The first thing I have to say about Zimbabwe is about the people that live there. Everyone we met or came into contact with was very friendly and hospitable. For as little as some of these people have they were always smiling and seemed happy. Our purpose of this trip was to bring medical supplies and equipment to the hospitals and doctors there and to meet the kids of ZimKids.
Our first few days consisted of meeting the physicians and staff of the local hospitals and giving them the supplies we brought. (This by the way was a logistical nightmare to get the stuff where it needed to go!) It was really great to see that all the supplies and equipment would go to good use. Here in the States we throw away so much and not think twice about it. During the demonstration the expressions on some of the faces were priceless. For example, when they realized that there was a drug calculator in the IV pumps to make their jobs easier, they were elated. This made me feel so good that all the supplies and equipment would not only help patients but the healthcare professionals as well. I made it a point to pack a sampling for this trip so they could see what we had to offer and then sat down and personally interviewed them to really see what they needed. The response was tremendous.
The next few days were spent basically in the Bush. Let me just tell you, lots of bugs and lots of poop! Everywhere we went throughout the whole trip there were always termites and shungololos. It is a life that we were very unfamiliar with since we are city folk. To put it into perspective, Dan tried to get out of the car when he spotted a crocodile and was pulled back into the car and reality by Adrian. At the time Dan just thought he was being overprotective but the next minute we were being surrounded by running wart hogs. Needless to say Dan realized that he was not getting out of the car. The safari camp we stayed at called The Hide was absolutely amazing. The tents were modern and plush and the food was fantastic. We took several safari rides with guides that were a wealth of knowledge on all the animals. One of the rides was late at night which allowed us to view a spectacular black sky full of stars and also realize that we were surrounded by a million glowing eyes! On our final ride we finally saw lion and learned as we were leaving the camp that a tourist was attacked that morning by lion while showering! That was freaky.
After the Bush we were off to Victoria Falls. I was glad to get to the Victoria Falls Hotel as it was not in the Bush. It was a charming, luxurious hotel with a lot of character. The Falls were breathtaking! It was hard to take your eyes off them. While we were gazing at them there was a perfect rainbow beaming at us the whole time. It really was magnificent. Dan and I had an adventure while visiting the falls. We had Adrian sign us up for White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River (class IV rapids, I might add!). Dan had a blast; I however thought I was going to die. Again, the guides were very experienced, kind and knowledgeable. After we washed the river off of us and I was finished kissing the ground, overjoyed to be alive, we all went into the market for a bit of shopping. There is a lot of talent in this country. The artwork is beautiful. Dan and I were able to get a few really nice items to bring home.
Our last day in Zimbabwe was spent at the orphanage. To be honest this was the day I was most looking forward to. Don’t get me wrong I did have a good time dodging dangerous animals and nearly drowning….but the kids were the whole reason I came to Africa. We had brought some supplies for them as well and a lot of my friends had bought dolls from them as well. This day was the most overwhelming. I was glad that I wore sunglasses since my eyes were on the verge of tears the whole day. These kids were so cute and smiley. They were like one big family. We were privileged to get to see their day of activities which consisted of choir practice, dance recitals, etc. These kids are another group of talent that Africa has hidden. We were amazed and humbled. It reaffirmed my purpose for the trip and inspired me even more to find a way to help these kids.
Now that we are back we are getting the word out even more and an eagerness to start the New Year with fresh ideas and plans to help these kids. Dan and I took 3,200 pictures during our trip and are working on presentations to get their faces seen. We now have a much better understanding of the country and the people, therefore making it easier to portray here in the states.
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