Saturday, February 28, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
The Agenda
While getting my bearings at the volunteer house, I meandered into the kitchen and found a large activity board posted on the wall. I could see that every day except Sunday was divided into three parts, the first being at the rather unseemly hour of 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. Before breakfast, mind you! Yes, that's BEFORE breakfast! And the second being from 10:00 a.m. to noon, and the third being from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Here's our first week's schedule:
And here's our second week:
The first thing I noticed--and maybe the first you did too--was that these people appeared to be REALLY serious about WORK! Imire was my fourth "volun-tourism" gig, but it was only at Moholoholo in South Africa that there was a serious "work" component. There we had a rigorous schedule of tending to the needs of the animals we were assigned to. But at both the Elephant Valley Project in Cambodia and Modisa in Botswana, there was really not all that much work involved. You definitely got the impression that these places were more educational in nature, intended more to raise awareness of the natural and human issues in those areas and to raise some cash to meet the many many worthwhile needs. This is no criticism, mind you. The last thing I would want is to actually take jobs away from the locals. And I am MORE than happy to make my modest monetary contribution to these incredible causes.
But, here at Imire, we clearly had serious work to do! Construction! Deconstruction! Rolling wires! Research! Interspersed, however, with lots of fun and instructional stuff too like horseback riding and elephant training. I was confident it was going to be a GOOD TIME!
Especially when I discovered a flourishing, but very weedy, vegetable garden in the back yard. Here it was January. JANUARY!!!! And I was about to be given my very own garden to tend for two whole weeks. I could hardly wait to get my hands in the dirt.
The first thing I noticed--and maybe the first you did too--was that these people appeared to be REALLY serious about WORK! Imire was my fourth "volun-tourism" gig, but it was only at Moholoholo in South Africa that there was a serious "work" component. There we had a rigorous schedule of tending to the needs of the animals we were assigned to. But at both the Elephant Valley Project in Cambodia and Modisa in Botswana, there was really not all that much work involved. You definitely got the impression that these places were more educational in nature, intended more to raise awareness of the natural and human issues in those areas and to raise some cash to meet the many many worthwhile needs. This is no criticism, mind you. The last thing I would want is to actually take jobs away from the locals. And I am MORE than happy to make my modest monetary contribution to these incredible causes.
But, here at Imire, we clearly had serious work to do! Construction! Deconstruction! Rolling wires! Research! Interspersed, however, with lots of fun and instructional stuff too like horseback riding and elephant training. I was confident it was going to be a GOOD TIME!
Especially when I discovered a flourishing, but very weedy, vegetable garden in the back yard. Here it was January. JANUARY!!!! And I was about to be given my very own garden to tend for two whole weeks. I could hardly wait to get my hands in the dirt.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Imire 101
I always find it disorienting to the point of oblivion when arriving at a place I've been anticipating and imagining for some time. Arrival always seems SUDDEN, and the number of people and, well, STUFF that approach you and seem to require instantaneous recognition is overwhelming.
But I do remember that the intital impression of Imire was very positive. We'd driven across gently rolling plains that were green and pleasant. We'd already seen substantial herds of zebra, impala, blesboks, and wildebeest, and we'd gotten a glimpse of four of the resident elephants.
Lantana trees and bushes were in full bloom all over the place and phenomenally beautiful. Later I would find out that lantana, despite its beauty, is a serious invasive threat to the area. Plus, it's poisonous to cattle. Elephants, however, enjoy it, and it was funny to see them walking along munching on a beautiful bouquet of lantanas. "Beauty" to us. To them, "lunch."
Eventually we pulled into the shady yard of the "volunteer house." So welcoming. We learned later the volunteer house was once the home of the brother of the family who has owned Imire for generations. Sadly, but undeniably interesting, was the additional fact that he was killed by a cape buffalo.
The window you see with the partially drawn curtain was the bedroom assigned to MBG and me.
You can see in the background what in Africa is referred to as a "dam." We would call it a lake, or when we were being more precise, a "reservoir." In fact, it is a man-made lake created by a dam built on a river. There are several of these on the Imire property, testaments to the hard work of the British settlers who altered the landscape in order to make it more friendly to agriculture and development.
