Mother and Son Make The World Their Classroom for a School Year: September 30, 2014

I rose early and packed up our bags and while Sam as still sleeping I found Fred, one of the guides/trackers and we went for a walk. I haven’t been able to walk much the last few days so it was nice to stretch the legs. We ended surrounded by Rhinos outside Ant’s house, where the animals had come to congregate. This time I wasn’t up on the wall but just down right next to them. It made a bit nervous honestly since the younger males were coming up close and just inquisitive. Feisty females were staring me down, but I just didn’t move much. It was super amazing feeling to be surrounded by huge almost prehistoric looking beasts.

We said goodbye to our friends at Ant’s Nest and headed for the airport. Our driver was very nice and friendly. We talked about what life was like where he lived. He lived in a “tin house”. He lives in an informal settlement which likely doesn't have running water and electricity but soon is on a list for a home. He moved back to the rural village near Ant’s nest where his 6 year old daughter was. He had been living in JoBurg and couldn’t afford to go back and see her often. He is a big fan of Malema, his local politician. This honestly made me a bit nervous, but again the man was very friendly.

When we got through security and boarded our plane honestly I was a bit relieved. There is a racial tension and uneasiness that would make it unsettling to live there. When I was going through customs, I reached out and put the passports down on the counter quickly so I could get my tickets also and hand them to her. The woman charged me with her eyes and words as she said, “Did you see what you did? You threw these at my face. Why did you do this? Why would you throw these at my face?” I had no idea what she was talking about, but I said “ no I was just trying to get my items out for you quickly. I was trying to pull the tickets out of my other pocket.” She stared us down and then as I apologized a few times she let us through.I did enjoy our time in South Africa but I was ready for Zimbabwe.

We were met at the airport by Rachel Nield. The Nields were a family I met through my cousin Neil Marriott. She was traveling to Zimbabwe with the LDS Church last year and she came as a guest to the Nields. She was blown away by this family and what they are doing in Zimbabwe for the church in supporting missionaries that wouldn’t be able to serve a mission and helping them get ready to go by finding those to donate their time to doing the medical work that has to be done and their papers and a suitcase even with clothes so they can go serve. They do so much for this nation, as partners in Zimbabwe’s ministry of health the country supports them in their work in going to rural areas where people are in desperate need of food, medical and education and they bring support to them. They are respected by the country so they are able to do things that other NGOs (non-government organizations) are not able to do. They are literally one of the last white families from Zimbabwe that have stayed through the revolutions and wars and didn’t flea when things got so bad in this country. They have felt it was their mission to stay and help and not abandon the people and the country they love. They were kind enough to accept our request to come stay with them for a few days so we can see what they do.

Rachel is absolutely amazing. She has the energy and charisma of a person that is changing lives and doing it with charisma and smarts and genuine love and enthusiasm. Her laugh is contagious and I think in a country like this you learn to laugh. My first impression of Zimbabwe as we drove around town headed to school to pickup her son was how beautiful it was with all the Jacarandas. The streets were lines with these purple trees, the only real color since we are in the dry season here and everything is pretty brown and dusty. The trees line nearly all the streets and bring your eyes up. Sam loved meeting Elijah and Sam, both adorable blonde boys with all kinds of personality and spunk and they made Sam feel comfortable right away.

When we arrived at their lovely home, the old Portuguese Embassy actually, that they have lived in for over 50 years, they went right into playing games. Rachel’s mom was beside herself since the Nigerian Embassy next door had drilled “bore holes”, which are basically wells, without permission into the street in front of their home which had tapped into their water line and made their well run dry. They had no running water and due to the way things go out here, they had no electricity too. They had contracted for someone to bring water and put in their cistern but it was limited and they needed more diesel for the generator so we would have electricity. Of course we didn’t care, but felt badly for them. Rachel and I went down to the gas station with the boys all in the back of the truck with items we were going to deliver later. Sam thought that was cool to cruise around the streets of Harare in the back of the truck. That evening Iris, Rachel’s mom, had prepared a delicious feast of a meal, which I know must have been a great effort without water or electricity that day. As she showed us our wonderful guest room which she had taken so much effort to stock with snacks and flowers we noticed the wall spiders on the walls. Well Sam is to say the least terrified of spiders. Sister Nield pulled out some spray and helped remedy the situation. She said she apologized and that they were harmless they just ate the mosquitos and that is why they are good.

Headed to bed Sam and I were both a bit freaked out, we had already had a run in with a baboon spider in South Africa. Sam snuggled in next to me not going to leave my side all night.We opted out of updating our blogs and headed right to sleep. Again, we were so appreciate of the Nield's being such gracious hosts.