Meeting our MBAs

Judah, the business librarian, is just delightful. He suggested I accompany him to teach a library orientation class to the incoming MBAs in Harare. NUST has a sort of satellite campus in Harare. He arranged that the Dept. of Library Science and the business schools would cover our expenses. He told me to book at the Holiday Inn because that was closest to the facility. I booked online and got a good internet rate on Tuesday. Wednesday Judah informed me that all the rooms in the Harare campus were booked. I really wanted to go so I said I'll call the embassy to see if they have a room. Stephen, who is in charge of the Information Center, agreed to provide us with a room and he said, "you're one of us, so there is no charge." [today, SAT. we thanked Stephen very much- I casually said- Americans say it never hurts to ask and he replied, yes you request, but that means an order.]

Judah said as he departed work WED- just let me know when you hear back from Stephen, then I will email the students from home- this is the first time they were going to hear about the class. So I texted him and called him WED night.

Thurs. morning I get to work and Judah asks - so do we have the room? In short, he invited students to a Sat class on Thursday. He invited 150; I was skeptical that we'd get 50. We worked on our exercises together on Thursday.

Friday morning I met him at the bus station for a 7:30 bus. The company is S. African. As we departed, the steward slipped in a CD and we were offered a travel prayer, in the name of Jesus. We were then informed not to take any food from our fellow passengers, Interscape is not responsible for food contamination. And yes, there was an emergency toilet on board.

Along the road:

Apostals - all in white- praying outside. They say that with the bad economy, people turn to prayer. This group has been accused on child marriages, refusing to vaccinate their kids and polygamy

• Truck with oversized load labeled: Abnormal 
• Random police checks slow things down. This road between the 2 largest city is 2 lanes. Police are looking for bribes. They let the bus through
• 5 toll stations - no EZ pass!
• Firewood for sale along the way
• The vast majority of the land is fallow- M. threw out the white farmers, the war veterans got the land, they were inexperienced farmers. Just this week the govt. announced that they are inviting back the white farmers.

One pit stop at the Chicken Take-out. I was shocked to see a toilet with toilet paper and soap at the sink. Abraham told me to buy the paper so I would see all the events going on in Harare. There was one event listed- a H.S. Band competition sponsored by the Italian Embassy. Only when we got to the outskirts of Harare was there cultivated land.

Lucky me- half way through the trip, my fellow passenger starting chatting. He's a tour guide with Overseas Adventure Travel! He's going to check hotels for me at Vic Falls and gave me advice about the Eastern Highlands.

The 6 hrs actually went pretty fast. My Holiday Inn was right next to the bus stop. When I entered, the manager came to greet me and mentioned the email I wrote about requesting a non-smoking room. I said, "How did you recognize me?" Sort of forgetting that you can count the white people floating around on one hand. The S. African Soccer team is at the hotel- there's a big match on Sun.

I expected Harare to have some English charm, but it's a run-down, rather ugly city. Just a few buildings with nice architecture. Thanks to my guidebook found a nice gallery located in an old house. The resident artist was very friendly. Lots of great sculpture in the yard.

They have wine and cheese openings. I met Gladys, who was a Humphrey Fellow (part of Fulbright.) She works at an organization that teaches civil engagement. She said she was a student leader in university. The government targets students because that is where the protests usually start. She has been arrested. She works in the rural areas to try to get people from the 2 parties to respect each others' opinions and not kill each other. She tries to get them to work on local issues, showing them that they have common goals. They work to make sure people know their rights and register to vote. I asked if she was harassed by the govt- she said yes. In response to my question as to how she remains optimistic- her response was: "you don't choose where you are born. This is my country, I need to work for change." I was glad that I could connect her with other Humphrey Fellows and even the man who runs the Rural Library project because he is like a community organizer. It was strange to be in a restaurant in an upscale shopping mall. There is abject poverty in the city, but also villas and malls. Had my first Zim beer.

