Zimbabwe
- @Bethany_Grey
- Mar 29, 2018
- 3 min read
My trip to Zimbabwe in 2016 will always be an extra special trip to me. I wanted to re-visit the photos and post it up on my personal blog to share the images and my time spent there!
I was lucky enough to be able to visit Zimbabwe to meet some of my boyfriend, Bruno's family and to see the amazing country where he was born & raised before coming to England in 2002.
Africa is one of those fascinating places so many of us dream about visiting; known for it's beautiful landscapes, fascinating cultures, the wildlife and of course - the heat!
I visited Africa during the colder season; it was cloud during the day and freezing cold at night, just like home! The weather, however, gave me ideal conditions to explore and of course take plenty of photos on my travels.
Our first stop was to visit the kumusha (village) with my partner and his family who speak Shona & Ndebele.
The village is called Chikwaka and is in the county of Murehwa. The land is made up mostly of fields where crops are grown, a small bungalow and a traditional hut. The huts are round with skillfully thatched roofs and are used as kitchens or for storage for harvest.
I loved seeing chickens roaming the grounds, cows munching on cabbages and dogs lazing in the sunshine.
We had no internet, of course, so we had no real need to be on our phones. It was a whole new experience spending time with Bruno and his family in the cold evenings, huddled around the fire outside, cooking dinner together and boiling tea in a big teapot. There was no running water and an electric generator, which wasn't always in working order. There was a well where water was collected as well as pretty lemon & mango trees - I had missed mango season, however there were plenty of lemons to pick.
Living at the kumusha is such a different way of life and as cliche as it sounds; seeing how some people live there really does make you appreciate the way of life in England and how much we take for granted. But what I loved even more about the adults and children I met was that they were such hard workers, they appreciated everyone and everything around them, and they never stopped smiling.
After staying in the village for 3 nights we then travelled from Harare to Bulawayo 6 hours away where we stayed with more family for the remainder of our stay. From Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo and more we visited some beautiful places and made some unforgettable memories. I was overwhelmed by the welcome I received and the incredibly kind and warm-hearted people who I met.
From picking lemons, riding on the back of a cow drawn cart, collecting water from the well and joining in with traditional African dance, I really was given a true African experience that I will never forget.
I know I'll be visiting again one day in the future and there are still so many places I am yet to see, so until then, I miss you Africa - see you soon!
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