it's a bird it's a plane it's super kt

i went sky diving yesterday over the namib desert. i jumped out of a plane. it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life and luckily for all of you i hired a man to jump out with me and video tape the whole thing!
before we boarded the tiny tiny plane i chickened out for about 10 minutes. i was watching people jump overhead and the free fall seemed far far FAR too long. however i sucked it up, put on the gear, hugged my tandem master and boarded the plane. at about 8000feet the tandem master (what they are called) connected our two harnesses - my life was truly in his hands! at 10, 000 feet the 'door' opened and we shuffled to the entrance. i have never been so scared in my life. every curse word i knew came spewing out of my mouth. i sat on the edge of the plane with my legs tucked underneath. i tilted my head back so it was resting on my master's chest crossed my arms across my chest and we feel out of the plane. the free falling was absolutely exhilarating. we free fell from 10 000 to 5000 feet. it took about 35 seconds but it felt much longer! we were falling at 220km per hour. the wind felt amazing. the view was stunning. i screamed the whole way. i started to fear the parachute would never open but then i heard the master count down 3 2 1 and then it opened. we then feel gently to the earth looking at the desert, sand dunes and mountains. i screamed the whole way for this part too. we did summer-saults in the air,turns and just glided. the landing we smooth. i loved it.
we then camped outside the hanger because we had no where to go!

top 10 things so far

1. dancing naked around the campfire with marisse under the star-filled desert sky

2. seeing a tornado blow past our car

3. seeing lighting strike the ground about 20 feet from our car

4. climbing a sand dune this morning

5. driving our tiny car in the desert surrounded my monster 4x4s

6. finding a shop (called solitaire) in the middle of the desert with filtered coffee

7. swimming in the atlantic ocean when it's warm

8. watching the sun come up over the desert

9. the twinkling stars at night

10. having a park ranger come over to us whilst camping with a huge HUGE rifle. i asked him if it was safe to be here and he reassured me it was.......but why the rifle????

magical christmas

had the best christmas i've had since i was a child. on the 24th we decided to rent a car, drive into the namib (although we are already in it, so we just drove more into it), camp and see what happens. everyone here drives massive 4x4s and we ended up with a tiny 2-door hatchback. no worries. 4 girls who have never been in the desert before, two who have never camped, in a totally inadequate car. bring it on.

i could go on and on about how stunning, marvelous, beautiful, striking, fabulous, energetic, spiritual the desert is but i won't. i have never been anywhere like this before and i feel like if i never travel again i will be completely satisfied. we spent christmas eve around a campfire in the middle of the desert eating canned fish and beans underneath a cloudless, star filled, full moon lite sky. christmas day we drove to to namib-nauklift national park where we drove amongst sand dunes. i cannot even begin to describe the beauty. google it - sousselvei (or close enough) and look at the dunes.

everyone needs to visit this country.

singing my heart out

so i have this new hobby/past time and it makes me feel fantastic. it is legal to drive in the back of pick-up trucks here and in fact, is probably the most common form of transport because you can fit a lot of people in the back. most of my friends have trucks and whenever we go anywhere i usually volunteer to sit out back. last week susan and i were sitting out back, under a clear a sky, on a warm night singing christmas carols at the top of our lungs. it was great. i decided this was the only way i want to travel (when possible). so now anytime i have the chance, i hope in the back of the truck, preferably alone, and sing sing sing as we drive along. i don't have the best voice but i have a loud voice and it doesn't matter as we cruise down the highway. my current songs are: white rabbit (jefferson airplane), any christmas song and singing various sections of moulin rouge. i highly recommend doing this after a shitty day. guaranteed smile.

speaking of things that make me smile, had one of the best dance sessions last night with my girl megan. she was invited to some birthday party that i later crashed at a local club. it wasn't very busy and by 11pm we were the only ones on the dance floor. we rocked on up to the stage and then rocked out all night. jazz moves from when i was 6 came busting out. it was fantastic. mad props from everyone when we left.

and....leaving for johannesburg today and namibia tomorrow. yippeee. desert, camping, sky diving. excellent.

anyone find my laptop???

happy holidays

so it is nearly christmas. this is the longest i've ever gone without seeing snow and i miss it! i leave for namibia this friday and cannot wait. i've never seen a desert before and i expect it'll be
quite an experience. i was originally going alone but have since had 3 friends join me. we have
made no plans; we'll just show up and see where the wind takes us. i am planning on sand-boarding on the sand dunes in the namib desert (i wonder how eco-friendly that is?) and go sky diving. i'll try and update this while i am travelling and let you all know how i'm doing.

speaking of how i'm doing.....still pretty bummed out about my computer. work is impossible now. i have no resources to work with and even if i did, i have no where to do the work. we've visited a few shops but it doesn't look good. i hate admitting that i am so dependant on technology but i really am!

so anyways, have a wonderful holiday. drink lots, eat lots, dance and sing even more.

ho ho ho

bastards

my laptop was stolen yesterday. so was megan's. it was 12pm and we went for a coffee at a busy shopping complex in the safest neighbourhood. the parking lot was full. lots of security guards around. we put the laptops under the front seat, locked the doors and returned 30 minutes to find them gone. i can't even tell you how upset we are. ALL of my photos are gone. ALL of my work and research is gone. nothing was backed up. i have no idea what i'm supposed to do at work now. there isn't a computer for me and everything i've been working on is lost. i don't even want to start over again.

we were furious with the security guards. did they not notice someone breaking the car lock? i hate to be suspicious but wonder if they were in on it. i'm sure there is a lot of money to be made from these breakins. the police came,but i don't have much confidence. as much as i hate it, we made if very clear to the cops that we'd buy back out laptops or pay for info in helping us get them. its a very small country and word has gotten around fast. everyone is putting the word out and hopefully someone will know someone.....

we 've also told the local internet cafe. they thought that perhaps people had been watching us for awhile. we often go to the cafe and use wireless there so they thought it had been planned.
i'm trying not to be angry but i am . it was also my computer for when i go back to school in the fall.

the little things

i've had a tough week. perhaps it's the upcoming holidays or the lack of snow on the ground but i've been feeling tired and unmotivated. but thank god for the little things that put a smile on my face.

i was sitting beside a little boy yesterday on the kombi as i came to work. the driver was playing some upbeat music and i noticed the little boy dancing. i moved over beside him so our legs were touching and began dancing with him. he smiled and we broke out into big, back seat dance moves. the woman in the seat in front of us looked back, smiled, and she too started to dance. and so did the guy beside her. what a fun way to get to work.

Attended the World AIDS Day march on December 1st. Because of the heat (I presume) the march began at 6:30am and unlike the usual Swazi time; it actually began at 6:30! By the end I’d estimate that 1,000 people were marching, chanting and just having a good time.
I’m not sure why but I feel so charged whenever I’m with a big group of people who are trying to create positive social change.

