Lesotho, Africa

Sophia (what a cutie!)

2009-09-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

Aloe/Cacti Plants in Bloom

2009-09-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

Bad Moon Rising

2009-09-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Depth of Culture

2009-09-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

One of the driving forces of the HIV/AIDS epidemic here in Lesotho is multiple concurrent partners (MCP). Many people have a "main" partner, like a husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend and then one or more on the side. This is the NORM. Many wives know for a fact that their husbands have a girlfriend on the side in the camp town and or in South Africa. It goes both ways as well. Wives often times have boyfriends in a nearby village or in the camp towns. So why is this so? Many basotho (almost all) are loyal Christians and regular church goers. I don't know much about the bible myself but doesn't it preach monogamy and staying faithful? Or maybe the missionaries left that part out when they arrived in this mountain kingdom in the 19th century and encountered King Moshoeshoe (Lesotho's founding father) and his 30 something wives. Traditionally, Lesotho was a polygamous country (is it still?) with men taking as many wives as he could buy with his cows. Bride payment is done with the exchange of cows. The going rate today for your average bride is 6 cows. But I myself have never met a masotho man with more than one wife. So does this mean that Lesotho is a polygamous or monogamous country? In my opinion it is very much polygamous. No, men are not taking more than one wife (in my encounters), but they are taking more than one partner. So fine, have your cake and eat it too. Have a girlfriend in South Africa while you work at the mine. Have a boyfriend in a nearby village while your husband is away in the mine. But why not protect yourself? Why not use a condom? This is a very difficult question to answer. For women it is much more difficult to have a say over sexual decisions. If a man does not want to use a condom, one is not used. And if a woman refuses to have sex, she has severed that relationship, and everything that goes along with it, like money, food, a cell phone, etc. The issue is complicated and has many different dimensions. But why the hell are men not taking more responsibility to protect themselves and the women they love? To many questions and not enough answers. So what's the solution? Do we push culture change and call it behavior change? Is polygamy a bad thing? Hell if I know, but I do know if something doesn't change basotho will one day become a lost civilization that school children learn about in history class.

What's Your Ecological Footprint??

2009-09-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

Most of us who are in anyway environmentally aware realize that the majority of the worlds resources are consumed by developed nations. We drive big cars long distances to work everyday, we take long, hot showers, we leave lights on when not using them, our food travels 3,000 miles before it reaches our tables, the list is never ending. I will not go on about that but since I have arrived in Lesotho my lifestyle has drastically changed in more ways than one. One of these ways has been my consumption patterns. I am happy to say I do not consume nearly half as much as I did in America. On average I use about 20litres of water per day (more if its a laundry day). I don't have electricity but I burn through 3 or 4 candles a week and sometimes I burn paraffin. I don't own a car and barely ride in them, mostly I'm on foot, but when I do ride in a taxi there is usually black smoke coming out the exhaust and strong fumes to contend with. I don't use a flush toilet. I have a "pit latrine" (outhouse), so all my shit goes into a hole in the ground. I don't have trash pick up and I don't recycle. I burn all my garbage. Oddly though it seems I never really have a lot to burn. Is that the reduced packaging? Anyway, I am sure that I am less of a consumer here in Lesotho than I was back in America, but am I "greener"? Does less consumption equate to a "greener" lifestyle, even though I am burning my garbage and shitting in a hole? Do these things balance each other out? I took the "ecological footprint" test and a lot of the questions did not to pertain to my lifestyle in Lesotho and a lot of the answers I had were not an option on the multiple choice options, but I did the best I could. It turns out my footprint was really low (2.04) but I'm not to sure how accurate those results were for me. Let me know your thoughts and check out your ecological footprint @ www.myfootprint.org.

Surfing in Mozambique

2009-07-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow!!

2009-07-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm such a slacker and I apologize for not blogging in over 3 months! Really, everything is great and I am fine. I just got back from an amazing trip to Mozambique. It was awesome! Lesotho is great and beautiful. I cannot believe I've been here for over one year. Back to my site tomorrow after sun, surf, and yoga. It's going to be great! Hope all is well. Khotso, Pula, Nala.

