Untukmu Para Pengunjung

I haven't posted here for a while, as I am now blogging the serious stuff over here and here, so I thought why not simply post things that amuse me on here? Every now and then some funny things will appear! This was in an email from a family member this morning (I fly this company almost weekly and I actually love their service but..):-

A man was sitting in the bar at Heathrow Terminal 3 and noticed a really
beautiful woman sitting next to him.

He thought to himself . 'Wow, she's so gorgeous she must be an air
hostess. I wonder which airline she works for?'

Hoping to pick her up, he leaned towards her and uttered the Delta
Airline slogan. 'Love to fly and it shows?'

She gave him a blank,confused stare and he immediately thought to himself .
'Well, she obviously doesn't work for Delta.'

A moment later,another slogan popped into his head. So he leaned towards
her again and said, 'Something special in the air ..?'

She gave him the same confused look. He mentally kicked himself and
scratched Singapore Airlines off his list.

He thought 'Perhaps she works for Thai Airways ...' and said,'Smooth as silk?'

This time,the woman turned on him and said, 'What the f**k do you want?'

The man smiled, slumped back in his chair and said . 'Ahhhhh, Ryanair!'

Friday morning we were surprised to find a goat in our backyard when we came home from our run. Our new neighbours are waiting for visas to move to Nigeria, and had received the goat as a gift. We named it Barney. Barney loves John and is terrified of me. Our neighbours had tied Barney to the tree on our side of the house. Sunday morning I looked out the kitchen window and saw that Barney was in our garden - nibbling away. I called out to him (he recognizes his name) but John said to leave him alone - looking so cute and just trying to get a snack. He started dreaming about having a pet goat. When we came home from the Cadets' welcome (5 hours later - but it was a lively service!) Barney had demolished our garden. Our cornfield looked like a hurricane had hit it. John no longer wants a goat. Our neighbours were embarrassed, but happy that we're white, because they said if we'd been Shona then we would have reported this to the headman and they would have had to pay a lot of money for the damage. The happy ending was that the corn on the cob was delicious!

The 2008 session of the Zimbabwe School of Youth Leadership starts today. I hope people (and food items) show up!

I didn't think it would be a special afternoon. It was Friday and I was feeling a little tired from my first week back in the office. I was just going to take it easy, but there was a lady waiting to see me - Patience. She had a screaming, hungry baby girl (Praise) wrapped on her back, and she told me her story. Patience is HIV+. When she found out she was pregnant, she tried to have an abortion, but they refused to do the operation at the hospital. They told her that the life inside of her was a miracle, and so she had to do whatever she could to help that miracle. And she is doing just that. Patience does not breastfeed her baby because HIV can be transmitted via breastmilk. She has been feeding baby Praise formula, but the price of baby formula in the shops (if you can find it) has just doubled. Patience has been making peanut butter as a business, but right now because of all the rains, it's hard to access groundnuts, so money is tight. She went to the hospital, and they gave her a prescription for formula, but there is no formula in the hospital pharmacy. So she came to The Salvation Army; and to me.

I felt absolutely brokenhearted listening to this beautiful young woman who is doing everything she can to make sure her little daughter has a chance in life. We don't supply baby formula here, so I tried making some calls to some agencies to see if anyone supplies milk. No calls got through because our phone lines were down. She doesn't have a phone or a way to be contacted, so I eventually just had to ask her to call back the next week.

I spent about an hour with Patience and Praise - talking a bit, but mostly just in silence. I was full of admiration for the sacrifices Patience is making to give her daughter a chance at life. I was moved and touched by the tenderness I saw between mother and daughter. I was thinking about a couple of close friends who are pregnant in Canada, and imagining their agony at being in this situation. I was thinking about a trip to Toys R Us I made while we were in Canada - seeing the mountains of toys, gadgets, books that most parents in my home country can afford for their children. When all Patience wants is milk. Life. I was thinking about how poverty kills. I was thinking about how love is stronger than everything else, but sometimes it doesn't feel that way.

