Deer Diary: Zimbabwe

Showing posts with label Zimbabwe. Show all posts

Tuesday, 10 January 2017

Memoirs ~ 2 ~

Hello Independence, Goodbye Independence

The Big Blog Exchange is run by Hostelling International and is an exciting and unique project where 16 passionate bloggers swap blogs and countries with each other simultaneously for 10 days - and share their experience with the world. The project was first explored in 2013 and was a great success engaging over 1200 bloggers across 100 countries.

The Saturday Star 26.07.2014

Holiday

Last month, I resigned from my job and took off to Zimbabwe for just over a month!
Now before you say 'Jeesh Fawn, that's a bit risky, quitting your job for a holiday?" let me reassure you that it was definitely worth it! Plus I got back to Joburg this week and have already been offered a job!

I know, more than most people, how short life really is! This doesn't mean you should be reckless and completely carefree with your decision making but it does mean that sometimes you just have to do what feels right and trust that everything will work itself out!

The Schedule:

25/04 - Arrive in Zim, 1st Hens party (Tin Roof)

26/04 - Home, Family Dinner

27/04 - 1st Kitchen Tea

29/04 - Coffee & catch-up with friends

30/04 - Hair/make-up trials, Birthday Braai + Party (Tin Roof)

2/05 - Wedding Rehearsal

3/05 - Michael & Sara's wedding

7/05 - Party (Tin Roof)

9/05 - Girls Dinner, Party (Tin Roof)

11/05 - Mother's day brunch

16/05 - 2nd Kitchen Tea & Hens party (Tin Roof)

20/05 - Nails done with bridal party

22/05 - Leave for Vic Falls

23/05 - Saw the Falls, Sundowner Cruise on the Zambezi

24/05 - Siana & Kevin's wedding

25/05 - Lunch at Vic Falls Boat Club, Final Dinner

25/05 - Back to Harare

26/05 - Back to Joburg

So as you can see it was a rather eventful trip! Tin Roof is Harare's local drinking hole, it's a great place to bump into old friend's but not a great place to be if you want a quiet night out!
There were obviously more coffee's with friends, lunches, dinners etc but you get the idea! I'm going to let the photo's do the talking from here, even though they NEVER do the real life view any justice!

Peta, Lisa (Sister), Sara, Me, Shendl (Maid of Honour), Moira missing.

My beautiful Barbill

Tea with Snoek and Barbill

Chilling with Angel

Hair Trial

Bright and Beautiful

Love is in the air

The Bride and Groom

Gorgeous Setting.

Celebrating Mother's Day

Katie, Meg, Me, Siana & Hele.

Less civilized Hen's party

Mani & Pedi for the wedding

My first time seeing Vic Falls!!

Rainbows everywhere!

Incredible!

Gin & Tonic - Vital part of my anti malaria protection programme!

Bridal party

The Bride and Groom

Gorgeous!

Back to Joburg!

Such an amazing holiday! This time last year I would still be in hospital, recovering from the punctured lungs incident. It's absolutely incredible that I am able to do the all things that I am doing. I dreamed of having a 'normal' life, being able to go to the shops and cook my own dinner, but travelling to Vic Falls and being able to do everything that I am doing, really as exceeded my dreams!

Moral of the story - AIM HIGHER, DREAM BIGGER, GO FURTHER!

Saturday, 12 April 2014

Happiness

Zimbabwe.... my home and home to some of the happiest people I know.

To me happiness is an essential part of life. Yes this world isn't always a pleasant place to be but if you look hard enough you can always find something that brings you joy. Sometimes it's a little harder when things aren't going great but that's when it's even more important to look for and hold on to the small things that make you happy.

Before and during my transplant, life was pretty rough to say the least, but I was generally a happy person. I was able to achieve this happiness because my state of mind was one of the few things I had control over. I had little control over my health, I worked at it but it deteriorated anyway. So instead, I worked on being happy. Friends and family helped a lot but at the end of the day the decision to be happy is yours.

In life everyone works on their careers, fitness, education and relationships but happiness is something people assume will just 'happen'. Sure, if you work on the other aspects of your life, happiness often finds its way into your life on it's one but as soon as something falls apart happiness is the first to jump ship.

Work on your happiness so that when something goes wrong in your life you still have the mindset of being happy.

How do you work on your happiness, you say? Well it starts with appreciation. Look at all the small things in your life and really take some time to think about them and appreciate them. Breathing for instance, it's a 'little' thing but appreciate the fact that you can do it. When you start to count and appreciate all these little blessings in your life you will soon realise just how much you have to make you happy.

I am currently doing the 100 happy days challenge which involves taking a picture of something every day that makes you happy. This is something you can do to ensure that you LOOK for things that make you happy. Some days it's easy and I want to take 5 photos, other days my life seems rather boring and I really have to challenge myself to find something to make me smile! It's a great challenge and I'd encourage you all to try it by clicking HERE =)

Here are some surveys you can do to test how happy you really are-

Happiness Survey

Do you know how to be happy?

There are so many things that make me happy in this world. Seeing a little flower growing between a crack in the road reminds me how resilient and beautiful nature is. Smelling the arrival of the first rains and of course animals!

Whether it's a cute puppy being so innocently naughty....