Space and farewells

After his obsession with dinosaurs, my soon to be five year old Chinese student is now fixated on space and astronauts. For tomorrow's lesson we're going to look at the first people in space and the first woman - Valentina Tereshkova (I learnt something new). There is also the first dog, shame. Will also do a virtual visit to the Kennedy Space Centre. Turns out my student's grandfather designed space rockets in China. I guess I have my work cut out in educating his grandson. With my other home schoolers we've been looking at the planets and earth. The grade two got quite bolshy on Tuesday and announced she wished she had another teacher. I'm afraid I replied that at that precise moment I wouldn't mind another student. She was in a more cooperative mood today and actually apologised.

Valentina Tereshkova

I pack up my current house sitting stint and go back home tomorrow. Look forward to seeing more of my dogs (I have been popping home to see them when I can). I will be house sitting again for someone else end of the month and looking after two dachunds and overseeing a guest lodge.

Have two farewells this weekend for friends leaving to go to Germany and England. It's a sign of the times in Zim. Was chatting to a friend last night and we were saying Zim is not a place to grow old in and the problem is when one's parents reach an age when they can no longer work or fall ill, we can't afford to support them and none of our parents have decent pensions as they lost them when the Zim dollar went down the creek. At the same time though Zim is still home and one doesn't want to leave.

My sister and her husband will be coming to Zim for Christmas this year. It will be my brother-in-law's first time in Africa.