The name Zimbabwe means ‘House of stone’. Our ancestors made their homes using what was available to them such as rocks and stones. They would use the tools they had made to break down the rocks and shape them then build the houses they lived in.

Now one of the popular tourist attractions in Zimbabwe is the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. They are as the name says, ruins but were once home to some of our ancestors. For more information about Great Zimbabwe go to their website http://www.greatzimbabweruins.com

Masvingo is home to my aunt, my mother’s older sister and this was our destination as we were going to be with family during the time she lost her husband, my uncle. We arrived in Masvingo late in the afternoon and the kids went straight to their ‘big gogo.’ It was funny to see how they could tell the resemblance between mum and my aunt, with the question, “big gogo where are your glasses?” Children always pick up on the little things. We got to see the youngest two of my cousins and immediately Kupa and Nashe warmed up to their aunty Tapi and uncle Sushi “Anesuishe” they couldn’t say his name haha.

It was a time for sad tears and happy tears but above all it was lovely to be around family. You can never go wrong with family. Mum and my aunty had to leave the next day so we were left with my two cousins and the kids so we thought of ways to keep them entertained. The good thing about my aunt’s house is. it’s not far from Great Zimbabwe. My best friend from when we were in high school came over to see me and she brought her two children and Kupa and her son Tim warmed up to each other immediately. It was off to the ruins with the kids.

If you have been to the ruins you would know that going up the hill is a bit of a hike and that is a hike the kids took running. Took me all of my energy to keep up with them. In a way it was good as it was late afternoon and we were both hoping they would sleep peacefully that night. Once we got to the top, the scenery was so beautiful. The kids were cooing and yelling enjoying how the voices went far and echoed.

Children have such short attention span so a few minutes after being at the top they wanted to go back down. They raced down but stopped to watch a baboon breastfeeding its young and a few just watching us as we made our way down. We could not get to the other part of the ruins because by the time we made it down it was dark and all i heard was “mama I’m tired.” In a way it was a win win situation because as soon as we got home it was dinner, bath and straight to bed. That night both children slept so peaceful.

The next morning all i heard was them talking excitedly about the ruins and the baboons. It sure was quite an adventure for them. If you are ever in the Masvingo region, make sure you do not miss out on the Great Zimbabwe Ruins tour.