I entered 2024 with every intention of posting more. Having shared only two posts in 2021, one in 2022 and three in 2023, more was a pretty low bar, which I can still achieve by 31 December with a tiny bit of discipline.
I feel somewhat justified in not writing recreationally, as I was writing regularly for work and for my masters. Now that I have completed the degree, a Masters of Science in Forensic Accounting, with distinction (she types without humility), I will take a bit of time to catch you up on my incredible 2024.
I may have mentioned the degree first, but the most exciting happening this year was the birth of my fabulous, absolutely perfect granddaughter Harper in September. Because my work is remote, I had the privilege of being able to travel to Canada in mid-July to be there to help my daughter & son-in-law move into their first house and prepare for baby’s arrival. And I was able to hang around until mid-October!
The July trip home was not my first Canada trip of 2024 though. On June 4th my Dad turned 80, so I had to be there! I spent a little over three weeks in my hometown, visiting with family while working full-time.
Finding meeting times that worked with my UK and Zambia colleagues was a minor challenge, but it was worth it to show Dad he’s still my top guy!
I failed to get a picture of us together at his surprise birthday at the Legion, (or the cake), but I can share a photo of my Dad with his little sister Pam and my cousin Corrie and one of Pam’s cake (her birthday is 2 days after Dad’s).
Apologies to Dad for his expression. I did not do this handsome gent justice with any of my pictures. Corrie is gorgeous in all, so I selected the best one of Pam 🙂
In summer 2023 I began manifesting my desire to be fully remote by purchasing a travel sized 2nd monitor for my laptop. Early in 2025 I saw a two monitor version that was quite enticing but it wasn’t until I saw one of my Remote Year fellow travellers, Marla, using one in April that I decided I would make the purchase.
So while home in June I bought one and now my every day laptop set up looks like this. The room around me may change, but I am ready to work anywhere so long as I have power and wifi!
My beautiful wallpaper is me and my bestie Kim taken on the last day of 2023. I highly recommend doing a bestie photo shoot!
I will do at least one post about my month in Valencia with Remote Year, because it was an amazing experience and a great way to travel and meet fellow travellers from around the globe.
I am wrapping up 2024 with a week in Zanzibar over Christmas – living the Travelling Accountant dream. A three post December would bring me to my 2024 goal of posting more than last year!
In closing, here is my favourite 2024 photo from my parents’ deck and a selfie of me and Harper. Grandma life is everything!
It has been almost six months since I posted, but I am finally inspired to write again. I have had a follow up jackfruit post in my head for months, but so far it remains in my head.
The first weekend of December I took a mini vacation to Entebbe. It was my second mini vacay to Entebbe since Uganda lockdown restrictions lightened up. The first time I revisited 2 Friends hotel to take advantage of the reduced rates and, most importantly, get out of the apartment and Kampala for the first time in months.
This weekend we found our accommodation through Airbnb. It is hard to believe that this weekend´s cottage cost less for two nights than the first stay did for one. Yes, I said cottage. A magical little house on a beautiful property in lovely Entebbe.
Like Kampala, the most complicated part of getting anywhere is finding it. Uganda is not big on actual street numbers or street signs so Google maps is helpful but still not a perfect solution. Oh, and it was raining so the ´roads´ were even less road-like than usual. When we arrived at the property we had a good inch of road mud attached to the tires.
As a new couple we had some degree of tension while we navigated our way there, but we did not hit full argument so we considered it a successful experiment.
Then we got out of the car, saw the property and the gorgeous view of Lake Victoria and all remaining tensions just faded away.
Dickens met us at the gate and showed us around the cottage. We unloaded the vehicle and then went back out to get some dinner. We shared a whole grilled tilapia and fries at 2 Friends restaurant because it is a favourite of mine and I love to share.
Before & After – Approximately 20 minutes!