About 1.5 hours into the march I spotted some warriors. They were chanting/singing (?) really loudly and doing this ‘shuffle’. For the rest of the march I stayed behind the warriors mimicking their foot movements and just enjoyed watching them. The contrast of a modern city, modern dress and barefoot warriors is still so thrilling for me. (I have photos but haven’t uploaded them yet).

I learned quite a few things this week about AIDS prevention that I wasn’t fully aware of. In Swaziland and Kenya, male circumcision is being performed as a measure of reducing the risk of transmission. Apparently it can cut the risk by 60%. I was shocked to hear this. Of course the problem is that men are getting circumcised thinking that they can’t get infected so proper education must be enforced – condom AND circumcision (if you are going this route). I met a Canadian journalist covering a story here and he had been to a few procedures. He said it takes a month for the men to heal but that the clinics are still fairly busy. Anyone know if they are promoting this in the ‘west’? Yes, I know, I should do a google search J

Attended the World AIDS Day march on December 1st. Because of the heat (I presume) the march began at 6:30am and unlike the usual Swazi time; it actually began at 6:30! By the end I’d estimate that 1,000 people were marching, chanting and just having a good time.
I’m not sure why but I feel so charged whenever I’m with a big group of people who are trying to create positive social change.

About 1.5 hours into the march I spotted some warriors. They were chanting/singing (?) really loudly and doing this ‘shuffle’. For the rest of the march I stayed behind the warriors mimicking their foot movements and just enjoyed watching them. The contrast of a modern city, modern dress and barefoot warriors is still so thrilling for me. (I have photos but haven’t uploaded them yet).

I learned quite a few things this week about AIDS prevention that I wasn’t fully aware of. In Swaziland and Kenya, male circumcision is being performed as a measure of reducing the risk of transmission. Apparently it can cut the risk by 60%. I was shocked to hear this. Of course the problem is that men are getting circumcised thinking that they can’t get infected so proper education must be enforced – condom AND circumcision (if you are going this route). I met a Canadian journalist covering a story here and he had been to a few procedures. He said it takes a month for the men to heal but that the clinics are still fairly busy. Anyone know if they are promoting this in the ‘west’? Yes, I know, I should do a google search J

another home sweet home

this was my home in harare, zimbabwe. unless you were in a very poor area, every house was protected by some kind of fence - usually barbed wire or broken pieces of glass ran along the top. we had a fence, barbed wire, 3 tier electrical wiring PLUS two security guards. houses in swaziland usually don't have the electric wiring.

I moved out of my homestay yesterday and it was actually a very hard thing to do. When I originally started this internship in Zimbabwe (which seems like ages ago), I was living in a house. When I came to Swaziland I was told I’d have to do a homestay. I wasn’t happy. The family turned out to be quite nice. The mother was very kind and I could tell we could have been friends – if there wasn’t the whole ‘hostmom/hostdaughter’ dynamic.

I had two main issues that lead to me wanting to move out 1) privacy 2) freedom. I didn’t have a lot of privacy in the house. My room was the family’s common room – everyone had something in the closet that they always seemed to need while I was in there. It may not seem like a big deal but for any of you who have lived and worked in a different country know, at the end of some days you really need a room to call your own.

I also didn’t feel like I had much freedom. I wasn’t given keys to the house so anytime I came home after the gate and doors where locked I’d have to call my hostmom and wake her up to let me in. Even if I did have the keys the guard dog would have attacked me.

I told ‘M’ on Sunday that I’d be leaving Tuesday. I hadn’t been there for 2 weeks so she wasn’t surprised. She said she wasn’t angry and that she understood but yesterday when I went to get my things she didn’t say much. I hope I didn’t burn any bridges. Sometimes you just gotta do what’s best for you, even if it does offend some else.

I’m now renting a bachelor apartment on a farm. 2 other friends rent rooms in the house. I have space and privacy and live in a gorgeous part of the country. Since August I’ve lived in 3 different homes and at least a dozen hotels. If I make it longer than 4 weeks it’ll be an African best!

workshop

I attended a very interesting workshop over the weekend dealing with working women’s rights, the new constitution and CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination on all forms of Discrimination against Women). On the first day, we discussed the categories of sex and gender. For most participants, it was the first time that they had heard of gender being a social construct. Many could not understand (nor want to believe) that men and women are taught their behaviours – men are not ‘naturally’ superior and women ‘naturally’ inferior. Some of the men were getting very angry and I think threatened by the discussion. I was getting frustrated because the issue is nothing really to discuss to me – it’s just fact. I quickly realized that if I want to work with gender issues/women’s rights while I am here, I need to learn how to discuss this topic without getting frustrated. It may take a long time for people to understand but it is essential if we are to help women.

The discussion became equally interesting when we started discussing human rights and what it means. Again I thought it was obvious – equal and fair treatment of all regardless of sex/gender/race/sexual orientation/religion and so forth. When stating our definitions everyone but myself said that human rights were given from god. We got into a lively debate when I tried to explain that I was uncomfortable with that definition as they were using the Christian god and what about all of those people who didn’t believe in that god? They were equally confused (and some outraged) with my category of sexual orientation.

Learning about Swaziland’s new constitution was very interesting for all of us. While it states it is a democratic country, there is a section giving the king ultimate authority and being above the law. It states he and anyone he orders to do anything will not be subject to the laws nor have to appear in court and so forth. There is also a section on social objectives. Within this section it states that “the state shall ensure gender balance and fair representation of marginalized groups in all constitutional and other bodies” along with other equally important social promises. Right before these sections is this little beauty “the provisions of sections 57 – 63 inclusive are not enforceable in any court or tribunal.” Lovely……..

We all left the second day discussing the various aspects that we had found so interesting. I know everyone learnt something and that we all realized there is a lot of work to do, especially in the realm of women’s rights.

Cindy walks into my office yesterday and hands me a document that I had been looking for. I ask her how her weekend was. She tells me that she went to visit her brother who is sick. “He is infected” she states. Infected = HIV positive. She explains that he has recently started ARV treatment and is feeling much better. His wife, in denial of being infected, refused treatment and has died. So has his eldest daughter. I tell her I am very sorry and that I will pray for him (Swaziland must be the most religious country in the world). I normally don’t pray but I did last night. She thanks me and asks for some computer training when I have some time. I say no problem and she leaves my office.

I’ve been thinking about this conversation all day. To tell a virtual stranger something so personal in such a public and open setting has left me speechless. I have no idea how to describe how I’m feeling. To her and to too many Swazis, the reality of HIV/AIDS is nothing shocking nor worthy of a ‘private’ conversation. Swaziland has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. You honestly can’t go more than an hour without hearing someone talk about it, read a billboard about it or read a newspaper in which the topic isn’t discussed on every page. EVERY PAGE. EVERY DAY. ALL DAY.

