Sports and roads

I thought it was about time to start doing some sports again and as I had got the phone number of a tennis trainer I thought I could start taking some lessons again. My original plan was that we could play at the court at the office, but he suggested I should come down to the club where he is working. Just the name of the club made me immediately change my mind and yesterday I went to the club. It is called Old Hararians Sports Club. Isn’t it great?! I saw before my inner eye some old colonial style, very old fashioned and exclusive club. Maybe it had been and it still looked promising from the road, where I saw people all in white (of course) playing cricket on a field surrounded by trees in the setting sun. When I came closer I got a little more sceptic already when the guards at the gate did not even ask who I am or what I was doing there. Then it turned out that the whole place looked rather run down and derelict. I found my coach however. He turned out to be really nice and very good. He told me he is the coach of the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team, so guess if I am gonna get good!! (Magda, photos will come later!) He had even been to Novi Sad with the team in March 2005. It is indeed a small world and everywhere there is a Balkan-connection!

Somehow the description of the state of the club says a lot about the whole place, it was probably very nice once, but is now run down and derelict. There are some very nice houses and the city gives a rather neat and tidy impression, but there is a lot of mess on top of it. The roads were probably also rather good once, but are now full of potholes. On my way to the office I have from the first day been laughing about the signs promoting Pothole repair. Driving along the road bumping up and down and trying to zigzag between the holes without hitting any of the pedestrians or cyclists on the side of the road, it felt somehow rather ironic. Until a couple of days ago. Then I saw what was written above the text Pothole repair. It said “D Y I”. So it is actually a commercial for do it yourself pothole repair! Then it got hilarious! Who the hell will do that, and where??

On my way back from the sports club I took another way than I usually drive, I drowe through down town. They always tell you, you should not drive down town alone after dark, but it was not really dark yet so I took that way. I had also been warned not to drive past the State House (the president’s residence) as that road is blocked at certain times and as the guards outside are instructed to “fire without questioning” (according to Lonely Planet). But as I was on my way home I just looked at the map to find the shortest way there and didn’t really pay attention to what else I was passing. Not until I suddenly saw lot of really nasty looking and very heavily armed guards standing along the road. It was really scary. Afterwards I looked at the map and realised I had just been driving exactly where I shouldn’t!