When we returned to the cottage there was a thermos of spiced tea waiting for us on the door because ¨it is the coldest day of the year¨. It actually was cold – even this Canadian girl was in a hoodie. But not December-in-Canada cold though, so I won´t rub in what the actual temperature was.
This little cottage is a tiny home dream. I could live there long term if I was able to remodel the kitchen slightly to allow counter space.
The entrance way doubles as a sitting area and dining area, with double doors that open to make it feel more like a patio than an inside room. The bedroom is beautifully appointed and the bathroom is roomy with a great shower.
Without a doubt, the library/sitting room/2nd bedroom was my favourite space. It has a cozy chair, desk and side table and a large window to make it feel larger and very open. The daybed functions as a second bed but also as a comfy sofa where we spent Saturday evening watching Out of Africa. Sure the movie is about Kenya, but it is still east Africa, right?
The artwork around the cottage is, I assume, the source of the cottage name – Casita del Arte. Original pieces full of colour and character. I was captivated all weekend as I discovered different details of the pieces as I studied and restudied them.
Our host, Dr Nathaniel Dunigan, keeps the house stocked with coffee, yogurt, nuts, granola and other sundry necessities and a fresh fruit basket greets you when you arrive. These small additions made the cottage even more homey and welcoming. Saturday morning we were gifted with some delicious chocolate muffins which I enjoyed from the elevated treehouse dining platform while reading our host’s book.
The property comes with five friendly canines. They are welcoming and quite happy to explore the cottage at every opportunity. Samson spent much of Saturday morning laying on the mat in the entrance way. This may not be the place for you if you do not like dogs, but it certainly is if you are a dog lover.
Of course no trip to Entebbe is truly complete for me until I go to Entebbe Botanical Gardens. We spent an hour or two on Saturday enjoying the Garden’s beach and the recent upgrades to the facilities. I still have not ventured in to Lake Victoria for a swim, but some day I will.
We need to work on our selfie game
Beautiful Lake Victoria
The sunset view when we returned was spectactular!
One final detail that made the stay perfect is that proceeds from the rental provide scholarships The AidChild Leadership Institute.
This is directly from their website https://aidchild.org/: “Airbnb Guestrooms at A.L.I., Entebbe – Charming, private guestrooms and baths inside the AidChild Leadership Institute (A.L.I.), a modern education facility. Your hosts are A.L.I.’s interns, welcoming you to also enjoy their library, spacious gardens with a lake view, and free WiFi! Eight minutes from the airport. Gym and swimming pool within walking distance. Proceeds from your stay pay for the academic needs of our interns.”
We had a peaceful and laid back weekend and were even offered a late checkout. We headed back to Kampala before 1pm and stopped along Gaba Road for some nyama choma before arriving home. *Nyama choma is a specialty of grilled goat meat, very popular in Kenya where it is considered the national dish. Yes, I eat goat now 🙂
We are going to Kenya for Christmas, negative Covid test dependent, so I will be eating more nyama choma and will also have something new to write about. This will be much less of a safari trip that last Christmas vacation, but I am sure it will still be an adventure.
In my last post a couple of weeks ago I touched on my short experience meeting some street kids. I also introduced a plan to get to know some of the boys on an individual basis and share their stories, with their permission of course.
The week following that first meeting, Derrick and I got together again for a trip to Entebbe Botanical Gardens and to begin formulating a plan of action. Every time we talk our plans seem to grow beyond sharing stories and raising awareness to how we might do more to really make a difference to some of these youth. What started as a chat at a birthday party on July 27th now has us talking about a potential social enterprise to help fund and run a transition home to help kids more from the streets back home. We are certainly only in the brainstorming phase, but it is exciting and invigorating to say the least.
I digress. During that day to Entebbe we decided on a plan to take one boy at a time for a day off the street, get him something new and clean to wear, a good meal or two and some kind of activities so he could just be carefree and a kid for a few hours.
