Ever since we arrived in Africa, everyone has been telling us that the rains would be starting any time now. You can feel the tension and heaviness in the air during the days leading up to the first rains, and the resulting anticipation is unlike anything that Canadians experience. We’ve seen clouds roll in, then dissipate again several times, so that on many days we’re asking ourselves and everyone else, “will today be the day?” There is no weather forecast to let us know, so we’re left to guess (and the children are left to make bets about when it will rain!). The rains change everything here – the temperature, people’s moods, and the entire diet here at Chishawasha. The community is partially self-sufficient, so they grow much of their own produce. During the dry season, especially at the very end, pickings are slim (cabbage twice a day), but we’re told that once it’s been raining for a while, there will be a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, and everyone is very much looking forward to that!
This evening, as usual, we were enjoying some nshima, cabbage, and beef with one of the houses, and all of a sudden we noticed that the children were all outside running around, playing, and yelling. We’d never seen them so energetic just before bedtime! Then we noticed that a wide variety of animals seemed to be furtively insinuating themselves into the kitchen where we were washing dishes. Something was clearly afoot. Then, a little later, as we were hanging out in the yard telling stories about Canadian winters to some of the more curious children (one particular character named Charles told us that if he came to visit us, he would eat all of the snow in Canada – we warned him to avoid the yellow snow), we thought we felt some sprinkles. A debate ensued about whether this was really it (and the requisite arguments about whether Charles or Monica had won the bet), and then the first drops of our first African rainy season hit us. (The spirited Charles insisted that it was not officially raining yet, and that Monica had not actually won the bet.) It was a pretty amazing moment, both for how beautiful it felt and for the children’s joy. They were so happy and so excited about everything that the arrival of the rains meant for them – from fresh mangoes to the best sleep they’ll have had in a long time. Sharing that moment with them was such a unique privilege.
Otherwise, we’ve been very busy and having an amazing time running leadership and personal development workshops for the older children here. First of all, we’re just really excited about the fact that we have the opportunity to contribute – let alone do leadership development (which we both love so much) with the children here. Beyond that, though, leadership is such an important part of these children’s lives, whether they’ve ever thought about it or not. We’re realizing more and more that many of them have incredible skills and potential as leaders already – some of the high school students earned their places in prestigious schools through stellar academic performance, and have been chosen as prefects in their schools. All of them live in houses with at least eight children and as many as 15, most of them under 10 years old, so the roles they play as older brothers and sisters are absolutely crucial to the younger kids’ growth and lives. We’re so thrilled for the chance to help further develop their potential.
Facilitating sessions that involve a lot of discussion has been a significant learning curve for us. The children have a wide range of proficiency in English, so some are much more comfortable than others with discussing their thoughts and feelings. We also have to be very conscious of the terminology we use, and of the fact that our style of teaching is completely different from much of what these children have ever experienced. We’re getting the sense that they are not often asked to share or discuss how they feel about different ideas – so exploring personal development is quite a new experience for most (if not all of them). So progress happens slowly sometimes as we break down concepts and expand the way many of the students think about topics such as personal risk taking and developing trust. We’re constantly reassessing our approach, but it has been amazing to see the way some of the children have responded. We’ve often been thrilled by their insights and how eager they are to engage with the topics, and for a few, our sessions have quite clearly been really inspiring. There have been plenty of moments of silence, head scratching and clarification but there have been equal moments of ‘ah-ha!’ and epiphany and big smiles as some of individuals grasp new ideas and discoveries about themselves. It is such a privilege for us to be a part of this and it is clear from the feedback that we’ve been getting (students, teachers and mothers alike) that these are important skills for the children to develop. But we’ve only been running workshops for two days, so we’re confident and excited that the best is yet to come - stay tuned! It sounds like there has been a lot of discussion at the houses about our workshops because the mothers keep telling us how much they’re looking forward to next week’s staff sessions (definitely a taller order for us, so we’ve got a lot of preparation to do!), so hopefully we can pull off something that will live up to the hype! But in general, we’re pretty thrilled with our situation right now – we’re spending our time with wonderful people, in a faraway place, and on top of it all we have been offered a chance to do what we do best and realize how much of a privilege that is in and of itself.
