Unicorns, au pairing and TikTok

View from above Borrowdale Brooke

Since I last wrote, my anxiety has lifted and I am enjoying my new work more. I am managing OK with balancing it with school work and it is the right amount of busy-ness. It is just as well my new job covers fuel, as I use a quarter of a tank there and back each day, but I like the drive. The Brooke is an interesting place, slightly pretentious and an admixture of architectural styles. The house I go to is near to Mnangagwa's son's mansion. We have a chef, Victor, who whips out cupcakes every break time. Have just done a work out online with Cara my personal trainer to try burn it off but I need to try not to nibble so much. Am getting to know the kids I tutor. They are both dyslexic and one does NILD with someone else but I help with her NILD homework and rhythmic writing. At the moment I don't have any NILD students of my own. 

Part of my job is to take my two students and the two younger ones to activities. I was dropping one off this week and by mistake we drove into the wrong house. Turns out the house we went to knows the family so was a little awkward but they seemed to see our mistake. On Mondays and Wednesday I do a drop off and pick up at Hellenic and get a lunch box picnic packed for me to munch on. I am seeing the other side of online learning and how it is a bit stressful for parents trying to get their kids to get through all the work set by teachers and also having resources on hand for projects suddenly sprung on them. Is quite good for me to see this for my own class. Hellenic did the #jerusalemachallenge and I am getting my class to do it too. Some are keen, some not so much. I said I can compile a video of it, hopefully haven't bitten off too much of a challenge with that.

I house sat last week in Kensington and this week I'm in Milton Park looking after the lone remaining dachshund and two new cats. I am going to try pop home just now to see my own two dogs. Having a few friends over for dinner and then lunch this weekend. Just been using Pinterest to look at recipes based on a loose idea I have planned. Went back to the Pomona Farmers' Market yesterday and again they had such lovely veggies and much cheaper than elsewhere. I love that you put everything in brown paper bags, no plastic and you have a wicker basket to fill. Definitely a fan.

Have been asked to give a 30 minute talk on depression online in October. The panel discussion I was on a month ago should be shared soon.

Anxiety

 I don't often get anxiety, but this past week it has been hanging over me and I wake up feeling it acutely. I think it's trying to juggle everything and not drop a ball and feeling the pressure that I have to as otherwise we can't afford the basics. It eats into you though and hovers over your day.

This week was an ease into things as we had a long weekend. From next week it will be the real test with full weeks and trying to get it all done. It looks like I will be house sitting for two weeks for two different people.

This isn't a long post as I don't really have much more to say. I feel for those who have anxiety all the time and struggle with it daily.

Good news in the time of Corona

Managed to get out into the garden and start a painting this morning. Did a wash of water colour and will work into it with ink. Before that I did some school stuff and asked my class for topics they want to cover in this next term. A lot of them said they want to learn about Zimbabwean and African history. We have done the Chimurengas and slavery before but guess we can visit them again. I think my class is going to be very #blacklivesmatter conscious with slavery and Apartheid but I guess they need to know to have a balanced view.

Did a lesson online and then drove across to Borrowdale Brooke for an interview. I got the job to tutor children who are doing online work from Hellenic and I start on Wednesday. This will really help my income and they will cover my fuel. It means I'm going to be working pretty darn hard when school resumes but I have to.

The other good news is that I have sold a painting. It's the one I did out at Mazowe the week before last.

An extra job and mental health

Have an interview for some extra teaching tomorrow. It's to support some children learning from home. I just am not going to survive on my current income. Basically earn just enough to pay our gardner on my main salary. It's going to mean working even harder but I have no choice. It's that or we may have to leave Zim as we just cannot afford to live here any more. I will also be doing some marking for the Allied Arts poetry and literature eisteddfod. I think a lot of people are barely making ends meet and living hand to mouth here.

At lunchtime I took part in a recorded online panelist discussion on mental health. There was someone from the Friendship Bench, some other support groups and health practitioners. We are going to do another session next weekend and it will eventually be posted online for a mental health virtual festival.

Otherwise have pottered round the garden, watering plants and being with my dogs. There was an art festival at Mukuvusi Woodlands today that I would have liked to have gone to but we are trying to be careful (my sister is freaking out about us going out and about). There is a third and final art auction for Daryl Nero's art which will be online.

Mental health and vet bills

This morning got off to a good start. Since we've gone back to stricter lock down again, I had organized a Google Meets with people from my depression support group, Unquiet Minds. Ended up only being four of us, but it was good to connect and one of the people is now in France and he had some great ideas from what he has experienced in France for support for depression. They have groups that offer activities for different interests. A friend in Australia who works in mental health support had also suggested this. When lock down ends can definitely try this out and in the meantime try have more regular online meet ups. Tomorrow I am a panelist speaker for a mental health webinar. Am just waiting to hear if we are live tomorrow or if the discussion with be shared later on.