On Sunday, August 18th, Derrick and I put the plan in motion. We met in Old Kampala in the morning and strolled back to the slum area to meet some boys. We were immediately spotted by Gideon and Brian (Captain Brian I soon learned) who we talked with briefly. As they walked off, Derrick decided to ask Brian if he wanted to spend the day with us and tell us his tale.
This may be lacking in story details, but I didn’t want to pepper the Brian all day with questions. It was first and foremost supposed to be a good day for him. And it was. I will share all that we learned though. It is not a happy tale of course, but Brian did enjoy his day.
First of all, despite physical appearances, it turned out that Brian is not a boy. He is 21 years old. I don’t think he looks a day over 14. That makes sense given that more than half of his life has been on the streets of Kampala.
As a small child he lived in the Bundibugyo district in western Uganda. His mother died when he was young and his father remarried. By the time he was 10, life with his stepmother was so difficult that he got enough money to get himself on a bus to Kampala. According to Google Maps it is a 6 hour and 20 minute journey but you know it was longer than that for him by bus. He got off that bus, alone in the city at 10 years old and he has been on the streets ever since.
He has some siblings and his father is still alive. It sounds like he has some awareness of their lives and possible some contact but I didn’t push him on the subject. He wasn’t eager to talk about them so I let it go.
He told us he was in school until grade. He is very well spoken in English for that level of education. The only time all day that his lack of education was obvious was when we discussed his age compared to my daughter. He did not know the number of years between 21 and 26. He guessed fairly closely but did not know how to calculate it. I did my best to remain poker faced, because that made me very sad. It certainly doesn’t bode well for his future opportunities without some kind of adult education which is probably not likely for him.
I think he would tell you he had a great day with us. Here is how it went:
We met up with him before midday. We proceeded into the street market to find him some new, clean clothes. He picked out the tshirt and pants that you can see in the photos for a total cost of 13,000 Uganda shillings ($5 CAD).
We then headed to a restaurant to get him some eats while Derrick headed home to get the vehicle. I was impressed with his confidence when he ordered his lunch. He was hoping for chicken but that was not available. He ended up getting matoke (cooked banana/plantain) and some beef. It looked very good in the sauce and he basically cleaned the plate as you can see. He had a fruity soda to wash it down.
After lunch Brian went off to bath and change into his new clean clothes. For 2,000 shillings, approximately 75 cents CAD he was able to wash up and return like a new person. Not surprising to me, he put his head down on the table to rest while we waited the last few minutes for Derrick. A full belly and nice bath would leave most of us relaxed and sleepy.
Once Derrick arrived we walked back to the car and headed out to Entebbe after a short rendezvous with a few other former street boys and a stop for bananas to feed the monkeys. It’s a 30 to 45 minute drive to Entebbe and Brian slept most of the way. I don’t mind sharing this picture because I showed them all to him as well. He laughed at this one.
As we were driving out of the city Brian mentioned the he LOVES pork, so when we got to Entebbe Derrick asked some locals to recommend a good place for roast pork. We went to the Mayors Pub and placed our order. 4 skewers of pork, some salad and beverages. The time elapsed between the pictures of our plate was 6 minutes. This was some very good pork, roasted on this simple oven.
After this awesome meal we took Brian to the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, his first trip there of course. We took our bananas and fed the monkeys. It didn’t take long but was so much fun!
Brian was keen to swim (note for future trips, bring swim wear and a towel). The look of joy on his face when he came out of Lake Victoria was priceless. It made the entire day for me. His life has been so difficult so giving him this tiny moment of happiness was such a blessing to me.
That’s Brian in the middle
Derrick is skipping stones, Brian was watching
Three amigos
Believe it or not, by early evening Brian was ready to head back to his home on the streets. Sadly my guess is it was drug related. I don’t judge though. Street life is probably only bearable through some kind of artificial escape.
There is more I want to say about Brian and the day, but this is already a long post so I will stop here. Feel free to provide feedback if you want to learn more or if you have specific questions.
