Saying good-bye

I took my last malaria pill yesterday, a sign that my adventure is coming to an end. I think I am ready to return, though it will be an adjustment. It's been incredible to wake up everyday and think - what's new to discover today? I am glad my first introduction to Africa was Zimbabwe. Before I arrived I imagined the people cowering in their houses, fearing Mugabe on a daily basis. What I witnessed were happy people struggling in a very difficult situation. I was told to stay away from political discussions, but invariably within 5 minutes of a conversation, my conversant mentioned the "difficult economic situation" and then followed some commentary.

I have experienced incredible hospitality and I plan to return such generosity in Atlanta and beyond! Reflections on Zimbabwe:

• The handshake - shake hands, then shake the thumb, then back to the handshake
• People receive a gift with both hands and a bow
• Cleaners are perhaps the most industrious- clean offices at 9 am, not before workers arrive, then clean again at 4- the mop is always in the hand
• Load sharing- in Zim and SA means the govt doesn't have the funds to pay for electricity so they turn it off in areas, on a random basis. When I arrived at my AirBnB in Cape Town, my host said our area was exempt. In the wine country, saw a big sign proclaiming: "Electricity all the time." At the movie theatre the sign read, "We are not responsible if the electricity goes out, no refunds."
• Sometimes the traffic lights do not work or one on the side works, so driving can be hazardous
• Drivers have to have a fire extinguisher in the car and pay for a radio license. Always have to take into consideration police checks- totally arbitrary- depends on how much money they need
• Zimbabweans are constantly studying- they don't have many other options
• Despite the desperate situation, many are preparing, readying themselves for change- similar to what SA went through
• I felt safe virtually everywhere- people were always willing to lend a hand. Today in Cape Town I saw a Parking Guard lady singing- no ear plugs - I stopped to chat- she said singing relieves the tension- she doesn't want to get upset, so she sings aloud!
• Family is central to their lives. Everyone has a rural area to go home to. No such thing as a nuclear family. Everyone is responsible for their siblings' children - most of all, to help with the education.
• Zim is a conservative society. Elders are highly respected, even if they may be doing the wrong thing. Most are religious. Therefore abortion, gay rights, etc. does not come into play in their lives
• Women's hairstyles range from short cropped to orange, yellow, red braids - hair piled high, hair flowing down the back - straight, curly and everything in between
• People buy airtime by the dollar- most do not have plans.
• Sadza - refined white cornmeal - is the staple. Eaten by most Zim at least once a day- with their hands and a small amount of meat and veggies with some gravy. A plate costs about $2.
• I am so thankful I brought Starbucks coffee. They drink tea or instant
• Why didn't someone at REI mention that it's winter in Zim and therefore I did not need my own mosquito net nor tubes of DEET?
• It's a mystery why they don't have more outbreaks of cholera - they wash their hands with water only - no soap, no drying
• America is a far away place. Often the question I got was: "How is America?" Obama is well-known and respected, they know where FL. is and that it's cold in the north
• I was an unknown commodity - older, single, no children
• I was always welcomed as a Jew....luckily we didn't get into those conversations of - & who do you think Jesus was again?
• Very dangerous driving- potholes (really little ravines,) cattle, cyclists, pedestrians, & more
• Not surprising- Africa is their focal point, in particular SDAC- Southern Africa
• What the colonialists did was indescribable- always need to remember this when they are hesitant to take advice from Westerners - in particular the UK
• How long can a country run on empty?
• I saw a small slice, I learned a lot, I have much to research, read and learn from others, so many questions were raised- there are no easy answers to this mysterious, incredible place called Zimbabwe.
• Anele says I must come back for a real safari - that means, get in a truck and travel many lands.
• Thanks, dear readers, for your interest. I'll talk to you all soon.

Brai in Bulawayo

Paty took me to this Brai in a garden with son & friends

Brai - African Bar-B-Q

when i ordered a beer, the woman gave me 3- people drink a lot at Brais!

