Last year, they started using the U.S. Dollar as their national currency. Before that, the Zimbabwe Dollar became so worthless that it took 10,000,000,000 dollars (yes, that's 10 trillion dollars) to buy a loaf of bread. David was telling me how people would bring bags of Zim dollars to the store to buy one small item and it took forever to count it out so the government started making billion and trillion dollar notes. I think the largest was 20 trillion. I have some of those notes, and of course, it looks like Monopoly money to me.
Also the inventory in the grocery stores is a crap shoot. I thought that they didn't have paper towels or tin foil but yesterday I saw them. They just run out of stuff and then it is a long while before the stock gets replenished so you think they don't have something but they might--you just have to wait a while to see if it comes in.
All paper products are super expensive. I bought a box of Kleenex for $5.60 (I had to have them!) A roll of paper towels (one brand, one size, no choice) was $3.50. A pack of 40 napkins $3.75. Anyway, you never know what you're going to get when you go into the store. I once waited 2 weeks to get milk because the stores didn't have it. This happens with Coke and beer too. Sometimes you have to go to several stores to get a Coke or the beer you want.
And God forbid you want to buy beer or coke in bottles! They have this thing about bottles. I'm not sure where it stems from but they are very particular about them. Most of the time you have to drink the stuff there and turn in the bottle before you leave. Sometimes they won't let you buy a bottle of something unless you have an empty bottle to trade. They reuse these bottles a lot. The Coke bottles are all scratched and the paint on the logo is all scuffed up and faded. (Does Coke's brand manager know this is happening?) Yesterday I tried to buy 4 beers to have on hand when David came home from work. They made me promise that the taxi driver who was taking me home come back on his way back into town and drop off the 4 empty bottles I said I had at home. Another time we were traveling to Hwange National Park and stopped in the town to get beer and a loaf of bread (I like snacking on the warm, uncut loaf) and the check-out girl wouldn't let us have our bread until we finished the beer and brought the bottles back. Our bread was being held hostage for the empties!!
All paper products are super expensive. I bought a box of Kleenex for $5.60 (I had to have them!) A roll of paper towels (one brand, one size, no choice) was $3.50. A pack of 40 napkins $3.75. Anyway, you never know what you're going to get when you go into the store. I once waited 2 weeks to get milk because the stores didn't have it. This happens with Coke and beer too. Sometimes you have to go to several stores to get a Coke or the beer you want.
And God forbid you want to buy beer or coke in bottles! They have this thing about bottles. I'm not sure where it stems from but they are very particular about them. Most of the time you have to drink the stuff there and turn in the bottle before you leave. Sometimes they won't let you buy a bottle of something unless you have an empty bottle to trade. They reuse these bottles a lot. The Coke bottles are all scratched and the paint on the logo is all scuffed up and faded. (Does Coke's brand manager know this is happening?) Yesterday I tried to buy 4 beers to have on hand when David came home from work. They made me promise that the taxi driver who was taking me home come back on his way back into town and drop off the 4 empty bottles I said I had at home. Another time we were traveling to Hwange National Park and stopped in the town to get beer and a loaf of bread (I like snacking on the warm, uncut loaf) and the check-out girl wouldn't let us have our bread until we finished the beer and brought the bottles back. Our bread was being held hostage for the empties!!
Another funny thing, they call all alcohol 'beer'. I asked David's friend who had come over for dinner what he would like to drink. He said beer. I handed him a cold bottle of Castle and David said "oh, I think he wants a vodka and tonic." I said, "But he said beer." David said, "we call all alcohol 'beer'." Why?? How hard is it to say vodka when you want vodka? Gin if you want gin? Beer if you want beer? So now I ask, "What kind of beer do you want? Castle, vodka, or gin?"
Speaking of beer, they have these large outdoor places called 'beer halls'. They are big, fenced-in yards with benches scattered around and usually a TV showing a soccer game and a 'store' where you buy the alcohol. Most of the people buy these large plastic buckets of beer which is some kind of home-made stuff that is really cheap. They sit in a circle and pass the bucket around and everyone sips from it. I didn't try it, of course, (germs!) but I thought it was something I might have done in college when money was tight but the desire to drink was strong!
Another new African custom I learned today. Always something. I'll write again soon! Love you all!
Another new African custom I learned today. Always something. I'll write again soon! Love you all!