Derrick and I are planning to continue with these days for boys. We are looking at how to change it to keep the costs down. My funds are limited and the trip to Entebbe, food and clothes add up even at these prices. As I said above, we are also starting to dream of ways to help these boys off the street, even one at a time. I will keep you informed if and when we are doing more than brainstorming.
Maybe this is why I have ended up in Kampala at this time and why Derrick and I sparked up a conversation at that birthday party. Life is like that, after all.
A couple of months ago my Mum decided it was time to share my adventures and visit me in Kampala, and I could not have been happier to learn she was coming. She invited my big sister and her little sister to join her for the mid-April journey.
They booked their flights together but Ethiopian Airlines had a change in the flights scheduled from Addis Ababa to Entebbe which resulted in them arriving on two separate flights one Saturday. My aunt and sister arrived in the morning, Mum in the evening.
Kampala traffic is something else. Not just during regular weekday rush hours, but also at random times and most assuredly on Saturday evening. My boss, Phil, suggested that I book us a room in Entebbe for their Saturday arrival. This would give my first two guests some wind down time without the 45 to 60 minute drive into Kampala, save me a second trip from Kampala to the airport, and save my Mum the ordeal of a very long cab ride into the city after an extended stay in the Addis airport.
Also on Phil’s suggestion, I booked us two rooms at 2 Friend Beach Hotel for the Saturday night. It was not to be the last time that Phil’s recommendation was spot on and appreciated by my crew.
Janet, Barbara and I checked in around midday and headed across the road from the hotel to their lakeside restaurant for a snack and some beverages. It was a lovely start to their stay and the perfect way to wind down from the travel. Clearly my Aunt Janet enjoyed the view.
Janet enjoying Lake Victoria views
I picked up Mum shortly after 6pm while the first two arrivals enjoyed a catnap. Mum settled in, we had a catch up and then we went for a lovely dinner at Goretti’s Pizzeria And Bar (yes, a Phil recommendation!)
Janet, Barbara, Mum (Sue) and Me
We were having such a great time that we decided to stay another night. Phil gave me Monday morning off to make that happen.
Sunday morning my sister Barbara and I took a stroll up and down the lakeshore drive and got some photos.
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We enjoyed a lovely dinner and live entertainment at another restaurant Sunday evening. Janet converted my other two guests to gin and tonic drinkers (I was converted in February while visiting Zimabwe). The entertainer in the restaurant was a hoot. He seemed to be a local fellow, playing a keyboard and singing country and western tunes among others. Nothing like some Kenny Rogers tunes while enjoying food with family!
The next morning we packed up and headed into the city. I assure you all four of us highly recommend 2 Friends for a stay in Entebbe. It is a small boutique hotel with all the amenities you could desire, beautiful rooms, a pool, good food and great service!
I re-upped with Steve of Free Guided Walking Tours Kampala at 10am Saturday morning for the ‘no admissions’ Kampala tour. Ron from Chicago was also on the tour with us.
The itinerary is:
Makerere University.
Katanga Slums.
East African Craft Market.
Independence Monument.
Nakasero food Market.
Hindu temple.
City center.
Owino daily Market.
Namirembe cathedral
We met at the university, Steve gave us some history and we got to chat with a history lecturer in his office for a while. This talented painter and ceramics artist also does private interactive classes, so I took his card for my family’s upcoming visit!
We also witnessed some art in the making
We walked through the slums on our way to the market. It was enlightening, not scary or intimidating. Again I recognized the privilege of my birth with gratitude. While chatting with Steve later I asked where I might donate some clothes before leaving Kampala and he suggested we return to the slum when I am ready and we can give the clothes directly to some women. That guarantees they won’t have to pay. What a blessing for me too!
The craft market was very nice. Not horribly crowded. I look forward to taking my family there as well. I wasn’t going to buy anything but fell in love with a maxi skirt. When I wear it I will post pictures!