December 1st is World AIDS day. Please wear a red ribbon.

weekend of peace and quiet!

Had a wonderful weekend. Went camping at a place called Ngwempisi (still having trouble with the multiple consonant sounds). It’s a community tourist initiative where all the proceeds from the camp go into the local communities. The eco-camp is set in the mountains in this extremely rural part of Swaziland. There was no electricity but we did have running water.

All of the hikers/campers shared on big hut built along side the mountain. Everything used to build the hut was taken from the land – stone walls, local wood and so forth. One wall of the hut was the face of the mountain (rock), ¼ was wood/stone and the rest was all open concept. I could see the stars from the top of my bunk bed. The best part was the washroom. It had proper plumping and a shower but it was completely outside. You’d sit on the toilet and you could almost hang your feet over the side of the mountain. Despite the cold water it was the best shower I’ve ever had – I almost felt like I was in Japan again preparing for an onsen. It felt so nice just to relax and hear nothing but birds, wind in the trees, the river below and the occasional dog barking.

1. entrance to the hut
2. bathroom
3. moi

random writings

on the way to mozambique

I sometimes wish I could teleport what my eyes are seeing into your head. It’s the everyday little things that make life so interesting.
***
Walking to and from the konbi rank (minibus station) is always interesting. Even though this country has a population of less than 1,000,000 and Manzini less than 100,000, the konbi rank is a combination of bus fumes, mass crowds, vendors, drunks, business men/women, honking, sweat and unbelievable noise. As I walk there after work, I pass vendor after vendor (called hawkers) selling fruits, veggies, clothes, airtime for cell phones, shoes, candies, newspapers and so forth. The hawkers line both sides of the street, behind them are various shops and bakeries. In front of the hawkers are pedestrians trying to find space on the side walk. Beside the pedestrians are men resting on their cars with their car door open. There are no formal taxis here, just men with cars who take passengers wanting a ride. They greet me with “hey baby…need a taxi.” It drives me crazy. I’M NOT YOUR BABY!! On the other side of the ‘taxis’ is mixture of j-walkers, cars, buses and konbis. From 4-6pm it is virtually a standstill. I hope for the best every time I try and cross the street. I find my konbi, if I’m lucky it’s almost full and we don’t need to sit around waiting for it to fill up. If I’m unlucky I have to sit in the back row where they squeeze four passengers.
My drive takes about 20minutes. Getting out of the station is a nightmare. Konbi drivers are seriously the best drivers in the world. I have no idea how they manoeuvre in such tight conditions. Once we get out of the ‘city’ and into my hood we pass mud huts, barbed wire fields, cattle, chickens and dogs in the road, men selling corn being roasted in a big metal can, children playing with plastic bottles, a few shops and so forth. I love looking out the windows and always see something new.
***
I love feeling hungry and stepping outside my office. Do I buy from the fruit vendor? Do I want peaches, pears (the best ever), oranges, bananas or apples? Not in the mood for fruit….corn corn and more corn. Boiled or barbequed? I love it.
***
Dear African Woman: Please teach me to balance buckets of fruit on my head. How do you carry a baby on your back (wrapped in a towel), two pales of water in each hand and a bundle of something on your head? When you see me wearing pants do you really think that means I’m ‘easy’? How do you feel when your husband takes a second and third wife?
***
How hot is it? When the wind blows it feels like someone is pointing a hairdryer at me.

mozambique weekend get-a-way

leanne and susan in the back of a truck during one of our hitch hiking missions

boy getting ready to dance
Went to Maputo, Mozambique for the weekend and had a great time. We were there for just short of 48 hours but took full advantage of our time. We didn’t realize that Saturday was Maputo’s 120th ‘birthday’ and the city was in full throttle party mode by 5pm. We hit an outdoor festival/dance party and I’ve never seen so many people in my life. We were a little nervous at times but I couldn’t stop myself from dancing. The people there (especially the men) can DANCE. One gentleman and I had a serious dance off and when we finished we were surrounded by people cheering and wanting to join in. By 11 some of the girls I was with wanted to go however myself and another girl wanted to stay. Luckily two Afrikaans men who we met at the hostile offered to stay with us and act as our body guards. As much as I hated needing someone big and strong, I definitely felt safer. ‘Tube’ (because he looked like he had a tier around his stomach) told me later some Mozambiqian men were trying to buy me from him….for one beer!! Please! I was so offended. Lol

We visited a really remarkable art gallery where local artists had collected weapons from the recent civil war and made pieces of furniture and art from them. It was really interesting. I realized I know nothing about this country and need to do some research, especially because I plan on going back again.

Mozambique is really different compared to other countries I’ve visited in the region. Hardly anyone spoke English and we didn’t speak any Portuguese. It made me feel like I was travelling again. We hitchhiked as often as possible cramming cars and filling the backs of trucks. Not to brag but I did do all the hitching! Next time I hope to hit the beaches as swim in the warm ocean water.

Did I mention we ate seafood all weekend long? I forgot how much I missed the smell of the ocean and the wonderful tastes of sea creatures.

orphans' kitchen

Why do I forget my camera every morning? I could kick myself. I swear I’m going to leave here with 5 photos.

I attended a meeting at a primary school yesterday. The school was exactly like something you’d see on one of those TV shows asking for donations for ‘poor’ Africa: cracked, faded chalkboards, wooden benches badly needing repair, window panes with the glass smashed out, a church in the yard that looked like it had been under a bomb attack and of the course the children - bare foot and wearing faded, ripped uniforms holding empty bowls as they waited for the first meal of the day (12:30pm). They were very interested in my being there. We shared a lot of smiles, high fives, ‘thumbs up’ signs and so forth.

It’s called an orphan’s kitchen because most of the students at the school are orphans. I was told many live in homes without adults. Most of their parents had died (I assume from HIV/AIDS but I’m not sure). Because they have no one to take care of them, the eldest child becomes the head of the household and raises his/her siblings. I asked if anyone visited the house to make sure they were ok but I was told probably not. This kitchen was their only source of food.

During the meeting a woman got up and asked for some help. She runs the orphans’ kitchen and had run into some problems. An international NGO based in Manzini had donated some maize. Maize is a staple food here. While she was happy with the donation she did not have the equipment nor the funds to process the maize (it can’t be eaten until it becomes mealy meal – sorry not sure of the technical production terms). When my translator told me this I couldn’t believe it! Is this a normal occurrence? Do NGOs not research where they are donating their goods? Did they know that the food was going to be completely useless until this woman could fundraise enough money to process the maize or get the equipment? Meanwhile I’m watching all of these children holding their bowls waiting for lunch and wondering when the current supply of mealy meal would be finished. I was on a mission – contact the NGO, find out what was going on and get this maize ready to be eaten!


