From the Mountains of Idaho to the Mountains of Africa

Sights & Sounds of Lesotho

2009-11-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

A short video featuring a few of my photos that I took of Lesotho. I feel like I should write some type of "ending" to this blog - now that I've returned to America. But I haven't found the words yet.

Thank you for following my experience.

Khotso, Pula, Nala

Pam Rogers/Amohelang Rabale - Peace Corps Lesotho 2007-2009

Cat Hat

2009-06-14T01:51:00.000-07:00

My Basotho Me' gave me this hat as a going away gift. I believe its 3 different animals - it has 3 tails and 7 paws. Its a Basotho tradition to give a hat like this after major events in life like weddings, after building a home and moving back to America.

I was presented with several gifts from teachers, friends and family in my village but the Cat Hat is by far my favorite.

St. Theresa Library Complete!

2009-05-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

We Thank You Moscow!

After a week of sorting, organizing and finishing painting Lindsey, Jack, St. Theresa teachers and I finished setting up the library books.

Here are a few photos of the finished cabinets in the classrooms

and kids with the beautiful books.

LIBUKA LI TENG! (THE BOOKS ARE HERE!)

2009-05-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready for Library Books

2009-05-18T00:56:00.000-07:00

Becky and Victoria facilitating workshops for teachers on library care, set-up etc.

One of the cabinets I've painted with a photo of the Moscow Library crew.

Painting the St. Theresa Library wall

In my last 2 months......

2009-04-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

I'm in Maseru now for my Close of Service Workshop. I can't believe I'm almost finished with this amazing experience. In my last month and a half as a Peace Corps Lesotho volunteer I'll be in Mashai working on 5 school libraries, finishing painting some maps and murals, saying goodbye to other volunteers and then my village and family - both which will be very difficult.

Its Fall now though it feels like winter.

One of the cabinets I've painted in preparation for the library books.

Some of the kids in my village playing with their car.

Backpacking to "The Place of Smoke"

2009-03-15T07:57:00.001-07:00

Just got back from a weekend/holiday backpacking with my girlz Casey & Kjessie. We walked from Caseys site to Semongkong. It was a 2 day trip and we overnighted in a remote village then spent 2 days in Semongkong watching friends rapell from the waterfall, hiking and visiting with other volunteers. The trip started with Kjessie and I walking through the taxi rank to find the right Kombi (taxi/van transport in Lesotho) to Ramabanta. While wondering through the chaos of the taxi rank we spotted a truck of watermelons. We couldn't resist and purchased a HUGE melon for only 20R! The 3 of us gals at the whole thing! A great way to start a trip!

We had incredible views of the mountains the entire trip.

Sunrise near Ha Mphmphe as we began our journey on Day 2Leaving the village of Ha Mphphe where we stayed the night with a family.
Grandmother and children in Ha Mphmphe

Waiting for a hitch near the end of the trail. We waited for about 2 hours on the "main-road". We gratefully accepted a hitch in the back of a boxed truck (like a cattle truck) - it was an adventure in itself! Hiking down to Semongkong Falls

Nick & Kjessie after Nick rappelled the waterfall

Such beautiful hiking!

A Few Photos of My Life

2009-02-22T16:36:00.001-08:00

This is where I get my drinking water. Its a natural spring covered with stones to keep out "floaties".
I then haul the water about 15minutes up a relatively steep hill (as herd boys, donkeys, kids and everyone else watches)
Washing Laundry takes a lot of water and a lot of tubs. I usually wash inside my house so people don't stare as much :). When I go to the river or well the women usually tell me I'm doing it wrong and try and wash it for me.

I've learned baking. I'm getting really good at bread.

I spend a lot of time in my doorway reading, journaling, practicing guitar and people watching.

Presidential Inaguration

2009-02-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

I was really anticipating the presidential inaguration and was hoping to listen to it live on BBC. Much to my suprise Jack (replaced James) talked to the woman at the clinic in St. Theresa and discovered they had a satellite dish. On Inaguration night we watched Obama get sworn in in a village in Africa thanks to nuns, a satellite dish and car batteries. It was really awesome! I walked over to St.Theresa early and sat at the secondary school making signs with the teachers and Jack. We made popcorn to share with the nuns and anxiously watched TV by candlelight when the inaguration started. The Bo-Me women -nuns, the priest and school teachers were very vocal speaking in Sesotho and English - asking questions about the president, his wife, the guests, the clothing of the Americans in the crowd and more. It was fun to answer their questions and share a piece of our culture on such a historic day.

After watching the inaguration we walked back to Jacks rondavel/house via, the light of our headlamps then only "electricity" shining in St.Theresa on that warm summer evening.

Prayer Flags about HIV

2009-02-17T21:59:00.000-08:00

I’ve been working on a project in my river valley having students create Prayer Flags about HIV. I’ve asked the students to write messages about their feelings, hopes, fears and prayers about HIV or a tribute or memorial to a loved one with HIV. The students create their “flags” on old sheets and we’ve sewn them together. Its been a great project to work on, the students have enjoyed being creative and to express themselves in a different way.

Christmas & New Years Western Cape South Africa

2009-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

On the last day of 2008 I went to the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

I celebrated New Years Eve on Long Street in Cape Town.

More to come soon.....

