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)
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
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!
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!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, September 3, 2007
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.
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.
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