The 10 Commitments and Bond Notes

We have entered into an uncertain period in Zimbabwe (well I guess life is always uncertain here, but now a little bit more so) with the introduction of bond notes on Monday. Already there is a disparity in price for fuel, with the supposed 1:1 exchange with the US dollar not valid. Some people are saying one should stock up on essentials as the shops may not be able to continue importing things. The danger in this is if everyone does it, panic will set in and there will be shortages. The queues at the bank are horrific today as people try to get some cash out. It feels like one is living in a bubble that is about to burst any moment.

My library job came to an end last week but I have a new student, an Israeli IT specialist. He doesn't seem terribly interested in learning grammar but rather concentrating on pronunciation of English. A bit of a challenge but thank goodness for the internet and its resources. On Monday he referred to the 10 Commitments - I think he was joking. I continue with 4 year old Runbo who pretended he was going "out to the space" in a rocket made out of an upturned chair.

I was supposed to go help with painting with patients in the psychiatric unit at Parirenyatwa last week but we were told we had to get clearance from the head matron and sign forms saying we wouldn't press charges if we were attacked by the patients. I hadn't quite thought of that. We will try for the beginning of next year.

Fired by a four year old

Have now finished filling in as the librarian at Convent after 3 weeks. Went smoothly and I managed to get the hang of it alright. Will now need to fill my mornings but there is a possibility of some conservation work. Won't be paid but will be something to occupy me and will be nice to be using my educational background a bit.

Bond notes come out Monday. Been trying to suss out who will accept them. Take aways will but for my lithium and other medication which are all imports, only US dollars in cash will be taken. This is going to be a serious problem if my students' parents can't pay me in US. Not sure what we can expect with all of this but a bit apprehensive.

So about being fired by my four year old student Runbo last Friday. I went round as usual to give Runbo his English lesson. Half way through he decided he wanted to cut up one of his pictures from play school. When I said no, he looked at me and then just screamed blue murder. He went to his granny in the kitchen to tell her in Chinese what I had done and then not getting much sympathy from her picked up the phone and told me he was phoning his daddy to fire me. I tried not to laugh and was impressed he could say this in English (although I haven't taught him that). At the end of the lesson when I said would I see him on Monday, he replied, "Maybe not". I did go on Monday though and when I asked if I was still fired he just gave a wicked laugh - cheeky monkey!

I did a city tour for two visiting French travel agents on Sunday afternoon and evening. I had been looking up some vocab and trying to brush up on my French but I did slightly over esteem my level of fluency and it was a little embarrassing trying to scrounge around in my mind for words. They seemed nice people though and if I can maybe go to Alliance Franaiseçaise and practice a bit more it could be fun. We first drove through the city centre, then went up the Kopje and went to Mbare market (which incidentally doesn't really have curios as I thought, more traditional medicine). We went on to Avondale Flea Market and then as they fancied a traditional Zimbabwean meal I took them to Gava's.

We had  a trial run of having my depression support group on a Saturday morning and it got a bigger turn out. People said they preferred to keep it informal rather than having topics or speakers. I went and had tea with a teacher from my high school who had come and sat with me when I was in sick bay and listened when I first started experiencing depression in Form 3. She said she can see I've come a long way since then. Was interesting to hear that from someone who had known me back then and is only reconnecting with me now.

I went

So I did go in the end to my sister's wedding. It was not easy and the week's before I was in a lot of anguish. I did a lot of work on it with my therapist and decided not going would be worse. I had a few dips when I first got to England and felt excluded. I also had to psyche myself up to see some people. My sister then made an effort to include me and I think our relationship has improved. I can also now tell I had not previously been at all well mentally.

This week I've started working as the Convent seniour librarian for three weeks. I went in to be briefed on Monday and it seemed like a lot but thankfully today was quite quiet and I could find my way slowly. My instructions even include what to do should there be a riot or bomb scares, with the riot including to close all the windows if there's tear gas. If bond notes come out this might be something I need to know, who knows.