Funerals in Lesotho

2009-04-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

Death is a part of life as we all know but death seems to occur all to often here in Lesotho. Funerals are a common event that take place every weekend (you can tell one is taking place by the big tents that are set up like you might see at a graduation or wedding ceremony back in America). I have decided to write this blog on the tradition of funerals because there is not a Saturday that goes by that I don't see those tents. I myself have only attended one funeral since I arrived but I have had the opportunity to attend many. I choose to be picky about attending because all of my Saturdays would be occupied otherwise. The one funeral I did attend was for my friend and neighbor, Ausi Maleshoane. She was a member of the local support group made up of People Living with HIV/AIDS. She was a very small, thin woman who always greeted people with a smile even if it was obvious she was not feeling well that day. She became sick (a common cold or TB) around Christmas/New Year and eventually went to the hospital. It was there that she passed away having finally lost the battle with AIDS. She was 37 years old. I had the honor to participate and help the family in all the preparations since Ausi Maleshoane was a friend and neighbor of mine. FRIDAY: The Bo-'M'e (women) have been busy all week brewing joala (local beer) and gathering all the food and firewood for the big feast. My main task for the day was to help peel and chop carrots, onions, and potatoes. The work went quickly with so many Bo'M'e helping. The Bo-'N'tate (men) go to the cemetery early in the morning to dig the grave. They come back and have a plate of food and joala before they get ready to slaughter the animals. A goat is first slaughtered in the name of the one who has passed and then they move onto the cow. This task is reserved for the men only but the women help clean the intestines out which are later eaten only by the members of the family. The various parts of the dead animals are brought to the cooking hut and laid out on the dead animals hide. The women begin to prepare and cook the meat on the open fires. There is a meal offered to those who have helped with preparations throughout the day. Like I said earlier, some parts of the meat are reserved for just the family members (intestines and liver for example). The family included me in this category and I had the privilege of eating both the intestines and the liver. The intestines were very good but the liver I did not enjoy. Have you ever eaten meat from an animal that was killed 2 hours before? Fresh meat for sure. People gradually start to wander back to their homes while others linger or return back later in the evening for an all night vigilance with the body. There are periods of singing and praying that last until 5 in the morning. I forgot to mention the body arrives in a van that afternoon and is placed inside the rondaval where the mourners lay beside the coffin all night. I myself did not take part in the all night vigilance but was woken up many times throughout the night from the singing. SATURDAY: People begin to arrive by 10 or 11am Saturday morning where the guests of the funeral get a chance to view the body. As many people as possible cram into the small hut where the body is. There is a lit candle on the top of the partially opened coffin. People one by one circle the coffin and view the body and then everyone sings and prays. This is where I viewed my first dead body. After the viewing the coffin is brought out under the tent where the service is held. There is a program where the pastor, family, and friends all get a chance to speak. Before anyone speaks the whole crowd breaks out and sings for the speaker. The mother of Ausi Maleshoane asked me to speak at the service. I was reluctant but agreed to speak (in sesotho). It was a bit nerve racking but I think people liked it. After the service the coffin is loaded back into the van where close family cram in around the coffin to go to the cemetery. There is a procession that follows the van to the grave site. Here at the grave site there is more singing and praying. The pastor sprinkles the first granules of dirt over the coffin following with the youngest male relative to the oldest each with a shovel full of dirt. After, all the men take part in filling the grave. The procession then goes back to the location of the service. Before anyone enters the compound all have to wash their hands with fresh water to cleanse yourself. After everyone feasts on the abundance of meat, vegetables, potatoes, and joala. The party goes on well into the night. SUNDAY: The women of the village of the deceased person come together to clean everything left behind by that person. Some women stay behind and clean the inside of the house, smearing fresh dung on the floor and others take all the clothes, blankets, and shoes (of the deceased) to the river of the next village over to wash. They say it is bad luck to wash in that person's own village because the spirit of that person will linger on. They always say they go to the river (instead of the tap) because the river is flowing and it will take anything that is left over, away. I went to the river with about 6 or 7 other women and a bucket of joala. After everything is washed we go back to the house and sit inside the cooking hut. There is still uncooked meat left over from the slaughter; a leg here, a head there. The flies are intense. The women that helped to wash and clean all share a big bowl of papa and cooked meat and a never ending supply of joala. The big cups of joala are passed around. No one has their own cup of joala. Two and a half hours later I am full, a bit drunk, and overwhelmed by the constant sesotho chatter between the women. I get up to go with my host mother, 'M'e Mathabo and officially leave the remnants of the funeral behind. This is a funeral in Lesotho.