The independence monument is touching and inspiring. It is huge! A woman, wrapped up representing her bondage but holding her child up to the sky. The child is free of bondage and reaching up in hope! Steve also filled us in on much of the history leading up to independence and beyond.
We saw so many storks. Ron and I were regularly distracted by them. But really, how could we not be!
We checked out a food market, a temple, from the outside of course, and also walked through city centre. My second time with Steve. Here is what the huge matatu stations look like – where I caught my ride to the equator. Insane!!
We managed a matatu ride between markets. And then Steve got the three of us bodabodas for our last destination, the largest Anglican cathedral in Kampala. Yeah, I felt some Anglican pride 🙂 Not being Sunday, we only saw it from the outside.
But the view of the city!!
A quick selfie and I was off for home.
All in all, we spent about 4 1/2 hours roaming the city. It was such an incredible experience. Steve works by tip, so if you take tours like this please keep in mind the time and effort of the guide and that this is their job, and be sure to pay what you can!
One more note, a tip from a cocky northern Canadian, don’t forget to reapply your sunscreen when sweating like you’re in a sauna. Waterproof doesn’t mean it doesn’t wipe off… Doh!
This FYI moment is brought to you by… my curiosity
I love bananas. On their own, in bread, even mashed up over ripe ones mixed with cocoa – seriously, try it!
I also love watching them as they grow. I became facinated with the banana flower stage while on my horseback ride in Cambodia. We rode through the grove and it took my a few minutes to realize what I was seeing. The flower simply does not look like bananas are in there. But they are.
Then I made banana flower salad during my cooking class in Phnom Penh. I got to see the flower up close and basically dissected. Then I could see the beginnings of the bananas.
And banana flower salad is 👌 I made that! And ate it too.
So that is a quick background to help explain why I ended up researching bananas this weekend.
I learned some cool facts!
The bananas that we eat are a human invention from as far back as 5000 B.C. Originally, bananas were full of seeds, but because people are picky eaters, banana hybrids were created, making the fruit seed-free. There are still tiny little seeds in banana, but they don’t serve any function.
Yikes! GMO way BC!
And the banana tree, well, isn’t!
“Is a banana a fruit or an herb? Believe it or not, both terms apply.
Consider this: have you ever heard of banana tree wood? You haven’t because that banana tree is technically a tree-like herbaceous plant as the heavy “trunk” holding the leafy topknot is composed of tight leaf bracts. No wood. The banana plant itself is a perennial where the leafy crown dies back for a sucker offspring from the rhizome root to take over the following year”
That is a very tall herb!!
Each plant/tree/herb, only bears friut once then it dies. It shoots a new “eye” (a baby plant) before dying, and the entire process only takes about ten months. So it does not grow from seeds.
I guess that is good since we apparently bred the seeds down to uselessness 🤷♀️
Final fun fact – origins
Bananas were originally found in South East Asia, mainly in India. They were brought west by Arab conquerors in 327 B.C. and moved from Asia Minor to Africa and were finally carried to the New World by the first explorers and missionaries to the Caribbean.
So ends my tribute to the lovely yellow fruit my daughter hated until her twenties.
Oh, I took the picture below wondering what the heck it was. Pretty sure its what is between the banana bunch and flower in the picture right above it. Yes?
Finally, I wrote this on my back deck in front of, you guessed it, banana,’trees’
I finally took an outing beyond walking or boda distance from my apartment! A coworker recommended the Entebbe Botanical Gardens as a place worth visiting, so I called an Uber this past Sunday (the app works everywhere!) and I headed to Entebbe. It’s a 45 minute to one hour ride, depending on traffic. The same as going to the airport, which is also in Entebbe. I enjoy seeing the bustling activity and then suddenly breaking out into open space on the freeway.
The ride to and from was the expensive part of the trip. It was a mere 10,000 shillings to get in, which is about $4 Canadian. That’s the currency I know best so it is my comparative 🙂 For Ugandans it is only $3,000, which I think is great!
