Les Schtroumpfs

This week didn't get off to a particularly good start. I had a big argument with my sister on Skype and it seems that on a lower dose of lithium PMT hit with a vengeance this month. Have been feeling a little low the last couple of days and functioning at basal level. I think the euphoria of the last two weeks politically has also worn off and we are left thinking now what? In amongst this we received devastating news that a good family friend who lives down the road has cancer everywhere.

On the upside though this time next week I will be heading down to Cape Town for the wedding of two special friends and I will also see friends and family. Just have to get through another week of teaching between now and then. Had to try think what smurfs were today with my ten year old in French as he had got blue marker all over his hand and was trying to say he was one. It was bucketing with rain when I arrived and I dashed into what I thought was his flat in Newlands which turned out to be one of my mum's student's from the International School - oops. The apartments look identical. Have discovered my French student loves drawing so am trying to include that where I can and get him to décrit moi son dessin.

SaveSave

Christmas just came early

I was in Arundel Village when suddenly all the commuter omnibuses going past started hooting and people cheered. The two ladies working in Solution Centre came out and hugged so I asked them what had happened and they told me Mugabe had just resigned. The supermarket was abuzz and people smiled and laughed. It was like a huge cloud had lifted and you could feel the joy, it was palpable. A security guard came over to me and said this was a good day for Zimbabwe and that the people have been suffering for too long. The shopping centre turned into a carnival and people continued to pass along Quorn Avenue hooting. On the drive home there was some crazy driving but pedestrians stood on the roadsides waving flags and whistling. Friends were going to go celebrate at Queen of Hearts but it's a bit dicey driving across town with people mad on the euphoria and I have a French lesson to prepare for tomorrow. There is a teeny part of me though that hopes we aren't celebrating too soon. It looks like Mphoko will take over as president. He is known as the MP who spent over a year living in Rainbow Towers hotel at the country's expense. For tonight though I toast the end of the rule of the dictator I have known all my life.

Despite the unity of Saturday's experience I had a rather unpleasant incident today. I was early for my form three so parked just down from a local government school. I was busy reading a message on my phone when I suddenly became aware of a group of little boys running up to my window. They couldn't have been more than nine or ten years in age. They took it in turns calling me a murungu (white person or British person in Shona) and then running away. It took me aback that children so young could express these sentiments and that there were still these kind of prejudices around. When I drove round the corner to where I teach the same group were walking along the road there. I waved and one waved back but the boy who seemed to be the instigator just hurled more abuse and it really felt venomous. Earlier today I had met with my best friend for lunch at Aroma. We talked about what was happening politically and also reflected on Gukurahundi and how we really need truth and reconciliation for all that has happened, even dating back to before Independence. We happened to ask the waiter if he had heard any news of what was happening in the country while we were eating and he said no but that the person who had been sitting at the table next to ours happened to be the head of the war veterans - eeek! We both started thinking back to exactly what we had just said.

So yes, we breath a sigh of relief, but pray for the days ahead and wisdom for the person who takes over. Hopefully we have been truly liberated.

This song came to mind tonight. It was performed at HIFA this year by Angie Nussey. Little did we know then as we sang along that freedom was possibly on its way.

Awaiting the next instalment

Episodes of House of Stones

In between trying to write up reports on wetlands yesterday, like most Zimbabweans I was closely following the dramatic goings on of ZANU PF and then awaiting the very anticlimactic speech delivered by Mugabe. We don't have tv so I was mainly looking online and then for the first time in a very long time listening to ZBC - yes I think they had the biggest audience they've had in years. It is all rather exhausting and you are kept on tenterhooks. From today it seems an impeachment is to go ahead but in Zimbabwean time, who knows how long that will take. I don't think I'll hold my breath for too long.

Today being Monday it was back to teaching and personal training at lunchtime. My home schoolers asked if I had been at the march on Saturday. My Chinese four year old was horrified when I read him a book about bugs and it said there could be close on 100 different types in his house. His response was, "Never!" He did concede that there are worms in his garden which he and his dad feed to his fish in the pond. He said he thinks they gave one of the fish too many worms as it died. I asked if that had made him sad and he replied no, not really. There is a certain comfort in doing one's daily routine and telling oneself life continues despite all the political malarkey. One just hopes we can continue to live here and change comes.

