National (in)Sanity

How do we measure sanity? Or insanity... Every day I read the Zim news: an exam paper stolen; a bank governer warning people to stop the farm invasions (when he himself allegedly snatched more than one farm); no clear presidential successor -- and the ensuing battle between the different factions; inflation of between 1,000-4,000%!!! National insanity, right?

But no, I think the national insanity comes in when people like you and me continue with life, pretending that things are "normal." Last weekend I met a friend at the shops and was trying to buy some groceries...he gasped at the checkout counter when he was asked to pay almost double for his beers what he had paid the previous week. I gasped at the price of my 1litre of Coke -- on Friday it had been Z$400/bottle; on Tuesday it was Z$1,000/bottle. 3 days and Z$600 difference! I simply couldn't bring myself to pay double what I would've paid last week for the same commodities. So things like meat, cheese and sometimes even bread become luxuries. Oh yes, last week I stood in my first bread queue!!!! I did get a loaf...and smiled about it too!

So what exactly is insanity? Or rather, what is National (in)Sanity? Insanity is when you are willing to work a professional job and be paid less than a factory worker in a less developed country than this one, yet are grateful when your salary increases, but not at the same rate as inflation. Insanity is when you smile and laugh when you can't get petrol, and have to ground your car for more than a week! Insanity is when you read the newspaper and watch the news on TV despite the fact that you know they are state controlled and most of the information is blatant propoganda. And what's more, you will actually pay money for a newspaper and a television license, which you know is going straight to the government!

In the US, where I was living before Zim, there is much talk about the state of our National Security. Now in Zim, I find myself wondering much more about the state of our National Sanity. Will this country ever pull itself out of this implosion of confused financial and social policies? Are we a sane nation, or an insane one? What will happen when things "come right" - as people continue to affirm will happen (despite all evidence to the contrary). And what wil the general population do at that point...will they be sane....or insane?!

The Rains have Come!

The view outside my apartment at school....the ground littered with Jacaranda tree blossoms!

It's been a while since I last wrote, and lots has happened in-between (including a spontaneous weekend trip to Johannesburg, in which I indulged in quantities of retail therapy!!)

But today something significant happened: the first rains of the season arrived! We had some minor showers last week, but today we could hear it, smell it, feel its arrival on the parched earth. Rain isn't something I generally think about, but here in Zim, at the end of the dry season, you can't help but anticipate the rains. You look to the sky and analyze whether or not that small cloud will turn into something more substantial, or whether it will dissipate into the endless blue above.

And then when it suddenly arrived about an hour ago, you could hear this rustling coming from a distance. For a moment I wondered if it was a strong wind, when the rain pounded down on us and brought the ground back to life! I think it's the smell that gets me most about the rain here in Harare. The smell of life and living creatures and of everything waking up! You can't help but feel like praising the skies, the gods and whoever else, that this great gift of life continues!!

On a more sobering note, we continue to struggle with other things: last week my mother and brother were here for a short visit from South Africa. The trip was made ridiculously awkward due to the shortage of fuel. There was (and still is) no fuel to be found anywhere!! The government has pegged the fuel price at Z$300/litre, and in reality the fueling stations should be selling it at around Z$1,300. So they would be selling it at a loss. So what happens? We do without! I drove to church earlier today -- my first trip off campus this week -- and there were hardly any cars on the road! Since the petrol stations aren't selling fuel, the only place to get it is the black market. There are two major problems with that: 1.) you could get arrested (seriously...it is illegal to buy/put in fuel if you haven't bought it at the pump) or 2.) it could be watered down petrol, in which case your car will pour out black smoke and have numerous other problems. Neither one an attractive option!

So yes, the petrol has been tricky! But we press on, and hope things will improve soon. Are our hopes realistic, or are we simply being hopeful fools?