4 weeks in Bulawayo

I am so glad. Today I am not sweating like a pig. Thankfulness oh yes. Yesterday was hot, very hot, rain-soon-coming-hot. We were all very hopeful that at last we would have some good (a lot of) rain, since there hasn't been a good rain since around Christmas. And it did rain! For three minutes. Yey. So all that heat and sweat for nothing. 

Anyway, today was another early start, 7.30, which just doesn't help my head at all. Messes up my eyes. Yesterday was one as well, because Bruce, who works at the Academy, and I went to Immigrations to extend my guest visa. I got it extended, so now I can stay until the third of March! I have no idea how the residence and working permit is going, but it is all being handled by somebody who Michael, the principal of the Academy, knows in Harare. I just hope I get it soon. 

Yesterday I got my hair cut as well! Lovely feeling. It isn't too different from before, just shorter and more layered and of course it always looks its' best just as you leave the hairdresser. Thank goodness I can get it all up in a little (tiny) bun. Sort of. 

Just now I bought my lunch and I was as always amazed at how money works here. We pay in us dollars and rand, which is the South African currency. At the moment people count eight rands to a dollar, which makes it quite often like cents of a dollar if you understand. "Two dollars and five rand." Since none of the foreign money has come quite legally (if I've understood it correctly) all the dollarbills are falling apart, extremely dirty and very used. The ones I brought here look as if they just jumped out of printing i comparison. So Peter, you will be bringing loads of dollars with you when you come! 

Now my elbow is giving me hell, so I will have to stop writing. Usually it isn't a problem when I am playing violin though, which is sooo nice. Playing piano is okay most of the time, but after a while I have to give up on my right hand and just play with my left. It is so irritating, I really hate it. I wish I could just chop my arm off and then buy a new one, but I doubt they have one at Greenvales, where we go shopping. So for now I just have to take it easy whenever it hurts too much, when it burns. 

Right, have a nice weekend. And I try putting up some photos on nellieinafrica.tumblr.com, but they look rubbish since I have to shrink them loads to be able to upload them at all. Bye!