Saturday July 25 Paty invited me to a brai - aka Bar-B-Q. She invited her friends along with the kids. As you see, they cook outside and we sat in a garden with plastic chairs. Food options were sausage, T-bone or chicken with a simple salad. When I went to order drinks, I requested a beer and the woman gave me 3- they just assume that you are there to sit, relax and drink! The H.S. kids asked me lots of questions about studying in the States. The older daughter was off to Armenia to study for 2 years on a scholarship. Hmmm....would we be excited about Armenia? She already knows one Zim student who is there. I put her in contact with some Fulbrighters who studied at Emory. These are middle class people - the friend worked at a telecom company. Kids were studying at private schools. I was lucky to have had this experience.

South Africa was the first

On my City Bus tour on Sunday I learned about the Heart of Cape Town museum at the Groote Schuur Hospital where Christiaan Barnard performed the first heart transplant. They said they offered free shuttles from hotels, but when the Hilton called for me, she said the shuttle was in the shop. 100 Rand sounded like a lot for a taxi, so I decided to use my Citi Bus pass. It worked out fine. I had a 10 min or so walk to the hospital and wanted to make sure I got there in time for the 11 am tour, so I hopped on one of the vans that go up and down the main drag. In Zimbabwe, people are hanging out the windows, but this one was quite civilized- similar to Turkey.

The tour was great. The tour guide kept saying she was so proud of her country and that Barnard beat the Americans. He had trained at U of MN- he got his PhD there in 2 years + a Masters. What catapulted him was that he found a loop hole in the S.A. law on the definition of dead. Previously and in America and everywhere else, the doctors had to wait for the heart to stop. As soon as it does, the heart is damaged so there is a greater possibility of failure. Barnard realized that they could declare a person dead when s/he is brain dead. That is what happened with his first operation. A 23 yr old woman was killed in a car accident- right in front of the hospital. 5 months earlier they had already selected the patient- he was terminally ill. He was a Jewish man in his 50s. If you all remember, he lived 18 days after the operation. Turns out they had 2 hearts earlier, but those came from black men. Barnard came from a liberal family and he thought it was ridiculous to consider race. But the head of the hospital said they needed to think how it would look in apartheid SA to take a heart from a black and put it in a white person's body. The young woman and the recipient were a good match, but her heart was small for his body.

We toured the original operating rooms. Also learned that Barnard and his brother didn't get a lot of funding for his work, as they were researching the procedures on dogs. They trained a black man who had been taking care of the animals. He was so adept he also learned to do liver transplants. He was a high school drop out who later received an honorary degree.

We saw a couple of films. The guide did not gloss over the fact that he was a womanizer- got divorced 3 times- had 6 children- died a lonely man at 78- alone in Cyprus. But, he had guts and that was why he moved forward and took chances.

Toured the Castle of Good Hope in the afternoon. Lots of construction going on as they prepare for the 350th anniversary of the castle. The weather changed so many times during the day. A bit of drizzle, Table MT was in the clouds, but then the clouds cleared and the sun came out. Used the Time Out guidebook which was in my place to see some architecturally significant buildings. Really the city is quickly becoming a sea of skyscrapers. Found a new Nelson Mandela museum that I will visit tomorrow. Went to the Grand Daddy hotel to check out the Airstream Penthouse Trailer park. What a hoot! On the 3rd floor roof deck there are 5 Airstreams along with a rooftop bar and seating in the center. Each trailer has a little seating area. In the trailer is a double bed, with mounted TV. There a fridge and coffee service. The bathroom is tiny-  I think the shower would get the toilet seat wet! One is even smaller, so the bathroom is outside the trailer- in an enclosed area with a bigger shower! The owners sold this place and moved outside of Cape Town where they set up trailers on a terraced hillside in wine country...something to check out for your next vacation!

City Sightseeing Bus

The only way to get to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens was to take the hop on, hop off CitySightseeing bus. It was quite pleasant. They give you earpods to plug in next to your seat to hear the commentary. It was fun sitting on the upper deck. The gardens are so huge so I signed up for a tour with a Romanian woman- this super knowledgable elderly gentleman took us on a golf cart around the gardens for an hour. He was really good and explained a lot. Then I wandered a bit more aroound by myself.