I was speaking with my supervisor this morning and told her what had happened and that I needed to contact this NGO. She said next week I could go back to the school/kitchen with a field officer, pick up the maize, take it to a mill, have it ‘produced’ and take back to the kitchen! I couldn’t be happier. However now I’m worrying…..what will they do next time? Is my one time help really beneficial as it’s creating an unsustainable solution/dependence?

culture sharing

me, modo (host mom) and mpiwa

wawa (10) and mpiwa (6) making hallowe'en masks

Canadian culture to Swaziland!

I brought Hallowe’en to Japan and now I’ve brought it to Swaziland. Last week I went trick or treating with my host brothers and it was so much fun. Over the weekend I had purchased an art kit and some paper plates. All week long we made masks – cats, butterflies, spiderman, scary things and so forth. It was good to be able to bond with them. Susan, (another cci intern) lives down the road from me. She and Carolyn (another intern) went to Susan’s house after work while I went home to get the boys. To their confusion I made them carry their pillow cases (I did try to explain but it was lost in translation). Along the way to Susan’s house I taught them the Hallowe’en ‘chant’. They loved it (or at least the candy). Gazi, the 21 sister who lives with me, came along too. They were disappointed to learn that Hallowe’en is only once a year.

Last week we had a sports day to raise money for Megan and her purse project (see previous entries). One of the events was ultimate frisbee. I was so surprised to learn that the Swazis and Aussies had never played frisbee before! It was such a fun match although I became very competitive…..it was shocking, I yelled at an 11 year old girl “10 second rule 10 second rule!” I am now trying to organize a weekly ultimate frisbee session.

Totally unrelated….it’s sooooooooo hot. I really can’t describe it. I think yesterday was the hottest day I’ve ever experienced. Luckily I heard the good news that December is the hottest month. I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like. I am enjoying my heat rash though. Very sexy.

SHG

I had a really interesting day at work yesterday and of course I didn’t have my camera! I must remember to bring it with me because I never know what I’ll see. I think I mentioned in a past post that while Imbita works in some ways as a micro credit agency (with a focus on savings) I didn’t understand how it helped the really really poor. Yesterday I learnt about a whole other division within Imbita that I wasn’t aware of, the division that helps the really really poor.

They have a program called Self Help Groups (SHG). This program is set up to help those who aren’t able to save enough by themselves in order to be eligible for a loan. Basically SHGs consist of a minimum of 10 rural women who pool a weekly savings together. They are then able to borrow money from the pool they have collected. Once (or if) they reach a certain level, they can open a bank account a start a proper account. If they do not have an account, each member holds onto the money for one week, until the next weekly meeting where they pass on the money and chairperson responsibilities to someone else. These groups teach leadership, budgeting and decision making skills.

Most groups ask each member to save between E1 and E2 each week (roughly $0.02). For some even E1 is too much however we met one group who were able to save E7. The women then devise a system for how the money can be loaned. Most work on a priority/number system. At each meeting they see if anyone has an emergency (i.e. illness) and needs to borrow the money. If not, they go in sequence; if number 5 received a loan last week they see if #6 needs one, if not #7 and so forth. They also collect loan payments (with interest rates decided by the group) and the weekly contribution.

We visited 3 groups yesterday. I thought I had visited rural Swaziland before but I swear I have never seen such remote ‘communities’ in my life. I felt like we came from such different worlds and I’m not sure if I’d ever be able to live in an area like that (especially after visiting the ‘toilet’). One group was particularly talkative and with through my translator (i.e. co-worker) I was able to ask them many questions. I asked how they had benefited from the loans. The women described how they were able to pay for school fees, buy cooking utensils, materials for sewing and so forth. One woman had been living in a home made from sticks and stones. She had purchased supplies for making cement and was currently making bricks to build a new home. It was so interesting. AND I COULDN’T TAKE PHOTOS!! The women could not speak highly enough about this program and how it had made their lives better. Some stated that first they were sceptical but couldn’t believe the results. The meetings were all held under a big tree in the middle of the dusty land. Currently my work doesn’t have any involvement with SHGs but I’m going to try and work in a project with them. Am I really leaving in a few months? So much I want to do and experience.

You know you are getting accustomed to Swaziland when....

Signs you are getting accustomed to living in Swaziland

1. Getting up at 5:30am to wash you underwear (so it can dry in the sun while you are at work) is as much a part of your routine as brushing your teeth.

2. Cockroaches while still scary and gross, no longer surprise you.

3. You no longer expect drivers to stop for red lights, stop signs or crosswalks. You cross the street anytime it seems safe.

4. You are surprised to hear music that is NOT gospel.

5. Instant coffee with powdered milk = good coffee.

6. You greet other woman by calling them mother or sister.

7. You automatically put on a skirt if you are going to a rural area.

8. You start saying things like “bru”, “is it?” and “just now”
A:“I slept terribly last night.” B: “Is it?”
A: “I will meet you at the store.” B: “I’m coming just now.”

9. Your booty is not so big.

10. If you see a driver flashing his hazard lights you know there are cattle on the road. (there are cattle EVERYWHERE here).

Internship #2 has begun

I just realized that it has been one week since I’ve started my new internship and I haven’t written about it. Shame! I am working at Imbita Swaziland Women’s Finance Trust (Imbita for short) in Manzini. “The organization’s vision and mission is to make credit accessible for the poor to uplift their economic status. It does this by giving small loans to women in the rural and peri-urban areas, promoting the culture of saving among Swazis, providing women with demand-driven, high-quality training services; and building the capacity of people participating in the small and medium size enterprise sector so that they can become large enterprises capable of creating job opportunities.”
“Imbita offers three main programs and services: savings, loans and training. Imbita requires that all women seeking to receive loans attend training sessions which are four days (32 hours) long. Imbita staff go to the villages and train the women on cash and credit management, budgeting, marketing, pricing, record-keeping and the consequences of signing a contract. They learn about the benefits of loans and the importance of making payments, including how to do that within their own villages.”

My expectations here are a little daunting; my title is ‘Monitor and Evaluation Trainer’. I have never done M&E in my life and the thought of training professionals on something I know very little about is something I am very uncomfortable with. I have spent a lot of time doing research and speaking to other development workers in the area. My plan is to job shadow for a month or so and get a sense of what is needed here. There is currently no M&E being done. I think I will be doing training on what exactly M&E is and perhaps the next intern can set a practice in place. In the mean time I am getting workshops ready on report writing and using excel. Not exactly my interest area but I am learning a lot and getting experience in other areas (yea computers).

Watch for details of my first day in the field – what an eye opener!!! Appreciate all you have my friends.