The next week I called various government and nongovernmental agencies, but no one supplies baby formula anymore. "Times are tough in Zimbabwe" "You know our economy is in a bad state right now" "Well, we used to have programmes like this back in the days when things were ok..." I talked to a man at UNICEF and asked him what I could advise Patience. His response was, "just tell her to breastfeed." When I said, "but won't there be a high chance that the baby could contract HIV?" his response was, "Mrs. McAlister, it's better for the baby to get HIV than to starve to death." Those are the options for Praise: HIV or starvation. I was absolutely shattered. How can we tell Praise - and all the babies of this generation - that they were just born at a bad time? and so they don't get the chance to live?

I wish I could tell you that I did something heroic. But I couldn't. Yes, I gave Patience money to buy a tin of baby formula that would last a few days. She burst out crying, and tears kept rolling down her face, "may God bless you! I didn't know how I was going to manage, but God sent me to you." But what about when those few days are finished and once again the bottle is dry? John came up with an elaborate plan to import baby formula from Botswana to help mothers in this situation, but what about when we leave? What about when donors get tired? What do the babies do then? The baby actually has a higher chance of infection when mothers combine or alternate baby formula with breastmilk. It all just seems so hopeless and devastating.

I prayed with Patience and Praise - that they would have life; hope; endurance; miracles. But when they left I cried for a good few hours, and they have not left my mind or heart. When I was in Canada, everyone urged me not to get too stressed. One well-meaning friend advised me to curb my natural affinity towards caring for people and empathizing with them. But I wouldn't be me if I didn't love others; if I didn't share in people's pain as well as their joy. That's what love is! But sometimes love really hurts because there's nothing you can do... and that leaves you feeling quite shattered.

My uncle Jim died last night. He was a funny, quirky great uncle always full of interesting stories and ideas. He will be missed and I'm praying for my auntie Marge today. We were far from Jim when he died, but we were at our own funeral last night. Amai Commissioner Shipe also passed away - a kind, thoughtful, gentle woman who always greeted us with a warm smile. We got a knock on our door just after 8pm, asking us to get dressed and come to the vehicle. I was visiting a friend, so John picked out a duku (bandana) and mutigida (cloth wrap to cover my pants) for me, came to get me and we made our way to the family's house. There was no electricity in that neighbourhood and so we mourned by candlelight. When we got to the house, all of the women were sitting in the living room, on the floor, lining the walls. And we went in and shook hands with everyone. Then John went outside with the men, and I went to the bedroom where Mrs. Shipe was lying peacefully in her bed. She had only been gone about 2 hours. Her husband sat beside her, crying, sometimes moaning, saying things like, "just stand up, my friend" and "I'm me because of you." Of course I was bawling. It was an honour to be in the intimacy of that room. I think personally I would want some "alone time" but that's not the African way. And so we all mourned together. Women came into the bedroom wailing, throwing themselves at the body and saying it was not time; that they had just come for a visit; not to say good-bye. When the undertakers came, we had a little service - singing and prayers - and then they took her away in a bodybag and her husband wailed in the bedroom. She will be buried in a few days. I can't imagine the shock. You go out to get a few medicines for your wife, you stop by friends' on the way home and tell them she's ok - improving, and then you arrive home and find that the love of your life is just... gone. And within an hour your house is full, and you need to start comforting others. Death seems so greedy here... I suppose there will always be light in Heaven; there will always be flowing water, never any hunger... that's a comfort.

