel of Christ, which wasn't too keen on ostentatious shows of wealth. This preacher had on very expensive dress shoes, a very nice watch, and a black pinstriped suit that certainly was not cheap. Mugabe apparently treats his most ardent supporters quite well.
The place was probably half white, half black but not many of the whites spoke. There were some very brave blacks who roundly condemned the government, spoke of living in fear, and spoke too of the lies that Mugabe's government tells the people through men like the preacher. The room was full of Mugabe's intelligence agents who are sent to any forum or event that could likely cause "trouble". That these people spoke so openly, knowing that Mugabe's spies were in the audience taking notes, moves me. Their bravery in speaking out for their own freedom is astonishing. We take it for granted in America that we can speak out against the government without fear of being beaten, killed, or expelled from the country. Even if Bush would like to silence those of us who loudly denounce his policies, he cannot do so under our system. Our freedom of speech is so deeply ingrained in us a people that to squash it openly would provoke a firestorm. But here, people are beaten and driven out all the time. Knowing the danger they are placing themselves in by speaking out is a true act of bravery and courage.
The issues could not be deeply explored with only an 90 minutes allotted to the discussion, and at times, it seemed like the emotion in the room was about to explode into a heated dispute. The preacher was most enlightening on the mindset of the government. They truly hate the white people and what was done to them during colonialism, as they have a right to. The Europeans in so many ways wronged the Africans here over the century of colonial rule. Their bitterness, however, has overtaken them. They think they can excise totally the European influences in the culture, but as one audience member pointed out, the colonialist period changed Africa and has become part of the fabric of modern Africa whether anyone likes it or not. You cannot erase that experience or its legacy, so the choice must be made to embrace it and mold it for the future.
There were hints of this acknowledgement by the preacher when he talked about the 4th Chimurenga, which is the local word for struggle or revolt against colonialism. The 1st Chimurenga occurred in the late 1800s when the local tribes in Zimbabwe revolted against the colonialists who were stealing their land. This revolt was crushed brutally, but was revived in the 1970s by the 2nd Chimurenga, which was the guerrilla war of independence fought here that resulted in the 1980 establishment of a free black government. I guess the 3rd Chimurenga is the land reform that has occurred in the last several years where the white lands were forcibly returned to black hands. Of course, this land was not returned to the "people" from which it was taken. The land was taken from one group of elites (white Zimbabweans) and given to another (politically connected black nationalists). At least the whites improved the land and managed to make it fertile. Currently, the land in the hands of the black elite is simply wasting away.
The 4th Chimurenga is a struggle for the minds of Zimbabweans. This isn't too bad when you think of freeing the local population from the mindset of colonialism and freeing blacks to understand that they can become anything they want. They can dare reach for the stars and dream big dreams without fear. They also can drop the shackles of thinking that white people simply do things better than blacks ever could. However, I don't think that is exactly what the preacher meant. There were hints of re-education camps where people who are "ignorant" of their own history and misguided by false "truths" will be "enlightened" (which I interpret to mean brainwashed) to the "real" truth, which apparently is whatever the government position is. There was a lot of talk about respecting people's differences, backgrounds, and ideas…but only if everyone acknowledged that the government espoused the basic truth. In other words, Mugabe's government will respect you so long as you understand that your opinion is wrong. How magnanimous of them!
It was interesting to note some people I knew at this rather small gathering. First was Eric Wiesen, who I thought was traveling. At least, that is what he told me in an internal email (which is the only damn thing that works right now!) earlier in the week. I don't think he saw me, and I didn't know the people he was with. I also saw Eddie as the program ended. I wasn't sure what to make of that. He was with a white woman, so I'm not sure that he was there as a spy for Mugabe or not. I'd tend to think he wasn't a spy for Mugabe since he can be pretty critical of how things are in Zimbabwe. Intriguing to say the least.