As a committee member of the Convent Old Girls Association I am helping with the annual old girls lunch on Saturday at Alo Alo. On Sunday another friend is getting married at Wild Geese and next month I'm organizing a friend's baby shower. There's a meeting on the water crisis in Harare and the wetlands tonight at 5.30 but unfortunately I'm teaching.

Art, Pizza and Farmers' Markets

My friend Lucy and I did our first trial run of art at the Sorella's Pizzeria and Cafe this morning. We had one other person come and join us. We will try to get the word out more this coming week. It is a nice venue to hold it and the pizza, coffee and brownies are yummy. I've just been asked if I'd be willing to go do art with the patients at The Annexe at Parirenyatwa (the mental illness ward). From my own experience when I was in hospital in Switzerland and then here in Zim, art definitely helped and gave a channel for some of my inner turmoil to be let out, even when I was at my lowest point. I therefore would be willing to.

Another project my depression support group would like to work on is trying to help people who are suicidal. This came about after a friend in Switzerland contacted me and asked if I wanted to help on his project. His was more suited to the first world and was to design bridges and buildings that would prevent suicide attempts and run models to predict suicides. This is where support and awareness groups exist. In Zim we just don't really have any support or awareness and it is still such a taboo. My group wants to see if there is still a life line you can call and if not start one again. One person also said we could try tackle making mental health care more affordable as it is ridiculously expensive and so precludes the vast majority in Zimbabwe.

Otherwise to fill my mornings when I am not teaching I have been seeing friends for coffee and going round the Farmers' Market at Jam Tree yesterday. The market had all sorts of food products from Lebanese to almond flour. I overheard people saying they may need to make their own butter to sell as there seems to be a current shortage in the shops. Had a bit of a scare with my pharmacy this week as they now won't accept payment by bank cards. They said they can't pay for the import of drugs with bank transfers any more and have to pay cash. Another pharmacy would accept a debit card but am a bit worried about how long this will last. Cash is still really hard to come by in Zim currently. On a good note though, there seems to be a new private health facility that will take mental health patients. This means you are not faced with only the option of Parirenyatwa. Although I guess if we all had to go to Parirenyatwa it might be improved more quickly.

September

Saw my therapist again today and she stressed I need to take responsibility for things. It sometimes just doesn't feel like I can and I just feel like I'm drowning with no way out. She also said I've got to make up my mind if I'm going to England in a few weeks time or not. It is weighing on me heavily and I am not happy. Although my lithium dose has gone up I keep hitting big downs. It is not helped by the pressure of deciding and family politics. Friends of my Mum's have said they don't think I should write this blog. Other friends who also have bipolar say it helps them and it is stuff I would keep bottled inside. I don't really care. No one has to read this and if you do you can have your own opinion, it doesn't really faze me.

Finally watched The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive. Stephen Fry is my hero.

Otherwise am fairly busy in the afternoons with tutoring and TEFL. Also now teach on Saturdays. I will in addition be doing my first tour guiding round Harare in French job in November on a Sunday luckily as I am filling in at the Convent as the head librarian for three weeks. Hoping to get some people to come to art at Sorella's on Friday mornings too.

Limbo and Stayaway

Harare is a bit of a political hot bed at the moment. You are not sure each day what it will bring. I've been driving my friend Xenoula out to Glen View high density area each morning and then picking her up from Epworth in the afternoon. In the mornings the police are out in full force but for a change they are not interested in spot fines on things like fire extinguishers and radio licences but are more concerned with mini bus taxis going into the city or back to the townships and all the people they are transporting. I say that, I did have to dig out my extinguisher and show my spare tyre in town on Enterprise Road later today, but they didn't press me further than those, unusual.