Hopped on the bus and transferred to the Wine Route. We stopped at Groot Constantia Wine Estate - the oldest vineyard. I toured to House, which was a mistake. There was wine tasting, but I passed. Walked around a bit. They had a very busy restaurant. Met a German who came for the library conference- he works at the Goethe Institute in Namibia.

It was pleasant being on the bus as it took the coastal road. We passed a township- the bus company talked about how they partner with the locals for the tour- but no one got off at this stop.

I stayed on as it began the route again and got off at the Nelso hotel- one of the most exclusive hotels in the city. It is stately- like the Victoria Falls hotel- steeped in history. Letters from the Queen about how much she enjoyed her visit. They were serving high tea. Wandering around the corridors was like seeing amazing art work in a museum.

I then tried to go to the Progressive synagogue to see the History of the Jews film that was on the BBC. I thought I'd get off the bus at a nice suburb. Walk a bit and then someone from the shul would bring me back to the bus stop. However, the neighborhood was not nice and I could not find directions to the shul nor could I find a taxi. The weather was bad with some rain. So I heard David in the back of my mind saying, "Lee, this is not a good idea." So I simply took the bus back- it was still daylight so I could just walk home from the bus station.

Blessed are the Irish

Friday started at the Bo Kaap museum- very disappointing. They had a video of residents telling about how the neighborhood used to be. They could do so much more.

2nd stop: Slave Lodge. The indigenous people refused to work for the Dutch, so they had to import their slaves from elsewhere- Madagascar, Indonesia, etc. Excellent exhibit on the Carnesons- he was Catholic, she was Jewish. He was the editor of a Communist newspaper. Their daughter wrote a book about their struggle- Red in the Rainbow. He was arrested and sent to prison. She was under house arrest- could not speak to more than one person- very difficult as she was raising kids. He was released and then went to the UK. Then they showed pictures of them coming back to the new South Africa. Great exhibit on Freedom songs.

Next: National Gallery. Quite disappointing except for the exhibit on Irma Stern- one of SA most famous artists. When she was barred from traveling to Europe during WWII, she traveled to Africa. Her style is Impressionist- showed artifacts from her travels that she incorporated into her paintings.

Next door is the Garden Shul- a gigantic synagoue- but, closed because it was close to 4. Walked through the Gardens. Back home to change for Services. Walked to the Progressive synagogue, right across from the Waterfront. Didn't need to check the address, as soon as I saw the guard, knew I had arrived at the synagogue. No big inspection just asked for ID.

They were meeting in the smaller sanctuary. They are 3 congregations in the northern part of the city- meet in separate places but act as one. There was a Bar Mitzvah the next day, so the family came. There were about 50 or so people. In the front sat musicians- guitar, drums and singers. Pleasant songs. People were friendly. All seem to have relatives outside of SA

Then took the bus to the Arts Cinema. Luckily a friendly young woman was going my way and we changed buses together. The place was funky, but the Italian movie was boring. The parking attendant helped me get a cab back. Now I'm familiar with the area. It was actually close to me, but not good to walk back in the dark.

Friday afternoon I emailed Dominique- she is the tenant of Leslie in Harare. Leslie asked her to climb Table MT with me. The Irish girl on the Robben Island boat suggested taking the cable car down. I thought Dominique would not want to do this, but she agreed and I bought the tickets, which I could pay for at the Pick N Pay.

Saturday morning walked to the Garden Shul. They indicated choir at 8:30 and Torah reading at 9:15, so I thought I had to get there on time. Turns out I was the only woman up in the balcony. This is an Orthodox shul- could seat thousands. The men have wooden seats that open up as cabinets for their tallitot. Huge dome, stained glass windows, mosaics near the ark- just beautiful. By the Torah reading there were maybe 50 men and 20 women- about 5 children. The choir consisted of about 8 men- quite pleasant- not cantorial stuff. The Baal Koreh sang beautifully, new tunes. People were friendly, Rabbi greated me- asked what shul I attended- "Young Israel" was an acceptable response. The kiddush was beyond fantastic.