Moderator: Lady K - radio personality

Panelists:

- Tony Friday - Global institute for emotional health and wellness / Radio personality

- Chenjerai Chigumbura - Lawyer / The Empowerment Trust founder

- Sandra - art therapy

- Wadzanai Garwe - Economist

- Michael Chiunda - LGBTQ+ activist / Hands of Hope / Singer/Songwriter

- Noku Sithole - DJ Noxxy / Gospel Artist /

- Ashler Jaya - The mixologist

- Rufaro - Poet

- Chengeto Brown - Singer/Songwriter

- Ruth Mbangwa - Jazz Musician

- Elli - Mental Health worker

- Indigo Saint - Musician / Activist

- Akrikka - Activist / Musician

- Chido Tengae - Actress

- Ritah The thought - Events and Creative Arts Management / Social and Community

Development / Spiritual and Mental Health Activist

- Diana Motsi - Activist / Photographer

- Michelle Juru - Visual Artist / Chief Creative Officer of Panda Stu.

- AneUnhu Gwatidzo - Creative Consultant / Multidisciplinary storyteller

- Tony Friday - Global institute for emotional health and wellness / Radio personality

- Vimbai Mukaronda - Tutor at Inspire tutors

- Sandra - Art therapy

- Dr Nyarai Paweni - Wellness coach - Naturopathic Doctor / Mental Wellness Advocate

- Wadzanai Garwe - Economist

- Katy Lanas - Unquiet minds

- Michael Chiunda - LGBTQ+ activist / Hands of Hope / Singer/Songwriter

- Agatha Chapeyama-Chipunza - The mental health trust

- Ashler Jaya - The mixologist

- Thandi Gula-Ndebele - Photographer/ Videographer

- Chengeto Brown - Singer/Songwriter

- Ruth Mbangwa - Jazz Musician

- Indigo Saint - Musician / Activist

- Akrikka - Activist / Musician

- Ritah The thought - Events and Creative Arts Management / Social and Community

Development / Spiritual and Mental Health Activist

- Diana Motsi - Activist / Photographer

Out in the garden after the online meet up, I suddenly noticed my dog Elsie had a gaping wound on her elbow. She gets pressure points there but this had turned into an abscess which had burst, and we had to take her to the vet. Coaxing her along with biscuits we got her in the car, whereafter she was very well behaved. The vets had a glass shield in front of the main counter and we weren't allowed into the consulting room with Elsie.  She panicked a bit at this but was OK. It all came to US$23, which is about an eighth of my salary, but had to be done. But between Elsie having to go to the vet and Jasper biting Given, our gardner, this week has been costly.

Exam postponed, phew

So the big news on Wednesday evening was that the CHIZ ATS schools have decided to postpone again the grade 7 high school entrance exam. A big PHEW! Means I get next week off and theoretically we resume school on the 3rd of August online. We wait and see what happens with next week's MDC demonstration and Corona. Closer to home a staff member at the Pick'n'Pay in Strathaven tested positive for Corona and they had to shut down and sanitize or SANE-tise as a friend put it. It is definitely very much out there now. My sister is still not talking to us and hasn't invited me to do Pilates or Zumba this week. We can't just up and go though, it's not straightforward.

As I was trying to find topics for social studies, I put it out to some of my class as to what they would like to learn about. One student said he'd like to study Apartheid. Good choice. That will take several lessons and is a relevant bit of history. Yesterday with my student that I tutor, we did nutrition. Was interesting to see the traditional theory of a balanced diet which is heavily carbohydrate based. We discussed the newer low carb option and then looked at diseases from deficiencies. I had forgotten about goitre and beri beri. You do need your grains for Vitamin B in some forms of starch. Today I don't teach online. I am trying to find my CELTA teaching English as a foreign language certificate. I know I put it in a "safe place" but can't remember where.

It's a bit like Groundhog Day

With the sudden clamp down by government again last night and lock down being more strictly reinstated once more, there is a tangible sense of deja vu and here we go again. I'm glad I saw a few people this last weekend before going back into hibernation. A few people went to art this morning but I opted to stay home. I also managed to persuade my grade 7 student I am privately tutoring to have an online lesson. They hadn't installed Zoom so we had to do it over Skype which was not ideal as you can't share screens or have a white board, but we managed. They are currently trying to install Zoom for tomorrow, but gosh, didn't know there were so many Zoom apps to choose from now. I just had one option when I installed mine.

Lock down this morning didn't start well. Our dog Jasper is not good with other people if we are around and my mum unwittingly let the dogs out the back door, not knowing our gardner was walking round the corner at that precise moment. Jasper went for him and punctured his hand. We dressed the wound but my mum thought it best to take Given to the trauma centre for tetanus and other things. Unfortunately the CIMAS clinic in Rowland Square was closed, so she took Given to Health Point, which cost a bomb (six weeks' worth of online private teaching blown in one go). It had to be done though. Given has now gone back home to Epworth with the lock down. He rode all the way on his bicycle and was going to take back roads to avoid the police to get home. Means I need to do the watering in the garden.

Did some art in the garden today and some watering. My sister didn't invite me to join Pilates tonight, I think she's still really cross with me.