Last minute shopping for a president

I was the only one successful in our third trip to Market Square last Sunday. The two others with me were turned away and directed to Makombe Building to change from alien to citizen and to replace an alien ID. I went and joined the queue I had been directed to the week before and hit my first difficult person but luckily the supervisor at counter 8 had signed my birth certificate so all was well. My friend who wanted to get her citizenship had a week of being shunted from one door to another at Makombe Building but they did actually phone her today and she has it at last. I don't know if I would have held out like she did.

I went to the voter registration centre open in Mount Pleasant and was relieved I was only one of three people there. Well I guess I should wish there were more people registering. As one of the three other people there put it, "we were last minute shoppers for a president". I thought I had everything but the person at the first desk said I needed a stamp on my ZOL bill to show it was original. I thought this meant I would have to go away and some how get this. I suggested that instead I get a utility bill in my mum's name and get her to sign an affidavit. He said no, my mum would have to come in person to the registering centre and sign it there. He handed me a form to sign which I did which he seemed to think was an affidavit for the ZOL form - I am still not sure how that all worked but I got registered - woohoo! Now I will have to start figuring out who I should vote for or vote against. As far as I can tell there are an awful lot of different opposition candidates - it would be better if they could consolidate.

Have battled a cold most of this week and have lost my morning home school students. It does mean though that I can now take my Chinese five year old in the mornings until he goes back to China and it gives me precious afternoon time to find work tutoring. I think I got sick as I was already feeling a bit burnt out with the double home schooling only three weeks in. Just need to get active in seeking out extra pupils to tutor. Perhaps can even try do lessons online. This weekend I've got some further work trying to save Harare's remaining wetlands.