Esther (not her real name), 28, a professional living and working in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, is writing a regular diary on the challenges of leading a normal life.
Zimbabwe is suffering from an acute economic crisis. The country has the world's highest rate of annual inflation and just one in five has an official job.
" It has been a long weekend in Harare.
Friday was 'Independence Day'. I watched clips of the broadcast from Gwanzura stadium, where official celebrations were held.
The whole time I was wondering: "who is R Harare witness ...
Sharia row persists for Williams ... G Mugabe?"
Cabinet was dissolved just before elections, so who is he? I mean what office does he hold?
My father went to our rural home in the east of Zimbabwe on Friday, and came back on Sunday with the news that the GMB (Grain Marketing Board) there shut down on the Wednesday after elections.
People were told that in future they should purchase grain from the opposition, since they voted for an opposition MP.
So even the purchase of grain is politicised.
Leaving the church in tears
My mother on the other hand went to an Anglican church gathering to celebrate the role of mothers, I think its called Mother Mary's day.
She says there were thousands of women, from all over Zimbabwe.
The event started at 0900, and as they were having lunch at around 1300, a couple of police officers told them to disperse as they were not supposed to be there, which the women refused to do.
The policemen then left but came back a short time later with a truckload of more police officers - this time in full riot gear.
They repeated their order to disperse, and this time of course they did.
At least none of them was beaten, but my mother was in tears as she told us the story.
She says as they drove away from the venue for the event (the Anglican church grounds in Mbare, a township in Harare) most of the women were crying.
On Saturday, we got bread from a supermarket for the first time in two or three weeks without having to queue for it.
We just walked in and simply picked it off a shelf. Wow!
It must have something to do with the new price - a jump from 25m Zimbabwean dollars to 65m.
The hottest topic of conversation in Harare at the moment is the shipload of arms.
People are wondering when the order was placed, before or after the elections?
And where is it now?
What if it lands on a coast where the government does not believe in human rights?
Will the arms eventually find their way here, despite the efforts of the unions in South Africa and Mozambique?
So life goes on in Zimbabwe.
We are slowly resigning ourselves to more of RG's rule.
It does not look as if he going anywhere.
I keep imagining that we are drowning and people on the shore can see we are in distress.
But there is someone with us, and this is the person they ask, "Is everything ok?" The person replies, "Yes, yes, no need to worry, I'll have you out in a minute."
So the onlookers go on with what they were doing, only to read about how we were found washed up on the shore, dead, the next day. "
Send Esther your questions
Use the postform below to ask Esther about daily life in Zimbabwe and we will pass it on to her.
(BBC)
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