A Saturday Trip to Mutare!

I've been here at AU about six weeks and last Sat. was my first opportunity to make a trip in to Mutare on a Sat. to look around and do some shopping!  (I have been in Mutare on some Sundays, but all of the stores except groceries are closed.)   Many of us boarded the 9:00 a.m. AU bus in to town, and it was a bumpy ride, indeed, due to road construction and much needed road construction!

Africa University is situated in the Eastern Highlands, which means that the campus is surrounded by "mountains," mostly the size of those in Appalachia.   They are very rocky, but mostly covered with tropical trees and scrub bushes.  Just as around Whitewater Lake in the spring, there are various shades of green as the acacia and other trees are leafing out.  The musasa trees, however, have red leaves (like our Fall) ~~ due to the combination of drought and chlorophyll process.  Mixed in among these are the beautiful jacaranda trees with their trumpet-shaped purple blooms.  They stand out much like dogwood stand out in the woods in our spring.  Filling in the gaps are various kinds of grasses.

Along the roadside are orange, pink, purple, and fuchsia bougainvillea, sometimes trimmed as a hedge, but usually just draping over a fence or other shrubs and growing wild!  What beauty God has given us to enjoy if we take the time to really drink it in!  Some of the mountains near campus are blackened, having burned due to the drought.  There are no fire hydrants or fire departments to come and put out these fires, so they just burn, sometimes whipped by the wind, until they burn themselves out.  Many trees which have been burned never recover; and those who live in the bush cut them down to use for firewood/charcoal.

As we approached the road construction on Christmas Pass, we saw a very large, white tent standing in a camping area just off the road.  While we waited for traffic to come from the other way, we saw many cars with green and yellow ribbons and balloons turning in front of our bus to go into the campsite.  One of the cars carried the bride and groom to their wedding reception!!  Other friends were arriving in the back of pick-up trucks, which then turned around to go back to Mutare for more well wishers!!

Finally we were given the green light to move ahead.  A short stretch of the road waiting to be re-surfaced has huge potholes that are difficult to avoid.  Off to the right is the City of Mutare, in the valley, below Christmas Pass.  Mutare has a population of about 150,000, and people speak of living in the low, medium, or very high density areas.  The very high density area suburbs are families living in abject poverty with many, many needs.  Those with money live in the low density area, most with high concrete fences and padlocked gates around their spacious property.  It is difficult to see their homes, but some have swimming pools and large yards.

Some folks got off just as we entered Mutare, while others of us rode on in and got off closer to the center of town.  Relatively speaking, for a "city" (third largest in Zimbabwe) this size, there aren't that  many cars ~~ just too expensive, with fuel sometimes reaching over $7.00/1.5 gal.  Most streets in this area are four lane, two each way, but do not have any painted markings.  And most street lights don't work.  So, you take your life in your hands getting across the street.  And I always have to remember to look right before stepping off the curb, since traffic moves in opposite lanes from the U.S.!

I walked several blocks with three others to a "department" store called "mfs."  The family is Christian and has made the "f" into a cross.  Scripture passages are painted all around the walls, and their service is great!  We first went into a separate storefront that contained mostly hardware items, lighting and plumbing parts, etc., etc.  It's amazing what small things can bring me joy!!  I found a spring-loaded toilet paper holder for $1.00!!!  A wonderful find, first off!!  They also carry some grocery items, much cheaper than in any of the other regular grocery stores.