I saw my therapist again this morning and we talked on me being codependent on my mum, what I can do when I go to England to diffuse any possible blow ups with my sister and how to curve some of my paranoid thinking. I went on to my psychiatrist and he has upped my lithium dose which may stop some of the paranoia. I have a much longer wait with my new psychiatrist and I do miss the maximim of a ten minute wait with my other psych. She also dug deeper into things - my new doctor said I must simply refer to the prayer for serenity with my sister. A bit of a simplification.

The doctor today said I must come up with a daily time table for each hour so I have something to always do, particularly if the home school I've been working at doesn't reopen next week. He suggested I should come up with a concept paper for a research project I could do. He is an academic himself and after hearing I didn't finish my PhD he is a little obsessed that I return to academia. I am not so sure. I would rather maybe try write a book. On Monday though I did meet with someone and walk with them and my friend Xenoula along what I think is the Mukuvusi River that flows through Hillside Park. It's really polluted with plastic and other dumping and needs clearing out of invasive alien vegetation. It's a possible project - needs some funding though and some willing volunteers.

Photo courtesy of Xenoula

Photo courtesy of Xenoula

Found an article bpHope Magazine's blog had interesting. I did know what I was angry about but this bit fits pretty well - "Like it or not, anger can be a symptom of bipolar disorder. Just like depression and mania, anger is relatively common. In my opinion, it is one of the most destructive symptoms, as it relates to interacting with other people, especially friends and family.

Many people with bipolar disorder describe a feeling of abandonment by loved ones. This is an excellent example of how anger can be a very destructive symptom. Whether the anger pushes a person away or we are angry at someone who isn’t as prominent in our lives as we’d like, anger can rot a person from the inside out. Ignoring anger is foolish for anyone, but it is especially foolish for someone with bipolar disorder, given what is at stake. Unchecked anger can lead to self-harm, irreparable damage in close relationships, and, in rare cases, can lead to violence."

Riots and Across the Grasslands in Harare

Yesterday there were more demonstrations in Harare and for the first time when the riot police appeared people fought back. Unfortunately they proceeded to set cars alight and pillage shops and apparently the riot police retaliated by using water cannons to fire tear gas. Apparently there is a mass march tomorrow from the combined opposition political parties. I have a friend visiting from England who is doing a dance outreach project in Glen View and Epworth and today driving to Epworth we saw reserve police at every street corner on the outskirts of town and then lots of police road blocks heading out to Epworth. For a change the police were mostly interested in mini bus taxis and not other motorists and spot fines.

Since I last wrote I have seen a second psychiatrist and he has had me go get an MRI brain scan done and some blood work. He is not changing my main meds of lithium and venlorflaxen for the time being as he feels with spring my mood should lift and I may become manic if he does. He has taken me off benhexol though as he thinks it may cause memory loss and put me on something else. He is also talking about changing olazapine as it may be what makes me overweight.

I have been seeing my therapist twice a week and a couple of times with my Mum. I have to decide if I am going to my sister's wedding. I am still angry and it is a sore point. I find it difficult to say how I feel and my therapist says this is something I really need to work on.

Went to an art exhibition at The Studio in Borrowdale this evening featuring work by Vanessa Hounsell and David Chinyama. It's on till Sunday. Met some people involved in work with art galleries and there might be some work with them on running art workshops. My friend Lucy is keen to run art classes too and we have been offered space at Sorellas Pizzeria and Cafe. Contact me if you're interested. There is also some possible work being an arts and culture tour guide for in and around Harare. I need to brush up my French for it as it may be for French speakers.

If you're in Harare come to my friend Sharon Lee's short film premier next week titled "Across the Grasslands"
Harare screenings during IIFF 2016: -Sat 27 Aug, 2.30pm @ Stimulus Hub (cnr Fife Ave/7th Street) -Wed 31 Aug, 5.30pm @ Alliance Francaise -Thu 1 Sep, 3pm @ Rutendo Hall, Mufakose #SpreadTheWord