Mauka Bwanji! We’ve arrived at Chishawasha Children’s Home, the main destination of our journey (and apparently, the toughest to locate!). It’s a wonderful place with incredibly friendly people and about eighty curious, enthusiastic, motivated, happy, and sometimes a bit shy kids who have already begun to steal our hearts completely.
First off, as seems to be standard procedure when we venture away from the help of friends, the journey here was quite an adventure. Risina ensured that we embarked safely upon the most comfortable bus available to Lusaka, which was an 8-hour journey. There was no bathroom available except at the border between Zam and Zim, and we were each able to fit one of our butt cheeks on the seats. We shared the bus ride with a horde of very enthusiastic and friendly Zambian football fans and a stowaway rat (imagine the scene when a wave of women jump up, scream, and begin alerting each other in Nyanja, while the only two foreigners on the bus keep looking around and going, “what? What?” in alarm). We made it, finally, having lost half of our body weights in sweat, only to find that we were completely unable to reach our contact at Chishawasha to come pick us up. Over the course of the night many of Lusaka’s finest tried their best to help us find Chishawasha - about 10 taxi drivers conferenced together over the matter as we ate subway (a surprising but welcome comfort after the long day we had), followed by three very friendly nuns at ‘cheshire house’ – the best solution the taxi drivers could come up with – followed by a few drivers and fransiscan monks via cell phone. In the end we spent that night at a great hostel in Lusaka. We made it to the centre the next morning, and things have been fantastic ever since!
Chishawasha is beautiful – deep red soil remeniscent of PEI dotted by surprisingly lush grass and trees and gardens (especially given it’s the end of the dry season). Free-range chickens and lizards dart about between the seven houses that are home to 80 some-odd children and eight house-mothers. The grounds also consist of a main office which currently doubles as our temporary home, a chicken coop, a newly constructed building that will soon host some skills-builidng and workshop space, and the school.
Philip is our boss here, and he’s put us to work painting rooms in the skills centre that will become sewing classes and wood shops – fantastic for the kids to develop skills that will really help them be employable later. He’s also got a ton of projects in the works for us, such as some teambuilding and training for the teachers and house mothers, some leadership development and skill-building workshops for the kids, and maybe some counselling and music and art lessons. We're beyond excited and brimming with ideas and plans. It looks like we’ll have some amazing opportunities to share our skills and experience here.
So far, the highlights of our time here have been the evenings. The kids all live in houses of about 10 with a house mother to look after them, and each night, one of the houses invites us for dinner. We usually spend a few hours with the kids doing whatever they like to do – read, play games, do homework, play music, tell them stories about people who live in ice houses in Canada (just doing our part to perpetuate any stereotypes we can!)... and just generally get to know them. They tend to be a bit shy at first (probably because they’ve never seen a man with as much hair as Jimi), but once they get used to us, they really seem to enjoy having us there. And we’re absolutely thrilled for every chance we get to spend time with them!
We’ve really only scratched the surface of what we’ll be doing here, but it’s already been an amazing learning experience. Everything we see is raising more questions, and we’re really looking forward to discovering the answers. Each morning we sit over breakfast at 7am and marvel at where we are and what we are doing. We are just so unbelievably privileged and thankful to be here.
Well, it’s late and our days are long so we should get to sleep. More updates and reflections soon. Thanks for tuning in and be well.
- Much Love, Jimi and Jenny
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Reflections on Zim
When we decided to write a blog about our journey in Africa, we meant to share the experience with you, and we realized that so far most of what we’ve been describing has been the facts. We thought we’d share some thoughts about our time in Zimbabwe, short though it was.
