One small step at a time

Temba just received the first bill this month (there are 2 payments/month) for the internet. It was a whopping 15 million. That's probably around 200USD ... I don't know the exchange right now. That is not even for past usage. It's payment simply for the priviledge to use their snail-paced, wonky service. Gotta love it ;)

Public transport, on some very dodgy, probly-shouldn't-be-driven minibuses, has jumped from 200ZD when we arrived to 3000ZD per person one way. They only leave when they are full, and by full I mean jammed in like sardines and then left out in the sun for awhile. It's most likely that you will have someone sitting partly on your lap along with all their blankets, groceries and the occassional chicken. All this combined with the distinctive scents of BO, woodsmoke and gasoline intermingle to make sure you have a pleasant,somewhat heady experience before being dumped on the side of the road to walk the rest of the way to your destination. It's fun, you really should try it sometime.

As you may have gathered by this point in our exciting tales of Zim life, it is extremely difficult to do ANYTHING here. For example, in order to make a phone call one must purchase airtime for one's cell phone. In order to purchase airtime, one must travel into town on foot, bicycle, public transport or catch a lift with a gracious host/passerby. Next one must locate a certain individual on the streets who has airtime cards for sale, and hope that one has enough cash to make the purchase. Should one find oneself short on cash (Zim Dollars) one must locate another person (usually a woman standing looking suspicious with a bag over her shoulder) and exchange foreign currency for ZD's. Then one is free to return to streetside entrepeneur number one to complete the airtime purchase. All the while hoping that a) the rates don't go up in the interim and b) that one does not get scammed by said individuals. Fortunately, for Ann and I, our dear friend Temba is usually the one who goes through the hassle on our behalf.

And if this sounds like I am complaining, I assure you I'm not! I wouldn't trade this time for anything. The lessons we are learning, the friends we have met and the amazing answers to prayer we have received more than make up for the minor inconveniences we have experienced. God is good, and He is working in Zimbabwe in ways that I cannot even begin to write about. Simply know that God cares about every little part of your life, and He is always paying attention and actively working in it.