100% true

I promise the story I am about to tell is 100% true. Take the 2 minutes and read it as it’s pretty funny. The only thing that has been altered is the name of the girl involved; I’ll call her Shelly.

So Shelly and I have spent a lot of time together; 2 straight months up until I had to move in with a Swazi family. We are very close. Now we are even closer. On Friday we went to a house party. As we approached the house, Shelly decided to jump down a few stairs. As it had been raining, the grass was very slippery and the landing being on a slant didn’t help matters either. Upon landing, I hear a scream, “oh my god, oh my god, I broke my ankle.” We take Shelly inside and sure enough her foot and ankle are already swollen and black and blue. We decide (because beer and vodka enhance your ability to reason) that it’s only a bad sprain and for tonight, she’ll ‘rice’ (rest, ice, compress and elevate). A few hours into the party Shelly decides we should go to the hospital. We get someone to drive us 45minutes to a private clinic and drop us off. It is now around 1:30am.

I have to take a step back for a moment. Last week Shelly mentioned to me that she had hemorrhoids (as I mentioned we are close and tell each other everything….along with ‘Dolly’ the third party to our bosom buddy trio). The doctor arrives shortly after we do (the receptionist called him at home). We tell the doc what has happened and we prepare for x-rays. Just before we do I mention to Shelly that while we are here she should tell the doc about her haemorrhoids as they aren’t getting any better. She agrees. We both giggle. The doctor needs to do an ass exam. As I’m getting up to leave the room Shelly states boldly that no, I must remain and watch the exam. I laugh….like I said, beer and vodka enhance proper judgement. The doctor thinks we are nuts but starts the exam. Shelly drops her pants and bends over. The doctor puts on gloves and motions for me to apply the KY jelly (on his hand not her ass). I am no longer an observer; I am a helper!!! Yeeehaaa. Sure enough, I see the hemorrhoids - ouch. It’s not good the doctor claims.

We head off to the x-ray room. Again I play the helper role. There is no technician so I am punching numbers into the x-ray machine as ordered by the doctor. I even get to take the x-ray! He takes me into the ‘black room’ where we develop the x-ray. Can Shelly help too – no! This is for professionals only. Sure enough her foot is broken. Luckily it is only a minor fracture and she only needs a cast for a few weeks.

Back to the hemorrhoids. A surgeon is called into the hospital. He too does an exam but I pay no attention as I’m an ol’pro now. Bad news. BAD NEWS!!! Shelly needs surgery on Monday. I AM NOT JOKING. THIS GIRL JUST BROKE HER FOOT AND FINDS OUT SHE NEEDS ASS SURGERY IN SWAZILAND. She’ll be in the hospital for a few days. We are crying and laughing. We need water, food and a drive home. It is now 5am. We call everyone. Finally someone answers the phone and comes to the hospital and takes us to where we are staying. Brutal.

feeling down

I am feeling quite bad at the moment. My life has undertaken another big change and my body is going through the motions of change and adjustment. I moved in with a Swazi family yesterday. I’m 30 years old and haven’t lived at home (except for a short period last year – thanks mom) since I was 19. I now live with a single mother, a 20 year old sister who hates me because I took her room and two boys aged 6 and 10. The all slept in until 5am this morning and then the gospel beats were being pumped at 5:30. The house is cute, far from the city and my gym but I guess it’ll do. My room is also the TV room and the sister-who-hates-me-storage room. People are in and out of it constantly. There is no shower and the tapes are the separate hot and cold ones…..how the #### am I supposed to wash my hair? The cockroaches aren’t the biggest I’ve seen and they promised to keep their killer dog chained up until I get home. ‘My’ room is bright orange however. I love orange.
Work…..no one knew I was coming here. On paper I have a job and a title but in reality no one has any idea what to do with me. I’m so glad I left Zim where I had the best internship ever. I’m so glad I postponed school so I could sit and be useless. Yes Yes Yes.

women's world

i've been helping out a rural women's sewing group with donations given to me before i left. i was first introduced to the group when i saw the dolls they make for sale. after speaking with the woman who was selling them, i decided i wanted to get involved with the group. the women had been offered free sewing training in a village 1.5 hours away. for 2 women to go for two weeks, it would cost them E2000 (almost $250). there is no way that these women can come up with this kind of money. so i've decided to fund their transport and few other things and everyone is happy.
the women all live in one village. i visit once a week and it is so interesting. they all work in a very small mud hut with no window nor electric lighting. they are starting to open up and discuss their lives with me. a few of the women share the same husband. because they live in the rural area, it is not uncommon. grace was telling me the her husband has 12 children; 3 with her, 5 with the second wife and 4 with 'other' women. i don't want to probe about the 4 children born out of wedlock (her term). they openly discuss AIDS, rape, incest and abuse; topics that all are too real here. everyone knows of someone who has been raped, beaten or died from HIV/AIDS. i sit in this hut, watching the women manually power their sewing machines, laughing and having fun despite the kind of life they lead. i am always so silent in their presence. when it's time to leave i stand from the straw mat, wipe the dirt from my clothes and am speechless. i am starting to understand women power.

rural life

have only visited a few rural areas. the above photo is an example of one style of home. usually a family will have 2 or 3 of these buildings - one for cooking, one for sleeping and perhaps one for supplies. they can be built from sticks, stones (but names will never hurt me) or clay/mud. the roof is made from straw and i've been told takes 2-3 weeks to build. the buildings are either square or circular (circular seems more popular). there is generally no power nor running water. i'm tempted to pay a family to allow to stay for a weekend. i cannot imagine what it would like living in such a way and eager to try.
if a husband has more than one wife, each wife will generally have her own house. while men run the show, the grandmother (usually on the man's side if she is alive) is actually the boss and she can dictate to him what she wants done.

safari

went on my first proper safari last week. luckily i was able to upload one photo (the elephant shots wouldn't which is too bad). i had a great time - it was thrilling seeing lions, giraffes, elephants, rhinos and the like in their natural habitat. we had to drive through the massive reserve and at first i was disappointed that we couldn't walk around - until i saw the lions and elephants and realized i'd be someone's lunch or end up trampled on!

here are facts of interest:

1. giraffes have the biggest heart of any land mammal - in order to get the blood up their long necks.

2. if you survive a lion attack you will need antibiotics administered straight into your blood stream. there is so much disease under their nails from rotting meat that it would most likely kill humans.

3. zebras are lions most favourite meal. they have developed an antibiotic in their system which allows them to fight the infection should they survive an attack.

4. if you are lost and starving in the african wild, eat whatever monkeys are eating. our systems are very similar. if you eat what baboons eat, you'll likely die as they eat berries which we cannot.