1 pm got a taxi from the Hilton. The driver called Dominique to confirm the drop off. We were climbing Platteklip Gorge. The start was 2 km from the park entrance. I got there early. There was a race- scores of people were running from Cape Point to the Waterfront- up and down hills for 100++ km. Crazy!!! There was quite a bit of traffic on the path. It was very difficult. It is the most popular route- there are hundreds of routes up the mountain. It is very steep, rocky path. I thought I would never have enough water. First time I was dreaming about ice. Dominique was very patient. Took off the lower part of my pants- first time being this hot. Unfortunately I lost one leg of the pants! Once I got to the top, I forgot the pain of the ascent. It felt so good to be on flat land. The top is nicely developed. Lots of viewpoints- you can see all sides of the city. The mountains are amazing. I paid 115 Rand for the cable car. [13 rands to the $] I would have paid $115 for that cable car. I thank that Irish girl a thousand times. The cable car took about 3 min. It revolves 360 degrees. We were blessed with an amazing sunny, cloudless day.

Cape Town

I arrived in Cape Town Tuesday, Aug. 18. Took the city shuttle from the airport and a Capetonian, who had just dropped off her American boyfriend, helped me get a cab to my AirBnB place in Bo Kaap. I imagined Joy to be this elderly woman owning a big house on a hill. However Joy is a young woman. Based on the pictures, I thought I was getting a small apartment in the back of the house. Now that I have been here a few days, I'm very happy with the place. It is set up on a hill, so we're not directly on the street, like most homes. From the street, there's a stone wall and a locked gate, then you walk up about 10 stairs. Joy has a 2-story place and then there are 3 flats attached. My first room has a table and chairs, 2 stuffed chairs and a kitchen on one wall. My second room is a bedroom and then a bath. I have a small porch. My doors are glass, then the second interior door are white bars. It's nice having direct access to the outside, something you wouldn't get in a hotel. Opposite me- up on a hill- are guys in a tent. I see their fire, every so often. Joy is very nice- I can use her phone. No sense getting a phone seeing as I know 2 people here. The other tenant is a German woman who has been here for a long time.

Bo Kaap was a Malay neighborhood, now it is getting gentrified. It's known for it's colorful houses- bright pink, green, yellow and blue stucco. Simple square houses. Weird walking out in the morning to see groups of tourists snapping their cameras. It's centrally located - I can walk most places. The call to prayer resonates about 4 am. Rain pounds the corrugated bathroom roof, but luckily it hasn't rained much.

Tuesday afternoon walked to the waterfront to get my ticket for Robben Island. The waterfront is like Boston or any other developed waterfront with tons of tourists and upscale restaurants, ferris wheel, etc. Went through the Robben Island Museum.

Wednesday morning went to the District 6 museum- all about a mixed, lower-class neighborhood in the center of the city that was evacuated to build a white neighborhood. They raised the neighborhood but never built the new one.

There's an international library conference in town (IFLA) so I'm meeting librarians everywhere. Met a librarian from Oman on the boat over. Robben Island is a beautiful island. We had a bus tour first. The best part was having a former prisoner give us the tour in the prison. Hard to understand what they went through. They had one bucket to relieve themselves- same one to bathe. They had to retrieve seaweed in the dead of winter. They liked working in the quarry mine because that was the only time they could talk to each other- they were always planning next steps.

On the boat back this young Irish girl told me about climbing Table Mountain. She said to take the taxi to the start of the trail and to take the cable car down. [more on this later.]

She also told me about the Watershed. I thought the waterfront just had touristy stuff. The Watershed really had quality crafts - everything there was beautiful...I'm glad I learned about it, but wish I had more $ to spend there!

People are very friendly. I found a shorter way with a pedestrian bridge to get to town- then this couple directed me to the Arts Center. The wind was so strong- it was like a hurricane.

I went to a performance of 14 school groups- they were fabulous- singing, dancing, rap, etc. From 2nd graders through high school. So interesting to see the mixed cultures here - black, white, Indian, head scarves...And the audience- full of parents was so responsive and engaged.

