From Russia with love

the journey that Zimbabwean fashion enthusiast, Mary Blessings Thondhlana, undertook to achieve her dreams.
Mary, a former Studio 263 actress, now anchors a television programme on fashion in Russia, where she is currently domiciled.
For a girl who grew up in Gweru, her achievement has made her community and peers proud. She admits, though, that she never imagined that she would go this far in life. She was never ambitious.
In fact, she was always content in being part of the community, and had no reason to aim higher than her peers.
Mary never dreamt that she would one day work in a foreign land, let alone a country like Russia.
But when the opportunities presented itself, she took up the epic challenge and aimed for the crown.
“When I look back, I realise that it has not been an easy journey, but faith has kept me going,” she enthused.
The 30-year-old fashion enthusiast says her feat was largely due to her determination to excel in whatever field, after realising that she needed to reach for the galaxy of stars above her.
Born and bred in Gweru, she attended Riverside Primary School and proceeded to Thornhill High School for her secondary education.
“Later, when I moved to Harare in 2001, where I started my studies in BSc Sociology at the UZ, I worked part-time as an actress and starred in Studio 263, as Rufaro, a modelling agent,” she recalled.
During the six months she was on air, Mary realised that she needed to do more than acting, and she immediately took up voluntary work with a non-governmental organisation, SHAPE Zimbabwe.
“SHAPE, which was based at the University of Zimbabwe campus, trained student peer counsellors.”
That alone took up most of her time, and before she knew it, her time was up to leave the campus and she joined thousands of college-leavers looking for employment.
Luckily for her, she landed a job at ZBC Radio News, where she worked for exactly three months as both a news producer and presenter.
“I was not content with what I was doing. I felt I needed to do more.
“I then joined the African Institute for Agrarian Studies, AIAS, a NGO based in Eastlea from 2005 till my departure to Russia in 2008.
“For all that time, I was personal assistant to the executive director of AIAS,” she said.
It was during that tenure that she realised that she needed to explore the world, and fortifying her growing desire to learn about different cultures.
“I had always been very keen to learn about other people’s cultures and decided to move to Russia. I chose Russia, mainly because I did not know much about the country or the language since all the people I had known who lived abroad, lived in countries like England, New Zealand and the USA,” she said.
Armed with her passport, a Russian dictionary, adequate travelling documents and a bit of cash, she took the next flight to Russia, soon after handing in her resignation at AIAS.
On arrival, she was met with a tepid response from locals there, who were obviously surprised that one could travel thousands of miles to learn about other people’s culture. “I was not discouraged by the reception. Rather, I worked very hard to learn the language and made an effort to perfect my pronunciation,” said Mary.
Her tireless effort and determination to learn the language and etiquette was finally rewarded, a development that opened many doors for her.
She is currently working as an English teacher at “Welcome”, a foreign language school as well as studying Russian at the same time.
“I am part-time presenter for the programme Trends (a programme about fashion), which is screened once a week on Saturdays at 20:15 and at 23:15 on the TV channel called TBK.
“I also present the news segment of the programme with a co-presenter.”
Marys says although a lot of people in Zimbabwe may not have had an opportunity to watch her on television, those who have worked with her can attest that she is endowed with both the voice and looks, something she is proud of.
“Of course, I am not vain, I am just grateful for who I am and what I have achieved,” she said.
Mary says she has settled well in Russia and is planning to further her education.
“As for the future, there is no place like home, I intend to come back home in the near future and put to use the knowledge and skills I have acquired during my stay in Russia.”
When she is not in front of the microphone, Mary spends her time dancing, singing and learning new languages.
She has since finished studying French and Italian.
“I am always meeting new people from different countries, which is one of the things I love about my stay here.
“The people here have had the opportunity to learn different dances that include salsa, jazz, bachata, Armenian dancing and ballroom.