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Locked down but not out in Italy

Singing from the balconies! One nice thing about this crisis ... solidarity! “Guess you’re not living like a tourist anymore,” was the funny, truthful and somewhat gut-wrenching message of a friend the day the lockdown in Italy began. Today is day 6. My beloved Italia has been hit hard with the COVID19 epidemic. With the second largest elderly population in the world, the epidemic has meant a disproportionate amount of deaths in the country. So though I haven’t been worried about contracting it myself, this isn’t about me or someone like me who, if contracted it would probably have a sucky couple of weeks and then recover. It is about if someone like me contracted it and then spread it to a person with a complicated health history or an elderly person with a weakened immune system. Eerily orderly: Lines for the grocery store, each person one meter apart In a country with no concept (and no physical room really) for personal space, and in a city with reproachable hygie

Postcard from Zimbabwe!





About Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: perhaps another country that is not generally on your top 10 places to visit, particularly in recent years. However, this landlocked country in the south east part of Africa is home to Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World

Zimbabwe's economy still heavily relies on agriculture and as you can see from the postcard above, that is why Mercy Corps and other humanitarian organizations are helping ensure that farmers have a sustainable and productive livelihood. Food security is another challenge in this country dealing with inflation, rising costs of fuel and food, and a high unemployment rate.The photo you see above is one of the programs helping to ensure greater food security for Zimbabweans by improving irrigation and farming techniques. 

With the Victoria Falls, Zambezi river, balancing rock formations and abundant wildlife (like antelopes, zebras, buffalo, black rhinos, leopards and lions), the natural beauty of Zimbabwe makes it an appealing tourist destination. The economic crisis that has hit the country has, however, hurt both the wildlife, resources and tourism of Zimbabwe. The will of the Zimbabwean people combined with the work of great organizations will hopefully, one day soon, turn this situation around.


Where are you?
Send me a postcard! Just take a digital photo, write a 2-3 line message and send it to touristliving(at)gmail(dot)com! I'll turn your photo into a postcard and post it on my blog to share your experience of living like a tourist in your own city. (Remember: whether you are living in Duluth or Dubai- I want to hear about the interesting or unique aspects of your city!)





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