Here we met the two people who were to be our minders the remaining two weeks. Though probably neither of them thought of themselves as "minders," that's what they were, alright. All seven of the volunteers were women, and I can't imagine how these guys, both Zimbabweans, managed to keep us safe and productive and for the most part united.
I asked both these guys if they were familiar with the expression "herding cats." They weren't.
Then. But they are now.
Yes, these are my heroes: Bright, on the left, and Mike, on the right. And yes, you guessed it, that's my dirty finger on the far right!
But I do remember that the intital impression of Imire was very positive. We'd driven across gently rolling plains that were green and pleasant. We'd already seen substantial herds of zebra, impala, blesboks, and wildebeest, and we'd gotten a glimpse of four of the resident elephants. Lantana trees and bushes were in full bloom all over the place and phenomenally beautiful. Later I would find out that lantana, despite its beauty, is a serious invasive threat to the area. Plus, it's poisonous to cattle. Elephants, however, enjoy it, and it was funny to see them walking along munching on a beautiful bouquet of lantanas. "Beauty" to us. To them, "lunch."
Eventually we pulled into the shady yard of the "volunteer house." So welcoming. We learned later the volunteer house was once the home of the brother of the family who has owned Imire for generations. Sadly, but undeniably interesting, was the additional fact that he was killed by a cape buffalo.
You can see in the background what in Africa is referred to as a "dam." We would call it a lake, or when we were being more precise, a "reservoir." In fact, it is a man-made lake created by a dam built on a river. There are several of these on the Imire property, testaments to the hard work of the British settlers who altered the landscape in order to make it more friendly to agriculture and development.
Here we met the two people who were to be our minders the remaining two weeks. Though probably neither of them thought of themselves as "minders," that's what they were, alright. All seven of the volunteers were women, and I can't imagine how these guys, both Zimbabweans, managed to keep us safe and productive and for the most part united.
I asked both these guys if they were familiar with the expression "herding cats." They weren't.
Then. But they are now.
Yes, these are my heroes: Bright, on the left, and Mike, on the right. And yes, you guessed it, that's my dirty finger on the far right!
Saturday, February 21, 2015
The transition from Harare to Imire
MBG and I stayed at the Kutandara Lodge for three nights. During that time, we did have a couple of opportunities to see the city of Harare, which has a population of nearly two million. The first thing Americans like us notice about Harare is that there is virtually no infrastructure. What do I mean by that?
Well, the roads are the most noticeable. They are horrific by American standards. There are more potholes than roads, and driving on them is largely a matter of evading potholes. There are also very few sidewalks so thousands of pedestrians walk on the roads themselves, causing those spoiled passengers like me to be CERTAIN that we were going to hit and kill multiple pedestrians at almost any moment.
Our driver Dairai kindly (and courageously) took us downtown Harare. We were amazed to see that there were virtually no traffic controls and that traffic inched its way around the city streets, seemingly by rules of combat rather than regulation. It seemed like most commerce took place on the streets themselves, with vendors selling everything imaginable from the streets. The chaos was incredible--shocking, almost--and MBG and I were content to spend virtually all our time in Harare safe in the confines of the Kutandara Lodge.
While there we learned some of the reasons for the chaos in Harare. Consider, for example, that the unemployment rate in Zimbabwe is . . . . . wait for it . . . . . 95%. That's right, 95%. Or, how's this for a statistic? The average income for Zimbabweans is $400/year. No, I did not leave out any zeroes in that figure.
We also found some of the reasons for this when we discovered that we couldn't use our credit cards in Zimbabwe. Apparently the U.S. government has clamped down hard on Zimbabwe because of alleged money laundering taking place there. But WHAT a shock it is to discover that one's plastic simply does not work. Yes, we were a little stressed (and a little broke!)
Hmmmm. The electricity failed at least once per day, once during a thunderstorm, but usually for no apparent reason. Water? Well, Kutandara had its own "borehole," so the water was safe to drink, but we were strongly warned against drinking anything from the municipal water supply.