I don't know if this made international news, but electricity in the whole of Zimbabwe (except for one province) and in most of Zambia was out since last night. A bit worrying... but now it's back - at least downtown (where we are at work). Our electricity at home has actually been off since Sunday. It finally came on last night - and we enjoyed 10 minutes - and then it was off - but not just for our neighbourhood, not just for the capital city - but for almost the whole country! That can't be a good sign of things to come!!!! I was getting a little worried - see without power, there's no running water, and without power, the boreholes in our neighbourhood don't work. So I was wondering how we were going to get water, and panicking that we were going to die of thirst! Sometimes my active imagination is not helpful. Anyway, I found out that the SBA (top business guy at Salvation Army) is working on a plan to hook up SALT College's generator to the borehole on our compound so that our neighbourhood will be able to access water.That would be good! I love water so much! I guess things will just keep getting worse in the country. It's so sad...

I don't actually mind not having much electricity, but having some is good - so we can email, wash our laundry, charge our computer/lamp, etc. We bought some sugarcane gel at lunch which powers our little stove. This means that we can cook - inside. I'm not so keen on the firewood thing, and I'm ashamed to admit that that probably makes me a snob. It takes a long time, it's bad for the environment, and it's raining almost every day, so the wood is usually wet anyway. Actually, people are concerned for us in a kind way. I was carrying 2 buckets of water from the borehole on Sunday and so many people offered to help me. I was going to try one on the head - but the water was just too precious to me at that point!

Water and electricity - two things I am most thankful for. But especially water. Have I mentioned that I love it?

I chose my theme Bible verse for the year. It's Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." I hope I can live this out.

I am just feeling so thankful right now... for so many things. Here are a few:

* I'm thankful that I married the right person.

* I'm thankful to live in Zimbabwe. It's a crazy place (we just got new $1million, $5million and $10million notes!) but I am becoming a more whole person here. I am amazed at how much my heart and mind keep being stretched. I am learning faith, patience, endurance, survival, joy and hope in Zimbabwe.

* I'm thankful that both my parents, both my brothers and my sister are alive - and that we're a close, crazy, loving family. I'm thankful for extended family too.

* I'm thankful for the way I was raised in my family and in The Salvation Army.

* I'm thankful for my health (I just ran 15kms, and my knees are sore, but I feel so alive!)

* I'm thankful for the little girl who held her dog as I ran by so that I wouldn't have to worry about being bitten!

* I'm thankful for my ears to listen to music and a voice to sing (recommended CD - "Send Me" University of Toronto Gospel Choir - it's awesome).

* I'm thankful for eyes to see and to read (recommended book - "In the country of men" Hisham Matar - set in the Libyan revolution - a great read).

* I'm thankful that I went to public school and learned to have an open mind. And I'm thankful that I grew up in a country where I could think and say anything I wanted to.

* I'm thankful for good friends, and for knowing so, so many good people.

* I'm thankful for daily bread, a husband who cooks and a place to live

* I'm thankful for running water and electricity, this computer and our washing machine.

* I'm thankful for the many different seasons in my life.

*I'm so, so thankful that I know God and that God shows me love, mercy, compassion, patience and miracles every day.

P.S. I'm also thankful for our vacation in Canada (pictures are now posted on the photos page!)

I've learned to welcome unexpected visitors to my office rather than to panic about the work I won't get done while they are here. Yesterday I had two such visitors. One was an older white man. His wife had just collapsed in a clinic next door and so he came in saying he just wanted a place to sit down and collect himself. He started asking me questions about the meaning of life and told me about all of the people in his life he has lost to death. The other visitor was a young guy in his early 20s. He lives in the townships and he is one of our department's heroes - working with orphans and vulnerable children in spite of severe economic hardships. He was telling me about how last month he had really contemplated leaving the country for greener pastures. But he doesn't want to abandon the children in his area. He is working, and therefore supporting his parents, his brothers and sisters as well as many relatives and he is really feeling the pressure. He also started crying as he talked about the many friends he lost in the month of December. He said in that month he received a funeral message on his phone each day. Each day of that month he learned about a different friend or family member who had died. "I'm crying now, but at the time you don't even have time to cry. You know you just have to accept it, because another message will be coming soon. But it's very difficult to face death again and again and again."