The hero

Yesterday we went on a THQ retreat to Mbizi game lodge. It was good to be with people from our office in a different setting - out of uniform, out of stress, just out enjoying nature. Food makes or breaks an event in Zim, so thankfully there was LOTS of food on this retreat. As we had our 2 lectures we ate bananas and apples, and then when the lectures were finished (and people woke up!) we all stood around the 2 braai stands (bbqs) and took pieces of freshly slaughtered and cooked meat. We had beef and pork, and there was lots of it. After gorging on meat, they announced lunch. A truck arrived with huge pots - full of more beef, chicken, rice, potatoes, vegetables, soup, salads, crates of coke... People were happy, and I saw a few slipping pieces of meat into lunchboxes hidden under the table. Hey, why not?

After lunch we went on a game drive, and saw some giraffe, zebras, impalas, tsesebe and elands. Supposedly there used to be hundreds of animals, but due to meat shortages, people have been poaching for survival, and there are hardly any animals left. I did learn something about impalas. They have an ability to predict when a drought season is approaching (atmospheric change) and if they know it's coming and they are pregnant, they eat a certain type of poisonous tree and inflict self abortion. They don't want to have children when they know they will not survive. Interesting...

We also had the chance to go canoeing. Most people had never been on a canoe before, so John became the second guide (there was only one staff member at the canoes), offered to skip the game drive and took about 12 groups of 3 people out for a little ride on the lake. People were nervous, but there were no incidents... until the end of the day. Four men went out on a canoe without John (but with the "official" guide, and one didn't wear a lifejacket. Major C is a very large man, and said the lifejacket would not fit over his head. Their canoe capsized. John and I were on shore, and started hearing "uyai! uyai!" (come, come). Two men (including the official guide) were holding onto the capsized canoe. Major C (the man without a lifejacket) was just flailing about in the water - he didn't know how to swim and he was panicking. He was trying to grab hold of Mr. N - who is much smaller, and was trying to stay afloat. John immediately jumped into a canoe, and paddled to them as quickly as possible. By the time he got to them, Major C was spending more time underwater than above it. He got them to reach for the paddle, and then hold on to the side of the canoe so he could paddle them back in. If he'd tried to get them into the boat, it would surely have capsized. John is very good in emergency situations, because he speaks calmly and confidently and makes others calm down. They all arrived back on shore, and the two men who almost drowned collapsed, spit out water, and thanked God for their lives. And everyone else - who had been watching the whole thing from shore - started thanking John and calling him a hero. And he is a hero! He literally saved 2 people's lives! Death is so common here that it would not have been extremely tragic/shocking for us to come home from the one-day retreat with 2 casualties. But it would have been tragic and shocking for us! Good thing he didn't go on the game drive! I'm so thankful these 2 men are alive, and I'm so thankful for my husband - the hero!