In the middle of all this we're having to look at getting a new car as we are sinking money into our current one and it's a bottomless pit in repairs. Went to a car dealership today and it seems with the current uncertainty prices are at an all time low. Just need to research a bit and bite the bullet - slightly nervous investing when one doesn't know what will happen next but we need a car.

Limboland and Kambuzuma

After the elation of yesterday, today we sit and wait again. Apparently Bob has been sacked by ZANU PF but is still president. A well written post by Alex Magaisa outlined yesterday the legal and political intricacies of legally removing Mugabe from power. It looks like Mnangagwa is the successor but whether he will form a government of national unity remains to be seen and if we will still have elections next year. So yes, yesterday was a day of celebration for the end of Mugabe's rule, but we need to pray about what and who comes next.

I went out to two wetland sites yesterday afternoon and this morning. Development has already started on both but I have been asked to write a report. Driving through Kambuzuma this morning we passed Heroes Acre and the Chinese Mall. Both symbolic of things in their own way. On the way back from Kambuzuma we stopped to go look at a small dam known as Blue Lake. The path leading to it took us through masses of garbage and litter. We went through a half constructed building where squatters were living but also sifting through the rubbish and making an attempt to group things into different piles. I have the image of an old man sitting by a fire surrounded by computer parts and microwave oven shells embedded in my mind. In a way he and the others are recycling our excess of waste but it was still a sorry sight to me.

Well I had best continue trying to write these reports.

Do you hear the people sing?

I say do you hear the people sing, but it is not the songs of angry men, it is the song of celebration. I went to Fourth Street with Birdlife people for the supposed march to State House this morning. We got there a little late and it seemed people were circling back already but there was an atmosphere of jubilation and camaraderie. On the way my friend got a phone call from her brother in Joburg as she had signed off on Facebook with the line, "I may be some time" - which I thought was very funny but her brother was slightly alarmed by. When we got to Fourth Street the road was full of people dressed in Zim flags and in high spirits. It was multiracial and I saw many people I knew. Various groups such as the womens' league of the war vets came parading past and people cheered them on.

There was a bit of confusion as to what exactly was going to happen. There was not much planned for after getting to State House and it seemed we were waiting for people to join us from Highfields. At one point a whole lot of soldiers suddenly appeared and were forcing everyone to sit on the ground. I found this a little tense and unsettling - we were reliant on the army going along with everything. An armoured vehicle eventually appeared and everyone leapt to their feet and cheered. It seemed to then trundle down along Fourth Street. There was then talk that the march was going to move to Rotten Row - whether to the ZANU PF headquarters or the municipal buildings I am not sure. We decided to head home. I have to teach this afternoon and have then got to do some work for the wetland group.

The army was directing traffic out and we ended up having to drive past State House where the soldiers were out guarding the perimeter - what they're guarding I don't know as Mugabe isn't there. It was amusing to note City of Harare out fixing potholes today of all days on Josiah Chinamano and driving past Old Hararians Sports Club there were people out playing cricket, the paradoxes of Zim.

Thunderstorm

Darkening skies of cumulous clouds,
ominous as the storm draws near,
reflect my inner thoughts and fears
of what tomorrow brings us.
Should I march and take a stand
or just sit and read online,
afraid of repercussions
and brute force?

It could be history in the making,
the people speaking,  a new day breaking.
Dare we hope, perchance to dream?
Has freedom come to us at last?
In the eery light the msasas take
the greens and browns of army fatigues.
This new state of affairs and murky waters
we do tread in, unawares of what is there.
But people on the vleis plant maize
in the hope of what the next harvest brings.

SaveSave

Visual Literacy

Charlie Cole 1989, World Press Photo A demonstrator confronts a line of People's Liberation Army tanks on Chang'an Avenue, Beijing, during protests for democratic reform on Tiananmen Square.