There are usually volunteer tour guides at the entrance to the gardens who take you around for a tip, but nobody was there when I arrived. I started walking and quickly fell in love with wandering around on my own. John, one of the volunteer guides approached me a short way in and offered to take over, show me around and explain what I was seeing, but at that point I was in a happy place and chose to continue alone.
It was rejuvenating, invigorating, peaceful and smelled like heaven. I saw some monkeys close up, squirrels less close up and so many birds!
This little adventure has inspired me. With or without a companion, I will be getting out into the city and surrounding areas on weekends. Here’s to Adventure!
It is mid-afternoon in Kampala. I have been out and about, doing some shopping and indulging in a double cappuccino and lovely cake at Brood Muyenga, and enjoying the multitude of posts on my social media feeds celebrating women and this day.
It is Friday but I am not working. Why? Because in Uganda, International Women’s Day is a public holiday. Now that’s a way to help get men behind the Day 🙂
So this impromptu post is to celebrate many strong, vibrant and inspiring women that touch my life in different ways.
I also want to share my appreciation for the growing sisterhood that I have experienced over the last five to ten years. It was approximately that long ago that a young woman spoke to me as I walked in a daze to the downtown Edmonton parkade after work. I was zoning out, probably frustrated from a day at work. Suddenly I heard – “That is a lovely dress. You look beautiful!” I jolted to attention, looked at this glorious creature and said “Thank you!” My entire mood and day were instantly elevated. I felt like a million bucks. Visible, beautiful and somehow like I mattered. From one little statement.
Since then I have paid the compliment forward countless times. Even earlier today as I returned home, telling a young woman that her dress was beautiful. My mantra since that day – If I notice something positive about a person, tell them! It has happened much more with women than ment but I have included men too!
Of course this sisterhood goes well beyond compliments. I am finding women overall are more supportive of each other. Be it career, body image, motherhood – or the choice not to become a mother, all of it. We are coming out of the need to compete and put each other down; truly embracing that lifting up one another as individuals lifts us all up as a whole.
I want to call out some specific women now. A couple are pillars to me, and one or two more that have touched me recently to a greater impact than they intended or know.
First, my daughter. 26, a teacher and all around incredible human being. In the context of International Women’s Day, she is the reason I am now an intersectional feminist. It is easy as a western white woman of privilege to fancy myself a feminist, but if I don’t recognise that so many women around the globe face discrimination and difficulties that go beyond my experience then I fall short. If we are not all free, none of us are, right?!
So thank you Siobhan! Keep being you, the smart, sassy, anxiety-ridden teacher extraordinaire! @siostewart_ on Instagram
Next, my work daughter Courtney! I cannot imagine how the past 10 years would have gone by without you in them. I think our mutual admiration and inspiration society has served us both very well. And we have expanded our sisterhood because of knowing each other. Would your mum and I have become friends without you? Maybe but probably we would have just been work acquaintances. And now I can count Rachelle and Danielle as part of my tribe too! In addition to being an accomplished professional well before 30, Courtney is also on the way to being a significant influencer through her blog The Courtney Collection Blog
Always an inspiration and my rock no matter what stupid decision I make or situation I get myself into – my mother – Sue Harper! Probably the smartest woman I know, and I know some smart cookies. She is there for me and every singe other person that ever comes to her for help and advice. And she will tell me when I am an idiot – sometimes not right in the moment because I am too fragile – but later when I am ready to hear it. She has inspired me since I was a girl. Performing musically, sharing her voice with the world. I still know the word to most of the songs for Oliver from when she was practicing to be Nancy. She went on strike with only 5 other women, mid winter in Northern Manitoba. She wasn’t part of a union but they felt strongly that they were not being treated well. Years later when I was a summer student employee at the company I commented about the feminine protection that was in the washrooms free of charge and Mum informed me that was one of the perks they won from that strike! YOU GO GIRL!! Anyway, my Mum is an entire line of posts so I will stop here. *photo circa the time of the strike
My dearest friend Kim. Since 1995 her grace, poise and indomitable spirit have lit up my world and strengthened me. She has rarely had an easy go of it but she makes the most of her situation every time. And she is ALWAYS available when I need her, even now that we are separated by half the globe and 11 hours. I am tearing up just thinking of what she means to me. I love you!!! Here she is with the next 2 generations of fabulous women she is inspiring, supporting and mentoring.
