I've returned home to Chicago safe and sound -- and early!? Thank you, all, for the supportive & thoughtful comments. I've greatly appreciated it.
Please continue to check ZimBlog over the coming days & weeks as I'll be uploading pictures & videos of the Caravan -- this time with captions & comments. With the extremely limited internet access & slow connections, I just wasn't able to do so. But now I'll be able to do so with faster internet.
As expected, the re-entry will indeed be challenging. This afternoon after returning home, I went to pick up a few needed items at Target. As I stood in the dairy aisle deciding which brand of milk to get, tears began to run down my face. Here I stood in this big box store with SO many options to choose from while so many people I met over the past two weeks would be extremely grateful to have the luxury to have a choice of food. Stores we went into were filled with barren shelves. Restaurants had limited food. And here we have aisles upon aisles.
How to make sense of this? How do we live in a world with such inequity?
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Re-entry Begins
I write this from the international airport terminal in Johannesburg, South Africa. We've left Zimbabwe and are now waiting for our flight back to the States (by way of Senegal). For those keeping track -- Johannesburg, Dakar, Washington, DC, Nashville and then Chicago. A nice surprise is that my parents have decided to drive to chi-town to pick me up at the airport and hear about the trip!
It's nice to have strong wi-fi again since it was not working at the Holiday Inn in Harare. Another sign that we are re-entering another world.
It's quite odd. I find myself sitting here with so many thoughts running through my head. The faces of people I met. Images of the beautiful scenery. The sounds of new languages. Laughter. Tears. Anger. Sadness. Joy. Hope.
Thoughts, emotions, prayers.
But too few words...
The pain of re-entry.
How to hold on to all I've seen & experienced? How to convey it all to those who greet my re-entry?
As we return to a land of plenty (excess?), may I -- may we -- never forget.
It's nice to have strong wi-fi again since it was not working at the Holiday Inn in Harare. Another sign that we are re-entering another world.
It's quite odd. I find myself sitting here with so many thoughts running through my head. The faces of people I met. Images of the beautiful scenery. The sounds of new languages. Laughter. Tears. Anger. Sadness. Joy. Hope.
Thoughts, emotions, prayers.
But too few words...
The pain of re-entry.
How to hold on to all I've seen & experienced? How to convey it all to those who greet my re-entry?
As we return to a land of plenty (excess?), may I -- may we -- never forget.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A few more pictures -- Delivering the supplies donated by Center on Halsted to the VCT!
A few pictures from the "Voluntary Counseling & Testing Centre" at Old Mutare Mission Hospital. The programs there -- testing, counseling & the AMAZING support groups -- will become part of Project Tariro in the new year. It was wonderful to be welcomed into the support group and to meet the staff who do the same job as I do! More soon...
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Another one...
We've been eating most of our meals at the hotel or at Africa University and take a packed lunch. We've always had plenty. However, earlier this week we stopped at the Holiday Inn in Mutare for lunch at their restaurant. It was a surreal experience eating in "The Spur" tex mex restaurant and hearing Celine Dion on the sound system!
Then came time to order. We soon discovered how well off we've had it. We tried to oorder a cheese and tomato sandwich and learned they were out of tomato. We then tried a grilled cheese but they had no cheese. This went on and on and on.
And then the electricity went out. Again.
We ended up with waffles. And a fried egg sandwich. Prepared one at a time on a wood burning, single burner stove.
Inconvenient for us. But a typical day for the residents of Zimbabwe.
Then came time to order. We soon discovered how well off we've had it. We tried to oorder a cheese and tomato sandwich and learned they were out of tomato. We then tried a grilled cheese but they had no cheese. This went on and on and on.
And then the electricity went out. Again.
We ended up with waffles. And a fried egg sandwich. Prepared one at a time on a wood burning, single burner stove.
Inconvenient for us. But a typical day for the residents of Zimbabwe.
Hello again...
Today we experience radical hospitality at Streamview UMC, a new church start in Mutare. We were welcomed like honored guests and seated just off the chancel. A translator was provided as the service was in Shona. I loved the music and the dancing -- it went on for two and a half hours but could have gone on longer.
We were each asked to introduce ourselves and where we are from. I said Chicago and told what I do. Afterwards people approached me saying either "Obama!" or "Oprah!" It was great. The most humbling moment was when some of our team told me someone was looking for me. I met a woman of about 20 and she introduced herself as Patience and asked if I were the HIV counselor. I said I was. She then wanted to share that "I am living positively." I was so moved that she wanted to share this with me. We spoke for a while and she told me that she is well but does not yet have ARV meds. I let her know about the support group I visited this week and she was excited to learn of it.
Several other women also wanted to speak with me as they too do HIV testing. We spoke about how difficult the work is. I asked one woman what age range is testing positive most often and she said "15, 16, 17. Too many."
Too many world wide.
We were each asked to introduce ourselves and where we are from. I said Chicago and told what I do. Afterwards people approached me saying either "Obama!" or "Oprah!" It was great. The most humbling moment was when some of our team told me someone was looking for me. I met a woman of about 20 and she introduced herself as Patience and asked if I were the HIV counselor. I said I was. She then wanted to share that "I am living positively." I was so moved that she wanted to share this with me. We spoke for a while and she told me that she is well but does not yet have ARV meds. I let her know about the support group I visited this week and she was excited to learn of it.
Several other women also wanted to speak with me as they too do HIV testing. We spoke about how difficult the work is. I asked one woman what age range is testing positive most often and she said "15, 16, 17. Too many."
Too many world wide.
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