My First Year on African Soil

It's unbelievable to imagine that I've been in Lesotho now for 1 year! It's difficult to summarize the amazing experience I've had so here are some highlights & memories

· I've built snowmen in Africa...crazy!
· Swimming in the Indian Ocean
· Sunrises and Sunsets that make me breathe deeply and have brought me to tears
· Growing an amazing garden that nourishes my body and soul
· Lightning storms that make my heart stop... so... so... so... intense
· Painting a mural on the mud wall of a church with lamb wool & food coloring, teaching the old women how to draw and paint flowers and seeing their pride in the finished product.
· Turning 26 (but aging 10 years in many ways)
· Spending 2 hours on a bus talking to a school teacher about eskimos and people who live/lived in houses of snow/ice or animal skins who hunt really big fish (whales) his fascination and questions were like that of a really excited, interested child
· Children's Health Day I went to the clinic early in the morning to 400 women and children that attended an event I organized at the St.Theresa Clinic, amazing how many people showed up using word of mouth marketing and some dorky posters I made. I had no idea so many people would come.
· Teaching the kids in my village how to make whistles by blowing on blades of grass (dumbest thing I've ever taught them)
· Introducing the Paper Airplane to Mashai Primary (hee hee hee) we made paper airplanes with their old exams and then composted them in the garden. :)
· Giving 70 5th graders heart attacks because a toad jumped out of my hand in the class – you should have heard the screams as the frog innocently jumped on the mud floor towards my students. So much for that “Habitat” lesson... fortunately the frog didn't “croak”
· Peace Corps slumber parties, it's amazing how many volunteers you can fit in a small rondavel

Parts of Animals & Foods that have been a new experience
· Pig Skins (fried with the black bristly hair still in tact)
· Chicken Feet, Intestines and yes.... the head (an uncomfortable meal as a guest at someones home) I gnawed on the head... so weird... but tasty!
· Lamb guts (intestines, brain, liver, etc... )
· Tunafish Sushi ( a creative meal at a PCV's house)
· Beets Mayo & Jello Salad
· Carrot & Ketchup Salad
· Corn, Corn, Corn, Corn in every way imaginable (flour, homemade beer (so gross!), porridge, bread)