Welcome to the Mopane Couch Musings Blog!

My name is Eugenia Fadzai. I am a lover of all things language, and a story teller at heart. I often find it difficult to summarise who I am. This is because I have multiple interests and passions.

About Me

I wear many hats! I am a public policy enthusiast; currently employed as a senior economist/policy analyst for a state government.

I am at the tail end of completing a PhD through the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. Aside from the fact that this journey has birthed many more grey hairs than anticipated for me, I have enjoyed examining the roles of Australian Housing and Homelessness Non- Government Peak bodies in policy. My thesis focus was somewhat serendipitous. After years of running from writing about it, I’ve started a series on it which you can find on this blog under “The PHD Journey”.

I am an Author Coach for Christian women interested in self-publishing and in my “spare time”, I volunteer as a mentor for young girls aged 11- 15 at my local church and with the Inspiring Greatness Team.

There is so much more to who I am, but I think for now, this will suffice.

Why I Blog?

I have always wanted to write and I love sharing about what I have found useful from my professional and personal experiences! I also enjoy provoking people to think and reconsider the positions they hold.

I used to think my writing journey would begin in the Zimbabwean heartland, under the shade of a strong Southern African tree as in the literature I had read. The Baobab tree would have been difficult to locate and I never like the name “Musasa” so I thought it would have been a Mopane which is iconic (in parts of southern Africa) for its butterfly shaped leaves, Mopane worms (amacimbi), and its termite resistant wood which is good for carpentry, construction and firewood.

I never got the opportunity to sit and write under the shade of a tree in the motherland. Instead, I find myself on an entirely different continent and embarking on this journey in virtual space. Perhaps in a not-too-distant future I may be afforded the opportunity to write under one such tree. In the meantime, I will make do with what I have and imagine myself seated on Mopane Couch whenever I write.

Let’s Connect

I’m always open to learning and connecting with like minded people. Feel free to always share your thoughts twhen I post. You can also subscribe for direct email updates which come through when new content is posted. 😊