Zimbabwe: First Impressions

Zim isn't at all what I had expected: somewhat similar to a chaotic city in Indonesia or the Philippines with traffic, noise, and plastic pink and blue shopping bags blowing around, looking like air born jelly fish. Harare has a peaceful, lazy post-colonial atmosphere. Perhaps things are different in the central business district, which I could see over the tops of the acacia trees. The roads were potholed, hardly anything to complain about considering what Zim has been through over the past forty years.

The shoulders along the streets--all two-lane--were tidy, maybe a plastic bottle here and there, but also manicured shrubs and flowers at the entrances to peoples' houses, which were behind walls; I did see security cameras guards. Clearly, there is a security problem, but I never felt threatened. People were friendly, often greeting me with extended handshakes, or by holding out an arm for me to grab a hold of if their hands were dirty or wet. I was told of this during the PDO. A lot of humanity in this manner of greeting, connections to others.

A few street vendors in the medians, selling fruits, bags of peanuts, newspapers. None were pushy. Bought some fresh plums, eight, for two US dollars. Peeled and delicious.

The drive along the highway from Harare to Mutare, where Africa University is, takes about four hours. The highway, two-lanes, was well-maintained. Drivers were good, using turn signals, thanking tuck drivers for allowing them to pass. Truck drivers, I learned, use the left turn signal to indicate that it is clear for those in cars to pass, and once a driver passes, they can thank the truck driver by turning on the hazard lights for a few seconds. I have heard people complain about the drivers here, but those people haven't been to China. And though I haven't been to India or Russia, a person there is really taking their lives into their hands whenever they get into a passenger car, from what I've heard.

There were even picnic tables along the highway under shade trees. The landscape was parched brown. A few dried up trees. Once a couple of monkeys ran across the highway. Some villages along the countryside had thatched roofs, red dirt surrounding them, but, again, very tidy, virtually no trash. Along the shoulders of the highway women would sometimes be walking, balancing bundles of wood used for cooking on their heads, like in, well, Africa.

In Mutare, had lunch at Nando's, a chicken restaurant chain, with Kim Spivak, from PAS at the Embassy. While eating some rice and chicken near a window, a young man approached me, asking for some food through the open window. I gave him what I had left over. Then a few days later he spotted me on the sidewalk (Mutare is a small place) and he followed me around, asking for money, but settled for food. He said he needed the money to start a business. Well, I admired his pluck. Don't think he has the acumen to start a business, but I didn't tell him that.

Mutare is on a hill surrounded by mountains, one main street, which is active with vendors. Few, if any, good restaurants. Mostly the usual stuff--chicken, chips, pies. At one time, the place must have been a quaint, but not so much, now. At least traffic isn't too bad. A person can walk across the street. 

Campus is out in the country side, twenty km from town, over a mountain pass. Mountains around the campus. Snakes (pythons and black mambas) and monkeys in the mountains and along a dry creek bed near the main gate. A lot of interesting bird songs. One is active at night. Need to find out what kind of bird it is.

There is a mosquito net over my bed, in a very nice guesthouse on campus, but there is no malaria in this area, I was told. Few mosquitoes. Only monkeys. Say a stray dog this morning.