Checked TripAdvisor to select my Cape Point tour. Rob got good reviews. I met him at the Hilton Thurs morn, we picked up a couple from NYC with their 9 yr old son and then a retired librarian from Princeton. He talked non-stop, but when he brought us to a place he left us on our own for awhile. Everyone had said that Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point is the most spectacular...it was beautiful, but I kept thinking of the Oregon coast. The road heading down, south of Camps Bay was winding and amazing. They do incredible feats of preventing rock slides- lots of huge mesh covers all over the mountains. It was nice to walk on the beach a bit. Simon's Town really had nothing to offer.  We went to the penguin sanctuary- it was very well preserved. The terrain reminded me of Cape Cod. They had beautiful wooden boardwalks. The penguins were everywhere- they had what looked like plastic bunkers for them to next in.

It was sad to see the Zimbabweans waiting on street corners for work Rob also pointed out that they were selling stone sculptures along the roadway.

I was the only one who climbed to the lighthouse at Cape Point. It was a beautiful climb. All in all it was a good day- we were a small group- Rob allowed just enough time at all the spots. We had beautiful, sunny weather. There were lots of tourists around- sure wouldn't want to be here in the height of the season.

Thursday night, a Humphrey Fellow - Phoebe- took me out to dinner. She works in AIDS counseling We went to the waterfront mall- her husband was busy, she said she felt most comfortable eating in a mall. Turns out it was a lovely restaurant. I didn't feel too comfortable asking her about SA society - it was easy to talk with Zimbabweans about white and black culture. Here there again is a deep divide. Fancy shopping centers and guys sleeping in the parks. Clerks in the subway station warning me to only use an ATM in a mall, but I find the city quite safe. There are public policemen everywhere- very friendly, just carrying billy clubs. Guys will ask for a few rand for food and follow me a few steps, but then they walk away.

The Hills are Alive with....

Thanks to the one guidebook on Zimbabwe, I found Sally Preston and her cottages. She has a plant nursery in Mutare so I met her at work and she drove me to the Brumba Mountains. I have the whole cottage to myself- it resembles a Sue London cosy home. Think of a beautiful cabin in VT- and that's what I have for $20 including someone to wash the dishes and light the fireplace!! I will post pictures.

Whites here need to be creative, if they have lost their farms- and even if not, because the economy is so bad. Sally employs 17 people. She has 7 horses. I took a ride today. Julia and Hannah would have laughed their heads off. Nehemiah had my horse on a leash and I was as happy as a clam!! We went through the forests- down some steep, rocky paths to the very exclusive Leopard Rock Hotel. They have a game reserve. Even tho it was 11 am, we saw baby giraffes, pregnant zebra and ostriches. 2 hours was plenty for my butt bones.

Then Sally drove me down another road and I took the path to the hotel. Thought I could use a computer to download pics, but they don't have a business center. Chatted with lady in gift shop. She informed me that her daughter got asylum in KY because the farmer next to their farm was murdered. So questions keep coming up about this place.  This very exclusive hotel- Leopard Rock- has a PGA 18-hole golf course, but the place is a ghost town. I walked up to the original castle that the owners built as their home- it is now a wedding venue. Beautiful gardens everywhere.

Sally and her husband have a nursery up here in the mountains and at a restaurant garden in town. She has 3 cottages and manages 3 cottages for other people. At the cottage where I am, she has a small grocery store. They buy things in town and sell them because there is no store in the area. So the gift shop lady will bring me home because she wants to pick up fresh milk! Sitting waiting for my horse ride, I met a guy who is running Intnl Rescue Cmte projects - agricultural, etc. AND I met some other guests who will now bring me to Harare on Monday.

