Domboshava

Instagram Chronicles

1. At the market in Masvingo, doing some shopping. 

2. Kezi, visiting my gogo

3. Me, enjoying some winter sunshine

4. Reading Sophia Amoruso's story of how she became a fashion retail giant. 

5. Hippo Creek, Masvingo. Walking to Lake Kyle. 

I've been traveling a lot -- which has been awesome because I'm happy to see so many different places in Zimbabwe. There are still tons more on my list, but I guess they can wait. When I finally came back to Harare, I took some time to reflect and thank God for his journey mercies as I have been up and down Zim roads. Our roads are incredibly dangerous and bad. There is no guarantee that you will get where you going or return home. We encountered so many accidents on the roads, old car wreckages along the sides of the highway. It is quite sad, really. I hope road safety will be taken seriously, soon.

Instagram: @glamgirlZ

Dr. Maya Angelou

About two months ago, I had been thinking about Maya Angelou, I was reading some of her work and then wrote this post. You all know by now that this phenomenal woman passed away on May 28, 2014. More than anything, her passing her showed me just how much I DID NOT know about her life. I always thought she was fascinating but I was not even scratching the surface. I look forward to reading and learning more about her as the year goes on! 

"You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive."

R.I.P.

Postcard from Jozi

My favourite city in the world. Everytime I come here, it gets better and better. What most exciting to me is that there is still so much more of it for me to explore. I've had a lovely two weeks away from Zimbabwe. I feel like I have found myself again, as corny as that may sound. Ready to go back now. 

xx

World Water Day 2014

March 22 is WORLD WATER DAY. If you follow this blog, you know that water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues are very important to me. Usually I'd spend WWD at the Face Africa Gala in NYC but now that I am in Zimbabwe, I did something different and a bit more special. The theme this year was water and energy. The Miss Earth Zimbabwe Organization put together a commemoration for high school students from schools across Bulawayo. It was very nice to engage with your Zimbabweans and learn a bit more about the water issues in our own area.

On a cloudy Saturday morning, volunteers led students and teachers on a walk from CBC to the Hillside Dams. The students sat in the ampitheater and after a welcome address from Miss Earth Zim Director, Thandekile Muringa, the first presentation started. 

Mr. Cedric Masuku, a water engineer, from the City of Bulawayo gave a presentation, which featured the ways in which water and energy are linked in Zimbabwe. In addition to everyday household usage, we water in food production processes (irrigation etc.), for hydroelectric power generation and in coolers at thermal plants.  Mr. Masuku highlighted the water challenges faced by the Matebeleland region - the climate (drought stricken area) and development (population growth) related issues that have affected the region's water supply. He stressed the need for communities to start thinking of water as a finite resource and start using it efficiently. "Efficient usage should start at the highest level, from industrial to your sink at home," said Masuku, "the City is only going to grow bigger and resources will be stretched." Mr. Masuku also reminded students that the only "free" water is rain water, in many ways we are at the mercy of rains. We must manage what we have and utilise it more effectively. In addition to that, it costs money to treat water and then provide it in good quality and adequate quantities. (Pay your water bills!) All in all, it was an impressive and informative presentation. 

Mr. Masuku's presentation was followed by a Q &A session and a student speech by a member of the Edmund Rice society at Christian Brothers College. Students enthusiastically answered questions in hopes of winning recycling bags, as prizes. Ms. Muringa led students in a discussion on the importance of recycling before distributing recycling bags and splitting everyone into groups for the cleanup. 

My group of students

Each group received a number of recycling bags, gloves and pitchforks (provided by Bulawayo City Council) before setting out to clean the area. Different students were in charge of collecting different things - glass, plastic, paper etc.  To be honest, the Hillside Dams area is kept very clean but we did manage to make it even cleaner! At the end of the cleanup, we all met in the amphitheatre to sort all the bags and then ended the program. 

It was a morning well-spent!

A woman in harmony with her spirit...

