April 11, 2004

hello to all of you

Well, where do I start?

I am heading out in a couple of hours for a 380km drive north where Rotary has a couple of projects. One is a well we funded last July and it finally got drilled two weeks ago. Long story of procrastination on the part of the well driller, then rains made the road in impassible, then a new road had to be built to the site, then the drill bit got stuck. On and on but we finally have a working well. We will also be delivering pipe and fittings to another site to hook up to an existing well and deliver water 800 metres down the road to a dugout so the villagers can water their livestock as the dugout goes dry frequently and the water is salty.

Should be a good trip as we are staying at Rotarian Jack Andrews hunting camp that I love and there is a hunt going on right now so might get in an shooting water buffalo as that is what they are there for.

Spent last Tuesday out at Silozwe; it was the last day of school this term and the children now have a month off. Bit of a tearful reunion with some of the students as I had to tell them that my mother, who sponsored their education, had passed away in late March.

We inspected the site and progress made for a new cistern for the villagers. They have sure worked hard. Slashed out a trail up the mountain to the site, cleared the site,

gathered the rocks for the base and started making the bricks.

I return April 21 to video the work party. They are making 24,000 bricks for the cistern. Each group of villagers who will be the recipients of the water are responsible for so many bricks. I have already delivered the cement. They have to pack the bricks, a few at a time, up the hill to the cistern site. Can you imagine the hard work that will require!!!

As you just read, my mother passed away. 85 years old and she had a great life but none the less it was unexpected and a shock for the family. She got pneumonia, was hospitalized and her heart just gave out. We gave her a great sendoff. Coincidently I was in the UK at the time so half way home. But I had to cut short my visit to the UK and my daughter, Jennifer, who now resides there with her husband and teaches school came back to Canada for the funeral. All the grandchildren made it home and the positive side to it all was the great reunion the family had.

As a result of that I have decided to cut my time here in Zim short and will be returning home to Canada in early May. Will spend a few days in the UK with Jen and Nick.

The saga of getting the Rotary funds from Canada and Rotary Internation into

Zimbabwe continues. Their are Cdn. Government funds (sent for the third time!!!) in transit at the moment and I am having to convince R.I. that there is now a safe and legal way to get the funds here. In the meantime inflation continues to eat away at what we will be able to do when the funds do get here. The good news is that when I arrived the US dollar was trading at 3500-1 and now it is 4500-1 That will help.

Tendai will be returning to Canada with me. She will probably go via Frankfurt as the British demand a transit visa to get through the UK and we have had trouble getting one. She has a multiple entry visa good for a year for Canada. Next we apply for landed immigrant status.

I got attacked while in the UK by two thugs outside a bar. They knocked me down in an attempt to rob me and dislocated my shoulder. I flew to Canada in great pain (but they put me in first class!!!) and lived on Tylenol 4 for quite a few days. It still bothers me a lot and has really screwed up my snooker game at the club!!

Well, got to run. Love to you all

Doug