Earth Day - You're a giant squid!

You're a giant squid!

You can achieve anything to which you put your mind and/or your massive tentacles.

Today is World Earth Day and Google is doing a random quiz as their doodle for it. Found the fun advice encouraging as have been beginning to feel a little stressed about my upcoming teaching job in Oxford. Still not clear on whether I'll be teaching just biology and English or if I will also be teaching maths and general science. Need to start preparing now and I have to draw up a schemes of work.

Started work for WEZ yesterday - again, feeling a little overwhelmed with that as they basically want a grade 6 and 7 junior school syllabus that focuses on wildlife. The past quiz questions are very specific and the students need to have a broad knowledge of all things wild. I need to get hold of the current syllabus and see what is already included. Have contacted people at BirdLife Zimbabwe, the Conservation Society of Monavale Vlei and other organisations for some of their schools materials. Can only do my best in the time I've got till I go to England.

Been asked if I would consider going to teach in Moscow in September. Waiting to hear more - it would be as an English teacher. Could be really interesting and is a part of the world that fascinates me. Will see.

HIFAring and mental health

Well saw both my therapist and psychologist last week and they both are pleased with where I'm at and that I managed to cope with CELTA. It has given me a boost to know I can do it. Still getting over having to quit my PhD but to have passed and survived CELTA has made me feel I can do it. Will see about pursuing science. Focusing on teaching for the moment. I start my part time job with WEZ tomorrow though. They want me to design a syllabus for Grade 6 and 7 on wildlife. Need to check what is already covered so I don't reinvent the wheel. Need to also start preparing for teaching in Oxford as I have to devise schemes of work for that.

My friend's kitchen tea and hen parties on Saturday were a success. Luckily changed the venue for the kitchen tea as it bucketed with rain. Many thanks to The Base Church for letting us use Touching Base. It saved the tea party!

With all my friends getting married and having babies it does make me ponder still being single. Met up with a good guy friend in Cape Town but he seems set on someone else and I do feel a bit like Eponine from Les Miserables. My therapist said I should tell him but I am afraid it might ruin our friendship. Also doesn't help that he is all the way in Cape Town, sigh. Would be nice to have a man in my life at this point. Got to just trust God's timing.

My friend's wedding is this Saturday. Praying it stops raining by then and that it is also dry for HIFA (Harare International Festival of the Arts) next week. I've booked to go to the opera, a tribute to Simon and Garfunkel, Will McNicol, Tangram, Bards on Bicycles doing MacBeth, Moringa Mornings and a few others. My wallet is a little emptied but thanks to a friend who is an amigo got a discount.

After HIFA there will only be 3 weeks till I go to Oxford via Dubai. I leave for Dubai on the 23rd of May and will be there till the 28th. I then fly to London and will be in Oxford for a few days before I head to France (Aigues-Mortes) for two weeks. I return to Oxford and will start teaching on the 22nd of June. Looking forward to it. Lots of work and festivities between now and then.

Dubai

Aigues-Mortes, France

Queen of Hearts

Just finished submitting my police clearance as I thankfully found a copy of my ID. Had been to Rudd Street where I processed my ID in 2002 to see if by any chance they had my metal disk - had heard stories of other people being lucky. Unfortunately I wasn't lucky and they didn't unearth it. My police clearance is now being processed. Hope my transgression with the Highlands police doesn't come up when I argued over a speeding ticket.

Now sitting at Queen of Hearts coffee shop. Finished my editing work for the Africa Geopolitics journal and have just been to get decorations for my friend's bridal shower from Bratz Basement. Found the journal articles really interesting reading. They were generally upbeat about Africa and its potential. There was a lot on the relationship with China and there was an interesting piece on Dubai.

I am saddened by the resurgence of xenophobia in South Africa. I was in Durban where it flared up just two weeks ago. Some horrific images are emerging and it needs to be quelled as soon as possible. My heart goes out to the victims and especially the refugees who have nowhere else to go and are being subjected to such brutal hatred. Am praying for peace and safety of foreign nationals. 

As someone pointed out, it is Africans who are being punished not Europeans. Many of the countries targeted were former allies of the ANC during apartheid. The perpetrators do not see this though and lash out at foreigners in anger at the political systems that have failed them.

The spirit of Ubuntu needs to be adopted and for the government to hear the grievances of its people but to clearly state that the targeting of victims in xenophobia is unacceptable.

Fundraiser for Wild Dogs in Zim

From Jessica Watermeyer who works with me for African Wildlife Conservation Fund in Zimbabwe on the African wild dogs.

Dear friends, family and colleagues,

Almost two weeks ago I, once again, ran the Old Mutual Two Oceans half marathon (moderately resembling an African wild dog!) in an effort to raise funds and awareness for the African Wildlife Conservation Fund and our conservation work in Zimbabwe. 

Unfortunately, amongst all the excitement and organising of the event, I shamefully forgot to send out my own sponsorship email. So... I am doing a post event plea for support. 

I don't run the OMTOM half marathon just because I love running, I run to bring about awareness of a conservation cause which I am extremely passionate about, and to raise some very much needed funds for our conservation work and projects.