More Wild Coast Photos!!!

2009-04-22T07:01:00.001-07:00

Getting to South Africa
Mdumbi

Bulungula River

Bulungula Lodge (where we stayed)

Goat on the beach

Wild Coast Photos!!!!!

2009-04-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

Sun setting behind sand dune
Coffee Bay

Bulungula River and Xhosa Village

Bulungula River meets the Indian Ocean

Bulungula River

Let us talk about safe sex

2009-04-22T01:47:00.000-07:00

My garden

2009-04-22T01:37:00.000-07:00

'M'e Makelebone and Abuti Moshoeshoe

2009-04-22T01:28:00.000-07:00

The Wild Coast

2009-04-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I hope everyone is doing well back in the USA and hopefully it's getting warmer too! Things here in Lesotho are going well and I just returned from a wonderful vacation to the Wild Coast in South Africa. The name implies everything about what Wild Coast is-very WILD. I spent over a week on white sand beaches and swimming in the warm Indian Ocean. It was absolutely beautiful. The lush green hills that are scattered with round mud huts roll down and meet the white sand beaches. It is the only place in all my travels that I have shared the beach with cows and goats. I wondered why they wandered to the beach because there is nothing on the sand that they can graze on, but maybe they just wanted to spend a little time at the beach as well. To get to the Wild Coast from Lesotho was an adventure all by itself. We left Lesotho by 7:30am on a Thursday morning and took public transport all the way to the coast. Shortly after crossing the border into South Africa we quickly got onto a taxi but after 2hours of driving it broke down in the middle of NOWHERE. We waited on the roadside for over 2.5 hours before finally getting a lift to Umtata (the major hub to Wild Coast). But by the time we arrived in Umtata it was too late to continue on to our destination and we were forced to stay in the dirty, sketchy town. We arrived at a hotel in the center of town. As soon as we entered our room I immediately noticed cockroaches crawling on the beds and coming out of the sinks. There was also a loud bar right behind our room. I could lean out my window and spit on the men's head below if I wanted. Needless to say, we didn't get very much rest that night. We later got confirmation that the hotel was indeed a hoar house. The next morning we took the first taxi out of Umtata to Coffee Bay. When the taxi driver dropped us off at the side of the road I asked him where the ocean was and the hostel. His response was that it was 20km (13-13miles) down the dirt road and that there was no public transport to that place. So with a combination of walking and getting a few lifts here and there we finally made it to Mdumbi after 1.5days of travelling from Lesotho. It was a great time on the Wild Coast and I didn't want to leave at all, but I guess all vacations must come to an end. I'm already planning my next trip to the ocean for July to Mozambique. I love the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho but I think I'm an ocean girl at heart.

Have you ever seen....

2009-01-30T02:18:00.001-08:00

-a woman breast-feeding 2 children at once (different aged children)?
-a goats head being roasted over an open fire?
-a freshly killed goat being dragged past you as you try to enjoy a plate of papa, moroho, and goat meat (inside a restaurant)?
-a little person (midget) dressed in a Santa Claus suit dancing?
-2 donkeys mating? 2 horses? 2 dogs?
-the sky at night from the southern hemisphere?

I have.

Your Know You've Become Accoustomed to Life in Lesotho When...

