I'M GOING EKHAYA | ZIMZYGIRL DIARIES

Some people don't realise that when you leave somewhere, even at a young age, you still have some sort of string attached. I mean if that's not you then I guess I'm alone on this one?


2017, my heart longed for a chance to step foot back in my motherland. A chance to get a change of scene, to rejuvenate my mind and to step back on memory lane. I also wanted to see why some people never want to go back and why some people just can't keep their minds off their homeland. I will always call my place of birth ekhaya (home) because that's where my journey began and I won't forget it.

Even though my time was short I discovered so much and did so much that I am grateful this world has given me a opportunity to tell you all. With this, I hope you enjoy my journey and learn why I have so much passion for Zimbabwe.

So let's begin!

Date 19/09/2017 Time: 21:00 Feelings-Happy, Excited, Nervous. Action: Running Temperature: 14 degrees celsius

With minutes to spare and after all the panicking and running like a penguin, I just about made it on the plane, thank goodness it was delayed. Can you believe it, straight after booking the plane and of course shocking my family about it, I found myself heading to the airport. Everything seemed so quick, finding myself sat down on the aeroplane alone, day of my 21st birthday,ready to embark on this journey. 'Lord Jesus, please be with me today and help this aeroplane carry everyone safely to their destination.  P.S I can't wait to get a tan Amen'.

Now, for that moment bringing my feelings of nervous and excitement into the picture, I would say the plane journey was somehow a little bit on the mixed side. I'll just say, never eat food and then lay down right away (if you have two other seats next to you spare). That isn't such a great idea, but with a little perservince and knowing I was a few miles away from my ekhaya, I just about fought this mishap away.

'Granny, it's me, I'm finally home, hello grandpa, hello Innocent'. It was so good to be in the comfort of my grandparents. Not seeing them for so long made every second of their embrace special.

My grandpa, his slightly different, more so formal, dressed in a suit with his leopard print cow boy hat, shook my hand but very firmly. I guess his character is still the same.

As we walked towards the doors to the car, I was already greeted with a gush of heat. Now this is what I missed, proper sunshine all day, everyday. I had to close my eyes, take in that slow deep breath soaking in all the smells, hoping I could store it and take the smell of Zimbabwe back with me. That also confirmed I wasn't dreaming.

I could still remember my way around. I guess, when you miss somewhere so much or think about it a lot, you never forget your way. Yes, some places had significantly changed including the roads but I gathered not everything stays the same, just like the seasons change. I wasn't going to a fancy place but at least going somewhere which had a feeling of welcome would make my stay enjoyable.

Arriving at the gate it was like this...

So, you know the feeling with just wanting do everything at once, especially if you've been waiting for a long time to get there, I just wanted to get everything on my list done. I wanted to run every street, say hello and even buy bottles of coke for everyone. But this is what I would say, take a step back and relax. Just get used to the timing and atmosphere you're in. Spread out your activities and make sure to keep to a budget. The good thing is if you know someone who is a local, you're more than likely to pay local prices instead of tourist prices and of course get the things you want to do ticked. Just make sure to have a day spare in case of an emergency or just incase you are one day behind schedule.

I was so surprised with how quickly, despite it being summer, the sun set. 7 o'clock and its already night time!

 I guess I have that to thank as my body instantly got into unwind mode and of course ready for me to hit the decks. Okay, I was truly exhausted so it made sense for me to sleep early. And thus concluding my first day.

Day 2

Refreshed and eager to take on the second day, I was so surprised with waking up super early.(I won't tell you the time now, but ill shock you later).For now, I'll thank the sun rise for that as well as Tombo the chicken. I guess you can never over sleep in Zimbabwe. Besides, if my grandparents can still wake up at the crack of dawn and boil water to bath, then so could I ! It was also so different to see everyone just getting on with their daily routines. This made me think that, despite what was going on around, and as the seasons change, people here, still try and make the effort to continue going on their daily lives. Of course there comes a point to where you want to just give up but with upbeat spirits and perseverance the thought of giving up are miles away.

So with that in mind, I pretty much eased my way into their way of thinking, and so I managed to find myself already onto my itinerary. Getting my hair done. I know it's not that interesting to tell but It was a different experience especially being way more cheaper ($15) getting it done here. The added bonus was I got to bask in the sun getting that vitamin C while watching the children let their feet run loose till the sun set. That's one beauty of being a child in Zimbabwe. Outside can be a playground full of entertainment so who cares if you come back with dusty clothes!

With that being said, I thoroughly hoped my time would be an exact reflection of those children, knowing that life is what you make it. If you want to be young again just laugh and come out of your bubble from time to time which gave me reassurance for being a spontaneous person aka going back home.

Home is where the heart is.

When was the last time you went home?

Photography

@zimzygirl 

Location

Harare ~Zimbabwe

Camera

Nikon 3200

iPhone 6

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Have a wonderful blessed day everyone. I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little and seeing Zimbabwe from my perspective so far. There are more Zimzygirl Diaries Posts and pictures to come during this week so be sure to visit my blog everyday.

Lots of kisses and hugs 

~zimzygirl~

xXx