Saturday I went for a 4-hour hike with Charles. He is a certified guide who recently lost his job with a non-profit conservancy. Started at 8- he carries no water, no food and walked 1+ hrs to meet me. We walked through the forest to the waterfall. Saw the soccer ball fruit- even the animals don't want to eat it. Saw a very thick vine that strangles extremely large trees to death. Nature certainly is incomprehensible at times. A hole that resembled a grave was an old trap, people would cover it with boughs and there would be spikes in the bottom to catch the animal. People come in a make rings around the trees so they will die, fall and then be used as firewood. We saw some very rare bird- only in this area. He could identify all bird calls and dung along the way. In a million years I could not find the path on my own. There were markers (like grave stones) but sometimes they were lying on the ground or the letters were totally worn off. We then walked to George's Point- a magnificent viewpoint. Charles was very upset to see a cleared section below- people were illegally living in the national park. They cleared trees for their cattle to graze, then he said the person's cousin would come and do the same. He was very upset that there was no enforcement.

I was really tired after 4 hours. It was just devine to sit in the garden- it is terraced and very natural plantings everywhere you look.

The night guard is there to watch the horses and nursery...and me! He came to start my fire. Godfrey was very talkative. He was taking over the vacation hours of the regular guard. He walks 2 hours to work. It is very cold at night, but he doesn't light a fire because he said that would let intruders know where he is. He was so thankful when i gave him a tip and an apple. He doesn't bring food with him. Sunday night, I noticed this gigantic spider on the cupboard door. I thought is was a decoration at first, but then it moved. I quickly called the guard and he slammed it with some firewood!

Sunday morning was completely foggy- good excuse not to climb the mountain nearby. I walked to Leopard Rock. Luckily joined a man walking there so he showed me the quick way around the golf course. I left markers on the path- (ah, the benefits of litter.) A whiskey bottle and a can of beans marked my way home. The man said there would be people walking to church, so I won't get lost. The hotel wouldn't give me wi-fi, so I asked the way to church-which was by the workers' quarters. Told to turn at the gum trees, luckily there was a woman heading there. The quarters were like wooden barracks with tin roofs. Didn't look too bad, but families were living in one room. Saw women cooking outside on the fire. Laudry strung up between poles. Men sitting in doorways. In the dark room of the church, people were praying to themselves - sort of like Jews saying the Amida. Then a woman started a song which was beautiful harmony. But, when a guy stood up to talk scripture, I left as a young girl was guding the kids out for a lesson. Before that, 2 women came to invite me to sit closer. One woman asked if I understood Shona so she could bring me a translator. The young woman was just standing with the kids outside so I headed back. I followed my markers and remembered the landmarks so headed straight back.

Quite a few years ago a white woman started made some patterns and taught the local women embroidery. Now all along the road where I was, women hang clotheslines to display table cloths and aprons in various colors and patterns. They sit there from 8-5 - few tourists come by.

I loved the HIVU cottage. There were always workers around and people stopped by the store. It was so peaceful to read in the garden and enjoy the views of the mountains. Of course there were electricity outages. Luckily I had a gas stove and plenty of candles.

Monday Andrew and Judy arrived at 7. They told me the buses from Mutare were very dangerous. Judy was a very cautious driver. I'm glad I stayed we had really interesting conversations and arrived in 3 hrs. Andrew has a farm in Mozambique. Judy has a college counseling service. A  white farm can be taken at any time. The reason a white still has their farm is because political crony has not decided that he would like to take it over. Andrew had trained some black farmers, but now that has all ended.

I arrived at immigration at 12:07, by 4:15 I had my visa! First they couldn't find the paperwork, then the office who had to register my visa was not answering the phone then the clerk made a special effort for me and walked upstairs so they could type a 4-line letter and Voila: My Temporary Work Visa. The woman from the US embassay said the previous Fulbright Specialist had a Business Visa, the govt changed the rules because they are desperate for money. She provided me with a driver to get to my friedn Leslie's house. I had told Leslie I would take her and Sasha out for dinner. Sasha was working and she forgot and prepared dinner. So the 2 of us had a delicious dinner with delightful S.A. wine. She will bring me to the airport at 5 tomorrow. Need to go to bed, will write more relections later on leaving Zim. Right now I am in denial. Too sad. The time has flown by. I will miss the people most.