The US Information Center is in an award-winning building. Big atrium with lots of connecting bridges. The wi-fi did not work so the students couldn't use their laptops. Some came late, but we had 47!! They were very engaged. We could move to the the adjacent room and use some computers for hands-on exercises, but they had to work in groups. We took an hour lunch break; ended at 3. In total- 5-hr. class. They were engaged, asked questions, searched serious topics. They are all working. Got the most laughs when I used the example of legalizing pot.

After class went to National Gallery- quite depressing. Costs $1 entry. They had a school exhibit on Wetlands. Very little permanent collection. Folklore sculpture and a sculpture garden. Also nice gift shop. What they had was nice, but so meager. Now I'm off to have dinner with friends of friends.

Going to the Rural Areas

Rural Areas=countryside
Many people have homes in the rural areas, sort of back to their ancestral lands. Getrude's parents last week said they go on Saturdays, so I asked Getrude if I could go. Turns out her parents went to a funeral so her brother, sister and niece brought me.

The home was about 30 min. outside the city. The turnoff was not marked. Tha, the daughter, jumped out to open the gate and we proceeded down the dirt road. When we arrived at their land, another gate was opened. They pay people to live on their land. There was a thatched hut which served as the kitchen. The concrete block house had 2 small bedrooms and a sitting room. No electricity- outhouse in the yard. They were not born in this area. Tha told me many buy land in order to be buried in the countryside. There were chickens and then we walked to their fields which were quite extensive. The maize had already been harvested. They showed me the big crater. Someone showed up one day and started digging for gold. Getrude's sister called the police, supposedly he is going to fill in the hole.

They brought from home hot water for tea, fried eggs, cooked potatoes and bread. This was our appetizer! Nhlanhla, Getrude's sister, also brought a suitcase of used clothes for the neighbors. Nhlanhla asked that I pay $20 for the gas because as a public school teacher she had not been paid recently. It's surprising that she was still helping out others in the rural areas.

The woman who lives on the property cooked chicken and sadza for us. As she cooked I walked around with Tha and the boy who lived there.

It wasn't a comfortable house, but it was in the quiet country. They may consider cattle a type of secure investment- it's also prestigiouos. They still give cattle at a wedding.

I saw Tha had some cash to the woman who cooked our meal. I asked what to give and Tha told me $5.

On our way back, I said I would call Anele to see where he was working on his bus. Small world- Getrude's brother grew up with Anele so he called Anele and then brought me to where they were working.

Anele has a chicken farm. From the proceeds, he bought a 1975 bus in S. Africa that he is refurbishing so people in the city can go to funerals in the rural areas. The mechanics are working for free, they only get lunch. Anele stands in the lot for 12 hours supervising them because he said if he was not there- they would take 3 times as long to complete the work. I met Samson- who is Anele's community organizer/party official in his district. Anele is suppose to receive funds to pay such workers, but these funds have not come through, so Samson works for free. Anele and Samson are currently supporting 52 orphans. They pay their school fees, etc.  They hope to offer the bus to schools so they can take field trips. They also hope to travel the rural routes and make some money on the fares so they can buy additional buses.

It was quite a day- seeing people take joy from the simplest structure to being there when the tail lights went on for the first time on the 1975 "chicken bus."

Great Zimbabwe & making David happy!

Sunday- July 12

When my plans fell through for going to the national park, I contemplated how to get to Great Zimbabwe, a world UNESCO site. Anele once again came through for me. He said he would lend me his Ford Ranger truck. Then Tari, who works in the guest house, said her friend who is a NUST driver would drive me. Of course I would pay him and for the gas. On Saturday, Tari said she'd like to come along and also invite a friend.

Anele arrived at 7:45 with the truck. Tari emerged in her sparkly T-shirt, hot peach Gucci pocketbook and purple eye shadow, so that was the signal we were ready to go.

We passed villages or settlements- appeared that they had a strips of stores, but most looked empty. Houses consist of a concrete, small square structure next to a round hut with a thatched roof that serves as the kitchen. There are about 15-20 houses in a settlement.