Day 3 in Zim and on the surface life is "normal", although driving to Borrowdale near the taken over ZBC headquarters I passed a truck full of soldiers armed to the hilt. The state owned newspaper The Herald, for once was accurate with its headline "Business as Usual" as for the most part we carry on with our lives but it does niggle at the back of your mind. My sister is now nervous about coming home in December.

I went to an excellent talk on visual literacy as part of the World Press Photo Exhibition 2017 which is being exhibited in the Book Fair area of Harare Gardens. The winning photographs from around the world are on display until next week. As the two Dutch presenters said, it is an interesting week to be talking about press freedom and the use of photography to tell stories in Zimbabwe. Also the question of where we get our news from and which sources we trust. We looked at Jonathan Bachman's powerful image of Ieesha Evans in the US defying the police moments before being arrested and how visual journalists capture moments to tell stories. I found out about the World Press Photo's online publication, Witness and like this quote from their page:
"These days, when the world, the press and photography itself are undergoing seismic changes, one thing remains constant: People deserve to see their world and express themselves freely.

Freedom of speech is more important than ever, and quality visual journalism is essential for the accurate and independent reporting that makes that freedom possible."

Jonathan Bachman 2016, World Press Photo Ieisha Evans (27) stands her ground at a rally against police violence against black men, outside the Baton Rouge Police Department in Louisiana, USA, on 9 July. Evans had travelled to Baton Rouge to protest the death of Alton Sterling, who was shot at close range while being held to the ground by two white police officers on 5 July. The fatal shooting of Sterling came at a time of heightened tension in the US over the deaths of black men at the hands of the police. Data collected by The Counted, an initiative set up by The Guardian to record such fatalities, found that in 2016, black males aged 15-34 were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by law enforcement officers. Evans was arrested at the protest, but released later that evening.

The person presenting talked about how photography is how we perceive the world and how photographs are assessed on their journalistic and aesthetic value. She showed us a map of press freedom. Zimbabwe has censorship but it is not as bad as China, where it was suggested there is an intranet rather than an internet. On another scale Zimbabwe was ranked 126th in the world for press freedom out of 305.

In line with the theme of visual literacy there was also discussion on the evolution of photography and how phones and things are changing how we capture images. It was reiterated that you are what you photograph and not what camera you use. An interesting project #everydayafrica on Twitter was mentioned. There was a call for children to be taught visual literacy and to be able to tell what is real and what is not. An example was given of the fake photograph of Trump's inauguration. Society needs to construct meaning from everything and look, see, describe, analyse and interpret what they are presented with.

I unfortunately missed the rest of the workshop with a Dutch professional photographer as I had a job interview and I am teaching this afternoon but I am glad I went to the first part. Go along to the exhibition if you have time. I have my Chinese student, coffee with a friend and then a contemporary art exhibition this afternoon. We will try get home before dark. There is supposedly going to be a march to State House tomorrow. I am not quite sure what it is representing but apparently the war veterans are backing it.

No man's land

Woke up this morning not knowing what the day held in store and what the new Zimbabwe would present. My dad had messaged from the UK checking in on how I was and he said to remember that as things stand we are no longer a republic but are now under martial law. In a way we were under martial law previously though with the police. The police don't seem to be out today.

Most schools were back but there seemed to be less traffic in the areas I was in. On the way to teaching the home schoolers I saw someone standing outside the British Council on Cork Road trying to sell two small puppies, a reminder that people are still just as desperate. I made it through my morning teaching but felt really drowsy and a bit unwell. Am not sure if I accidentally took my night time medication this morning. I ended up cancelling my personal training and slept over lunch. When I got to my Chinese five year old, he proudly presented me with a book he's made of tanks. I asked why he had drawn them and he said because they were in town. The situation is affecting everyone. Had my first lesson with my new Chinese student who is at the French School. He said the French School was still closed as he put it, in case the soldiers came. We worked on multiplication but in French and then on conjugation and vocab. He is a delightful little boy and is a bit like an older version of my five year old. They both like dinosaurs - how I will include Dinosaurs into French I am not sure but I think I will have to try.

