Arrived in Chinhoyi

We left Harare for Chinhoyi at 9am. After a pleasant two-hour drive, we arrived at the hotel associated with the university. One of the university’s programs is in hospitality and the hotel, along with its restaurant and bar, are part of the training program. It is fully-functional three-star hotel. 

The room was very small, just enough space for a bed, some closet space, a TV, and a laptop-sized table. But, it was very comfortable. The university paid for room and board for about a month while they arranged for a house in faculty quarters. It is common in Zimbabwe for compensation to be paid in a combination of cash, housing, transportation, healthcare, and social security.

After lunch I was introduced to the department chair, Ms. Mary Muhonde. She took me on a whirlwind tour of the campus and I met a large number of people. The next day I was assigned an office. Thank God it was one of the few air-conditioned offices

For someone from a cool climate, the heat here during the summer is brutal. Although I have been to Zimbabwe before, it was never during their summer, and never outside Harare, a mile high in the mountains. Chinhoyi is about half-way down the mountain, and in a valley. So, it is hotter here in any case. The lowlands are hotter still.

There was little in the way of formal in-processing. After a couple of weeks I mentioned to the department chair about a few friendly encounters with security people. She was surprised at it all and then realized I had not yet been issued an identification card. We got that taken care of. But, everyone on this campus seems to know of me. As I said in another post, everything is the opposite here, even my skin color.  :)  That apparently served as my “ID card”, and still does. Nobody ever asks me for it but I always show it when appropriate.