What is your impression of Africa?Is it ...... the sun is like fire, the land is dry, and the heat wave is rollingBut there is a country where the moment you step into its borders, you will be greeted by flocks of flying birds, vast lakes, vast grasslands, dense forests and rivers, and white clouds that seem to be touched by a stretch of hand. The air you breathe is so refreshing and full of power.
On the other hand, to this day the country is plagued by frequent famines, and food crises are intertwined with cholera, plague, etc. Yes, this is Zimbabwe, just been there, let me tell you what life is really like for real Zimbabweans!
1.Zimbabwe, an ancient kingdom located in southern Africa, is the only country in the world named after an archaeological site, "Great Zimbabwe Ruins" is a huge stone town site built in 1100-1600 AD, and "Zimbabwe" became the name of the country after independence. It is also the "best country" in the hearts of European explorers and colonists, because of the world-famous Victoria Falls and rich wildlife resources, Zimbabwe has always shone with a mysterious brilliance.
2.First of all, the distance from the airport to the capital city of Harare is about 20 kilometers, and during the journey, sika deer, zebras, birds and insects appear in front of the car. There are all kinds of insects mixed with the indigenous people who pass by us, which makes me feel like I am in another world after staying in China for a long time. On both sides of the road, there are stalls selling handicrafts, mainly wood carvings and stone tools, all the forms and figures are in the country's mystical religion and ancient folk tales, of course, there are also clothes and African specialties.
3.When I first arrived in Zimbabwe, I listened to the most of the three black mantras here – don't worry;no problem;I don't know. At first, I thought it was ridiculous, but in the days that followed, when I actually got along with the locals, I realized that these words were the best portrayal of the nature of black people. Even though they are surrounded by walls, they can still sing ridiculous lyrics and still laugh and say "hello" to me loudly. With the development of our Belt and Road Initiative, China and Zimbabwe also have a number of cooperation and selfless help in economic and technological development, investment protection, energy, transportation, etc. Therefore, we deeply feel that the people here are particularly friendly to the Chinese.
4.Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe, located in its northeastern highlands, at an altitude of more than 1,400 meters, and has a population of about 2 million. In the local Shona language, Harare means "the city that never sleeps". Harare is like spring all year round, the scenery is pleasant, and the beautiful names such as "Sunshine City", "City of Flowers and Trees", and "Paris of Africa" are a true portrayal of the whole city. Walking in Harare, you can't imagine being in Africa.
5.Manufacturing, agriculture and mining are the three pillar industries of Zimbabwe's national economy. Although Zimbabwe has only 390,000 square kilometers of land, it is extremely rich in mineral resources, with a rough estimate of more than 80 species, and more than 40 kinds have been basically proven. Among them, Zimbabwe** ranks first in the world in terms of reserves per square kilometer (6 kilograms of square kilometers), platinum reserves rank second in the world, chrome ore reserves rank second in the world, and diamond reserves rank first in the world. In addition, Zimbabwe is known for producing high-quality crocodile skins and is known as the "Land of Crocodiles".
6.When it comes to eating, it's really a place for people to eat, and Mopane worms are one of the most traditional and popular delicacies in Zimbabwe. Entomology, the Mupane worm is not a worm, but a caterpillar of the monarch moth, which feeds on the leaves of forests. It is about the thickness of a finger and the length of a hand. Despite being a local delicacy, the Mopane worms are never farmed and are all grown and caught in the wild. Dried and then fried with onions, tomatoes and spices, reminds me of our monkeys.
7.A staple food commonly eaten locally is called saza, a savory, dough-like porridge made from corn flour, ground millet, or sorghum flour. Boil with water until it takes on a glutinous structure and forms a spherical shape. Saza is usually eaten by hand, tearing off a small portion of the ball, reshaping it in the fingers, and serving it with a dipping sauce, with vegetables or pre-cut pieces of meat.
8.In Zimbabwe, where Western medicine and witch doctors coexist, a colleague of mine once felt a bloated abdominal pain and traveled all over the city to seek medical treatment. The diagnosis of Western medicine was: "You have hepatitis." But the traditional doctor (the so-called "witch doctor") said to him, "You have fallen for it!"But strangely enough, the witch doctor did not recite a spell to Khalid or let him drink incense water, but prescribed a medicine. My colleague went home and carefully compared the prescriptions with Western medicine, and found that the two were almost identical. The difference is that Western medicine has several more vitamins in the prescription, while the traditional doctor has prescribed him a few more herbs. To his astonishment, the two doctors told him the same thing: "Immediately give up the Xi habit of drinking several beers a day......”