Noticed there were special editions of local newspapers on the last two days' events. You do wonder though who really knows what is going on. It now doesn't sound like Mugabe is going to step down willingly. I had to drive past State House and there wasn't heightened security outside. I also drove past Bona, Mugabe's daughters house. I gather she may have left the country with Grace. This false "normality" is rather unsettling and one has to just live each day as it comes. We've been here before with 2008 and it's double elections.

Grounded

Overnight the situation here in Zim has become somewhat clearer. An army general made a statement on local television stating yesterday was not a coup but that the army is being deployed to control resistance. There were indeed tanks out around the high court and other government buildings. Apparently the Finance Minister Chombo has been arrested and there are rumours that Moyo has been too. Does sound like a bit of purge. My mum was told by the International School not to come to school today and my Chinese student didn't go to Sharon. The British and US Embassies have urged people to avoid travelling around the city today. It is frustrating though, as it seems calm in the suburbs. I have excused myself from art in Mount Pleasant but if it is quiet I would like to teach as if I don't have a lesson I don't get paid. Am sitting working in front of the tv and keeping an eye on what South African and Sky News/BBC say.

I was supposed to be starting with a new Chinese student today but teaching them French as they are at the French school. They live in town so will just have to see. Have prepared the lesson already. I have an interview on Friday to tutor IGSCE and AS/A level maths and bio at a private school next year during school time. It is sounding promising. There is supposed to be the documentary photography workshop with two Dutch photojournalists sponsored by Hivos and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and organised by the Zimbabwe Association of Female Photographers. It's being held in town though. Hopefully we won't be taking photos of an even more hectic scenario.

In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

After helping my form three student with Macbeth, today's events seem a bit like the brewing storm of Act 1. We are still having car trouble and my mechanic phoned me to update me on what was happening at around 5 this evening. He seemed agitated which is unusual and he cut across explaining the car's progress to ask where we were and told me we needed to get home urgently. I didn't really understand what he was talking about but he said he was coming from Kaguve Street and that there were major problems in town. It left me feeling quite apprehensive so I asked on Facebook if people knew what was going on. A friend in South Africa sent me a Reuters article and said it looked like we were having a coup. People have been speculating this might happen since Mnangagwa was fired as Vice President last week and fled the country.

Well all was calm in the northern suburbs and I went to the quiz. The sounds of the crickets and frogs from the Highlands Vlei filled my ears and the ishwas flocked in their multitudes to the street lights on the drive there. Lightning flashed across the horizon and a thunderstorm moved closer. At the quiz people had mixed opinions on what was happening and responded to messages from people overseas checking on the situation. Things are definitely at a tipping point politically and the economy is on its knees with the shortage of cash and parallel markets. Grace could definitely be a Lady Macbeth. Let's just hope it doesn't become as bloody as the bard's play does.

Harare - Pluie prévue pour demain. Restez au sec !

The rainy season is definitely here and I'm enjoying the cooler weather. Having to make a plan for personal training as tend to do it in the garden. I made the mistake of questioning my personal trainer on whether you could really have a work out in half an hour. Her eyebrow went up and she said did I want to try - you can do sprints for different stations - gulp. Today was quite a cardio session and the repeats of burpees had me puffing. I am going to sleep well tonight and will enjoy falling asleep to the rain.

My first French lesson with the home schoolers went really well. It was really sweet, they both were so excited. I will have to try keep up the enthusiasm. When I was leaving the seven year old kept dashing out to ask me more words and then ran back inside to tell her older brother. We'll see how much they remember tomorrow but little steps. For my Chinese student, his parents have asked that I focus on improving his pronunciation and fluency in speaking. He does tend to say "hundreg" instead of "hundred" but on the whole he's doing well. His mum dropped me home on Friday and wanted him to say more than just bye when I got out. I tried hinting by wishing him a good weekend. The more I tried to elicit more from him the more abrupt his goodbyes became and the more stressed on bye. Both his mum and I laughed. Was delighted with my form three today as he had made his own chapter summaries and character outlines for both Macbeth and Spies. He hadn't gone as far as learning quotes but I was really thrilled he had done what he had as it can be like drawing blood from a stone for literature.