“A Woman in harmony with her spirit

is like a river flowing.

She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination

prepared to be herself

and only herself ”

- Maya Angelou

I had the pleasure of watching a conversation between authors, Zadie Smith and Chimamanda Adichie, yesterday. A friend, who knows me so well, literally called me to tell me to get onto my laptop and watch the live-stream. The Zimbabwean internet gods were smiling upon me and I listened with no interruptions or hiccups :)

Towards the end, audience members submitted questions. One of the questions came from a 25 year old woman who described being on the verge of a quarter life crisis and asked Adichie how she had discovered her purpose and what advice she would give to help someone else discover theirs. Adichie said at 25, she never thought in those terms and how that puts too much pressure on us, as individuals. Essentially she said, "Life is short, just live and follow your heart." Smith then jumped in to say how people who have found what they love don't necessarily recognise that that is a gift. Many people out there do not know or have not found what it is that they love so they are in constant pursuit and wondering about it. 

I agree with both Adichie and Smith. There is this preoccupation with finding purpose which I think many people go about in the wrong way. It is not a science. I believe "finding your purpose", is a much more organic process. It's like falling in love in the sense that, you don't have to think too much or analyse it. You just know - it becomes so evident and the dots connect. 

To me, purpose can manifest itself in many different forms and you can grow/evolve in that purpose. It's not tied to one specific job title, industry, field, or place.  Be in tune with yourself: what are your values, what do you care about, what makes you happy. 

Nature is free for all of us

Zimbabwe has given me a new appreciation for how God works through nature. I literally find myself stopping and talking about how beautiful one sight or the other is. Just walking around and taking it all in has a very calming effect.  

Transitioning to being here has been just as hard (if not harder) as  I imagined it would be. The biggest thing I am learning is to slow down. To literally take one step at a time and not to dwell on things too much. It is keeping me on my toes and I like that.  

Photo Diary: Blue Skies in Southern Africa

 Over the past few months, I've become obsessed with the sky. Sometimes it is the most beautiful cloudless blue and other times it is lit up by some magnificent and terrifying lightning storms. I thought would share some of the pictures I have captured. Enjoy!

*All images captured with an iPhone 4S. Some edited with VSCO Cam. 

Location: South Africa and Zimbabwe. 

Follow me on instagram: @GLAMGIRLZ

"Black History Month" Challenge

February is Black History Month in the US. As with anything on this planet, people are split on whether it is a good or bad thing to have a single month that is dedicated to the histories of black people. My stance has always been that I love Black History Month. Yes, it is only a month but it is better than nothing because Schools are NOT teaching black history, black parents are barely teaching their children black history and the media definitely isn't, so even if it is only for one month, I am very happy to see everyone make a concerted effort to share and teach black history. I do hope that one day we will get to a point where we do not need to do it, the same way we will get to a point where we don't need affirmative action, BEE in South Africa or indigenisation in Zimbabwe and any of the policies that aim to right past wrongs. 

Anyway, back to Black History Month. I came across this challenge (The Black Love Valencia's Garden Challenge) and I thought it was pretty cool. I love to read some of the great thinkers, writers and fighters of our history because there are always gems in their works.  

One of my favourite blogs at the moment is "Valencia's Garden." It is filled with reflections by a young woman named Valencia, a teacher in Baltimore. I always find her posts empowering and thoughtful; they bring an extra dose of positivity to my day so I wanted to share. Please check out the www.valenciasgarden.com and I hope you will join me in this challenge :)

Curry and Champagne

We were invited to a dinner party on the night before Christmas Eve. 

Our lovely host cooked up A STORM. All sorts of curry dishes: fish, chicken, veggie...absolutely delicious. I loved how he explained each dish to us, what was in it and its proper name. We had some naan and rice with, what seemed like, an endless supply of champagne to accompany all the curries. 