So here’s to hoping for more rains! We miss all of you, and we wish you could be here to share this experience with us.
-Much love, Jenny and Jimi
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Our First Weekend at Chishawasha
It’s the weekend and we’re happy for it. We’re quickly realizing that our weekends here will be very valuable, not so much for adventures as we’d first thought, but for resting and spending time with the kids. Over the last five days we’ve been working around the site, enjoying lunches at the school – sometimes with the students, sometimes with the teachers, and dinners with the children. We’ve been to six of the seven ‘homes’ so far. We’re starting to get good at eating with our hands (as is customary here) and are very familiar with nshima (sp?) – the staple food served at all meals. Nshima is a maize (corn) based mash like corn-meal. It looks a lot like mashed potatoes and is used as the base with which every other part of the meal is eaten. All of the lunches and dinners so far have consist of a large helping of nshima, some cabbage-based slaw (very tasty) and a single portion of a meat or a helping of beans – all eaten with your hands – we’re still mastering the beans! People have been patient with us and understand that we’re in the “remedial class” – they sometimes provide a knife and fork for us, just in case, although no one else ever needs one.
This weekend was a nice break from the work we’ve been doing – especially Friday as we were working outside, and experienced the true effect of the sun. As our work partner Sam pointed out while watching us apply sunscreen, we're the wrong colour for this kind of weather! Our weak, pasty Caucasian skin is no match for the African sun at noon, whereas the other workers think nothing of spending the entire day on a tin roof in a heavy work suit. We were exhausted!
Saturday morning Chishawasha was participating in a monthly market where they sell books. Philip offered to take us – more to experience the market than help with the book sale. We’d been dying to visit a craft market since we got to Africa, so we jumped at the chance. The market was fantastic and vibrant and everyone was nice enough to offer a ‘special price’ just for us! The crafts and works were amazing, and while Jenny is a bargaining expert, Jimi has a long way to go! There was a very diverse crowd – we have apparently discovered where all the tourists in Africa are.
Today, we embarked on yet another new adventure: Doing laundry by hand. Jimi has some (limited) experience in this area, so he was able to help Jenny (the extravagantly spoiled city girl) learn the process. As we were finishing up, a whole gang of the younger Chishawasha girls descended upon us, and when we told them it was our first time doing laundry by hand, they laughed at us and promptly informed us that we were doing it wrong. As they whispered and giggled at our ineptitude, we realized that it’s actually pretty embarrassing that these young children already have skills that we have never needed up until now.
Our embarrassment soon turned into one of the best times we’ve had since coming to Africa when the girls asked us if we could play them some music. They loved Jimi’s singing, and they really enjoyed taking turns on our mini djembe drum. Some of the girls really had some rhythm, and they are all great dancers! They offered to teach us some songs and games as well, so we spent the next few hours playing hand-clap games and singing and dancing games with them. Later, we had to get back to our laundry, and they sang their entire repertoire of gospel and school songs for us! This whole experience was somewhat of a departure from some of the experiences we’ve had so far as the kids tend to be a bit shy when we visit their homes in the evenings. It was so wonderful to have them come to visit us and want to get to know us. These girls were so happy, and so full of life, and quite obviously in their element while singing and dancing. It was really amazing to see their true personalities shining through – hopefully this is the first of many such experiences!
-Much love, Jimi and Jenny
This weekend was a nice break from the work we’ve been doing – especially Friday as we were working outside, and experienced the true effect of the sun. As our work partner Sam pointed out while watching us apply sunscreen, we're the wrong colour for this kind of weather! Our weak, pasty Caucasian skin is no match for the African sun at noon, whereas the other workers think nothing of spending the entire day on a tin roof in a heavy work suit. We were exhausted!
