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Thursday - July 4, 1996
This morning we did a bit more of our eternal laundry and began transcribing a couple of our interviews. We are anxious to get some information back to the United States as we have heard that the Web site is almost up and running.
Our time here so far has been full of realizations about ORAP the organization, the community that is hosting us, and the country which we are getting to know. We are already very hopeful regarding the benefits that may come to this community as a result of this project. One theme that we personally want to share now is something that has been continually repeated in our interviews as well as in our conversations with people who work with ORAP. This notion is simply that it is vital for the international community to understand the challenges that real people face here. In addition, there needs to be a moral support system for this process which can result in a true understanding and partnership.
Later in the day we went to town. We filmed several areas of Bulawayo. We went from outdoor produce markets where we were introduced to a variety of nuts and grains and to one of the Zimbabwean specialties - dried caterpillars. I called Katherine over to one of the caterpillar vendors and, due to the look on her face, many women quickly gathered around and, in the usual Zimbabwean manner, smiling faces began to encourage us to have a nibble. I looked on hoping that she would work her way out of the situation without having to eat the caterpillar or insult our new friends. I found myself asking how to cook these dried up creatures and was given a thorough explanation of the actual frying process. This enabled my almost-trapped friend to purchase a bag with the promise that, once cooked, she would try the treat.
Our film expedition continued to the nearby park. There we captured men selling flowers, women weaving baskets and young boys playing ball. After getting lost in what we have earlier described as a well-planned city, we made our way to the E.T. stop. The E.T. taxis are old Peugeot station wagons which are filled with around ten to twelve people and go whisking through the towns outside of the city. It is a great way to get around as long as you can fold your body into strange shapes.
In the evening we set out to make our Zimbabwean meal. Based on the fact that we do not eat meat and were without any type of supervision, dinner consisted of soppy isitchawala and our usual vegetables and no caterpillars. We were convinced that by now, with all of our observation in the kitchen, we would be able to make a decent meal. Well, although it tasted O.K., Katherine got sick later that night. I guess that we still have a lot of learning to do!
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