Dinner was served outdoors, in a cabana. After dinner we started playing Heads Up. ***SIDEBAR: If you do not have this game, go into your App Store and download it now! It's basically charades with a bit of a twist.*** We had many hilarious rounds of Heads Up before jumping in the pool to chill a bit.

The rest of the night consisted of yummy desert, singing of carols and reenactments of recent news stories (don't ask). It was fun, to say the least and it finally got me into the Christmas spirit. Being surrounded by so much love made the difference. 

Mandela at the Union Buildings

Fun fact: South Africa has three capital cities.

The administrative part of South African government is seated the Union Buildings in Pretoria.  I took a trip to Pretoria (or Tshwane) to visit an old friend and also because, I just HAD TO see the new Nelson Mandela statue, that was recently unveiled.

The Union Buildings area is so pretty. The buildings are situated on a hill with lots of stairs, green grass, trees, flowers, Italian architecture. It seems like a nice place to hang out and get a good view of the city. The statue is just WOW. For me, this is what comes to mind when I think of the word statuesque. I really do love it.  It is huge and the open arms fit so well with who Madiba was. Job well done to whoever made it.

Here are a few pictures, but you should really go and see for yourself.

Follow me on instagram: @glamgirlZ

Rain Urban Boutique Spa

My sister surprised me and one of her friends with a visit to Rain Urban Boutique Spa in Rosebank. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was excited but also a bit nervous about driving, it always takes getting used to because everything is opposite. The drive was a breeze (if we don't discuss the countless traffic lights that were not working), we had a bit of trouble finding the spa once we arrived at The Zone (our fault) but it was definitely worth the trouble. I had a pleasant afternoon there.

We were greeted by the lovely Amanda, who owns the spa. We were led upstairs and served a small cup of tea and some slippers to help us relax while she explained what our experience would be. The spa offers customised massages, meaning you choose everything. They even have a wide selection of music from light vocal jazz to wind instruments and piano. I chose the vocal jazz. 

Next we were introduced to our masseuses and off we went. I chose a full-body hot stone massage. I started by having my feet soaked, scrubbed and massaged while sitting in the chair and then we moved to the main event. My masseuse was great and very attentive, always making sure I was comfortable with the pressure etc.

After we were finished with our treatments, we relaxed for a bit and then went downstairs. We were served a cool glass of water to rehydrate and a small snack, some grapes and granola bar. I love the decor at Rain, very clean and minimalist. The blue paint is refreshing and really offsets all of the white. One of my favourite things was the shelf above. Half of a Yellow Sun was there and a book on start-ups along with some other interesting titles. I love to read, so I really felt that was a nice touch.

I really enjoyed my day at Rain. I would definitely recommend it, if you are looking for chic and attentive service.

Rain Urban Boutique Spa

Loft Office #6, First Floor, 

The Zone Phase II, Rosebank, Sandton

Tel: +27 11 447 4534

http://www.rainurbanboutiquespa.com

I Have Moved

One year and two days ago, I had just finished writing my first set of law school final exams. Now that I was finished with exams and was sure that I did well, it was time to break it to my parents that I was leaving law school and I wanted to move back home, to Zimbabwe. 

Today, I am sitting in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was a long and difficult journey just to get to the point of getting on that plane at JFK. There is a very thin line between having faith and being reckless or foolish. Sometimes, I'm not sure which side of that line I am on, but I do know that I have never felt more happy with and sure of myself. I have worked for things and spoken others into existence, all for the vision that I have. Over the past year, I have thought critically about what I believe, what I am willing to sacrifice and how far I am willing to go to achieve my goals. My faith in God and in my own abilities has deepened. There are some people who I will be eternally grateful to, for their constant support and belief in me. It made SUCH a difference and helped me to take a leap of faith. 

 I'll admit that I sometimes wish I had a crystal ball to predict the future. Uncertainty is unsettling, I have no idea if things will play out the way I want them to but I am at ease. I am here because I am on a mission. There is no other place in the world I would like to contribute to and build something, than Zimbabwe. My home.