Amy was able to get something to eat while we were there, but they didn't have any of the items I wanted. I made spaghetti for myself when I got home. Amy also told me her boss grounded her from going anywhere. Apparently, even though Amy has NO training, if something happens over the weekend, her boss wanted her there. Amy works in the public affairs office, so she deals with press a lot. It made me chuckle since Mike's a big press guy too. My only foray into the press was when I was editor of my law school newspaper, the Juris Publici. Anyway, her boss is going away on a trip, so that meant Amy can't. It's basically a power play by someone who is renowned for being a royal bitch. Apparently, Amy's predecessor lasted six months before he was sent home. Normally, that would ruin a Foreign Service officer's career, but this lady's reputation is such that this guy will survive. However, this lady is apparently very good at handling the state run press, so everyone is afraid to get rid of her. That means I'm stuck here over the long weekend. Oh boy! It's a four day holiday here, so most people will be heading out of town, and just about everything will be closed. The only thing that is going on is a book fair (please, God, let there be a book or two I can buy to last me the rest of this trip!) and possibly a day trip to a game park reserve. Anne Marie volunteers at a pretty nice game park outside of town, so maybe some of us who are stuck in town can arrange a day trip or something. I know I'd love to go! Pet and her family will be heading to South Africa tomorrow, so they will be gone until Wednesday, leaving me alone with the staff. At least I will have control of the TV J
Thursday - August 5, 2004
Day Four of the Internet Outage. We got that message that an engineer with this Telenor company was on his way to Harare yesterday, from where they didn't say. Since we STILL have no contact with the outside world, my guess is that this person is based deep in the heart of DRC, somewhere near the equator. Of course, he will be coming to Harare ON FOOT! I cannot believe that the Internet has been out here for five days, and looks like it might be out until next week! That is inexcusable.
Eddie failed to mention being at the Book Café event last night when he picked me up this morning. So, either he didn't see me, or he didn't want to talk about being there. At first, I thought it was none of my business, but on the way home from work, I asked if he had been at the Book Café last night. He said no, which I knew wasn't the truth. I then mentioned that I could have sworn I saw him there, and then Eddie changed his story. He said, "Oh, you mean Book Café? Yes, I was there." I don't know if he actually did think I said "book fair" but he certainly changed his tune when I said I was there too. He didn't say much about the event except to say that it was "very interesting". I have the feeling there is more to Eddie than meets the eye.
I called Richard around noon to tell him I was still without phone or Internet at work. He was about to walk out the door! I have been away from home so long, I've forgotten how early he likes to get up and head to work! God bless him, because I could not operate that way for long. The nice thing about having a driver showing up at a certain time to take me to work is that it forces me to roll out of bed at 7am sharp, no excuses to sleep "just a few more minutes". My mom tried to call me at work and since our external phones are also down, the call didn't go through. She got pretty upset but Richard calmed her down. If it weren't for the cell phone, they would have little way to reach me, unless they got through at the cabin. Luckily, the word is out about our problems here. The sad thing is that it's just considered par for the course in Africa that something would go wrong like this. That's one attitude that Africans need to get rid of. They need to have higher expectations than they already do. They should demand of themselves and their leaders to be heading toward the developed world's standard of living. They should demand running water that works, electricity that works without blackouts, and roads that are in decent condition, and have a general expectation that society will work well for them. Without expectations, there is nothing to aim for or work toward.
I had Eddie pick me up at the regular quitting time of 4:30pm since the Internet is still down. I went to the grocery to get food to last me throughout the weekend, especially with Pet and her family leaving for Jo'burg tomorrow. After the grocery, I went home and hung out with the Adamses, watching TV and having dinner. It was pork chops (I think), greens, and sadza with a bean gravy. Very nice! Poor Kirk got his grades today, since it was the last day of school until September. He did well in most classes, but he did poorly in a couple. Pet was not happy. To me, it seemed to be a mixed bag. In the harder academic subjects, Kirk did pretty well, but he bombed classes like comparative religion. Pet's pretty sure he can do better. She's probably right.
The rest of the night, I spent in the cabin, watching TV and listening to my book on CD about Alexander Hamilton's life. It's a really good book, and I think I'll have Richard listen to it when I return home. It certainly gives an interesting perspective on the politics of our early republic.
I have also decided that when I get off work tomorrow, I'm headed to the Off 2 Africa travel office which I don't think is too far from WHO. I'm going to bring enough cash to pay for a weekend in Victoria Falls and see if I can't get a trip for next weekend (my LAST one here!) set up. It's time to take the bull by the horns. I've probably been too passive in trying to set up trips, but I'd really like to see the falls before I go. Hopefully, it will work out.
Friday - August 6, 2004
Miracle of miracles, the Internet came back today at 8:30am!!! Of course, it's slow, because everyone and their dog is trying to get online and catch up on all sorts of things. I've also had a hell of a time getting this thing to upload on LiveJournal.
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