Saw my psychiatrist today about my hair loss. He is putting me on a lower dose of lithium and hopefully that will help. I am currently above what is needed for what he termed "maintenance" i.e. when I am not struggling and depressed. The blood test results for checking on my thyroid weren't back so he's going to chase those up to check my thyroid is OK. Lithium can mess with your metabolism and hair loss can possibly be a dodgy thyroid. I nearly had heart failure when I arrived at the surgery and the new secretary said I had to pay $55 in cash as a shortfall. I have never had to do this. She seemed quite adamant that I needed to but luckily I was right and I didn't need to on BUPA. Made me think of those who can't afford medical aid and treatment. If you have a mental illness you have to see a doctor and have your meds reviewed and updated fairly regularly.

Have Lexi one of the dachshunds snuggled up next to me on the couch. Well actually she's pushing me off the sofa. They are very affectionate dogs and come thundering through to greet me when I get back. I finish this stint of house sitting on Wednesday. Have been popping home to see my own two who give me a warm welcome too.

Flamboyants

Christmas colours line my street,
heady mixes of crimson, yellow and lush green.
Blossoms fall and strew my way,
carpets of scarlet that greet me each day.
We sit and drink tea under the trees,
discussing all sorts of things
from politics to the frivolous.
November days with storm clouds gathering,
is the real tempest coming?

Googliser

Today has been quite a long day. My brilliant friend Nina very kindly lent me her spare car so that I could do all I needed to do. Went and taught my form three student - going over IGCSE biology papers as he is writing exams this coming week. The multiple choice seems harder with some questions you really have to think carefully over. From teaching I went to pick up two frames for the photo booth at the Convent Old Girls' lunch at Alo Alo. Once I got to the restaurant it was all systems go as I was the chief photographer. I need to edit some of the photos as the lighting wasn't great as it was overcast and indoors. The lunch seemed to be a success, bringing together old girls from many different generations, nuns and then past and present staff. Shaleigh on our committee had done an amazing job obtaining wonderful raffle prizes. I won a cut and blow dry that I might give to my mum. We also had a 50/50 raffle where if you paid in cash you stood a chance to win half the takings - with the current situation in the country this was a big hit.

Some of the committee

From the luncheon I headed across to the airport but before I did I phoned the airport to check on the arrival time of the Emirates flight. I nearly had heart failure when I thought they said 15.55 as it was now 16.20 but luckily they had said 16.55. I didn't have to wait too long in the arrivals hall and it turned out my clients were Swiss French. They spoke a little slower than the previous guests who were from Paris. When they were sorting out getting a local SIM card I thought it amusing when the lady said "Je peux googliser George Clooney - il marche!"

Harare - Restez à l’abri aujourd’hui, la pluie est au rendez-vous.

Well Facebook's advice to me today became a reality as on the way to teach the home schoolers my car went through a puddle and then konked out luckily on the same road I am house sitting on but frustratingly wasn't simply a wet engine but rather appears to be a faulty fuel pump. We have not been doing well with the car as of late. My mum is loath to invest in a new one with the current political situation but it really is becoming a problem with us sinking money into repairs which seem never ending and with my work being affected like today. The mum of the home school kids was understanding and in chatting to her we decided I will start teaching beginners French from next week which will be fun. I have made a plan to get to my Chinese student at 2 but will probably have to cancel my form three which is annoying. Some sort of solution for tomorrow will have to be found with the old girls' lunch and tour guiding.

There's going to be an exciting photographic workshop next week organised with Hivos, the Dutch Embassy and the Zimbabwe Association of Female Photographers on visual literacy and documentary photography. It will be run by Sophie Boshouwers from the World Press Photo Foundation and then Chris de Bode, who specialises in documentary storytelling. I am quite excited about it. In 2013 I took part in a project with the ZAFP and Hivos, taking photos in the run up and during the elections and had one photo bought by a Dutch newsagent. I don't know if there'll be a similar project for next year. Little bit more nervous taking political photos with my larger camera - my little Olympus allowed me to do it way more discretely.

