Of banking and Ecocash in Zimbabwe

Like most people in Zim many of my students' parents are struggling to find cash. As a result I am being paid by some by bank transfer and then others by Ecocash. I was happily accepting Ecocash until a few weeks ago when I needed to pay for much needed new glasses lenses and the optician didn't have the facility for Ecocash payments. I tried numerous outlets for Ecocash to try cash out but there is no cash to be had. (Ecocash is a mobile phone banking system where you can make payments on your phone to other people's accounts. Theoretically people deposit cash at an outlet and other people can then draw from this. I was told apparently the army was being paid by Ecocash, hence the severe shortage of cash. Everyday on the way to school we pass people queueing hopefully for cash in Arundel Village). I did finally find a solution to my glasses and now have better vision - I can actually see things clearly!

Today I needed to make a payment to South Africa and ventured into the bank for the first time in months. I was surprised that the queue was much shorter than what I have seen previously - where it is often snaking out the door. I joined what I thought was the right queue and got behind a man making a deposit of gazillions of dirty tattered one US dollar bills. This was going to take a while as he peeled the grubby notes apart. It turned out this was the queue if you were going to make a cash deposit. I went and joined a different line of people and had to try squish my irritation when people jumped ahead. Long story short I eventually submitted everything but have to check on Friday if it has gone through. Apparently online transfers invariably fail and it is better to go into the bank in person.

Am pretty busy with teaching as I take my four year old and his sister in grade 2 in the mornings and then have various students in the afternoon. Preparing my Chinese pupil for his grade 1 entrance test and trying to get him to remember nursery rhymes as this is one of the requirements. Realizing how random so many of them are, but he is picking up a few. We have been looking at power points of Barnaby Bear visiting different countries. In a huge oversight I forgot to get Barnaby Bear visiting China. I have rectified this, and we have also been to Zimbabwe and South Africa.