5. if an elephant is chasing you - say goodbye. the only thing you can possibly do is try to find a rocky surface. this will slow the elephants down and give you a possible chance.

the konbi

konbis are the mode of local transportation in zim, s. africa and swaziland (and other countries too i'm sure). they are basically mini buses that hold comfortably the driver, one employee (to collect fares) and 12 passengers. swaziland will carry 14 passengers which isn't too bad as long as no one has large bags however in zim there is no limit. the most i ever counted (and i know there were more people but my vision was blocked) was 31! 31 passengers in a bus made for 14 people. this involved sitting, kneeling, sitting on laps, legs straddling fellow passengers and so forth. huge bags were balanced on heads, stuffed under legs and placed on those whom the bags didn't belong to. on top of the sardine like conditions, remember that there wasn't washing soap, for body or for clothes; the smell inside was so bad i found myself nearly sick to stomach a few times. the windows were never opened because of the freezing 20 -25 degree weather outside (and warmer in the evening). if this wasn't bad enough, there were canisters filled with fuel inside the konbi. because of the fuel shortages, the drivers had to ensure they had fuel in case they ran out. the smell of b.o, fuel, food, and the occasional drunk and dirty diaper was enough to make to make me kiss the ground upon arrival at my stop - which i frequently missed because i couldn't see out the windows.
usually we are charged the same fare as locals however there are times when the colour of skin is reason to charge us more - double or triple the normal amount. yesterday was the worst i have ever experienced. we took a day trip and on our way home everyone was charged E80 except the driver wanted E160 from us (around 25 dollars). we were refusing to pay and the driver and employee were getting angry (as well as the very drunk man in the front seat). i was starting to get nervous. the driver was going at last 130km an hour (no seat belt). (the drivers here are TERRIBLE but that's another entry). a fellow passenger was acting as translator for us (still not sure if i trust in what he was saying or not) and reported to us that if we didn't pay the E160, the driver would drop us off close to our location but not exactly where we wanted to go. the translator said we would have to hitch and it wasn't safe. i was torn, i wasn't sure if the driver was actually saying this or if the translator was telling us lies so he could get a share of their enormous profit. eventually they dropped us off (for E80) at a T junction on the highway. it was our lucky day because a big truck had pulled over to let the men (mostly drunk) have a pee. they agreed to take us up the road to our destination. here we were, holding on for dear life (at least i was) on the back of truck, going 120km an hour. it was so windy i thought my glasses were going to blow off my face. one drunk man decided to talk (or yell because it was so loud) to me. was he speaking english or siSwati? i had no idea. he was making me uncomfortable though. i eventually told him my husband was waiting for me at our stop. the man gave me the thumbs us along with saying "shap" and the left me alone. "shap"+thumbs up = good.
i'm getting old. i would have enjoyed the adventure a few years ago while travelling in southeast asia. now i want seat belts, speed limits and sobriety (at least in cars)

swazi to stay

it's now official, i will not be returning to zimbabwe. i sort of expected that but we finally had confirmation a few days ago. i have mixed feelings about it. my placement in zim was a dream come true and i doubt i 'd be able to get another placement that was such a perfect fit (but i'll hope) however life in zim was really hard and i can only imagine how much harder it has become.
when we were first arrived, we were able to find bottled water, some meat (not for me), milk (1liter limit though), soap and limited fuel for the buses in the morning. after just 3 weeks, none of the above could be found! i would wait for over an hour in the morning for a bus as hardly any were running due to fuel shortages. every morning i 'd see hundreds of people lined up in front of bakeries waiting for bread. people were using only water to wash.
the streets in the rural areas were lined with people - stuck waiting for fuel for their cars or for a bus that wasn't jam packed with people. i was told some would be waiting for days. days!!!
when i'd go 'shopping' i'd have to bring millions of dollars with me. my bag was filled with cash. some bread, veggies and fruit would cost me a few million. it took everyone a long time to count out their money at the till. it was unreal.
i've heard the supermarket in my area has now closed. i lived in the most affluent part of harare and i can only imagine if the rich are running low of basic needs what the rural and poorer areas must be like.
i'm blessed because i was able to leave. i hate how life works sometimes.

women's shelter

i had the privilege of visiting swaziland's first women's shelter yesterday. it has just opened and the staff are anxious for their first clients to arrive. the location is a secret and i was honoured that they trusted me (and marisse and megan) enough to take us there. it is very basic; a few beds, kitchen and bathroom and a working garden. they hope to have a stove and school supplies (to help the women learn some skills so they can work and earn their own money).

i hope it works for them. there are 2 men on the premises which i wondered was a good idea or not. i also wonder what people in the community will think when they see women being dropped off there (hoping that they WILL come, by referral of course). because the idea of a shelter is foreign to most people here, the few women who have been offered this help have been afraid to come. i should research the history of shelters in canada in hopes i can offer some suggestions. I have a little of bit of money to donate to an organization and i think i'll donate it to the shelter (thanks david and linda). such exciting times.

totally off topic. i've never spent so much time with any other person/people as i have with the marisse and megan. we have spent every day, every night and almost meal together since august 10th! at first i was really nervous, i have never had a roommate before and i really need my own space. but *knock on wood* things are great. we laugh a lot and take the piss out of each other when need be.

reed dance

had the most amazing weekend. went paragliding in the most beautiful place in this country (in my opinion) on saturday and on sunday went to the reed dance.

the reed dance occurs once a year. it is a time when the king takes a new wife. polygamy is legal here; the current king has 14 wives (the last had 80). the maidens of country (must be a virgin) spend a week preparing for the weekend celebration. the main one, 2 weeks ago, had over 100,000 maidens! the one i attended had 20,000.

i wish i could post photos. i can't do justice writing about the celebration at all. it was like a national geographic documentary. so foreign, exciting and intoxicating. the dance takes place in a huge outdoor arena with spectators all around. the maidens were wearing next to nothing - a wrap tied to one side and a bare chest or perhaps a string of beads. some girls were wearing a very small piece of fabric where the front was the only part covered. we asked why some wore these tiny pieces of cloth and the man who was explaining the event to us stated that these girls (aged 7-20) wanted to show the king they were READY to become women.

we walked around watching everyone get ready. shakers were worn around the ankles and some had whistles. we were swarmed every where we went. everyone kept begging "please take MY photo!"\

it took about 30 minutes for the maidens to enter the arena. it was amazing. they were singing and dancing. the princesses came first. they had red feathers in their hair which identified them as royalty; the more feathers the closer in line to the head of the family they were. it was easy to tell upper class from lower class girls as the lower class (rural?) had dirty wraps. regardless, everyone was beautiful.

after the maidens, the princes entered (again with red feathers in their hair). they had black and white wraps, spears and an animal pelt in the front. after the princes came the king himself surrounded by his warriors. the king carried a gold spear. i was so excited to be witnessing this.

after the king arrived he and the warriors went around to each group of girls and did some kind of dance and chanting 'thing'. i believe in traditional times this is when the king would pick his wife but i've been told it is already decided before the reed dance takes place nowadays.

we stayed for about 2 hours. we had purchased traditional wraps at the market the day before and a few kind women helped us tie them properly once we arrived. i was so glad to be wearing swazi attire (we cheated and wore our bras though). we had many people tell us they appreciated us wearing these outfits.

i wish i was a better writer as this was truly the most incredible event i've ever seen. i'm surprised it is open to the public and we were allowed to take photos.

there has been a lot of talk about the sexualization of the event. women don't go topless now and i was wondering how many of them felt nervous and how many onlookers where not appreciating the tradition but the naked women dancing around.

i suggest googling 'reed dance' to see some photos and i'll try and get some photos up soon. the king is rather handsome!

photo issue
i've had lots of emails asking for photos. i want to post some...i swear...it's just the internet here is whack and i'm just not able to. grrrrr.