Saturday morning Chishawasha was participating in a monthly market where they sell books. Philip offered to take us – more to experience the market than help with the book sale. We’d been dying to visit a craft market since we got to Africa, so we jumped at the chance. The market was fantastic and vibrant and everyone was nice enough to offer a ‘special price’ just for us! The crafts and works were amazing, and while Jenny is a bargaining expert, Jimi has a long way to go! There was a very diverse crowd – we have apparently discovered where all the tourists in Africa are.
Today, we embarked on yet another new adventure: Doing laundry by hand. Jimi has some (limited) experience in this area, so he was able to help Jenny (the extravagantly spoiled city girl) learn the process. As we were finishing up, a whole gang of the younger Chishawasha girls descended upon us, and when we told them it was our first time doing laundry by hand, they laughed at us and promptly informed us that we were doing it wrong. As they whispered and giggled at our ineptitude, we realized that it’s actually pretty embarrassing that these young children already have skills that we have never needed up until now.
Our embarrassment soon turned into one of the best times we’ve had since coming to Africa when the girls asked us if we could play them some music. They loved Jimi’s singing, and they really enjoyed taking turns on our mini djembe drum. Some of the girls really had some rhythm, and they are all great dancers! They offered to teach us some songs and games as well, so we spent the next few hours playing hand-clap games and singing and dancing games with them. Later, we had to get back to our laundry, and they sang their entire repertoire of gospel and school songs for us! This whole experience was somewhat of a departure from some of the experiences we’ve had so far as the kids tend to be a bit shy when we visit their homes in the evenings. It was so wonderful to have them come to visit us and want to get to know us. These girls were so happy, and so full of life, and quite obviously in their element while singing and dancing. It was really amazing to see their true personalities shining through – hopefully this is the first of many such experiences!
-Much love, Jimi and Jenny
Friday, October 30, 2009
First days at Chishawasha!
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
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
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
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Made it to Zim! =D
Air Canada take note... We've now flown three african airlines (Etheopian, Zambezi and Zimbabwe) and have not only been fed on each flight regardless of how short, but also been escorted personally through customs just to help us to get our bags, get to an agent and get a flight booked, get through security and seated for a flight to Harare - all in 45 minutes or less! Thank goodness the flight was delayed =D.
So ... we made our flight to Lusaka and managed to get a last-minute cheap pair of seats to Harare (mostly because the flight - which was scheduled to leave 15 minutes after we arrived in Lusaka, and was FULL) had standby and was delayed. Thanks to the incredibly friendly people in Zambia we were able to cut a few corners and find our way to Zimbabwe with remarkable expediency. We made it!
Not knowing if our text-messages were getting through we were relieved to leave Zim customs to find Risina, Angela and Kudsi (sp?) running at us arms open! They were instrumental in helping us get our flight and were so warm and welcoming. We drove back to their place and had a great dinner and an incredible conversation that educated us about the history and economy of Zim - the education continues! After we kept them up far too late, we all tucked in and woke this morning to a refreshingly cool day. We're both extremely thankful (and relieved) to be here - so thanks again to Chi, Risina, Ang and their family for giving us this opportunity.
Currently, we're at the National Art Gallery and are about to venture off to explore Harare which, so far looks absolutely beautiful! In the next few days we're looking forward to exploring some of the incredible nature and history that Zim has to offer.
~ Much Love,
Jenny & Jimi
PS: Moms and Dad: Please note you've been spoiled by frequent posts thus far and while we'll do our best we suspect posts will not be as frequent in the coming weeks. So please don't worry... we're in good hands! Besides, the less posts are happening, likely the more fun we're having =D
So ... we made our flight to Lusaka and managed to get a last-minute cheap pair of seats to Harare (mostly because the flight - which was scheduled to leave 15 minutes after we arrived in Lusaka, and was FULL) had standby and was delayed. Thanks to the incredibly friendly people in Zambia we were able to cut a few corners and find our way to Zimbabwe with remarkable expediency. We made it!
