Shopping is now quite stressful

We had school again yesterday and most of my students returned, although everyone is still struggling to find fuel. The lady who cleans our classrooms and brings me coffee was able to get in from Hatcliffe. She did say people are being beaten by the police in Hatcliffe. Turns out our head loves Christmas cake and date loaf, so my offerings scavenged from Veldemeers for tea went down really well and I gave everyone sugar highs from the meringues. The internet went down again though. Had heard a rumour it might from midnight Friday morning and sure enough we were all without it again until about 4 pm Friday. Am currently using it to prep for next week as you never know when it is going to go again. There is talk of another stayaway from Wednesday to Friday this coming week.

On the way home we only passed two fuel queues on Second Street which were both ridiculously long. Suddenly decided it might be worth trying to get groceries in. I gave up on Thursday, what with the armed policemen and queues to the back of the supermarket in Village Walk. I decided to go to Fruit and Veg in Avondale as usually they don't have long queues as you pay more. When I first went in there weren't many people and quite a few shelves were empty. A few people were trying to figure out what things cost as the prices didn't match up with things. Slowly the shop started filling and you sensed people were feeling a bit panicky and started filling their trollies with things like canned foods and pasta (I was doing the same). The management suddenly decided to pull down the door to the entrance and weren't letting any more people in. I quickly paid for my groceries and then went across to Bon Marche to try get things that Fruit & Veg didn't have. Walking across the car park some of the vendors came and asked me to buy things. They were pretty desperate so I agreed to buy some mangoes and potatoes when I came out, paying by Ecocash. In Bon Marche, Ecocash was apparently not working but luckily they could still accept swipe even though the internet was down. I didn't really want to pay in cash. The queues were much longer in Bon Marche and people were really stockpiling their trolleys there. I happened to look at how much Bombay Sapphire now costs - over $100!! And coffee - Nescafe, which is the cheapest is $46 - noooooooooooo!!!!

I got home and was actually exhausted even though it has technically only been a three day week. I think the background anxiety has taken its toll. We are going to try get fuel today but otherwise keeping quiet at home. I am teaching my Chinese student online just now if the internet stays on.

What is normal?

We returned to school today but I only had half my class come back. Most weren't able to get to school as they had no fuel, as it is now incredibly scarce. Only a matter of time until us teachers also don't have any. There is the possibility of a mass demonstration through town tomorrow in protest. I don't know if it will come off though and if people will be brave enough to. Although at this point I think people are really desperate. The lady who cleans our school and brings me my coffee (for which I am always so grateful) didn't come in today. She lives in Hatcliffe. I tried to go shopping in Pick'n'Pay at Village Walk at lunchtime to make stuff for staff tea tomorrow but aborted that idea when I saw the queues (AND the armed police - with AKs at the ready - supposedly to prevent looting - I wasn't sticking around in case that happened). I made a quick contingency plan and went and bought meringues and fruit cake from Veldemeers. I did first check that the prices on display weren't in US dollars - just checking!! - they weren't luckily. The shop assistant there also lives in Hatcliffe and she said Veldemeers had to organise for her to be collected for work today as the mini bus taxis weren't running. She said people have been going missing.

A friend who is a human rights lawyer here is organising for fundraising to help assist people who have been arrested and providing them with legal aid, food in prison and medical treatment. If anyone would like to assist get in touch with me and I can provide you with more details. There are hundreds of people who have been arrested over the last few days and some of them have been badly beaten.

Driving home today we came across a stray dog wandering hopelessly along King George Road and Connaught. Managed to get it to run up what turned out to be a really long drive way. There were all sorts of wonderful fungi growing amongst the vegetation and I got quite excited whilst trying to herd the dog to what seemed to be its home. Tried ringing the gate intercom but couldn't raise anyone, so I rang a bell on the gate which brought out two other dogs but from their interaction with the stray dog it was evident that the dog definitely belonged there. Still no human appeared though. It then started to bucket with rain and I was still trying to keep the dog from running back down the drive to the busy road below. Finally, after becoming thoroughly soaked the owner eventually came out and it was indeed their dog - happy end to the story. I was worried that if we took the dog to the 24 hour vet on East Rd the owner might not have access to social media, with it being blocked currently, and the dog may be put down. But thankfully not!

