Getting ready for a trip to Africa requires a lot of focus. This year has proved difficult and my thoughts have been dominated by Zimbabwe.

I was there in February twice. The life had dropped off comparing to the first time I was there in 2002. The hustle and bustle had dropped off. Hope was in the air though brought by the promise of upcoming elections.

To know what is happening today is difficult. I wrote a friend in Livingstone, Zambia to ask how things were across the border. Here is her reply:

Hey!how soon?
Well you`ve got a reason to worry about our brothers & sisters in zim.You know that person is loosing all his senses that he does n`t know what to do any more.It will be of help to a few families who will sell stones to you that day.If you you had all the money in the world i would ask you to buy from every one just to help them. The situation is calm only hunger and no money.You can go there freely.Take care.

So, my hope will be that I can go freely.

Zimbabwe over years has been like the stock markets the last few months. It looks like it has bottomed out but in fact there is another drop, and then another. My people have been conditioned to expect that things are always going to get better. This is not the way life works.

But in Zimbabwe I always find hope. My friends, all the brothers and sisters, are looking for the day when their country will shine again.