We shared the road with goats, dogs, cattle, donkeys, cyclists and pedestrians. Women carried buckets of water on their head and others balanced loads of firewood. As we headed east, the mountain ranges came into view. Most of the land was empty.

Great Zimbabwe is one of the major attractions in the country, but it is not well marked. I've heard that M took directional signs down to prevent foreign reporters from finding their way to villages. Directions said 25 km out of town. After 20 km, Domani decided to turn around. Then we saw a sign with 15 things listed and realized we needed to take the left. We confirmed with locals that we were on the right road. They told us 2nd right - the sign said Great Zim Hotel. The park entrance was at the end of the parking lot which we discovered by asking people- again- no signs.

Great Zimbabwe is the largest stone structure ever built south of the Sahara. First structures were erected around 1100. Europeans thought Africans could never build such sophisticated structures, so it had been linked to Sheba and King Solomon. Cecil Rhodes attributed it to the Phoenicians. It was an important religious and political center, not military. In its heyday, 200,000 people lived there.

We climbed the Hill Complex noting how the masonry has been integrated with the natural granite boulders.

We proceeded to the Great Enclosure - last to be completed, most sophisticated masonry. Walking through the Parallel Passage felt like being in a refrigerator.

The Shona village was a bit disappointing. They had laminated cards hooked to the huts for explanations. They did a dance for us.

The museum was rather disappointing. At 4pm we headed back

It is dark at 6, so driving on the pitch dark roads was quite something because again we were sharing the road with dogs, donkeys, goats, cyclists in black clothing, people walking along the road carrying firewood on their heads. There were very few signs. One would just have to remember - Turn at the sacks of avocados. The police road blocks had disappeared in the evening. During the day, groups of twos and threes just stand by the road, put up cones and arbitrarily stop cars. What is really dangerous is that speed bumps are not painted. Of course I am always looking on the right side of the road. Occasionally they'll have a sign on the left side. Drivers who frequent the road know where the bumps are. I'm not sure a 4-hour drive both ways was totally worth it, but I saw an historic site, enjoyed the countryside and brought 2 young Zimbabweans to a national monument they had never seen.

Paying Salaries

Last evening at synagogue, I met a Dutch man who has a contract with the government to supply machinery to all the technical schools that have not been upgraded for 35 years. At dinner, I asked Abraham why the government suddenly decided to equip the schools. His response, "The elections are coming." Turns out the elections are in 2018!

I again asked Abraham why the govt felt they needed to do anything to woo over voters, seeing as they use intimidation tactics, etc. to get their way and rig the elections. He said that in the cities, the opposition rules- the people are against Mugabi. But in the rural areas, they can intimidate and manipulate the people. The party gets the chief on board. He then lines everyone up and tells them how to vote. They even tell people there are cameras in the voting booths; a idea that the city people know not to be true.

There are even people in Mugabi's party that know change is needed. But, if he thinks they are getting to popular, he gets rid of them. He dismissed the VP and 100+ of her support group.

Mugabi is now in NY at the Ebola conference because he is the head of the African Union. Due to US sanctions, he is only allowed to be in a 25 mi radius of the UN. The president's wife is known as Grace Gucci because everytime she goes abroad, she changes all her wardrobe and furniture. Luckily for the stores that are located near the UN!

The country is in dire straits, so how does the country pay salaries? They go to companies and say- give us $1M or something- we need to pay salaries. Abraham said they have been doing this for months. Before govt workers knew they would be paid by the 25th of the month, now there is no set pay date. Today I am going to visit the home village of my friend, Getrude. Her sister is taking me, but asked that I pay the gas because she has not been paid. I really need to be so conscious of everthing that I do with others- to be sure that I pay my way.

I said to Abraham- taking profits from companies is not a sustainable model! No wonder companies are pulling out of the country. I commented that people are driving nice cars. He said it is because of the underground economy. A tax collector can come to a company and give them the bill. If the company bribes the collector, they pay less. Same with a traffic stop.