Making lemonade

i am still in swaziland and still waiting to hear if we'll go ahead and try and get work permits and return to zim or stay and do an internship here. i am falling in love with swaziland by the day however so leaving here will be hard.
marisse, megan and i have been feeling pretty bad these past 10 days. it seemed like bad luck was following us. call me crazy but wouldn't you think something was up if the following happened to you: deportation, luggage 'lost' and broken into with belongings stolen (twice), room broken into (while sleeping....twice), car accident (we were ok but other car was a write off), missed two huge attractions each by a day......you get the point. while we were really trying to remain positive we were just so down. however we seem to have resided to the fact that we'll be living out of a suitcase for another week or so and just suck it up.
yesterday we visited a game reserve. we rented mountain bikes and spent a few hours biking around the park. because none of the 'big 5' were in the area, i though i'd feel safe however i was a little nervous at first around the zebras, wildebeests, impalas and such. the crocs were HUGE! i loved it. today we visited a cultural centre and watched some traditional dancing. yum - dancing.
so much to write. so many things i've seen, experienced. i'll save it for another day.

I'm in Africa

I love Swaziland. I finally feel like I’m in Africa. Despite that statement being filled with stereotypes, it’s true. Before arriving on this continent I had the following images of what I thought Africa would look like: dry, streets lined with vendors selling fabric, fruit and other products, women wearing bright clothing balancing items on their heads, hot hot weather and smiling faces. Manzini is very much like this. I’ve seen Western and traditional clothing, heard the delicious ‘clicking’ sounds of the local dialect and today will visit a market of which I’m told I can purchase beaded jewellery and fabric! I’m so excited. If I can learn to say a few words properly I’ll be thrilled..

Despite my pleasure of being here, I am still feeling really frustrated with the whole situation. In the past 7 days I’ve been in Zimbabwe, South Africa and now here. It’s a waiting game from this point on – will I get a temporary work permit and return to Zim or begin a new internship here? Marisse and Megan are feeling the same way too. It makes it more difficult staying positive now that we are all feeling discouraged, displaced and disorganized. We just want to begin work – somewhere, anywhere that we can we focus on gender issues and the various issues that encompass it.

zim to south africa to swaziland

just a quick update to let you all know i'm fine.....confused but fine. while we weren't officially 'deported' we like telling fellow travellers we were - what a story. because we had to be out harare asap, the first option was to come to johannesburg. so that's where we are now. tomorrow we will head to swaziland and await news of our visa. joburg is wonderful. we went to nelson mendel square yesterday and today we are going to the aparteid museum. although we were only in zim for 3 weeks we were in shock the first time we went into the shops - so much STUFF! we've been eating like queens; i hadn't realized how poorly i had been eating.
to add to the stress of it all, one of interns was robbed. her luggage went missing at joburg airport and when it was return, a large sum of money was missing. yes, i know, you shouldn't pack money but we thought it was safer to stash our money in various locations. painful lesson.
while i want to get back to work as soon as possible, i'll make the most of my time in swaziland.
hope all is well wherever you may be.

leaving on a jet plane (kinda)

After 3 weeks of getting accustomed to my new life here, a bomb was dropped on me (and the other interns) yesterday. We were asked to come to the Canadian embassy for a meeting. Upon arrival we were informed that volunteering on a tourist visa (the kind we have) was illegal and it is suggested we leave the country immediately. WHAT??? We were all in shock. Was this not part of the plan? Did someone somewhere mess up? Apparently there has been a “crackdown” lately of foreign workers volunteering at large international NGOs; in the past few weeks 20 have been safely deported. While we are not at large international NGOs, the upcoming election could be a concern for us. We will be leaving tomorrow or Sunday and heading to Swaziland. A woman I work with here will be assisting us in getting temporary employment permits. If approved, we will return and our stay will be completely legal. If we cannot get the permits, we will (hopefully) start a new internship in Swaziland. I am very sad to say the least. I was just beginning to feel comfortable in the office and getting a sense of how things work here. Our maid, Sarah, seems pretty upset and we are equally gutted at leaving her. I hope she won’t loose her job.

I’m not sure how I’m feeling – confused, sad, worried, excited – everything. I’m concerned I’ll enjoy the luxuries of Swaziland (water, milk, fish, soap) and not want to return! Actually no matter what happens I’m riding a crazy wave at the moment and will look back on this time with laughter I’m sure. So……we are going to have a feast tonight of sadza and other Zim favourites and await our travel plans. There are so many people working behind the scenes right now in securing our safe departure, accommodations and most importantly the visas. It’s amazing really to think about it yet frustrating that we really can't do anything but wait...and visit Swaziland!!

Interesting times

I have censored this blog entry

I had my first tense experience yesterday. A group of us from work headed to a town about one hour from Harare in discuss the coalition and see if we could start a new chapter there. Things started out well as we were able to secure enough fuel. Upon arrival in the town it was discovered that our venue was no longer available along with our accommodations. I thought this was strange. We tried finding a new venue and lodging however we were not able to find willing hosts. A lot of discussion was going on in Shona so I wasn’t able to fully understand what was happening. We did have a police clearance for the meeting however. Due to the Pubic Order Security Act, any time a gathering of 10 or more people get together (although I’ve been advised to get one for 5 or more), you must get a clearance from the police. Finally at around 6pm it was advised that I leave immediately and return to Harare. I was lucky – our driver was still with us, we had fuel and Harare was fairly close. What if we weren’t so nearby? I don’t feel nervous however I would like to touch base with the embassy soon.

never fear...TP is here

had written a blog entry at work but left my flash drive at work. grrrr.

so yesterday we were in real panic mode.  we realized we were on our last roll of toilet paper.  we headed out to get some - we weren't expecting problems.  2.5 hours later we finally found a shop that had 3 rolls.  it's crazy.  bread wasn't an issue luckily and were able to find water during our mission.  imagine - no toilet paper - and we hand wash our underwear too!

won't have access to the internet for the next few days.  heading to a rural town with no internet nor electricity most of the time.  we are setting up a new chapter for the coalition.  should be fun.

peace.  miss you .

i only have a few seconds.....so much to write.....so little time!

