Home leave

I am now in the beautiful Lake District enjoying the freezing weather and all the delights of the winter here. I arrived on Christmas day and surprised my family, timing my arrival perfectly for Turkey and my favourite, bread sauce!

It feels wonderful to be home but also slightly strange as I adjust from Zimbabwe life. Apart from the obvious differences- food in the shops, no cholera (!), phone & internet that work, temperature etc etc there is also a more subtle difference to being in the UK. Working is Zim is exhausting. Normal activities are difficult and time consuming. You expend large amounts of energy on small tasks that in the UK would take 5 minutes-Filling the car with fuel is a classic example. Being here feels so refreshing but it makes me realise how tired I am. There is this strange atmosphere in Zim that people don't usually understand unless they have been there. It is an oppressive weight that hangs over the country. I was talking to a colleague I work with on the Cholera programme before I left. He has worked all round the world in some crazy places but he said that Zim was by far the hardest place he had been posted in and he regularly compares it to North Korea! It may sound extreme but I don't think the comparison is that far off. The continual propaganda coming from the government and the messages they pour out through state television and radio all contribute to the atmospheric temperature. The people of Zimbabwe truly are remarkable, so resilient and strong in such horrible and intense circumstances- and they don't get the break I am having! It is an enormous privilege to be working with them.

I return to Zim on the 9th Jan and will dive straight back into work.
Before then however, I intend to eat a great deal and enjoy the luxury of British life. The Africa road trip gang will be reunited for New Year (with the exception of Emmanuel & Rachel) so it will be great to catch up and go for some lovely Lakeland walks together.

Hopefully I will get to see as many of you as I can before I leave. I don't have a UK mobile but I am on email and my UK landline.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!