Home and Highlights!!

I have two new homes!

My home during the week is at the Sandra Jones Centre.  I share this home with 70 children and youth as well as a couple of SJC staff.  My room is on the second floor of the centre along with the teenage women.  I have my own room where I sleep, seek privacy and occasionally do some work. My room has a large window that overlooks the SJC grounds.  I eat most of my meals in the dining hall, eating Sadza at most meals.  I spend much of my time outside playing with children or inside tutoring, helping with homework, playing games, leading bible studies, building relationships and trust.  It is hard to believe that I have been at the Centre for five weeks already.  I have learned a lot but have so much more to learn.

My second home on the weekends is amazing! I have a host mom, dad, sister and brother, much like the composition of my own family. They are a wonderful, fun, kind, helpful, interesting family and I feel comfortable to relax, read and be myself in their home.  My host sister is 17 and my host brother is 13 and they include me in their various life activities.  I also get to help cook and my host mom wants me to teach her how to cook some of my favorite dishes.

It is hard to believe that I have been here in Bulawayo for over a month.  Time does fly.  I have to admit that during my first month there have been a lot of ups and downs.  I have struggled at times knowing my roll, finding my way and being myself with new friends.  I recognize that these are many of the struggles that accompany being in a new place and starting a new job and making new friends.  While there are struggles I want to end this post by sharing some of the highlights of my first month in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe:  

1. Sunsets are indescribable.

2. My MCC Reps are Awesome!

3. Early Morning Jogs (never thought I would LOVE running in the morning).  Usually many children run with me on their way to school....whether I know them or not. 

4. Learning how to be a tutor in math and English.

5. Learning about the culture and more specifically about gender issues in Zim.  

6. Holding Babies and getting hugs everyday from small children.

7. Spending time with past IVEPers!

8. Getting to know my host family.

9. Discovering the city.

10. Morning Tea, Evening Tea,  Always drinking Tea!

Life has been busy, but I will try to post more regular updates.

Love from Zimbabwe, Elena

Here are a few pictures of my new living spaces...

 The Entrance of the Sandra Jones Centre: Above

 My Week Day Home: The Sandra Jones Centre

 My cozy bed in my bedroom at the SJC

My desk and refrigerator in my room at the SJC

 View from my window

My cozy bed at my host home

Pictures!

Finally posting some pictures even though my ipad is being difficult. The pictures are from our MCC retreat in Kariba and a trip with some friends to a wildlife refuge. We also stopped to take some pictures with the Welcome to Bulawayo sign:)

Blog

Dear family and friends,

I have been in Zimbabwe for an entire week!  It is amazing how fast my time has gone so far.  I am not sure how to best describe the first week because so much has happened, here is my attempt at a summary:)

After 2 days of travel Devon (another salter) and I arrived in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on a Friday afternoon.  After smooth  but long travels we were happy that are bodies were finally present in Bulawayo.  The first two days were spent with our amazing MCC reps and their family.  We rested, ate food and were taken on some tours of the city and even to our places of employment for the next year.  It was fun to visit the Sandra Jones Centre and see where I will be living and working during the week, a little overwhelming too, but I mostly feel excited.

On Sunday we left for our MCC team retreat in Kariba; a beautiful location in northern Zim.  It took a very long time to get there as Kariba is near the border of Zambia.  It was worth the long drive, Kariba was beautiful. We stayed in a lovely house with views of the mountains and Kariba Lake. During our retreat we spent the mornings learning and sharing together, the afternoons exploring and the evenings were filled with games and laughter.  Our afternoon  explorations took us to a Dam Wall on the Zambezi River, to a Game Park and on a Boat Trip. We spotted Zebras, Hippos, Elephants, Crocodiles, many birds and my favorite, the Baboon!   My childhood dreams were fulfilled as I spotted baboons in the wild.  If only I could bring one home:)

In the next few days we will be doing our in-country orientation. It will be a lot of information but I am sure will ultimately be extremely helpful.  I wish to be in better touch with you all but I have been very busy this first week and have not had much internet access.  As I get a bit more settled in I will continue to discover the best ways to stay connected with you all! I truly miss you all and am deeply grateful for your continued thoughts, prayers and support from afar.

Much love from Zimbabwe
Love, Elena

p.s. I will post pictures when I can figure out how to post them!

Zimbabwe!

In just a few weeks, on August 14, I will be going to MCC SALT orientation in Akron, Pennsylvania and then to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on August 21,  for my 1 year SALT term!

If you are interested here is the website of the Centre where I will be working:  http://www.sandrajonescentre.org/

Also, listen to some current news from the Zimbabwe elections:
 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=207458043