I am worried that I am being unfair to Harare. I did see some beautiful parks and residential areas. There was never a time when I felt unsafe or even unwelcome. I am absolutely positive there was much to be seen and appreciated about Harare that I didn't take advantage of. Even so, the over-riding sense I had was of financial desperation.
Given all this, it is amazing that we had so wonderful a time at Kutandara, and it speaks so very well of both the owners Gary and Paula and of the wonderful staff they'd accumulated.
But after three nights, we were restless and ready to get to our main destination----Imire! And sure enough, a rather plush Toyota van picked us up Monday morning, and before we knew it, we were navigating the potholed streets and then the potholed road heading southeast out of Harare, past weird balancing rocks and run-down agricultural areas. We were officially on our way.
Well, the roads are the most noticeable. They are horrific by American standards. There are more potholes than roads, and driving on them is largely a matter of evading potholes. There are also very few sidewalks so thousands of pedestrians walk on the roads themselves, causing those spoiled passengers like me to be CERTAIN that we were going to hit and kill multiple pedestrians at almost any moment.
Our driver Dairai kindly (and courageously) took us downtown Harare. We were amazed to see that there were virtually no traffic controls and that traffic inched its way around the city streets, seemingly by rules of combat rather than regulation. It seemed like most commerce took place on the streets themselves, with vendors selling everything imaginable from the streets. The chaos was incredible--shocking, almost--and MBG and I were content to spend virtually all our time in Harare safe in the confines of the Kutandara Lodge.
While there we learned some of the reasons for the chaos in Harare. Consider, for example, that the unemployment rate in Zimbabwe is . . . . . wait for it . . . . . 95%. That's right, 95%. Or, how's this for a statistic? The average income for Zimbabweans is $400/year. No, I did not leave out any zeroes in that figure.
We also found some of the reasons for this when we discovered that we couldn't use our credit cards in Zimbabwe. Apparently the U.S. government has clamped down hard on Zimbabwe because of alleged money laundering taking place there. But WHAT a shock it is to discover that one's plastic simply does not work. Yes, we were a little stressed (and a little broke!)
Hmmmm. The electricity failed at least once per day, once during a thunderstorm, but usually for no apparent reason. Water? Well, Kutandara had its own "borehole," so the water was safe to drink, but we were strongly warned against drinking anything from the municipal water supply.
I am worried that I am being unfair to Harare. I did see some beautiful parks and residential areas. There was never a time when I felt unsafe or even unwelcome. I am absolutely positive there was much to be seen and appreciated about Harare that I didn't take advantage of. Even so, the over-riding sense I had was of financial desperation.
Given all this, it is amazing that we had so wonderful a time at Kutandara, and it speaks so very well of both the owners Gary and Paula and of the wonderful staff they'd accumulated.
But after three nights, we were restless and ready to get to our main destination----Imire! And sure enough, a rather plush Toyota van picked us up Monday morning, and before we knew it, we were navigating the potholed streets and then the potholed road heading southeast out of Harare, past weird balancing rocks and run-down agricultural areas. We were officially on our way.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
such good friends in so short a time
MBG and I decided to spend three nights in Harare to rest up before heading to Imire, and the Kutandara Lodge was recommended to us by the Imire staff. Now I can't remember what I expected , but I know it wasn't what we found.
Paula and Gary, the owners, purchased the Lodge recently and thoroughly remodeled it. Both of them have outside jobs to support the place, since tourism in Zimbabwe is not flourishing yet. Paula is an accountant , and Gary teaches chemistry in a private secondary school , where, interestingly enough, most of his students are Greek! Apparently there is a substantial Greek population in Harare , and Gary said that his students were wonderful. The feeling has to be mutual since I noticed that Gary left for school before 6 am in order to watch his students play soccer .
The Lodge is clearly a labor of love , and you can see it everywhere .
The grounds were beautifully lush. The gardener, a gentleman by the name of Solomon , kept the flower beds in pristine condition. Even so, gardeners will be gardeners, and MBG and I, being gardeners, were able to find the odd weed or two hiding in the beds. Solomon welcomed our help, and we three enjoyed working together .