A hope for the people is that election monitors will come for the election. The problem is that the neighboring heads of state support M. because they want to stay in power also.

Peace and Justice
Thanks to contacts via the chaplain at Emory, I contacted Rev. Washington. I was told he was involved in peace and justice work. He has a Methodist church and town and a school in the suburbs. He is concerned with the orphans, of which there are many due to the AIDS crisis. Children are left alone because their relatives cannot afford to help them. The girls can be exploited. He is building a science lab at the school, they have no library. I was thinking he was involved in this big organization doing Peace & Justice when in fact he works day and night to help these poor kids. I said I would give him the 6 books that I brought with me. When we said good-bye and I hope we would meet again- his reply, "Yes, I will come to get the books." My plan is to visit the school one morning.

Preparing for Class
We'll see if any librarian registers for my class, but I am preparing. I am doing a Google exercise so they can learn to evaluate credible sources. I needed to think of some relevant topics, so I asked Tari- the young woman who cleans the guest house. Her suggestions:

• Using brown sugar and olive oil to exfoliate your skin
• Using rose water to tone your skin
• the benefits of Dead Sea minerals
• Using curry leaves to promote hair growth/give volume
• Moisturizing your hair with avocado
• scrubbing skin with mealie (the cornmeal mush)
• aerobics for shapely legs
• whitening teeth- she was not familiar with dental floss
• the effects of medicine
• buying a car

when I showed the topics to my colleague, he thought they were good. Interesting that I just assumed my class of librarians would be women, but he informed me the class would be 50/50.

Daily Life

First I'll tell you about Sunday. Getrude, who was a Humphrey Fellow in 2008, arranged to have her friend in Bulawayo bring me to meet her parents. They live in a simple neighborhood with a corrugated roof. Reminded me of my "family" in Nachlaot, a neighborhood in Jerusalem. They were extremely welcoming and warm, greeting me like a daughter. Their grandchild, Tha, was there. As you see- quite the beauty:

She brought me a bowl of water to wash my hands, before and after. She wanted to know about scholarships for studying in the States- like everyone else here. They have just 2 children here - the others are in Canada, UK and S. Africa. We will arrange on a Saturday to go to their village. I think I mentioned earlier- everyone has a home village where they return on week-ends.

Paty had to go back to work so we returned to the city. She works at a place that performs circumcision, as a way to prevent AIDS. I walked around for an hour. On Sundays, quite a few streets were closed and the vendors were out in force selling piles of clothes. I learned that some go to Mozambique to get cheap clothes to sell. Vendors sell pieces of candy and popcorn. You wonder how they earn enough for a meal. Also selling sweet potatoes, dried beans, veggies, etc.
The guy who was driving me back said he'd be back by 2. He returned at 3:30- claimed there was a line at the car wash!

Abraham then drove me to the oldest section of town- a planet away from our neighborhood. I asked about the satellite dishes on the hovels, he said one local subscription is free - you only need to pay for the equipment. We went by the hospital - almost looked abandoned in some areas. A soccer game was just getting out so there was tons of traffic. Nice to see that people had some enjoyment.


Daily Routine
The other guest here, Abraham, has his own car. Work supposedly starts at 8, but Abraham who is just teaching a course for 2 wks, goes at 9. My director said it was OK for me to go with Abraham. So now I have time to take a walk in the morning. I live in a very upscale neighborhood. Everyone has a solid wall with an electric fence on top of it. The roads are shaded with gigantic trees. It's me and the gardeners out in the morning. School starts about 7. There is a Catholic school down the block, but it appears that most are driven to school. They wear uniforms. The majority are black. I say hello to everyone and the response is:"Hello, howareyoumum?"

I have an office away from the people in my dept. It only has a computer that I can't use because they haven't set me up in the system. They wrote an email to the IT Director, but that person is gone and the interim did not get it so........I sit in the computer lab. Esabel, my host, says that is better because the room is warmer!