Not knowing if our text-messages were getting through we were relieved to leave Zim customs to find Risina, Angela and Kudsi (sp?) running at us arms open! They were instrumental in helping us get our flight and were so warm and welcoming. We drove back to their place and had a great dinner and an incredible conversation that educated us about the history and economy of Zim - the education continues! After we kept them up far too late, we all tucked in and woke this morning to a refreshingly cool day. We're both extremely thankful (and relieved) to be here - so thanks again to Chi, Risina, Ang and their family for giving us this opportunity.
Currently, we're at the National Art Gallery and are about to venture off to explore Harare which, so far looks absolutely beautiful! In the next few days we're looking forward to exploring some of the incredible nature and history that Zim has to offer.
~ Much Love,
Jenny & Jimi
PS: Moms and Dad: Please note you've been spoiled by frequent posts thus far and while we'll do our best we suspect posts will not be as frequent in the coming weeks. So please don't worry... we're in good hands! Besides, the less posts are happening, likely the more fun we're having =D
Monday, October 19, 2009
Falling in love with Dar
Jambo! We’re currently at the Dar Es Salaam airport waiting for our flight to Lusaka (within driving distance of Harare , where we’re headed), and we’re working on driving or flying options to get to Harare
It took us two hours on a very slow and intermittent internet connection at the only internet café open on Sunday in Dar to book our flight… But I can tell you that we were very, very excited when it finally went though, after many enthusiastically shouted encouragements to the computer (it didn’t respond well to expletives). And then, Plan B in place, we set off to explore Dar.
One thing we’ve really appreciated here is the music. It began on our cab ride into town with a 4-piece band performing from the back of a moving pickup truck, and continued with another band playing on the street for the Islamic New Year celebrations. On Sunday morning, we came out of our hostel to be greeted by beautiful singing from a church choir next door, and this morning the school children at the YWCA where we were staying were singing as we ate breakfast. Music is clearly such an important part of the culture here, and it has been a privilege to witness the beauty and joy of it.
As for our explorations, we took a walk along the shoreline to the very active fish market, and then we found a beach with about a dozen outrigger canoes anchored just offshore, with many small islands nearby and dhows sailing by. At that point, we fell in love. The scene was so beautiful and serene, and such an authentic glimpse into the lives of the people of Dar. It was around sunset, too, which definitely helped! We introduced ourselves to the Indian Ocean , and between that and really, really delicious Indian food, we really started to enjoy our time in Dar.
Hopefully, the next time you hear from us, we’ll be in Harare
Much love to all,
Jenny and Jimi
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Stranded in Dar =)
“Bloglemas”
Sorry about the site going down. The night before our flights we were working on an update and we got blocked for some reason. If this is posted all is repaired and hopefully there will be no more hiccups.
Stranded in Dar =)
Hamjambo? Hatujambo! Our 18 hours of flying were not half as rough as we expected. Ethiopian Airlines were fantastic to fly with – the trip was comfortable and they fed us well =)
We arrived finally in Dar Es Salaam and promptly received our first humbling lesson in backpacking – where did we ever get the idea that things would go according to plan?!?
Said plan was to book a ticket upon arrival for Harare – everything we had read/heard said it was easier and cheaper to book a flight once we got here. NOT TRUE! Suddenly it looked as though we’d need to fly to Nairobi or Johannesburg to get to Harare and for no less that $600 USD each. OUCH! Needless to say, a new plan was in order.
This new plan is still a work in progress.
We got ourselves a cell phone and got a taxi to a hostel – the hostel is good and we found some great food nearby – the Indian food in Dar is out of this world!