Less than five months ago I met Fran in Harare, Zimbabwe. We were instant friends. She saved my weekend and came to Chinhoyi with me and we had the-best-time-ever! Our hotel room ran out of water (actually the entire hotel did), there was one restaurant, and it rained when we visited the caves. But we both saw the sunniest side of whatever came our way and we shared our souls. She is my sister-from-another-mister and I know we are friends forever! Follow her on Twitter @FpatsikaMagumbo you won’t be sorry!
Another incredible woman from Zimbabwe started out as my Airbnb host but is now a great friend. I don’t really know what to tell you about Debbie. She is a former pharmacist and then moved on to international banking and investing – what???!!! Yes! She is an author – A Modern African Nomad, property manager, political phenom and an outright celebrity in Harare. And now she has launched an online store – Debbie Nyasha
One final shout-out, and I know she isn’t expecting it. We all have our hours/days/weeks where we are a bit off, down, a little out of sorts. And that was me for much of this week. For no reason, just how things go. Well last night in my instagram messages, a travel blogger that has lit up my feed since December sent me a DM “Love your website, I’m studying for my aca and your website has thoroughly helped motivate me! Love the idea of travelling and still getting paid” Well, @tanakatravels, you made my day! And you actually helped pull me from my funk!
Never doubt that you can touch somebody in a positive and meaningful way just by sharing a thought or feeling!
So to wrap up a super long post – HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!
So far my Zimbabwe posts have not touched on the economic situation during my visit. That was intentional, as I think there is so much more to the country than the financial and economic issues the citizens must perpetually endure.
Things are never really great here economically but my term here has coincided with what most people I speak with say is the worst time yet.
On October 1, 2018, only a few days before I arrived, the government’s new finance minister made an announcement concerning currency. I’m not going to get into that as a quick Google search will tell you anything you could wish to know.
On October 5th, I arrived in Harare. Just as the fuel shortage was escalating to levels not seen since 2008. At the same time, a panic about the availability of basic grocery availability started and people started buying up everything in the shops, hoarding to avoid future shortfalls. The unfortunate side effect was basically a self-fulfilling prophecy – the hoarding actually produced the scarcity of resources.
The queues in the supermarkets were insanely long. Stores had to limit how many items could be purchased for much of the stock. Bread was one of the things that had to be limited, and it was often not available at all for the first few weeks I was here. Even still, bread is usually limited to 2 loaves per purchase and rarely hits the shelves – people line up and get it right from the flats as it comes from the back.
Fuel queues became reasonable for the middle portion of my stay, most of November. But by the end of November my travel plans to see Great Zimbabwe were quashed because fuel was once again scarce, and Great Zimbabwe is more than a tank of petrol or diesel away from Harare.
The second weekend in December it was slightly improved and I did get out of the city to see the Chinhoyi Caves. On the way back into the city my friend and I came across a reasonable queue and we were able to almost fill her tank. This was the only time in my stay that I participated in a fuel queue. It was a short line and only took an hour. I took these photos to document the experience and the first was taken at 2:57 as we arrived while the last was at 4pm when we got to the pump.
People have asked me how I have handled the situation in Zimbabwe and I respond that I didn’t have to deal with issues at all. I stayed in an upscale neighbourhood and my Airbnb host, now friend, shared her friends, transportation and the benefits of her position with me. I was given an allowance in US$ from my NGO so I did not experience currency issues. I was given a ride to and from work as well so transportation was no concern. In short, my entire stay in Harare was one of privilege, the story of my life actually.
A Travelling Accountant 