Esabel brought me to meet the Registrar. She instructed the guest house to give me the biggest room! Then we met the Vice Chancellor. He had been to Alabama so he talked a lot about that. And twice asked me what university I was from. As we progressed higher, the offices got more plush. When we arrived at the Chancellor's office, my feet didn't touch the ground, his sofa was so big. He barely said a word to me. His office had curtains and artwork. Everyone else's office is totally bare- just a calendar on the wall. The Registrar actually had a large refrigerator behind her - in the middle of the room.

Today is Tuesday and I already felt I needed to take some action. Seems like I was just working on a PowerPoint, by myself in the computer lab. One person wanted to know about online tutorials. I showed him a couple of library sites with good tutorials- then he disappeared and said he had to review them. This is Ernest who also informed me that I could have made a lot of $ if I had brought iPhones to resell. Then Abraham informed me that they buy Chinese iPhones for $99 and "they work just perfectly." Abraham also told me that the Japanese dump cars in Africa. So he can buy a car for $99, then has to pay the shipping and the tax is the cost of the car - so for $2000 or so they have a new car. There are lots of nice cars around.

Ernest told me about the 4 libraries in town so today I made an appt with the British Council Library. Turns out they have a music project in the Bulawayo schools and they support local basket weavers. The NUST library is in town. The Reference Librarian who was suppose to host me is gone for 26 days. So, Esabel is trying to find someone else.

I am preparing a class that may not happen. Esabel proposed 5 days for $300. Then she was told with the economy- no one would come. COMMENTARY: no one talks politics - they just say "with the downturn of the economy......." So now the class may be 2 1/2 days. Then it turns out the dates she selected is the national book fair, so now it may be a week later.

I was thrilled to hear about the national book fair- authors, publishers, artists- and the theme is the Knowledge Economy. Esabel said because they are not presenting, they are not authorized to go to Harare. So I said- I'll write Gladys - she's at the US Embassy. She originally had to approve our proposal and then send it on to Fulbright in DC. She called to greet me and told me to call her with anything I needed. Today I wrote to see if she had subsidized accommodations in Harare or whether she would pay for my transportation. I asked if she had any contacts at the book fair - mentioning I would volunteer to be on a panel or judge a school's essay competition. (I know my cousin Alix is thinking: What chutzpah!) We'll see how she responds.

I told Esabel I needed a bit more of a schedule - she was saying this is summer so everyone is taking off. I hate waiting in her office, having her direct things. Tomorrow we'll talk and hopefully put some things in place.

Today I left early - she called my driver at 2:30- so I could go to the tourist office to plan my trip to the national park this week-end! I talked to a woman on the phone in the morning and she seemed quite helpful. She told me she would not be there in the afternoon, but would leave information. When I got there, I told the gentleman I had spoken with someone earlier. He said, "Oh, did you speak to the white lady?" It's very apparent the division here. I could tell by her accent that she was white. He gave me a name to call in the park. Then I went to a tour agency mentioned in my book...Alec Bernstein. I said about one sentence and he asked if I was Jewish! He's on the board of the synagogue, according to him there are 45 Jews in Bulawayo. He called around. It's a bit of a challenge being on my own and finding a game drive. He'll call me back tomorrow.

Then I went to the national parks office. They were closing at 4:45, but one person gave me some info. I could have a chalet for $40- shared toilets and showers outside. I am leaning toward the cottage- ensuite toilet. I asked about hot water in the morning for coffee. She told me I can light a fire outside and she doesn't think I need to pay for the wood! Hopefully one of my neighbors will do that. Another tour operator will arrange a game drive. I thinks things are coming together.

OBSERVATION: The women wrap a cloth around their midriff to carry their babies on their back. Cutest thing I saw--- a little girl was carrying her teddy bear this way on her back!

The vendors do not harass you like in the shuk in Jerusalem or Istanbul. They just say- take your time and have a look. Outside of City Hall they have flower displays for graves and lots of crafts.

In the grocery store parking lot they sit and weave beautiful baskets for sale.