2009-01-30T02:13:00.000-08:00

-picking your nose in public becomes second nature
-you prefer to use your pee bucket instead of your pit latrine
-you set your fork aside and use your hands to eat instead
-you carry everything on your head
-you choose to cook papa and moroho for yourself
-you don't think twice about riding in a vehicle with live animals
-you become extremely happy when your taxi driver chooses to play house music for the duration of the ride

DURBAN!

2009-01-10T23:08:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Happy New Year! Hope all is well back in the cold winter of "America". I had an incredible new year in Durban, South Africa. It was my first time leaving Lesotho in 7 months and it was quite a culture shock to experience the very developed sections of South Africa. They have McDonald's, big malls, movie theaters, nice restaurants, highways, and so much more. Durban was great! I spent most of my time just south of Durban on the beach (its summer here). The water was amazing but the surf was pretty strong so I got tired after 20 minutes in the water. I went to an imax movie theater and saw the "new" Batman movie. I ate great food and went to the mall. For New Year's Eve I went to an Indian club in the city and rang in the new year. It was pretty sweet. Its great to be back in Lesotho but it was very sad to leave the ocean. Oh and our room got robbed in Bloemfontein, South Africa and I got my camera, my phone charger, and solio (that I hadn't even paid for yet) stolen. It sucked but that stuff happens. Hope everyone is doing well back in the states. Happy 2009!

Turkey Day!

2008-12-10T03:15:00.001-08:00

I killed a turkey! We had a big celebration for the Thanksgiving Day and I had the honor of bringing the turkey, down the mountain (1hr walk), 15 min taxi ride to Mt. Moorosi, 15 truck ride to river, 5 minute boat ride across the Orange River, 1 hr walk to Bethel, eating turkey in Lesotho on Thanksgiving Day, priceless. Check out these pics!

HIV/AIDS in Lesotho

2008-12-10T02:54:00.000-08:00

Population: 1.8 (should be 2.1)
#of PLWHA: 260,000
Prevalence rate: 23-30%

Lesotho has the third highest prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Before I arrived I thought I would see a lot of "sick" people but so many people are infected and they are very good at hiding it. The stigma is a huge problem here. When people die, they die of the "common cold" (AKA TB-HIV co-infection). 80% of people who have TB also have HIV. People do not talk about their status. To find these people in the community is a rarity. I see more of it because I work directly with people who are living openly with HIV/AIDS but other than that people don't talk about it. Some common MYTHS I've heard since being in Lesotho are: condoms have worms and if you put them under the microscope you can see them. Sharing toothbrushes causes AIDS. There is a billboard in Maseru that actually says this! I guess its possible, blood to blood via toothbrush but the chance of this transmission is very LOW. But this is what people here are worried about, not unprotected sex. It is very common in Lesotho for people to be engaged in multiple con-concurrent relationships. Especially with so many men in Lesotho working in the mines in South Africa. Even if one is married it is perceived that there is a side girl of some sort. But people don't recognize this as a problem. "Men have needs" is the excuse I have heard (from men of course). Traditionally the basotho were a polygamous culture. King Moshoeshoe I (founder of Lesotho) had 15 wives! This mentality is in-grained in the culture. I've also heard people say that AIDS isn't real. That it was just made up to scare people. There is definitely a lot of work to be done here and most of my "work" will probably just consist of having conversations with people about HIV/AIDS and trying to debunk myths associated with it.

PHOTOS

2008-12-10T02:16:00.000-08:00

Sebapala Community Library

2008-12-10T00:16:00.000-08:00

So one of the projects I worked on was to help open the first library in Sebapala Community. The PCV before me received a bunch of books from African Libraries Project but did not get a chance to finish the library before leaving so I picked up where she left off. I never knew much about how to organize and open a library until now. The official opening was 19th of October. It was a great success! We had the Director/founder of African Libraries attend as well as members of Parliament, ministries, local government, teachers, principles, students and people from the community. There was a tour of the library followed by speeches, singing, and lots of food. The library is located at Pontseng Primary School but is for the whole Sebapala Community (vast and rural area of over 21 villages). I think people are truly excited for this library because until now, books have been non-existent. Parents don't read to their children and teachers don't incorporate books into their classes (except text books). So, this is a very exciting time for the Sebapala Community!