9.After a long time, we learned that witch doctors are still very popular among Zimbabwean people. Today, about 80 of Zimbabwe's nearly 10 million people seek witch doctors for one illness. The reason is to save money. A visit to a Western doctor costs $10, and a bottle of 30 capsules of vitamin C costs 3$25, which is equivalent to the income of an average person in one day. And a visit to a traditional doctor only costs 25 5 US dollars, the cost of each medicine is only about 10 of Western medicine.
10.In terms of travel, you should pay attention to the sense of security there is not as safe as in China. First of all, you must develop a good Xi of locking the door when you get on the bus. This will greatly reduce the chance of people pulling open doors and snatching bags at intersections and high-risk sections. When driving, don't put bulky items on the seat of your car. Keep all your belongings in the back case and keep your carry-on backpack under your feet or secure the bag strap with a seat belt. Do not put small valuables such as mobile phones near the seat next to you or near the dashboard of the car, so as not to be seen by criminals. And more importantly, don't give out your driving directions to employees or unrelated people.
11.At the intersections of the capital Harare, the lights in front of the bank are high-risk areas for robbery. Don't talk to strangers, criminals will often use "your car tire is flat", "your car is leaking" and other tricks to talk to you, and the gang will use "sound to the west", "turn the tiger away from the mountain" and other ways to attract your attention, the best way is to ignore them, protect your belongings, and drive away quickly.
12.Zimbabwe was once the breadbasket of Africa and is one of the few rich countries in Africa. At the beginning of independence, the economy developed rapidly and the society was relatively stable, and the capital Harare was rated as "the most suitable city for human survival" by the United Nations. Western countries regard Zimbabwe as a "model for development" for the newly independent African countries. However, since 2000, Zimbabwe's radical land reform policy has changed and Zimbabwe's economy has collapsed.
13.Zimbabwe has a unique soil, sunlight and rain suitable for tobacco growth, and Zimbabwean land is also known as sandy loam tobacco fields and is known as the first tobacco field. Therefore, the world's high-end cigarettes must be mixed with a certain amount of Zimbabwean tobacco. It is also home to the world's largest tobacco auction house, and nearly half of the tobacco grown each year is exported to China. Our country's top of the spectrum of Greater China and Hibiscus King are all infused with a certain percentage of Zimbabwean tobacco.
14.Zimbabwe was once hit by a great famine, and the lack of food turned to wildlife. There was once a Western documentary about a dying old elephant coming out of the woods and into the wilderness, where he was targeted by a group of Zimbabweans, including women and children, with sharp knives in their hands, and a group of people rushed up and divided the elephant's carcass with knives, and the scene was extremely cruel.
15.Despite poverty, Zimbabwe adheres to the principle of "no matter how poor you are, you can't be poor in education", and implements a low-fee policy in primary and secondary schools, although the hardware is poor, but there are still uniform uniforms, so Zimbabwe is also one of the African countries with the highest level of national education, with a population literacy rate of 89%, ranking among the top in Africa.
16.The most prestigious tourist attraction in Zimbabwe is the Victoria Falls, which is co-owned with Zambia. The waterfall is 1 degree wideWith a maximum drop of 7 kilometers and a maximum drop of 108 meters, it is one of the three major waterfalls in the world. From several kilometers away, you can see the water spraying from the rushing river, feel the water vapor in the air, and often see double or even triple rainbows in the sun.
17.Zimbabwean girls love to be pretty, and because of their short hair, most girls will make wigs from the age of 5 and then braid them into beautiful braids. But there is still a tradition of child marriage in Zimbabwe, with many girls marrying before the age of 18.
Zimbabwe is such a happy country, even if they live in poverty, the local people still have a big smile. Even if they knew that the hometown had been called "** country" thousands of years ago, they never sighed for not getting brocade clothes and food;Even though they know that the economic recovery will be a long journey, they are never anxious about what the future holds.
With a leisurely sentence of "I don't know", I have a happiness that is hard to find in an instant.