What really won us over about Kutandara Lodge, though , was the people. The only guest there besides us was a South African guy who is in the mining business . He'd been living at Kutandara Lodge for more than a year while developing a nearby diamond and gold mine. Although he was terribly busy, he kept offering to show us around, a generous offer for so busy a man. He taught us a lot about Africa in our conversations at meal times.
It was the staff though who became our dear friends . Lovemore? Sandy? Sarah? Susan? Peter? Solomon? If you're reading this, I can't express our appreciation of your care of us and your honoring us with your friendship !
And as for YOU , I hope that the next time you find YOURSELF in Harare , you will stay at the Kutandara Lodge . Which reminds me: I have got to get on Trip Advisor and post a review !
Paula and Gary, the owners, purchased the Lodge recently and thoroughly remodeled it. Both of them have outside jobs to support the place, since tourism in Zimbabwe is not flourishing yet. Paula is an accountant , and Gary teaches chemistry in a private secondary school , where, interestingly enough, most of his students are Greek! Apparently there is a substantial Greek population in Harare , and Gary said that his students were wonderful. The feeling has to be mutual since I noticed that Gary left for school before 6 am in order to watch his students play soccer .
The Lodge is clearly a labor of love , and you can see it everywhere .
 |
| The bathroom in our suite. |
 |
| An itinerant Vikings fan outside our room. |
The grounds were beautifully lush. The gardener, a gentleman by the name of Solomon , kept the flower beds in pristine condition. Even so, gardeners will be gardeners, and MBG and I, being gardeners, were able to find the odd weed or two hiding in the beds. Solomon welcomed our help, and we three enjoyed working together .
What really won us over about Kutandara Lodge, though , was the people. The only guest there besides us was a South African guy who is in the mining business . He'd been living at Kutandara Lodge for more than a year while developing a nearby diamond and gold mine. Although he was terribly busy, he kept offering to show us around, a generous offer for so busy a man. He taught us a lot about Africa in our conversations at meal times.
It was the staff though who became our dear friends . Lovemore? Sandy? Sarah? Susan? Peter? Solomon? If you're reading this, I can't express our appreciation of your care of us and your honoring us with your friendship !
And as for YOU , I hope that the next time you find YOURSELF in Harare , you will stay at the Kutandara Lodge . Which reminds me: I have got to get on Trip Advisor and post a review !
 |
| Sandy and Sarah |
Monday, February 9, 2015
GO PACK . . . .gone
Like sports fans the world over, my confidence in my team goes only so far. I am absolutely certain that they require my direct supervision to win. So I felt pretty traitorous being halfway around the world when the team needed me most.
So, imagine my relief when I found that the NFC Championship game would be broadcast live in Harare, albeit starting at 12.30 in the morning.
The aforementioned Viking fan decided to stay up with me to watch, and Lovemore, who is in charge of night security at Kutandara Lodge , was intrigued . He is a devout football fan, but like all other non-Americans, he means "soccer" when he says "football."
Yet, Lovemore was more than willing to learn the rules of American football , and he was cheerfully optimistic , as you can see. He did very well at learning the game, but the concept of "sudden death" stumped him. It was just SO . . . . well, sudden .
Even the dogs at the Green Bay Packers Zimbabwe headquarters took the loss hard.
Sigh.
So, imagine my relief when I found that the NFC Championship game would be broadcast live in Harare, albeit starting at 12.30 in the morning.
The aforementioned Viking fan decided to stay up with me to watch, and Lovemore, who is in charge of night security at Kutandara Lodge , was intrigued . He is a devout football fan, but like all other non-Americans, he means "soccer" when he says "football."
Yet, Lovemore was more than willing to learn the rules of American football , and he was cheerfully optimistic , as you can see. He did very well at learning the game, but the concept of "sudden death" stumped him. It was just SO . . . . well, sudden .
Even the dogs at the Green Bay Packers Zimbabwe headquarters took the loss hard.
Sigh.
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