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| Guinea fowl - aka Zimbabwean turkey. |
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! In
this age of COVID, this Thanksgiving will be like none other. And I’ve definitely grumbled and had no
shortage of anxiety and stress over the past 6+ months over the effects this
virus has had on our lives and well-being.
But, despite all the mayhem and distress that 2020 has caused, I wanted
to take a moment on this Thanksgiving to note all that I do have to be thankful
for this year. In no particular order,
and in varying degrees of gravitas, they are:
1. Health
I can’t be thankful enough for the fact that despite COVID’s omnipresence,
none of my family or friends have been seriously affected by it. Only a handful of my friends have gotten it,
and their symptoms were mild. My biggest
hope for the rest of this year and next is that this trend continues, and so I
ask all of you – PLEASE – be safe, wear a mask, and get a vaccine when it’s
available! Aside from COVID, I’m also
thankful that we’ve managed to avoid most other afflictions common here in
Africa – malaria, cholera, all manner of food illnesses. Andrew will say I’m jinxing us, but aside
from a couple attacks from a stomach bug, we’ve fared pretty well here (knock
wood). Andrew felt such confidence in
our resilience, he even braved the Zimbabwe medical system to have a surgery
done to clear up a chronic problem he’s had with his shoulder. So our health – and the health of our friends
and family – tops the list of things to be thankful for this year.
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The patient. Royal blue is his color.
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2. Carbs
Can I be thankful for both health and carbs? If that’s not oxymoronic, then I am. I’ve put our oven to its paces this year to
keep a supply of bread and bagels on hand.
Nothing lifts the spirits more than a slice of warm, crusty bread with a
schmear of butter. There were many a day
throughout this pandemic when that was just the thing I needed to bring me out
of a funk. Thank you, wheat and yeast,
for being a trusty companion through some dark days.
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A crusty masterpiece.
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Is it possible to have a bagel addiction?
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With an egg and home-grown avocado? Don't mind if I do.
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3. Technology
COVID has tested my technological limits. The embassy went on a rotational telework schedule
in March, and I’ve only been going in to the office 2-3 times every other week
since then. Most of my workdays are now
spent in what had been our dining room that now serves as my office, with my
laptop propped up on a case of tonic water and extension cords spanning the
floor to the one outlet in the room. It’s
not the most ergonomically correct set up, but it works. I’m thankful for the internet (that works at
least 90% of the time here), the electricity (and our generator that kicks in
when the electricity goes off), and the technology that somehow lets me be
almost as productive at home as I am at the office. I’m thankful that COVID hasn’t affected my
job, unlike so many others who’ve lost theirs during this pandemic. I’m also thankful that technology helps me
keep in touch with friends and family around the globe. Facebook, WhatsApp, Zoom, this blog… It makes
being in a time zone 10 hours ahead of the west coast that much easier and
keeps us all that much closer. As much
as technology can make me want to pull my hair out sometimes (why can’t I get
our f^#*ing VPN to work????), I’m so thankful that it has let me continue to do
my work and keep in touch with you all during these tough times.
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Andrew and I sharing office space (i.e., our dining room table).
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Happy hour/brunch skyping with my parents.
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4. Dogs
While we made the decision not to get another dog while we’re on the
foreign service treadmill (it is stressful – and EXPENSIVE – to move pets
around the world!), we have made ourselves available to friends and colleagues
to dogsit theirs. Lots of folks here
have household staff that watch their pets when they go out of town, so we
haven’t been able to do as much dogsitting here in Zim. But whenever we do, I am thankful to have a
furry 4-legged companion around the house for a few days.
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Meet Kenickie. Other frequent guests include Nory and Oreo.
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5. The Great Outdoors… and friends to enjoy it with
Even though Zimbabwe’s borders have been closed and we’ve basically
been on lockdown since March, I’m thankful that we’ve still been able to get
out and see some of this beautiful country.
We got to see Hwange National Park with some friends and colleagues in
July, and Andrew and I spent 5 days in Victoria Falls and visited its national
park last week. (Still sorting through
my photos from that trip… I’ll post some from that adventure soon.) We’ve enjoyed the outdoors closer to home
too. I’m thankful we’ve been able to get
outside to enjoy the fresh air and see some spectacular sights in the midst of
a pandemic… and that we’ve gotten to enjoy it with friends (and with face masks…
and at a reasonable social distance…)
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Sundowners (happy hour) on top of Domboshava.
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| Sundowners around the fire pit. |
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Sundowners on a game drive in Hwange National Park. Perhaps I should have added "sundowners" as a stand-alone item on my list of things to be thankful for.
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You can see why we like watching the sun go down when the sky looks like this.
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6. Our Neighborhood
In between those long-haul trips, I’m thankful we’ve been able to enjoy
the outdoors right here in Harare. Almost
every morning, Andrew and I walk a loop around our neighborhood that takes us
past the botanic gardens with its resident zebras, impalas, and sables. Paying a visit to the neighborhood game park
has become our daily ritual. Harare also
has a number of really nice (and cheap!) golf courses, so we’ve been hitting
the links at least a couple times a month.
(Not that my game has improved any.
But Andrew’s killing it.) I’m
thankful that we can get some outdoor exercise and have a bit of a respite from
the monotony that living through a lockdown brings.
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A purple carpet appears under the jacaranda trees in our neighborhood when they bloom in October.
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| Checking in on the resident zebras during our neighborhood loop. |
Pretty sure that didn't end up where I wanted it to.
7. Our Yard
And on those days when we don’t feel like braving the traffic to go to
a golf course, or it’s too hot to do our usual walking routine, I’m thankful
that we have a house with a beautiful yard to give us a little
tranquility. Enjoying a cocktail on our
patio while we listen to the evening birdsongs, or picking some fresh veggies
from our garden for that evening’s dinner, or floating in our pool to cool off…
I try to take a minute or two every day to recognize how incredibly lucky and
fortunate we are to have these amenities at our disposal. I’m so very thankful for all of them.
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Our vegetable garden pays off big time.
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Come on in! The water's great!
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We celebrated Andrew's birthday with friends by setting up our TV on our outdoor patio and streaming a concert (See #3 Technology, above).
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8. 2021
I’ll end my list by being thankful that 2021 will not be 2020. I’m thankful that we’ll have a
fresh start next year and am eagerly awaiting all it will bring – a COVID
vaccine, a new administration, a chance to right many wrongs. For us, it will also bring an end to our time in
Africa and more time with friends and family back in the states. While I’m not thankful our time here will be
ending, per se, I am looking forward to the next chapter and the new friends,
opportunities, and adventures it will bring.
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This counts under #3 Technology too.
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So to all of you, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope you’re able to find a few things – large or small – to give thanks for this year.