"Work Life"

2008-12-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

So a lot of people are asking what it is that I am actually "working" on here in Lesotho. I can tell you that the concept of "work" here is very different than back in America. People here have a very different work ethic which influences the time it takes to get anything done. It takes a VERY long time to accomplish anything so patience is key. I've been mainly working with support groups. At this point I am working with over 8 different support groups throughout the Sebapala Valley. Some are made up of only People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and some are made up of HIV negative people but mainly want to help the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC'S) in their community. At this point I am doing a needs assessment of each group trying to figure out what they do and where they want to go and how I can help them help themselves. This in itself is extremely difficult because the needs are obviously quite great and the groups have no money to reach the goals that they do have. Unfortunately, Lesotho has a "hand-out" mentality ingrained in their culture so it makes it very difficult to re-direct that to starting from nothing (reality) and making it into something. Most groups want to do some type of income generating activity (IGA) to help PLWHA and OVC'S. Right now I'm working on getting the group seeds so they can plant and have a good source of nutrition for PLWHA and OVC'S and to sell the remainder of the crops. One group has started making bracelets and necklaces out of scrap fabrics and materials to sell as IGA. A lot of groups want to do chicken and pig projects for sources of protein and as IGA, but these projects cost a lot of money so I'm trying to have these groups start small so they can reach these goals. I've also done some education of support groups on HIV 101 and Nutrition. It was shocking to realize the lack of facts these groups have on basic HIV/AIDS info. I've also worked a bit with Red Cross on canning and food preservation techniques. But pretty much I've just been trying to meet as many people as possible, trying to figure out how things work, and the culture of my community, and putting people in touch with the proper resources and connections that Lesotho has to offer.

Holy Cow!

2008-12-04T01:56:00.000-08:00

Wow! Its been a long time! How is everyone? I apologize for the long delay in updating my blog but I have had little (no) access to internet since I departed the capital city of Maseru. I'm back in Maseru for some in-service trainning for 10days so I promise to do some serious blogging before I go back to site. Anyway, where do I start? Well, I guess a good place is to describe my village and my community. I live in a very small village (about 100people) at about 6,000 ft above sea-level. I am actually in a river valley so the views of the mountains are AMAZING! I will definetly post some pics while in town. I have my own rondaval on a family compound. My host family is amazing. My host father works in South Africa in the gold mines so I don't see him very often and my host mother holds down the fort at home. They have five children together (4boys and 1girl), from ages 27-6. My host sister had a baby back in August. Its actually quite an interesting story because she went into labour during the day but never made it to the hospital in time. By the time the truck came to take her to the hospital (1 hr drive in a private vehicle) it was to late. She ended up having the baby on the side of the road on the way to the hospital. The BO-Me (women) who went with her assisted with the delivery on the roadside. They had no flashlight or water, just a few blankets. She was back home a few hours later. They gave me the honour of naming the baby! In Lesotho, people have a christian name and a sesotho name, I was responsible for both. I named her Sophia Palesa. She is such a beautiful baby and she is getting so big! I will try to get some pics up of her as well. Stay tuned for more updates. I miss you all and hope the weather is not getting too cold.

PCV!

2008-08-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I am happy to announce that I am finally a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV)! I passed my language test and officially got sworn in today. We had a very nice ceremony with the US Ambassodor and other embassy officials, all the trainers, the PC staff, and some of our future working partners. It was a great turn-out with lots of singing, speeches, and FOOD. I will leave tomorrow for Sebapala-Quthing for my village. I am very excited to get settled and make my thatched roof rodavel home. I am also a bit nervous to go from extreme business with a lot of structure and fellow trainees to no structure and no fellow volunteers. I am sure I will find plenty of things to do. Work already seems busy, there is SO MUCH to be done, but things seem to happen very slowly here. I have finally gotten a cell phone so if anyone wants to give me a jingle just drop me an email and I will give you my number. I hope all is well back in the states and hope the summer is going great. I will be in touch as best I can. I am not sure if my camptown has internet so I will have to investigate the closest place to log on. Until next time.