My photo that was sold which was taken at Makombe Building.

Have to go see my psychiatrist on Monday. Am doing fine mentally but I am experiencing hair loss and am not sure if it's the higher dose of lithium. Had blood tests done and my GP didn't contact me after so am presuming my thyroid is fine but my psychiatrist said to come in and see him. Was a bit alarming when I washed my hair the other day and handfuls of hair came out. Saw my therapist at the Turkish pianist on Tuesday and she said it might be a good idea to touch base with her before I meet up with my sister in Cape Town so that I can deal with some frustrations a bit better and avoid any major fall outs. Have started getting messages from my Dad again. I didn't in the end have the courage to see him face to face when I was in England.

Thunderstorms and Hail

Well one of our team at the Amanzi quiz late night predicted that based on a weather report he'd seen it would rain at precisely four o'clock this afternoon. It started raining before that, but at 4pm it hailed. I was round at Polish friends' and we watched hail stones the size of molar teeth come hurtling down. I went on to teach my form three student and the sky darkened to an inky blue.

It has been an interesting few days politically in the country and some people were waiting for a potential coup. We discussed it at my art class and one of the ladies talked of her experiences of living through two previous coups in other parts of Africa. There has been some trouble in town but in the low density suburbs we continue living in our bubble for the most part. Apparently though US dollars in cash are trading on the black market at an 85% premium as of yesterday and it keeps going up. I went to a talk on Bitcoin with a friend yesterday and it could potentially be one solution. The way that it could affect macroeconomics was particularly fascinating to me.

We went along to Gulsin Onay's second piano recital at St Johns College on Tuesday. When she played Beethoven's Piano Sonata no 32, my mum and I were surprised that the syncopation had an element of jazz to it and we thought surely not for Beethoven?! A friend who is a musician however informed us that this piece was one of the first precursors to jazz. Who knew! Yesterday the old girls committee for Convent had our last meeting before the annual lunch on Saturday. Despite the rather dire state of the country's economy, local businesses have been very generous with prizes. I will have to try make a hat between now and Saturday. Am going to try use my prefect basher as a base.

Have been helping my form three with unseen poetry pieces. Tonight we were analysing Refugee Mother and Child by Chinua Achebe. I found the final line very moving. Previously we had looked at The Bereavement of the Lion-keeper by Sheraq Omar, which is also beautiful. My favourite five year old wanted to go back to dinosaurs tomorrow as a topic but I have managed to talk him into the story of the Trojan Horse and then a trip to Australia with Aboriginal art and animals. It's going to be a busy weekend. Am going to two art exhibitions tomorrow after work and then on Saturday there's the old girls' lunch and I then have to head to the airport to meet and greet French tourists and assist them with car hire in French.

Interesting times in Harare

Things are definitely heating up politically here. I really wish I could vote next year but claiming dual citizenship will require waiting in endless queues and giving up a day or more. I just don't have the time to. It sounds lame. I remember when I signed the document giving up my Zimbabwean citizenship when I was 18. It made me very sad and I cried. Maybe I can try do it in the holidays but unfortunately I think voter registration will have ended by then. I am not sure how much hope I am holding in regime change and any form of democracy next year even with the biometric system. There are some new comers but in a way they need to all join forces to stand against our despot.

My mum delivered the leftovers from my braai on Saturday that I over catered for to street kids at various road intersections and they were apparently extremely grateful. Glad it didn't all go to waste and did feed people who needed it. The lack of cash means people who were reliant on selling airtime vouchers for a living are in dire straights and people who rely on public transport are still expected to pay in cash which is wicked. On a positive note though, this morning when I was driving to the home schoolers, vendors at the Second Street Extension lights had taken it upon themselves to direct traffic as the robots were out. It's things like that that give you a good feeling that things will somehow be OK.