First off, having the opportunity to stay with Ris and Ang made for so much more of an authentic experience than we could have had otherwise. While we came to Africa to experience new things, it has also been so amazing to see how much is universal – like having the chance to perform in a band with Kudzai (Ris and Ang’s daughter) and her friends (who sang songs from High School Musical!), and attending a kids’ birthday party. This kind of ‘real life’ was so nice to see and while many of the fetchings were very familiar there is a sense of community that may elude much of north-american life. Ris and Ang and Kudzai let us into their world in a way we can never express. Even in just a week we felt not only at home and comfortable but familial. We found fast friends in Harare and we both miss them so much already. Even in the two occasions we had to hang out with their friends we found ourselves looking forward to the next time. Welcoming and comfortable only begin to describe the hospitality we were shown. And the conversations – we’re pretty confident that we’ve given Canadians the reputation of being tirelessly curious and always wanting to discuss things. We asked many questions and loved every minute of the education we got in response. The kind of political and social discussions we had all throughout the week with many different people were so very eye-opening as well, and such a privilege. While seeing elephants close up is breathtaking, those are the kinds of experiences that showed us what Zimbabwe was really all about.
Imagine waking up one morning to find that all you’ve ever worked for – the money you’ve earned, the college funds for your children, the dollars under your mattress – even your pension are worthless. The experience of the people of Zimbabwe in the last 15 years is far too detailed for us to fully comprehend or even to begin to try to translate in this short writing – but it started to become clearer the day we were driving to The Great Zimbabwe and Risina leaned over the diver’s seat and handed me a 50-billion dollar bill and said – there you go, you’re a zimbabwean billionaire! The bill is literally worthless. When we stayed with Uncle David at the Gache-gache lodge and heard our guide Peter talk about the day people showed up at his family farm to ‘alleviate’ his family of their home and land – and how they then had to find new ways of living (hence he went from farmer to hunter to guide). Stories of people being given land to farm that might or might not rightfully be theirs - yet not taught how to farm or what to do to use the land prosperously - the stories we heard and the sights we saw were fascinating to us and each one a lesson that brought so many more questions.
Nearer the end of our stay we began asking people what they thought the answers were. Some look to the government – to the hope that soon some as-yet-unidentified politicians will step up with an understanding of what life has been like to the everyman and will hold with them clearer agendas that speak to the greater good. Some say the change needs to come from the people – for the current parents to educate their children so that their children can be the agents of change in hopes that zimbabweans will find thier voice coming from a place of knowledge and not need. And to some of the young adults, the answer starts with themselves – carying the burden that they need to be the ones to bring about change – though the ‘how’ is something they are still wrapping their growing and ambitious minds around. In all of this it is clear that the answer is both complicated and daunting. In the wake lie significant economic and life-style divides and broken families – some by choice, some by necessity, and some by the pressure of living under seemingly uncontrollable circumstances. And when we asked parents ‘do you want your children to stay in Zimbabwe or leave if they have the chance’ the answer was universal: they would love for them to stay, but until things change, they would do all they could to see their loved ones succeed – which seems synonymous with leaving their homeland. And still, life in Zimbabwe goes on. The day-to-day of farmers and business-folk and laborers and tradespersons continues much as it does everywhere. Many will remain – by cirucumstance, or by choice, because despite everything they still love their country. They are the ones who will breathe new life into Zimbabwe. And they’ll be ready, when the time is right, to welcome the world back in with legendary hospitality.
And so among the incredible animals, rich history, beautiful landscapes and indescribable hospitality, hope lives in Zimbabwe.
As for us (and our brief time as flys on the wall), it was simply amazing to see first-hand how people can be separated by so many major factors – culture, geography, life experiences, language – but they can always find ways to connect if they are open to doing so.
~ Much love, Jimi and Jenny
First off, having the opportunity to stay with Ris and Ang made for so much more of an authentic experience than we could have had otherwise. While we came to Africa to experience new things, it has also been so amazing to see how much is universal – like having the chance to perform in a band with Kudzai (Ris and Ang’s daughter) and her friends (who sang songs from High School Musical!), and attending a kids’ birthday party. This kind of ‘real life’ was so nice to see and while many of the fetchings were very familiar there is a sense of community that may elude much of north-american life. Ris and Ang and Kudzai let us into their world in a way we can never express. Even in just a week we felt not only at home and comfortable but familial. We found fast friends in Harare and we both miss them so much already. Even in the two occasions we had to hang out with their friends we found ourselves looking forward to the next time. Welcoming and comfortable only begin to describe the hospitality we were shown. And the conversations – we’re pretty confident that we’ve given Canadians the reputation of being tirelessly curious and always wanting to discuss things. We asked many questions and loved every minute of the education we got in response. The kind of political and social discussions we had all throughout the week with many different people were so very eye-opening as well, and such a privilege. While seeing elephants close up is breathtaking, those are the kinds of experiences that showed us what Zimbabwe was really all about.