So, if you feel like helping me make this event a success please consider sponsoring me. I have encouraged each of my 50 runners to raise at least R2 000, and I aim to do the same. 

If everyone copied into this email sponsors me R50 (you are of course welcome to donate more ;)), I will reach this target!

If all of my 50 runners raise R2 000 each, it will amount to R100 000. That is almost $10 000 to go towards our conservation work! With an extra $10 000 we could buy four more satellite tracking collars to monitor our wild dog packs... 

OR we could provide literacy books to 10 of the 123 rural primary schools we support to help children learn to read... 

OR we could carry out 4 comprehensive rabies campaigns in key rural areas to prevent domestic dog (and child!) deaths and to prevent the disease spreading to African wild dogs... 

OR we could immobilise, treat and SAVE 400 wild dogs from wire snares...

AND with enough money raised, we could do it all and so much more!  

DONATIONS can be made in one of two ways: into any of our registered trust accounts (please see attached) OR through our safe and secure PayPal link on our website - http://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/donate/ (see attached).

Please use the reference 'OMTOM_Jess Watermeyer_Donation' and send me your proofs of payment so that I can keep track of any donations and, importantly, know who to thank.

Family, I realise contacts may overlap between myself and Laura so if you have already donated for her, no problem! 

Further, there are a few people (you know who you are) copied into this email who already support this event, and AWCF in general, tremendously and I ask no more of you. I have simply included you for interest sake.

Please feel free to forward this email to whomever you wish - the more people who get to know about AWCF and the work we do the better!

I have attached one more document which has a little bit more about wild dogs and AWCF for anyone interested.

Cheers for now, and as always, thank you for your support!

Jess

 ----
Jess Watermeyer (MSc.)
Assistant Project Manager

African Wildlife Conservation Fund 
M: +27 76 825 0624 (South Africa)
M: +263 776 494 240 (Zimbabwe)
E: jesswatermeyer@gmail.com
E: jess@africanwildlifeconservationfund.org

To be a HIFA Amigo, or not to be a HIFA Amigo, that is the question

Taught my student from Azerbaijan this morning and then headed over to Queen of Hearts Coffee Shop. Whilst waiting for a friend I perused the HIFA (Harare International Festival of the Arts) programme and tried to decide what I'm going to see this year. Some of the shows are a little pricey at US$20 a shot. It works out that I only would get a $58 discount which does not cover the cost of an amigo card. The access to the Greenroom is tempting though. Need to budget.

Then had coffee with my Friend Lucy and we planned a little for another friend's upcoming hen party. I am not the most organised person - looking forward to the arrival of my partner in crime, the other bridesmaid as she is very on top of things. My friend gets married next weekend so next week will be busy.

Had lunch with another friend and compared HIFA bookings and I got some editing work from her. Then trundled off to pay ZESA - they still don't have any more prepaid metres which would make a world of difference. Then taught my Grade 7 student who has just returned from a family wedding in Pakistan. Got her to write about it and learnt a bit on traditions.

For the job in England I need to get police clearance, but I seem to have lost my paper ID. Went all the way to Rudd Street, where I originally had my ID processed, on the hopes that my metal disc might be there miraculously. Unfortunately the miraculous didn't happen or they didn't look very hard and I was told I needed to go to Market Square - well that pretty much means it's a lost cause. I think I'm going to have to get my ID done all over again. Just got to decide where and when and how much time I can sit and wait out the queue and procedure. Have heard Goromonzi isn't bad. Ho hum.

Liked these two quotes below.

"In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions:

1. When did you stop dancing?

2. When did you stop singing?

3. When did you stop being enchanted by stories?

4. When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?

Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding comfort in silence is where we have experienced the loss of soul.

Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves."

~ The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Healer, Teacher and Visionar

To be or not to be

I'm back in Zim now and have been for a week. Spent a good week in Howick and a night in Durban and visited the Midlands Meander, rested, walked in the rolling hills and caught up with my friend from Switzerland, Fia and her Husband.

Won't lie, it has been a little depressing returning to Zim, as everything seems very run down and struggling to keep going. It has been good to see my Mum though and friends and my dogs were very happy to have me return.

I have some work that I've come back to. I continue with my Grade 6 student and then I now have a student from Azerbaijan. I got all excited thinking I could use my new CELTA skills but it turns out he is more fluent than I thought and wants to work on IGCSE English. Oh well, can do that too. I also might have some work with the Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe group till I go over to Oxford.

Unexpectedly The Globe Theatre is doing a world tour and they did a one night only performance of Hamlet last night at 7Arts. It was really good. Tonight I'm going to the Improv Show at Reps which should be funny. Met up with a French photographer through Couchsurfing on Wednesday who is documenting people's living space in different countries. The HIFA or Harare Festival of the Arts program has just come out and is available here.

 To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?—To die,—to sleep,— 
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to,—’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die,—to sleep;— 
To sleep: perchance to dream:—ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despis’d love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would these fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,— 
The undiscover’d country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns,—puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?