-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.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Your Know You've Become Accoustomed to Life in Lesotho When...
-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
-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
Saturday, January 10, 2009
DURBAN!
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!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Turkey Day!
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
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.
#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.
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Sebapala Community Library
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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!
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