Ho joang?

2008-07-26T02:18:00.000-07:00

Hi there! It has been too long in writing, I am sorry for this. The last time I was blogging the power went out at the internet cafe so I lost everything. This is quite common here in Lesotho. Those people who do have power often lose it everyday. Lesotho sells a lot of its power to South Africa who is also experiencing huge power shortages. Anywho, a lot has happened in the past month. I had lunch with the Ambassador, got my site assignment, and left my host village. Trainning is just about over and I go to my site this monday for a visit and then come back to swear in as an official PCV. I will be living in the Quthing highlands region of Lesotho. I am in a small, rural village. I will be working with a community based organization doing HIV/AIDS awareness/education/prevention and agriculture (permaculture, canning, and food preservation). The beauty of my job is that I can really do anything but that is the main focus. So Quthing region is in the southern part of Lesotho, close to the South African border. I will live in a rodavel (round house) with a thatched roof, no electricity or running water. I cannot wait. I will fill you all in once I visit and hopefully begin to upload pictures soon. The weather here is getting pretty hot (for winter), the days are sunny and warm but the nights still cool. We had a big feast and ceremony in my village (host) the day we left. It was great the whole town showed up. A lot dancing, talking, and eating. It was sad to leave my host family but I am very excited to begin to get settled in my home. I feel like there is a lot more to tell you all but I am running out of time. I am still trying to figure out I how can respond to individual posts, but with the power going out it is difficult. Keep in touch, talk to you soon. Khotso.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

Hey all! So I have just finally figured out how to view everyones comments! For the longest time I thought you all were not repsonding to my blog, so thanks to all that have taken the time to post comments- I am still trying to figure out how to respond to individual comments. Baby steps- I will get there. Things here are going great. Yesterday we had a big celebration for Independence day. We had a ton of american food-burgars, sausage, potato salad, coleslaw, and apple crisp! It was all so tasty! I hope all you had a great celebration as well. The taxi strike is over and things are back to normal here and around Maseru, so all is good and well. I have been baking my own bread and cooking lots of tasty food. I have never made my own bread before Lesotho. Its amazing that I get up at about 6 oclock to boil water and begin making bread (by candlelight). Sometimes I feel like I am living in the 19th centuary. This Sunday my village is having a concert where myself and six other trainies will get up and sing in front of the whole village. All the proceeds of the concert will go to Bokone Village. Well my time is running out so I will catch you all on the flip side. Keep posting comments- I love to read them. Auntie Pat- it took me a minuate but I figured it out-glad you and John are able to access my blog now. BE WELL.

2008-06-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

Hey All! I have just returned back from Buthe Butha in the north of the country. I stayed with a current PCV and got to see how she is living and working here in Lesotho. It was very beautiful up there with breath-taking views of the mountains. Buthe Butha (BB) is a very cool camptown with quite a large Indain population so I ate some very tasty Indian food. Jenn the PCV I stayed with lives in a village about a one hour walk from the camptown. I had to come back early because of the taxi strike that will take place on Monday June 30. Apparently it is supposed to last for four days but no one really knows so we were advised to stalk up on food and supplies in case we cannot access Maseru in the next week. I hope all is going well back in the states and I'll keep you all posted from the south side. Khotso.

le phela joang?

