(Fixing the Landy and some cool rocks in the Matopas).
Well it has been an age since I updated my blog; sincere apologies for that. Time here flies and then it is difficult to know where to start.
As you can see from all the photos I have been busy taking lots of trips outside Bulawayo exploring this beautiful country. I love getting out and going for a fun drive to let off steam after my working week. My car (and myself, it seems) come alive when off roading! There is nothing as thrilling as driving through a river!!! We have had lots of rain here and I have taken full advantage of all the river crossings. My mechanic has now forbidden me to drive through any more without fitting a 'snorkel' to my car to help it breath under water- no joke. My lights are half full of water and my horn sounds distinctly wet- which in Africa is a definite disadvantage!
I had a rather interesting experience when I fell down a waterfall and almost killed myself. 3 brave people saved my life- 2 of which couldn't swim.... 1 girl broke her foot and leg as a result (she will be ok but I had to put her into plaster myself)- and I got away with some interesting bruises, as pictured.
There is something about the intensity of everyday life here that necessitates going crazy every so often. I always have been a bit of an adrenaline junkie so this new environment is a bit dangerous for me as proved by the evidence!
All the outdoor adventuring and adrenaline seeking is causing me to have had to become a bit of a mechanic- Thank you so much Martin Housman- your mechanics weekend is saving my life! The men around her find it hilarious that I vehemently defend my Landy when they are all Toyota geeks. I have a continual barrage of banter about all Land Rover's faults....not helped when my clutch keeps dying. Quite a lot of the guys out here are 'rather old school' and attempt to rush to my aid when I break down. It both amuses and satisfies me though when I am the one that ends up having to get inside the bonnet of my trusty Landy to twiddle with various valves. My father used to say that you shouldn't own a car if you didn't know the basics- I hope he would be impressed with my ever growing mechanical language. Those of you that know me well will know how much I hate men trying to rescue me or patronise me with simple explanations. The first mechanic I sort out back in November cut me off mid sentence to ask my male passenger what he thought! Even my passenger commented afterwards that it was a bit of a stereotyped situation.
Otherwise life here pootles on. I often find things a bit hard and struggle to know what my purpose is here. It is so easy to be drawn into the NGO set- a complex power struggle which feels so removed from the reality of most of the world. 'Doing' things for the 'poor' is really a complete load of crap and so many of the motives of western development agencies are shallow and self seeking.
This last few weeks I have thought a lot about my father. I am about 18 months in and it still hurts like the most painful thing that I have ever had to journey through. Grief will hit me like a tidal wave- flooring me. It seems to come from out of no where and then it can be gone equally fast, leaving me gasping for air. I still battle the loneliness that it brings and resent having to have walked it alone. I am enjoying listening to some Podcasts from Mars Hill in the States- they are running a lent series on grief based on Lamentations. One theme they are exploring is the concept of Kriah which is a traditional Jewish mourning practice. Also known as the "rending of garments", it is a physical and visible demonstration of grief through the image of torn material (http://www.marshill.org/kriah/). I have been thinking maybe one day I will prepare some talks on bereavement. I sadly think there is such an immense need for people to be taught about how to support one another- doesn't that seem crazy?!
Well I must sign out now- love you all lots and you know any of you are welcome to come to Zim for a little adventure?!
xxx
2 comments:
Great to see the update Hattie! We just listened to the same talk this week. Scott is a champion Podcast downloader and Mars Hill is one of the favs. I agree that we are culturally really unhealthy in our constipated approach to grief. Once when I was grieving, I was quite glad to be living alone because I just needed to cry so hard, long and often and make so much noise....don't know if I would have felt that free doing it around anyone else. But interesting that so many other cultures get 'grievers' to join them in their emotional journey. I do pray God will give you strength to go through, not around, and release all the emotion when the waves come. We love you!!
Hey hats, nice to have an update and also to see your turtoise! Loving the sound of your adventures - love to see more photos though - you say 'as pictured' about your bruises but I can't see a picture... Which reminds me - I still need to upload some photos from SA pre-Christmas. We continue to think of you often and pray for God's plan for you out there. I think it's good how he revisits your grief in stages rather than take it all on at once. Hope you manage to get some hands-on prayer out there and good people to talk to. Definitely agree some more talks on how to support one another through pain would be good. Man it's a tough one. Hattie we love you. X phil & George x
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