Just as we were about to tuck in for the night a few fireworks went off. Which were followed by more fireworks… and more… and more and more and more until we were unsure if we were in celebration or war-zone – Happy New Year Islam!!! We were thinking that Africa was just REALLY excited about our arrival but as it turns out the Muslim population of Dar was celebrating new years. What a cool thing to witness on our first night! The fireworks were all through the city and lasted all night with music and song of all kinds. It was a fun first night.
This morning we’ve been touring around Dar on foot in search of an internet café and minutes for our phone. We had another lovely lunch and found worlds slowest computer connection – which we are grateful for as apparently nothing is open on a Sunday in Dar.
So here we are, waiting for our e-mail to load and hoping we can get a flight out to either Harare or Lusaka as soon as tomorrow.
Moms, Dad, friends – we’re doing great and while we’re not where we had hoped, we’re together and happy and safe. Life is a journey and we’re DEFINITELY on it! Love to all!
Stay tuned for our next update, Kesho!
-- Jimi and Jenny
Sorry about the site going down. The night before our flights we were working on an update and we got blocked for some reason. If this is posted all is repaired and hopefully there will be no more hiccups.
Stranded in Dar =)
Hamjambo? Hatujambo! Our 18 hours of flying were not half as rough as we expected. Ethiopian Airlines were fantastic to fly with – the trip was comfortable and they fed us well =)
We arrived finally in Dar Es Salaam and promptly received our first humbling lesson in backpacking – where did we ever get the idea that things would go according to plan?!?
Said plan was to book a ticket upon arrival for Harare – everything we had read/heard said it was easier and cheaper to book a flight once we got here. NOT TRUE! Suddenly it looked as though we’d need to fly to Nairobi or Johannesburg to get to Harare and for no less that $600 USD each. OUCH! Needless to say, a new plan was in order.
This new plan is still a work in progress.
We got ourselves a cell phone and got a taxi to a hostel – the hostel is good and we found some great food nearby – the Indian food in Dar is out of this world!
Just as we were about to tuck in for the night a few fireworks went off. Which were followed by more fireworks… and more… and more and more and more until we were unsure if we were in celebration or war-zone – Happy New Year Islam!!! We were thinking that Africa was just REALLY excited about our arrival but as it turns out the Muslim population of Dar was celebrating new years. What a cool thing to witness on our first night! The fireworks were all through the city and lasted all night with music and song of all kinds. It was a fun first night.
This morning we’ve been touring around Dar on foot in search of an internet café and minutes for our phone. We had another lovely lunch and found worlds slowest computer connection – which we are grateful for as apparently nothing is open on a Sunday in Dar.
So here we are, waiting for our e-mail to load and hoping we can get a flight out to either Harare or Lusaka as soon as tomorrow.
Moms, Dad, friends – we’re doing great and while we’re not where we had hoped, we’re together and happy and safe. Life is a journey and we’re DEFINITELY on it! Love to all!
Stay tuned for our next update, Kesho!
-- Jimi and Jenny
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Night Before
It's 10pm and we're nessled into a hotel accross from the Buffalo airport. Jenny's gotten her last dose of 'Grey's' for a while and we're packed up and ready to go!
We moved out of York yesterday - our last day was long and tough but warm with well-wishes and many visits - thanks to everyone for all their support! We moved back to moma Bursaw's in Funnville and spent the day getting things in final order. We're all set and ready to tuck in for our early departure. We're pretty much ridiculously excited and though we need to get as much sleep as possible tonight, I think it'll be hard to do so =).
So what's next? We thought we'd let you all know our plans, so here goes:
Tomorrow our journey begins at 4am! Our flight from Buffalo leaves at 6am to Washington. From Washington we fly 8 hours to ... ROME! We're so sad we'll only be there for about 30 minutes but we're hoping we'll be able to see some sites from the plane!