The food is very good at the guest house. I had to tell them I eat beans and sweet potatoes for dinner, not for breakfast. They bought me brown rice!

For lunch in the beginning colleagues walked me over to the staff dining room. Today I went outside with my sandwich to the picnic tables and talked with some students who were studying disaster management. There are food trucks selling food- looks the same as what they sell in the dining room, but probably cheaper. Their staple is Sadza, a heavy mash made from maize and water. They ball it up and scrape up with their hands the meat and vegetables on their plate. I don't think it's too tasty.

9:00 I watch BBC news. I'm sort of isolated at the guest house. Today I learned the NAST bus leaves from town at 5 pm. If I leave work early, now I always have a ride home. but, the driver gave me his mobile number - so I could call him directly!

No one has phone contracts. Guys on the street corners sell Buddy cards for $1, $5, etc. You put the code in to add minutes. Friends set me up so I can send texts for free. People don't want to call because it is quite expensive.

Signing off...time for bed

Giraffes, monkeys and hippos

Saturday morning I had breakfast with Abraham, the other guest who is giving a course in Project Mgmt at NUST. He talked a lot and gave me the rundown of the country since independence.
It's hard to believe the country has made such strides since 2009. Previously people were murdered for their political beliefs and there was a huge cholera outbreak in 2008 due to the collapse of the water system. He talked about the inflation. People got paid, one hour later went to the store to buy food for their family and could only afford the bus ride home. He has a car and will bring me to the other side of town so I see another face of this city.

Anele's sister, Lindile, picked me up at 9. She got a young man from her work to drive us for the day in a tiny Honda. We dropped her daughter off at the library so she could study for her exams and picked up her friend.  We headed to Matobo National Park, famous for sand rock paintings and rock "architecture." We spotted giraffes in the game reserve adjacent to the park.

There were quite a few road blocks along the way. In the first one, the friend got a $5 ticket for not wearing her seat belt.

First stop was Cecil Rhodes', founder of Rhodesia, grave. It is on top of a hill with massive boulders.

He selected a beautiful site for himself. Lindile and friend stayed behind because it was an extra fee to enter, so I was wondering around with Romeo. Also on this spot is a huge monument to Captain Wilson and his men, massacred in 1893 as they chased the king of the Ndbele people off their land. Romeo is Ndebele as are most in the Bulawayo area. Rhodes chose this spot which is sacred ground to the Ndebele. Romeo is in 4th grade, they had not learned yet about this part of their history so I gave him a brief overview of how some people take other people's land, etc. If it wasn't for Romeo, I would still be wandering around these boulders, but he found our way down.

Next stop Pomongwe Cave - the cave entrance is cordoned off, but we saw one painting on the wall. The ranger encouraged us to climb to the summit. The arrows were pointing in the opposite direction, but off we went up these steep boulders. As you see

the friend had quite a time maneuvering. It was challenging but this hike made the whole day worth it. Lindile decided it was too challenging going down the other side, so Romeo and I continued. It was well marked with arrows, they drove around the mountain and met us at the bottom. As we waited, Romeo told me that they study Ndbele in school. He speaks it at home, but is learning to read and write. He also plays rugby, hockey and swims.

We saw women along the road cutting hay for the thatched roofs that are using in villages.

Lindile jumped out to chat with them, they were from her home village. As she explained to me, everyone has a home in their village. She has one with chickens and cows. Someone lives there during the week and she goes there on week-ends.

We stopped at the cultural village just outside the park. It is a representation of an African village. Luckily we had a good guide to explain everything. The women opened their workshops for basket weaving and pottery making. Then there was a structure where he explained grinding the millet and straining the beer. Everything was familiar to Lindile because that is what she does in her village. Beautiful murals decorated the entrance to the village.

Instead of deer skipping across the road, like in VT, here the monkeys scamper across the road. Final stop was the game preserve. The ranger said we'd see zebras, but no luck. We got to the dam and saw 2 black rhinos sunning themselves.