Despite all the doom and gloom above I am actually doing pretty well mentally. The high dose of lithium has kept me on a steady keel for almost a year now. I haven't had any major dips and I seem to not be as sensitive to things. I possibly may be less compassionate and caring though - I don't know if that's the meds. There are a few irritations with my sister that I may need to go see my therapist about before they bottle up and come out in an angry burst.

I am really going to miss my Chinese five year old when he goes back to China in January. He has such a delightfully inquisitive mind and surprises me all the time. He enjoyed castles to an extent today but wanted to go back to space and dinosaurs as topics. I have said we're going to look at Greek and other myths and legends - might help with his use of gender. Losing him next year means I seriously need to look for more extra work as my salary is going to drop as I see him everyday. There are a few things I am applying for and otherwise will just have to advertise more. Zimvine on Facebook helps a bit with finding people. I would like to try do the National Institute for Learning Difficulties course next year to help with things like dyslexia and ADD. Otherwise I need to maybe look into doing a masters in education or at least get a postgraduate certificate in education. Full time teaching though is not necessarily what I want to do as I enjoy being flexible and teaching on a one to one basis. It does mean though that I don't always earn a salary in school holidays and don't have a dependable regular income.

Delonix regia

Flowers of flame line streets with familiar names.
Scarlet and yellow set against pubescent green,
royal in bearing and so called the same.
My heart rises at your sight and the kindling is set alight.
Sunny days warm my soul and leave a yearning for more.
Petals flutter to the pool and ripples set them askew.
The year is ending soon but still much to do.
Where has the time gone and where are we headed to?
In a glass house we sit, waiting, pretending
until the stone is thrown and shatters the wall.

Cycle of support for learning differences

The workshop organised by the school counsellors in Harare and the Gifted, Talented and Learning Disabled Students committee at Bishopslea was interesting yesterday. The counsellor from the International School talked about the Individual Education Program in the States and how you monitor children's progress with feedback. Sas Kirk spoke on how the current educational system in Zimbabwe and the rest of the world is outdated and is derived from the model suited to the industrial revolution which creates a hierarchy and tailor made answers that don't allow for different learning styles and ways of processing information. Finland was mentioned as being the most progressive. Dr Jonathan Brakarsh touched on how to tackle bullying as often children with learning difficulties get targeted. I though of one of my previous students who was getting bullied at home and at school. It ended with how you can use mindfulness to tackle ADD and ADHD - I found it very hard to focus and stay on the present (my mind was wondering to what I had to still make for the braai yesterday afternoon). Apparently we spend 47% of our life thinking about the past and the future. Focusing on the past can potentially cause depression and sadness, whilst too much pondering on the future creates anxiety and in extreme cases possibly insanity.

Well I made food for 15 people and only 5 people came to the braai but it was more intimate and we had fun. I have a surplus of salad and stuff though - might make boxes and give it to street people at the traffic lights. It was lovely to enjoy the flamboyants from Lawson Ave that are visible from the garden and to sit around the fire afterwards.

Off to a concert by Gülsin Onay at St Johns just now, which is part of the Twelve classical music series that brings musicians to Harare. Apparently Onay is one of the top 100 pianists in the world and she originates from Turkey. The lady I am house sitting for sends photos from her travels around Turkey every day. It looks amazing and colours of spices, ceramics and pomegranates are intoxicating. I would love to visit there. Shame, sadly the aunt had to put the cat here down yesterday. It had cancer and wasn't doing so well but deteriorated this week.

I have just put together a lesson for my five year old for tomorrow on castles. Thought we should expand his vocabulary beyond space and dinosaurs - he does know words like nebula and palaeontologist now but perhaps we need to cover more ground on simpler things. I hope he enjoys tomorrow's lesson. From there I am thinking of possibly doing Egyptology (I won't call it that). I think he will remain fixated on space and dinosaurs though for the foreseeable future. Have told him there are real dinosaur bones at the Natural History museum here in Harare and also moon rock at the Geological Survey Museum. Perhaps we can go on an excursion but he does say he's seen a huge dinosaur in China so the bones here might not be as cool, although it would be something different for him.