Crossing Borders

So we are still on our professional development roadtrip at this point, but this blog was getting to be quite long so we thought we might break it up. It out well because on this professional development roadtrip we decided to check out a few of the neighbouring countries! Why not right? The next morning the group ended up deciding to go to Zimbabwe, since it is really close to Livingstone. Ok I know as soon as everyone reads that we went to Zimbabwe you are going to be worried. But we made it back safe and sound, and I was so glad the opportunity to see the country first hand. As usual we had to work our magic at the border crossing with the Immigration officials. They did not want to grant us visas because we could only pay in Zambian dollars. So to work our way around this little conundrum Lianne and I turned on the charm, and bribed them! The best part about it was we didn’t even need to use money but we gave them our pens, which by the way were a frog and butterfly that light up when you turned them on…it blew their socks off! Another interesting story about this side trip was when we tried to get our Zambian dollars changed over into Zimabwean dollars. We traded 20,000 Zambian dollars (which is worth about 7 US dollars ) for 60 BILLION Zimbabwean dollars. That’s right I said Billion..that is how much inflation is going on in the country right now. Here is the best part to this story…and shows how much we got duped! So after getting into Zimbabwe we learn that the actual exhange rate is 3500 (about 1 US dollar) Zambian dollars to 50 Billion Zimbabean dollars. So not only does that show how much we got ripped off….but it clearly shows how little the Zimbabwean dollar is actually worth. here is Mr.K with his 25 billion Zimbabwe Dollars. Worth 50 cents.....

At first I was really excited to go to Zimbabwe. I’m not going to lie, I wanted to be able to add it to my list of countries that I have visited on Facebook… I think this was one of the most valuable experiences I have encountered in my life so far. Reading about hardship in the news is nothing like witnessing it with your own eyes...not to mention what the people must endure on a daily basis. When we are in Livingstone there is always a larger lineup outside the grocery stores…why?? THERE IS NO FOOD IN ZIMBABWE. I have never, NEVER, walked into a grocery store with only 3 loaves of bread on the shelf. That’s it. 3 loaves of bread. The main shopping centre has entire rows of empty shelves. Men outside the store ask us to buy statues for 5 times what we would pay in Zambia, do you blame them? This is the small glimpse of what has happened in part of our world…A tiny taste of the monstrosities endured by millions of people living in a nation of crisis. I can not even explain the feelings that arouse from this priceless experience less than 100 kilometres from the border of Zambia.
Imagine walking into a Save On Foods, Safeway, or another major super makrket and finding this...
Just to add to what Lianne has said, it is so frustrating to watch how the government has shaped the country to what it is today. All the Zambians talk about how beautiful Zimbabwe used to be. It still is, yet nobody goes to visit anymore because of the political unrest. The town we visited was a ghost town, with absolutely nothing going on. We passed by huge beautiful lodges that are deserted, there is so much potential that is just going to waste…

Our trip to Botswana the following day was an uplifting experience. It was similar to a shopping trip to the US. We were able to get different foods and other tidbits that are unavailable in Zambia. Our first stop was at an African Costco…It was amazing!! Everything was in big bulk packages. We couldn't buy just one bag of rice, it had to be 10. Everyone went crazy buying boxes of food and so forth. We splurged and bought salad dressing (no more mayo dressing!!) olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a 4 foot long bag of cheezi’s, and much much more. Next we stopped by a chain of stores that imported goods from Asia. The women we were with can shop!! They bought 11 comforters…11. I was thinking how the heck are we going to get home with the boxes of food and 11 comforters. The packing begins, how many comforters are left?
I didn’t think we were going to be able to fit all of it in the Land Cruiser, but one thing everyone needs to know about Africans is that they sure know how to pack. Somehow it all fit and we started out for the border crossing back into Zambia. By this time it was already pushing close to 4pm, and the border crossing closes when it gets dark. So we were hoping for a short line up…but to my dismay as we drove up to the border crossing, there was the longest line-up of vehicles waiting for the ferry. I had the sinking feeling in my stomach that we would be spending the night at the border crossing, not something I was looking forward to!! BUT our fearless self-appointed Team Leader- Mr. Silumbu Mumbuwa (one of our teaching colleagues) decided he had a solution to this little problem. His plan was to be the ‘director of traffic’ and then just conveniently direct our vehicle ahead of everyone else’s so that we would make it on the ferry. Guess what…it actually worked! I can still see Silumbu in the midst of all these vehicles (I also need to add that he had a beer in his hand this whole time) saying ‘You…go over here…You drive this way..Stop..Stop…you must go this way!’ Somehow we made it back to Zambia that night. Thanks to our man Silumbu. All those bags plus all those people, wait someone is missing...

So needless to say, we didn’t leave for Lusaka that day as we had planned. The following morning the plan was to make the trek back to Mongu, leaving at 8 am. After we pack all the food, comforters, luggage, and 12 people into the Land Cruiser..we finally leave at 11 am. (remember nothing ever happens as planned here). We are exhausted and have pressure ulcers from the ride when we drive into Lusaka (the half way point of our trip home) By this time it is now 8pm, but we decide to press on to Mongu. The driver is very tired, but agrees to drive us home..we all just want to be home by now. At about 1 am I wasn’t sleeping, and noticed that the driver was swerving off the road a litte, because he was falling asleep at the wheel. He pulled over to take a 3 minute “rest” so I offered to drive. So here I was, 1 am in the morning driving on the left hand side of the road through Kafue National Park. I enlisted Jessica as my eyes….We passed one elephant, multiple hyenas, bush deer, and one water buffalo on the side of the road. But nonetheless we arrived alive. TIA!!! After a 19 hour car ride we arrived safe in Mongu and hit the sack!

I just need to add that this was my personal record for the longest drive of my life. 19 hours!!! I am so glad that it is over. Also, just when you think me and Lianne can’t get any closer..we find ourselves sleeping on each other..while racing through the cold African night. Now that is a whole new level of friendship.

Clarification: we were spooning.