Then we observed these guys joining their 2 friends in the dam- quite a site.
Thanks to Anele I had a great day with his family and friends. 

Who said politics?

I survived the 15 hr flight from ATL\Joberg because 4 hrs before my flight I upgraded. Supposedly I got a seat that reclined more. Most importantly, there was an empty seat next to me! Until the cabin door closed, I had the whole row, then this 11 yr old changed seats. But, I slept on 2 seats, so that helped. My hotel guy wasn't there to meet me, so I borrowed someone's phone to call him and he was there in 10 min.

The lodge in Jberg was pleasant. I ate dinner with a woman from S. Africa, at the lodge for a seminar. Next morning left at 8:30 for my flight to Zim. The owner's mother gave me advice about visiting Kruger - turns out one can fly right into the park from Jberg.

Sat next to an white elderly Zim lady. Once again she told me not to talk politics with anyone, but gave me the rundown on what's going on. She repeatedly said - go for it, don't be afraid, the people are wonderful, you'll have a great time.

Waited 1 hr to get the visa- there were only about 12 people in line. I needed a business visa, but that is only for 30 days and I need more than that. Finally they said the university could ask for an extension. They were using carbon paper- I was just wondering who their supplier was.

A lecturer from the Dept of Library Science waited an hour for me. He immediately said let's get your phone set up- turns out his wife works in the phone office at the airport, so she would ask fewer questions to get the sim card.

We had a driver from NUST bring me to the guest house. Like in Turkey, these schools use private cars with drivers that just wait around for you all day.

Arrived about 2. I am the only person in the guest house with 5 bedrooms. The cook, cleaning person, gardener and security person greeted me. The guest house is located in a very upscale neighborhood. Everyone has big metal gates. Our security guard just sits in the car port all day. There are 2 guards in a 24 hr period. Sort of felt silly- all this staff. But, I realized the university is providing employment for people who really need it.

Luckily the cleaning person- Tari - is a young, super friendly woman. We went out for a walk. The cook asked what kind of food  liked. She told Tari to take me to the supermarket and write down all the food I like!

The supermarket was small, but quite modern. 3 guards stood at the entrance. There certainly was food on the shelves, but not every freezer was full. (as I learned later- there are hungry people in the poorer sections and especially in the rural areas.)

Frazer, the gardener is very friendly. He and Tari live here. Frazer's wife and grandson also live here. His daughter is working in S. Africa.

We took another walk later and Tari pointed out the "Jewish church."  I was so surprised, it's right around the corner. The lights were on so I walked in. Just a handful of men saw me...someone must have had yarhzeit.

It wasn't too fun eating by myself, but the food was tasty. Then watched some BBC and started my knitting.

Like in Israel in the 70s, they need to turn on the hot water heater for showers. I have this gigantic tub, but would feel very guilty filling it up. No hook on the wall for the sprayer, so showers go pretty quickly. Tari heats up water for her bath in the coffee urn, she says it's cheaper. 

FIRST DAY AT WORK- FRIDAY
They told me they would come to pick me up at 8, they came around 9. A driver will supposedly pick me up everyday. Esabel, the chairperson of the library school, is very down to earth and friendly. She is planning the course I will teach. They are charging $300 for a 5-day course! Her director said the price may be a bit steep in the poor economy. He said she should reduce it and I said 2 1/2 days should work just fine. So she'll be calling around next week, encouraging librarians to register.

She gave me a flip phone to use. I went down to the business library which is a small room with some book shelves - mainly text books. The librarian is very friendly and was pleased to learn about our resources in our Guides - some of which are free. Students came in to ask for his help, so I got a bit of a feel for his work. He mentioned that he is going to Harare next week to teach a class for 2 days. He said it would be good if I could come along. When I asked Esabel- turns out she was hesitant because she thought she could not get the funds for my travel approved in time. And I think I understood that she did not want me to take the public bus. I told her that it would be fine to travel with my co-worker and that there are coaches - very nice buses to Harare. So maybe this will work out.