Next up is Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (one of the highest capitals in the world), but again, all we'll see is the airport... and then... Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania! We hear that the East Coast of Tanzania is traditionally Muslim, so our first bout of culture shock will involve having to wear clothes that cover our entire bodies in blistering heat! Jimi's also very determined to use the flight to become fluent in Swahili... we'll keep you posted!
Now, from all we've read and heard, flying between countries in Africa is often easier and cheaper to book when you get there, so the ast leg of the trip is a bit 'up in the air' - so to speak... hehe.... So, we'll organize a flight to Harare as soon as we can, and we're totally excited to meet up with Risina and Angie Mandivenga (Chi's brother and sister-in-law). We'll be spending a week in Zimbabwe with the Mandivenga family =).
A week later we'll be heading to Zambia toward our primary destination - Chishawasha School and Orphanage around Lusaka. We'll be spending a month there contributing in any way we can - and we absolutely can't wait to be there! We've brought some classic Canadian children's literature to share with the kids. We figure the appeal of Robert Munsch is pretty universal.
The rest of the trip is a bit 'uncharted' - we have hopes of touring Zambia and seeing some wildlife - we'd also like to do some rafting on the Zambezi - maybe a bit later when the rains start closer to December. The last week we'll head back for Dar. We'd like to take the train from Lusaka to Dar Es Salaam (2-4 days train accross the savannah) to see some of the countryside. Then we'll take a boat to the island of Zanzibar for a few days before flying out of Dar mid-December. Maybe Jenny should invest in a burquini?
So there you have it - our plans - at least as they stand today! But as we all know, life is an adventure and we'll see where the wild winds blow!
So that's it for tonight - next stop - fatigue and culture shock - we can't wait - no really, we're travel geeks like that =)
Okay, until next time,
Much Love - Jenny & Jimi
We moved out of York yesterday - our last day was long and tough but warm with well-wishes and many visits - thanks to everyone for all their support! We moved back to moma Bursaw's in Funnville and spent the day getting things in final order. We're all set and ready to tuck in for our early departure. We're pretty much ridiculously excited and though we need to get as much sleep as possible tonight, I think it'll be hard to do so =).
So what's next? We thought we'd let you all know our plans, so here goes:
Tomorrow our journey begins at 4am! Our flight from Buffalo leaves at 6am to Washington. From Washington we fly 8 hours to ... ROME! We're so sad we'll only be there for about 30 minutes but we're hoping we'll be able to see some sites from the plane!
Next up is Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (one of the highest capitals in the world), but again, all we'll see is the airport... and then... Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania! We hear that the East Coast of Tanzania is traditionally Muslim, so our first bout of culture shock will involve having to wear clothes that cover our entire bodies in blistering heat! Jimi's also very determined to use the flight to become fluent in Swahili... we'll keep you posted!
Now, from all we've read and heard, flying between countries in Africa is often easier and cheaper to book when you get there, so the ast leg of the trip is a bit 'up in the air' - so to speak... hehe.... So, we'll organize a flight to Harare as soon as we can, and we're totally excited to meet up with Risina and Angie Mandivenga (Chi's brother and sister-in-law). We'll be spending a week in Zimbabwe with the Mandivenga family =).
A week later we'll be heading to Zambia toward our primary destination - Chishawasha School and Orphanage around Lusaka. We'll be spending a month there contributing in any way we can - and we absolutely can't wait to be there! We've brought some classic Canadian children's literature to share with the kids. We figure the appeal of Robert Munsch is pretty universal.
The rest of the trip is a bit 'uncharted' - we have hopes of touring Zambia and seeing some wildlife - we'd also like to do some rafting on the Zambezi - maybe a bit later when the rains start closer to December. The last week we'll head back for Dar. We'd like to take the train from Lusaka to Dar Es Salaam (2-4 days train accross the savannah) to see some of the countryside. Then we'll take a boat to the island of Zanzibar for a few days before flying out of Dar mid-December. Maybe Jenny should invest in a burquini?