Imagine waking up one morning to find that all you’ve ever worked for – the money you’ve earned, the college funds for your children, the dollars under your mattress – even your pension are worthless. The experience of the people of Zimbabwe in the last 15 years is far too detailed for us to fully comprehend or even to begin to try to translate in this short writing – but it started to become clearer the day we were driving to The Great Zimbabwe and Risina leaned over the diver’s seat and handed me a 50-billion dollar bill and said – there you go, you’re a zimbabwean billionaire! The bill is literally worthless. When we stayed with Uncle David at the Gache-gache lodge and heard our guide Peter talk about the day people showed up at his family farm to ‘alleviate’ his family of their home and land – and how they then had to find new ways of living (hence he went from farmer to hunter to guide). Stories of people being given land to farm that might or might not rightfully be theirs - yet not taught how to farm or what to do to use the land prosperously - the stories we heard and the sights we saw were fascinating to us and each one a lesson that brought so many more questions.
Nearer the end of our stay we began asking people what they thought the answers were. Some look to the government – to the hope that soon some as-yet-unidentified politicians will step up with an understanding of what life has been like to the everyman and will hold with them clearer agendas that speak to the greater good. Some say the change needs to come from the people – for the current parents to educate their children so that their children can be the agents of change in hopes that zimbabweans will find thier voice coming from a place of knowledge and not need. And to some of the young adults, the answer starts with themselves – carying the burden that they need to be the ones to bring about change – though the ‘how’ is something they are still wrapping their growing and ambitious minds around. In all of this it is clear that the answer is both complicated and daunting. In the wake lie significant economic and life-style divides and broken families – some by choice, some by necessity, and some by the pressure of living under seemingly uncontrollable circumstances. And when we asked parents ‘do you want your children to stay in Zimbabwe or leave if they have the chance’ the answer was universal: they would love for them to stay, but until things change, they would do all they could to see their loved ones succeed – which seems synonymous with leaving their homeland. And still, life in Zimbabwe goes on. The day-to-day of farmers and business-folk and laborers and tradespersons continues much as it does everywhere. Many will remain – by cirucumstance, or by choice, because despite everything they still love their country. They are the ones who will breathe new life into Zimbabwe. And they’ll be ready, when the time is right, to welcome the world back in with legendary hospitality.
And so among the incredible animals, rich history, beautiful landscapes and indescribable hospitality, hope lives in Zimbabwe.
As for us (and our brief time as flys on the wall), it was simply amazing to see first-hand how people can be separated by so many major factors – culture, geography, life experiences, language – but they can always find ways to connect if they are open to doing so.
~ Much love, Jimi and Jenny
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Our Week in Zimbabwe
Wow… it’s been a while since our last post, and as promised, if we’re not posting, it means we’re too busy having the time of our lives! In the last week we’ve learned and seen so much that it hardly feels like it can fit into only a few days!
First off, Risina and Angela have taken truly great care of us opening their home and life to us and showing us around Zim.
Ang and Ris took us to visit the Great Zimbabwe, a ruined city hundreds of years old that was the seat of the Shona empire (Risina’s ancestors). It was an incredible eye-opening experience in terms of Southern Africa’s history, both for us and for Risina and Angela, I’d say! (although we also seem to have been caught up by story of the king’s 200 wives and how he – or rather his sister, handled them all…) Great Zimbabwe is truly remarkable. We also got to meet many of the local baboons and monkeys as well.
Next up was a trip to the awe-inspiring Chinhoyi Caves, where there is a pool of water a shade of blue that we’ve never seen before. A man in front of us came out and simply said, “God is great!” That pretty much sums it up.