When the whole country is without internet

After heading home early on Monday we spent the next two days of the stay away quietly at home. I woke up yesterday and found that Facebook wasn't opening but up until 9.30 am, I could still get on whatsapp and email. Then everything went down and we lost contact with the outside world and what was happening here in Zim. I used the time to do some much needed clearing and marking. My sister in the UK only became aware of what was going on in Zim today and had to text message (we did at least still have that, although it costs a lot more). We were able to get home without hindrance on Monday but my good friend Nina who lives in Hatfield was cut off from her child due to barricades and squirmishes with police on Chiremba Road. I was told that there had been shootings in Epworth and checked with our gardner if his family was alright. Luckily they were.

It looks like we will go back to school tomorrow but who knows what the rest of this week holds and how we are all supposed to continue with prices now three and half times what they were. I was supposed to teach my student in China today but had no internet. They of course know all about having a clamp down on the internet there and completely understood. Seems Facebook, Instagram and Youtube are still down.

Failed as a dog whisperer

We got back from England to find that our one dog Jasper was not himself. Taking him to the vet though is a mission as he can be aggressive (that's putting it mildly). This morning we got everything ready, after going to get a sedative for him yesterday. Well the same thing happened as last time where the sedative just didn't kick in when it was supposed to. He was still very alert when we got to Avondale and there was no way we were going to get him inside easily. As he had lost weight, his harness didn't fit him properly as he kept wiggling out of it. Eventually the vet lent us a rope and muzzle and we had to go round to the back entrance to avoid him running off into the busy King George Road.

So it turns out he has a longer term form of biliary which doesn't display the classic symptoms. Poor baby! He had a high temperature and we are hoping he doesn't have damage to his organs from it. He's on a high dose of antibiotics and had jabs. If he doesn't get better we have to go back for blood tests. We did bring flea and tick stuff back for he and Elsie but I think we didn't act fast enough. Need to put Elsie on a systemic dose.

We're back home and NOW the sedative is in full effect and he is passed out with Elsie at my feet. I am home for the foreseeable bit as no house sitting is on the immediate horizon (right now in Zim I don't think many people will be off travelling lots). I am trying to tidy up at home. It is hard going as my mum hoards terribly and as fast as I try throwing stuff out, she rummages back through and digs it out saying it has a use. Very frustrating. I think not living at home most of last year did me a lot of good and may have been one of the reasons I didn't get depressed quite so much. I guess I am saving petrol though and I have my dogs.

The price we pay

Well my return to Zim has been a bit of a baptism by fire this week. Fuel is incredibly scarce and it looks like we will be paying US dollars or the current exchange rate in bond notes/swipe. Everything seems to be teetering on the verge of collapse and the black market is very much in operation. Some people are being enterprising, queueing and then selling fuel to people at a higher price or selling their spot in a fuel queue and then charging round to the back and selling their new spot again. Last night I had a rather hairy experience driving past the Samora Machel/Seventh Street petrol station. There were mini bus taxis pressing in and in the middle of the intersection one of them had collided with two cars. I was so busy taking all of this in, that it took me a while to notice that the place was swarming with riot police. I beat a very hasty exit. Apparently at some garages now armed police are being deployed to control angry motorists who are getting desperate.

I managed to get petrol but had to pay US dollars this week. This means you are currently paying 3.5 times more than if you swipe. I can't really sustain paying that. If petrol officially is sold in US dollars it means everything else will start to be. We wait to see what happens next week. I think we are all a bit on edge waiting. One has to try and remain positive though and not get anxious as there is really not much you can do about it. Also have to remember there are many others who face a much worse predicament and I should be grateful and try be generous to those worse off. You do just wonder though at what point the price of living here is going to just be too great.

School went well, although I am pretty exhausted and on Wednesday was trying to work out how it had only been two days back (it felt like I had never left). I have some very sweet kids in my class. Still a bit unbalanced gender wise, with only two girls and eleven boys. A few of my students suffer from depression and are already on medication (they aren't teenagers yet). I have to be very careful to not pressure them or say things that will be taken very negatively - can be tricky. At least I have a bit of insight from my own experience. We had the word coupon in the vocabulary I set the class and they all knew what that was and said you can use it to get fuel. We then had queue in phonics and I said we weren't going to go into fuel queue stories but maybe can set that as a story topic. This was all relating to the /oo/ sound and so we also had cougar and when they read that it was a type of puma my one boy said, "Oh, like Puma garages?" - um no! Guess what is on everyone's minds.

Discovered my boyfriend is talented at wood work and was given a beautiful easel he made himself for me, for Christmas, so special. I need to get through my marking and doing some tidying up at home but then maybe try do some painting. I better tackle the rest of my marking now.