A First Glimpse of Africa

Imire Game Park, Zimbabwe

I've left behind the asphalt, the designer outlets, and the hustle and bustle of Singapore for the rich cultures, the savannahs, and the wildlife of Africa.

This week I moved to Zimbabwe to begin a new teaching assignment at Harare International School.

When I made the decision to come to Africa, some of my colleagues and friends thought I was crazy because I'd be "roughing it" in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

Don't worry. So far, I've found just the opposite to be true.

Zimbabwe certainly has it share of challenges, but - as I've already discovered - you can't believe a lot of what's written in the papers.

Classes begin in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, the school has been making us feel quite welcome. Today, we visited the Imire game park near the capital. Harare is a city of 1.4 million people, but it just requires a couple of hours of driving to find oneself in the bush, sharing company ...

with creatures I'd previously seen only in zoos, although at times ...

it was a bit intimidating being this close to animals ...

like rhinos.









I think I'm going to like it here.