So there you have it - our plans - at least as they stand today! But as we all know, life is an adventure and we'll see where the wild winds blow!
So that's it for tonight - next stop - fatigue and culture shock - we can't wait - no really, we're travel geeks like that =)
Okay, until next time,
Much Love - Jenny & Jimi
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
9 Days to Go...
We're 9 days away from departure for our long-anticipated epic journey to Africa, and we're just about ready to go! We've had our last shots today, we've bought half the contents of Shoppers Drug Mart and of MEC, and we've gone through several books about travel in Africa (mostly Jimi... I've never seen him so interested in reading!). But the main thing that's gotten us ready is the wonderful people who are helping us organize our trip. Chandni and Ami from the Zambian Children's Fund Canada have been absolutely amazing - full of information and advice about Zambia and the surrounding areas, and they are the ones who are making it possible for us to volunteer at the Chishawasha Children's Home and school just North of Lusaka, Zambia. We are endlessly fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity to work with them on this initiative, and that they were willing to set it up for us. Hiren has been awesome as well with getting us started and helping us navigate the tourism industry in Zambia and beyond, and we are so lucky to have the opportunity to spend some time with Chi's family in Zimbabwe... we just wish they could all come with us! Altogether, these people have helped us create an incredibly unique chance to experience Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania as authentically as two born-and-bred Canadians can, and we cannot thank them enough. From our hearts...thank you!
For us, this trip is about experiencing the world and opening our minds to the ways that we can contribute to making it better. In deciding to travel in Africa, we always knew that volunteering would be a crucial part of the experience. Since we live with privilege, we believe we have a duty to do what we can to empower those who do not, but we also recognize that we aren't familiar with the contexts and lives of the people we'll be living with. We don't expect to change the world (this time)... we're just hoping to learn as much as we can about what would help most, and hopefully this will be the first of many opportunities for us to contribute. Next time, we'll return with more knowledge and maybe a more specific purpose.
Experiencing the world is also about seeing all of the things that make it so amazing, and we can't wait to come face to face with the boundless natural beauty of Southern Africa! We're particularly excited to see as much wildlife as possible (maybe even from the back of an elephant!), to check out Victoria Falls, and to visit Zanzibar, both for the culture and the landscape.
Now, if only I can convince Jimi that, despite what the Africa book says, we probably shouldn't knock on farmers' doors and ask to camp on their lawns...
So welcome everyone, to our journey (or 'safari' as it is said in Swahili)! We'll do our best to keep you updated as frequently as we are able. In the meantime, check out ZCFC via the link to the side.
Sincerely and with much love,
~ Jenny & Jimi
For us, this trip is about experiencing the world and opening our minds to the ways that we can contribute to making it better. In deciding to travel in Africa, we always knew that volunteering would be a crucial part of the experience. Since we live with privilege, we believe we have a duty to do what we can to empower those who do not, but we also recognize that we aren't familiar with the contexts and lives of the people we'll be living with. We don't expect to change the world (this time)... we're just hoping to learn as much as we can about what would help most, and hopefully this will be the first of many opportunities for us to contribute. Next time, we'll return with more knowledge and maybe a more specific purpose.
Experiencing the world is also about seeing all of the things that make it so amazing, and we can't wait to come face to face with the boundless natural beauty of Southern Africa! We're particularly excited to see as much wildlife as possible (maybe even from the back of an elephant!), to check out Victoria Falls, and to visit Zanzibar, both for the culture and the landscape.
Now, if only I can convince Jimi that, despite what the Africa book says, we probably shouldn't knock on farmers' doors and ask to camp on their lawns...
So welcome everyone, to our journey (or 'safari' as it is said in Swahili)! We'll do our best to keep you updated as frequently as we are able. In the meantime, check out ZCFC via the link to the side.
Sincerely and with much love,
~ Jenny & Jimi
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