2008-06-21T02:57:00.000-07:00

How is everybody? I have come to Maseru (capital) today to do some food shoping and stock up on much needed supplies to go back to my host village. I am staying in Bokone with a host family. I have my own stone hut on the family compound, but no running water or electricity. My home is equipt with a propane heater, a gas stove, a bed, a kitchen table, and a night table, and LOTS of buckets. I use buckets for everything. I have a pee bucket, a bathing bucket, a dish washing and rinsing bucket, water storage buckets, and so on. My family is very nice. My 'M'e (mother) does not speak much english and so the communication has been difficult. Yesterday I meant to say "I want to learn how to wash my clothes tomorrow" but instead I said "I want to learn how to wash dishes today". So I learned how to wash dishes right at that moment. All week my 'M'e has been cooking all my meals and so meal time is interesting because the two kids just sit and stare at me. However the two children are her grandchildren. They stay with her because the parents are in South Africa working in the mines. My meals have consisted of lesheleshele (poridge), bread, eggs, papa (ground corn), moroholo (greans), rice, soup, and chicken once. Today I begin to cook for myself which will be nice and allevate some of the pressure of having to eat and try to communicate at every meal. After breakfast I walk to the chiefs place to have sesotho lessons with 6 other trainies. We start the class by singing the Lesotho National Anthem, followed by the US National Anthem. We have class and then usually walk to the next village to meet as a whole group to have general lessons of health, medical, cross-cultural, and techniqal training. Next weekend I will go to a current PCV (peace corps volunteer) site and see what they are up too and how they are living and working. Training is very busy but I feel like I will be well prepared for my two year service in August so this is good. Oh the weather has been fine. It is the middle of the winter here, the nights get cool, frost in the morning, but the days warm up so that I have to peel the layers off. Apparently the highlands have snow, but not the lowlands. Last night it hailed and was thundering and lighting like crazy. I had a dance party by myself in my room, by candle light. I have to do something to entertain myself. Tonight, the 6 other trainies in my village will have a party for the solstice (winter) and Karrin's bday. This should be quite fun. I cannot think of anything else, there is too much to tell and I apoligize for my lack of english skills, being immersed in sesotho all the time I forget how to speak and write english, so sorry. Let me know if you are having trouble responding to my blog, some people have said that they cannot post entries, so drop me an email and I will try to get to the bottom of it. until next time- sala hantle.

2008-06-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Lesotho. I hope all is wonderful and warm back in the U.S.A or America as they call it here. Things in Lesotho are going great. Training is very busy and tiring but I am learning a lot. Today I learned how to bathe myself using only a bucket of water. It was a very interesting demo to say the least. On Sunday I head out to my host village where I will stay in my own rondavel (round stone house) for 6 weeks to do community based training. I cannot wait for that but it will be very different than what I am used to at the training center, running water, electricity (most of the time), and prepared meals. I will essentially be on my own in all those matters but my host family will be near by to assist if need be. Today I went shopping for all sorts of supplies for my rondavel, lots of buckets, cook ware, candles, soap, etc. I will let you all know how the CBT goes. My sesotho is getting a little better. I speak sesotho hantle hayanne, a little bit good. Keep in touch. Khotso!

Disclaimer:

2008-06-12T06:38:00.000-07:00

In no way is this blog related to or a reflection of the Peace Corps. Anything written on this blog is a personal opinon and not the opinon of the Peace Corps.

2008-06-08T01:47:00.000-07:00

Lumela (Greetings)! Hello from Lesotho. I finally made it here to Maseru after a long journey from the US. I left Philly on Wednesday and took a bus to NYC to catch a flight to Joburg, South Africa via Darkar (Senegal). It was an 18 hour flight to Joburg where I spent the night at a really fancy hotel which was great because we were NOT to leave the hotel for any reason because of all the stuff going on. I then took a flight friday morning to Maseru, Lesotho on a tiny plan with propellars. We had to leave people and luggage behind because we were over the weight limit. It was a bit of a scary flight but touched down safely in Maseru friday morning. The views from the plane were amazing. Lesotho is truely the Mountain Kingdom. The past couple of days have been pretty relaxed which is nice with only a few sessions throughout the day. I am beginning to learn Sesotho, which is quite a difficult language. The weather here is nice. The days are sunny and warm, but the nights cool down with frost accumulating by morning. Maseru, the capital, is like no other African capital that I have seen before. It is quite sparse reflecting the extreme poverty of this country. Although there is a grocery store and stores to buy cell phones and such, which I plan on buying at somepoint. I hope all is well back in the US and that you are all enjoying the summer months. I will keep you all posted. I start community based training next week where I stay with a host family for 5 or 6 weeks but I think I i will be able to check email periodically. Be well, and stay in touch!