Random Facts

Here are some random facts about Zimbabwe that I’ve noticed are significantly different from life in the US:

·       No one can type properly, and they think I have an unbelievable skill by being able to type quickly (I have been called a computer wizard, which is an undeserved title)

·       Everyone has cell phones, sometimes more than one, but to use them you have to purchase ‘airtime’ which is a long number on little pieces of paper which you enter into your phone, then you have so many minutes to talk (there is no such thing as yearly contracts or even any kind of contract at all you simply buy a phone, then buy airtime)

·       Elephants are the biggest threat to wild painted dogs, and the biggest threat to urban construction.  If there is a damaged wall or garden, nine times out of ten, it was an elephant's fault

Repaired elephant damage to a wall

A juvenile elephant cruising around town

·       Seatbelts are required by law when you are in the front of a vehicle, but you can have up to six people sitting unrestrained in the back of your truck legally

·       It seems everything is accomplished by bribes and payoffs. If you want something done, pay more, even if it is illegal or difficult to accomplish, you simply bribe them and it will be done. 

·       Amarula is a local fruit that they make a creamy alcoholic drink from. It’s essentially African kahlua or baileys

·       Everyone uses big fancy English words whenever possible (for example 'assist' or 'facilitate' instead of 'help'), and any explanation is not complete unless it is given a minimum of twice (probably at least three times)

·       There is one doctor in the entire Vic Falls region (50,000 people), and he doesn’t work at the hospital anymore (so the hospital here has no doctors, only nurses)

·       Strollers do not exist here, although almost every woman has a baby or a small child.  Instead, they take a towel or a scrap of cloth and tie the babies on their backs like backpacks.  Similarly, diapers aren’t used either.  Pinned towels are the main option used instead. 

Pregnant and nursing mothers waiting for PMTCT counseling with their babies on their backs

·       Lunch is eaten at one in the afternoon (I think because they start the day at nine or ten in the morning)

·       A pack of cigarettes costs seventy cents; one dollar if you spring for the nice ones. Consequently, most people smoke like chimneys. 

·       Women prefer to carry everything on their heads; even things made to be carried in different ways (including backpacks, grocery bags, and suitcases)

·       ‘Africa time’ is a local saying meaning everything is perpetually late and unorganized, and that’s just how things run here.  I have yet to be picked up any less than fifteen minutes late (half an hour is the average) and the record so far is two hours late. 

·       Similarly, if you want something done, you ask for it ‘now now.’ ‘Just now’ means perhaps at some point today.

·       The locals think everything in the US is incredibly cheap; that you can go to the store and buy eggs, bread, and milk for a dollar. 

·       The letter “z” is pronounced “zet” instead of the “zee” I’m used to, this makes spelling and acronyms confusing to understand