This past weekend, thanks to a wonderful expat Canadian named Rachel who works at the Canadian embassy here, and to Jenny’s Uncle Dave, we had the chance to visit Lake Kariba in the northern part of the country. We stayed at the Gache Gache Lodge, and the experience was absolutely phenomenal! It was our first opportunity to do some safari-ing, and I think we’ve been pretty spoiled! Between boat tours of the lake and game drives, we saw plenty of hippos, crocodiles, baboons, monkeys, impala, buffaloes, waterbuck, bushbuck, and… ELEPHANTS!!! Tons of them! The Gache Gache staff were amazing and our guide Peter even took us to meet (and play with) a 6-month old lion cub – HOW COOL IS THAT?!? Needless to say, we can’t thank Uncle Dave enough making this experience possible.
Throughout all of these adventures, we’ve had countless opportunities to meet the people of Zimbabwe – Ang and Ris’s friends, Risina’s coworkers, the people working at the places we visit – and they have welcomed us so warmly and shared their stories with us so openly. They have shown us that Zimbabwe is a country that has struggled, and is still struggling, but they know a better future is possible, and that is why they are here. We can so easily see that these people’s passion, warmth, and commitment to what they are doing will contribute greatly to Zimbabwe’s progress and though it is clear that the people of Zimbabwe are tried and tired, hope is in the air.
We feel that our time in Zimbabwe has been such a privilege – the history, the landscapes, the animals and moreover, the people. Zimbabwe is such an incredible country. Though the last decade or so have taken Zim seemingly ‘off the map’ – it is an incredible country that should never be overlooked.
So tomorrow we’re off to Zambia for our primary destination. We’re very excited and will be in touch with our first impressions of Lusaka soon. Thanks for being patient and keeping in touch!
¬ Much Love, Jenny and Jimi
First off, Risina and Angela have taken truly great care of us opening their home and life to us and showing us around Zim.
Ang and Ris took us to visit the Great Zimbabwe, a ruined city hundreds of years old that was the seat of the Shona empire (Risina’s ancestors). It was an incredible eye-opening experience in terms of Southern Africa’s history, both for us and for Risina and Angela, I’d say! (although we also seem to have been caught up by story of the king’s 200 wives and how he – or rather his sister, handled them all…) Great Zimbabwe is truly remarkable. We also got to meet many of the local baboons and monkeys as well.
Next up was a trip to the awe-inspiring Chinhoyi Caves, where there is a pool of water a shade of blue that we’ve never seen before. A man in front of us came out and simply said, “God is great!” That pretty much sums it up.
This past weekend, thanks to a wonderful expat Canadian named Rachel who works at the Canadian embassy here, and to Jenny’s Uncle Dave, we had the chance to visit Lake Kariba in the northern part of the country. We stayed at the Gache Gache Lodge, and the experience was absolutely phenomenal! It was our first opportunity to do some safari-ing, and I think we’ve been pretty spoiled! Between boat tours of the lake and game drives, we saw plenty of hippos, crocodiles, baboons, monkeys, impala, buffaloes, waterbuck, bushbuck, and… ELEPHANTS!!! Tons of them! The Gache Gache staff were amazing and our guide Peter even took us to meet (and play with) a 6-month old lion cub – HOW COOL IS THAT?!? Needless to say, we can’t thank Uncle Dave enough making this experience possible.
Throughout all of these adventures, we’ve had countless opportunities to meet the people of Zimbabwe – Ang and Ris’s friends, Risina’s coworkers, the people working at the places we visit – and they have welcomed us so warmly and shared their stories with us so openly. They have shown us that Zimbabwe is a country that has struggled, and is still struggling, but they know a better future is possible, and that is why they are here. We can so easily see that these people’s passion, warmth, and commitment to what they are doing will contribute greatly to Zimbabwe’s progress and though it is clear that the people of Zimbabwe are tried and tired, hope is in the air.
We feel that our time in Zimbabwe has been such a privilege – the history, the landscapes, the animals and moreover, the people. Zimbabwe is such an incredible country. Though the last decade or so have taken Zim seemingly ‘off the map’ – it is an incredible country that should never be overlooked.
So tomorrow we’re off to Zambia for our primary destination. We’re very excited and will be in touch with our first impressions of Lusaka soon. Thanks for being patient and keeping in touch!
¬ Much Love, Jenny and Jimi
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