I’ve touched on this briefly in other blogs but Zimbabweans do have quite a lot to complain about. Electricity and water shortages are just two of them to mention but there are many things we notice that make things difficult here for people.
The weather however is never worth complaining about. Never in my life and probably never again in England will I sunbath twice over a winter weekend and wonder whether or not my factor 20 will be sufficient for my already white man slightly tanned complexion. (Or lobster look which is probably a fairer reflection upon my ‘tan’.) It’s supposedly the height of winter at the moment and this is the coldest time of year here in Harare yet you could glance on our weather at any time on any website and see average temperatures around 22 degrees and not a cloud in site. Admittedly the weather is a little chillier at night and when it drops to 4 degrees and you have no fire or central heating you are searching for the hoodies and blankets but I still wouldn’t call this something to complain about.
The reason I write this is to illustrate for you the differences in attire at this time of year. This morning I realised I needed to wear trousers and a jumper to work but this afternoon we’ve been doing PE and I then donned shorts and a t-shirt. Contrast this with a child in my class getting changed for sports who needed to remove leggings and track suit trousers after removing his school trousers. 3 layers of trousers is only beaten by his vest, t-shirt, polo neck jumper, school shirt and school jumper of 5 layers. I’m unsure if I have ever worn that many clothes even in the height of an English winter.
It’s at times like this when I analyse these things in far too much detail that I’m reminded that as teachers we often learn more than we ask the children to. I learn from Zimbabweans and particularly from these children a lot and it is because of this that I am very grateful for this experience!
Thank-you to everyone who has supported us to be here so I can continue to learn more and more!