Welcome Back

I arrived in Zimbabwe this evening feeling anxious. While I was waiting in line with my completed customs entry form, I realized that my hands were trembling – I was not sure that I would be allowed back in and I was not letting myself think about what would then happen next.

Some of you may be confused as you rightly think that I arrived in Zimbabwe at the end of October to start up and manage a new 18-month development project. I have already been here for a month and the stamp they put in my passport when I arrived was only for thirty days, in spite of the six-month multiple entry visa I had bothered to get from the Zimbabwean embassy in Washington. When I first arrived at the Harare airport, the customs official then told me that I would have to go to the Department of Immigration to get an extension. When I went there on Friday, I was informed that there was no way to extend my visa. I decided that it would do me no good to argue with this bureaucrat who had all the power in the situation and was very likely looking for a bribe he wasn’t going to get. So my only option was to go on a quick trip to South Africa.

Luckily for me, my aunt and uncle allowed me go and stay at their game conservancy north of Pretoria, which is a little piece of heaven. On Saturday they hosted a wine maker from Stellenbosch who flew up specially to give a wine tasting for their lodge guests. I didn’t arrive in time for the official tasting but I did get to drink the wine which was delicious. Sunday I crashed a 40th birthday party of a friend of theirs and met a fascinating woman in her 70’s who discussed with me the work I am doing in Zimbabwe. Her insight astounded me. I rounded out the weekend with short early-morning runs in the bush scaring the giraffe, zebra and wildebeast as I plodded by and getting sunburned reading a good book (The Year of the Flood) on my kindle sitting and soaking up some rays. It wasn’t all fun and games as I did work late both nights I was there to finish up the first draft of our program’s first year work plan, which needed to be sent out for comments by today.

---

I approached the immigration officer’s desk at the airport trying desperately to look nonchalant and not to draw attention to my trembling hands. I smiled widely and said good evening and received a warm smile in return. He flipped through my passport and then paused. “Oh, I was the officer who stamped you last time you arrived”. I was waiting for him to then say that it was clear that I had left Zimbabwe on a trip of convenience to receive another 30 day visa and that was not allowed (and officially, he would not be wrong). Instead I heard the stamp slam twice on the desk and he handed me back my passport and said, “Welcome back”.