When I was in Turkey, I was taken aback that they had squat toilets in the university. Here was surprised to learn they do not supply toilet paper. Maybe more upsetting - no soap. So when we have signs everywhere - WASH YOUR HANDS-- here they only supply cold water. Now I know what to pack for work for next week.

Elijah brought me to lunch. We walked across campus. From the outside, NUST looks like a modern university. But there are many unfinished buildings because the govt ran out of money. The dining room was nice, but the food came from a hole in the wall - the cook had 4 hot trays to choose from. They had a big container to wash hands, but the soap was sort of hidden. When I asked Elijah what he did on week-ends, his response was study. He's working on his PhD. That was somewhat startlingly to me. There is 95% unemployment here. I'm wondering if he thinks he's going to get a better job with a PhD. I'm so impressed with the people who are working. They are very dedicated and want to improve their country. I was told not to mention politics at all. In every conversation people talk about the poor economy and the inept, inefficient government.

Esabel took me to meet Lawton- the Dean of the School of Library and Information Science. He is Anele's friend - thanks to him I am here. He was very pleased to meet me and said Esabel should also schedule some fun things to do for me - like plan an outing to Matobo Hills - a national park near here.

Impressions: the place was rather depressing. No one has decorated their offices. Two share an office- they have computers, not much else. They gave me an office by myself with a computer, right across from Lawton, so that won't be too much fun. The students aren't around now so things are quiet. People work with their doors closed. They do have a tea break. The tea lady heats water in the hallway. Then on a table in the hallway there is tea, sugar and dry milk. At least it was an opportunity to meet a few more people. Esabel presented me as Dr. Pasackow. I told her right away that was incorrect- hopefully she wasn't too disappointed!

The Embassy in Harare wants my detailed schedule- Esabel wasn't too concerned with that, which I was happy to hear.

They knock off early on Friday (that's Zim for leave). At about 3, Esabel was going to call the driver and I asked to be dropped off in town. She was quite concerned. I said it doesn't get dark until 6 and he could show me where the taxi stand is for my return. She relented. When I stopped at the guest house to drop something off, Anele had called to say he was on his way. So, I went to town with him.

Anele is a Member of Parliament- he represents the poor Western suburbs. He's studying law now. Is very intent on implementing their new constitution.

We went to get my smartphone unlocked. Went to 2 different places, paid $20 to have it done. No parking meters, he tips the guy who watched his car. To add minutes to my phone, there are guys at all the intersections. They sell you a card for whatever amount you want. There are vendors everywhere - selling chips, old clothes, etc. The government is trying to crack down on them, but this is how many survive. 

We went to meet Anele's niece who was waiting for a ride home. She's in HS. He basically told her to take me to the national park on SAT. She said fine. She just got her license. And then there's me...no experience driving on the left. And Anele was going to give me this gigantic truck to drive. David, don't worry....read on! Anele's cousin then drove me home. I met their nephew Romeo- a gorgeous 4th grader. These kids go to private schools- getting very good education.

I got home at dusk....quickly changed to a skirt and asked the gardener to walk me to the synagogue. I introduced myself to a man who was just entering. Asked if I could get a ride home with someone, he said sure - so Frazer could walk home in peace.

There were about 3000 Jews in Bulawayo, now there are 54. Most left at independence. As I was told, they combined the Reform and Orthodox congregations. They're now in the Reform synagoge, the Orthodox burnt down. The Orthodox rabbi came from Harare "to convert the Reform!" We were about 20, including 4 women. A woman is converting- she has been studying via Skype with a rabbi in DC. They leave next week for the conversion. The rabbi will be coming to Zim for the wedding. They were all excited to tell me that last Shabbat the place was packed. They had a Bar Mitzvah of a boy whose grandfather was from Bulawayo. About 60 friends and relatives came from San Diego.

It is cold here in the evening and early morning. I sleep with 3 blankets and have a space heater with 1 coil in my room. I brought the right things...within a few hours it is in the 70s during the day.
and so my first full day in Bulawayo came to a peaceful end.