I have attended two really interesting conferences so far. The second, “Women Can Do It” was amazing – so much passion and fire in the room. I felt like I was with 300 maverick feminists. The goal of this conference was to draft a communiqué to be presented to government demanding proportional representation in politics and the electoral process. The actual document writing was really interesting and I’m glad I got to witness it. The best part of the conference, in my opinion, occurred during the afternoon discussion on the second day. A man got up and posed the question that while at the conference women’s responsibility to engage and to lead was being promoted, women shouldn't forget that they had a responsibility in the home too! He was quickly silenced. A woman immediately stood up and questioned his logic – surly women’s perceived responsibility was nothing more than gendered stereotypes; “I don’t wash the dishes with my breasts. I use my hands.” Classic.

inflation is so crazy here. airtime was $400 per minute, over night it went up to $5000 per minute! fuel is a real problem too. it was $30,000 just to sit in the cab and now it's over $300,000! we are still having problems finding water and bread. i don't know how people manage. if we are worrying about money, i don't know how 'average' folks here are dealing.

harare is nothing like i imagined africa to be - it's very modern and i never see women wearing those bright dresses that i often equate with africa. however i love seeing the woman in the power suit balancing her brief case on her head. i saw a woman with a massive 10kg bag of maize on her head. how her neck didn't snap.......

it's only been a week?

i've been here for a week and in some ways i feel like i've been here for months.  if i left this evening i'd leave with a lifetime of knowledge and observations.  i have so much going on in my head; there is so much i need to process.

**this is a conservative blog entry**

when i first arrived i had trouble seeing what this zim crisis was all about.  our fridge we stocked, we had water and everything seemed great.  now it's our turn to find food and well, it's harder than we thought.  we are finding difficult to get bottled water and are worried we are having problems with our well.  today was the first time we couldn't wash.  meat/fish, dairy products and bread are hard to come by.  it seems certain stores have certain good on certain days.  it is making me rethink my eating habits and total lack of respect for what i've had in the past.  the countless plates of food i've thrown out.  most gas stations report $000 outside of their stations as there is little fuel.

today i attended my first conference.  it was called 'young women leadership development' and its focus was on sexual health.  it was  a very interesting conference.  the women were discussing myths that are still prevalent in today's society regarding HIV/AIDS, STDs and pregnancy.  I couldn't believe some the things I was  hearing.  The fastest growing rate of HIV/AIDS is among women 16-25 years of age.  While there was a sense of hope in the air, I got the impression that people are at their wits end - it is time for action.

I found it hard to participate in the group discussions as  I don't know enough about Zim culture yet.  We were discussing how to make sex ed. fun and I gave the suggestion that girls  learn to put condoms 
on bananas.  They all looked at me like I had two heads - why would they put a condom on a man?  It's a man's job!  Earlier they had been discussing the fear the condoms weren't being used properly yet women learning how to use them wasn't an option.  hmmmm.  Another cultural clash.

Send me emails!!!  I'm getting homesick.

Sarah

We have a maid. I'm very uncomfortable with the idea and am sure ít'll be a reoccurring theme here. Her name is Sarah and she is 16 years old. Her boss (the home owner's wife) brought Sarah on Sunday and stayed with her for 3 days to train her and make sure she'd be ok. ****part of this blog has been removed upon request******
The trouble I'm having is with the obvious culture clash. I don't want to impose my values on Zimbabwean life but at the same time I feel her position is somewhat unjust. I still don't know enough about class here but I would imagine she will never be able to leave this kind of work. But again, am I imposing my values on ""this kind of work"? Perhaps the idea of a maid here and in Canada are very different.
I'm still confused.

"Prices rolled back to June 18th"

As I'm sure you know, Zim has the highest inflation in the world. As I walk around town (differing from the 'downtown' area which is forbidden to me) I see signs advertising price rollbacks. Imagine that reducing prices to what the products were selling for A FEW WEEKS AGO would make a difference. It would be like "Prices reduced to 1970" or something like that.
I have seen some empty shelves in supermarkets and there is a limit to the amount of milk you can purchase (about 1 litre) but there is milk, bread and butter. I even purchased yogurt yesterday.
It's only been 2 days and I have so much to learn. Prices are all in the hundreds of thousands. It takes so long to count out your money as the biggest bill is $100,000. I had a purchase of over $2 million dollars - my 'purse' is filled with bills - as is everyone elses. It is going to be an interesting few months.

Greetings from Harare

 I arrived yesterday morning at 5am and have been nothing but surprised ever since.  After reading the news for the past few months i had not idea  what to expect.  Would I be able to find food?  Was it safe?  Was there power?
Our house could possibly be called a mansion.  There are 5 bathrooms, 5 bedrooms, a huge kitchen and various other rooms.  Our fridge was full of veggies, meat and fish.  There is a family who sells popcorn, tomatoes and oranges on our corner.  I hope to befriend them.We have an electric fence surrounding our 'home' and staff working there. Of course this is not everyone's reality in Zimbabwe but while I adjust to life here, I am glad I don't need to worry about the basics.  We are able to walk around the neighbourhood alone during daylight hours.  We all went for a run yesterday afternoon.  I hope to have a bike by the end of the week.  I'm surprised by my freedom.
I have met 2 women from the Women's Coalition and I can tell I'll enjoy my time.  Today and tomorrow are national holidays so we are able to catch up on sleep and explore the city.  I am very excited about beginning work.  I'll be dealing with the Domestic Violence Act.
Everyone so far has been very friendly.  2 young girls brought us to the internet cafe because we were lost.  A random man stopped and helped us when we brought out our map.  I've had many well wishes for a fun holiday.  How do they know I'm a tourist?  There are lots of white people here.
Please remember that there is a new security act; electronic information is now read.
I hope to update this once or twice a week - it's expensive though $8 USD for one hour.

FUNdraiser

Part of my internship requirement was to raise $1000 for Canadian Crossroads International. I quickly decided on a 5km FUN RUN - I mean who doesn't love running? After passing out fliers and telling friends, I realized that maybe this wasn't everyone's idea of a good time. Luckily I did manage to raise close to $1400! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR DONATIONS.

'Katie's Fun Run' was scheduled to begin at 6:45pm. At 4pm is started to drizzle and then it slowly began to rain harder and harder. By 6:00 it was cold and pouring out! I was worried no one would come however 22 brave souls (aka family and wonderful friends) came out and ran/walked the course. Despite the weather, it was a really fun time.

Lessons learned:
1. Have a rain date if event is outside
2. Not everyone shares my passion for running
3. I have fantastic people in my life