For more of my photos of the Western Cape check out my site at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ponderosapam/WesternCapeChristmasNewYearsSA#

Family Party ~ Maseru

2009-01-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I attended a Housewarming Party for my Masotho sister. She built a new house in Maseru with her husband and had a traditional Basotho ceremony to welcome everyone to her house

Like all Basotho celebrations I've attended, the event started with food, singing and dancing. My sister and her husband were presented with many gifts in a procession from her family. We started down the street and paraded up the dusty red road to her home carrying all kinds of gifts from new household supplies, blankets, buckets of traditional beer (carried on the head) and more. When we arrived to the new home his side of the family sang and danced and accepted the gifts from our heads/hands and then we all paraded into the house - her mom going first. They were both presented with new clothes and traditional Basotho blankets. Many speeches were given after we all saw the house and then more gifts were given and a sheep was also presented and slaughtered. A few hours later we ate that sheep and an assortment of salads, potatoes, bread and beans more dancing and drinking of the traditional beer.

It was a great day to spend some time with my Masotho Mothers children, all of whom live far away from the remote village now and a neat cultural experience. Everyone was really excited to meet the American family member. I left early but I'm sure the party went on all night... like most Basotho parties do.

HIV Outreach & Backpacking.... On the "Roof of Africa"

2008-12-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

Our 5 day trek across the most remote mountains in Lesotho was amazing! Over the week we hiked over 70k, crossed numerous rivers and summited the highest point in Southern Africa We did HIV outreach with over a dozen herdboys as we navigated through secluded river valleys, up steep ridges and through windy mountain passes. We visited the chief of an isolated village and explored some of the most beautiful areas of this country, it was incredible!

Check out more photos at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ponderosapam/HIVOutreachBackpackingOnTheRoofOfAfrica

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

Another year here in Lesotho and lots to be thankful for.

This year I spent Thanksgiving at KJ's site. Our gala holiday started with launching water balloons at volunteers who had just crossed the river and were hiking up the mountain. Julie brought in a turkey from neighboring village spending many hours hiking and transporting the live bird. Early in the morning on Thanksgiving day Julie lopped the head off the turkey and we spent an hours plucking all the feathers.

Some people started drinking a little early so when we played a game of real american football (not soccer - which is called football here) it was a crazy scene, but so hilarious. The American football game was definetly a highlight for us and the entire village who came out to see what the heck we were doing throwing around a "pumpkin". They thought it was awesome and the game was quite the "show" half of us had no idea what was going on because of cheap whiskey or had no idea what the rules were or both. Every person "on the field" was bleeding or bruised or covered in red dirt somewhere on their bodies by the time we finished the game. It was hysterical! We finished the day off with a huge Thanksgiving dinner. The lijo (food) was amazing, it was with most of my favorite people here in Lesotho.

Bringing "Turks" to his final home after a long hike and transport

Plucking dinner... way more work than buying it at the store!

After a hilarious game of football

Shenanagins

2008-11-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

I was recently told by a Peace Corps staff that the definition of Shenanagins = Pam Rogers. Yes… I’ve been keeping up my mischievous reputation even here in Africa. From pranking staff at the PC office, other volunteers and even people in my village have fallen victim to my pranking. Most recent jokes have including my partner in crime Kjessie. We have coined our mischief as the RAKP club Random Acts of Kjessie and Pam or (Kindness and Pranks)… however you want to look at it. Over Halloween I “got” my PCV neighbors James and Lindsey by creating a scarecrow out of my clothes and hiding it in Lindseys pit latrine and then in James bedroom. The following week KJ and I did a bunch of yardwork and planted flowers at a PC staffs house while she was on vacation. During the same week I invested 18R ($1.80) on a package of fake snakes and lizards and have had a lot of fun with that, much to the horror of other volunteers and kids in my village. Here is a little documentation:

Fake Reptiles Really Freaks People out in my village... but it's so fun!

Water Balloons, way to greet volunteers hiking up to KJ's site on T-Day

A Little Flower Planting Mischief.... RAKP!

Rea Thloka Pula! Hona Joale!

2008-11-29T12:48:00.000-08:00

Months of Drought, Limited Bathing and Washing, Garden of Dried Brittle Plants… Waiting for rain is another thing I’ve learned patience for here in Lesotho. For the last few months we’ve had a serious drought. At this time last year the fields were green and full of corn, sorghum and sunflowers reaching towards the hot summer sun. Now, the fields are dry red soil, some remnants of the stalks of last year wave in the breeze like scarecrows to the rain.

Rea Thloka Pula! Hona Joale! (We need Rain! Right Now!)

Basotho Time

2008-11-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

The other day Me’ Mphone stopped by my house to ask for help. She’s a teacher at the primary school and one of my friends in the village. She had a question about her keyhole garden that she was constructing and wanted “2 minutes” for me to come and look at it. I told her I would stop by later (because I was cooking), but she talked me into following her to help with her garden. I turned off my stove burner, slipped on some shoes and headed out of my family compound, fully knowing that “2minutes” was going to be at least 1 hour.

Here in Africa things operate on "Africa Time" or "Basotho Time". This essentially translates to things will happen whenever everyone is ready with little or no stress or pressure which usually happens hours or much later that you expect or are told. This isn’t always a bad thing, but its much different than the punctuality I’ve experienced, stressed about and sweated over in America. In my village in Lesotho if I’m invited to a meeting that is scheduled for 10am it will likely start at about 12pm. Same with shops opening and school starting. Its time to open and start school and businesses when everybody is ready.

The day that Me’ Mphone stopped by I finally made it to look at her garden almost 2 hours after I left my compound. I can walk from one end of my village to the other in about 10minutes, but on the way to her house we had to stop and visit with many people. My Sesotho isn’t that great, but I still communicated ok with some of her family, friends and people in the village. My stomach growled as I walked through the village and sat visiting in dark huts thinking about my tuna pasta getting cold in my own hut. I couldn't help but laugh to myself about the "2 minutes".

By the way, her garden was beautiful and she didn't really have any questions, I think she just wanted me to visit her and her family.

In a "Forgotten Corner of the World"

2008-11-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

...to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. ~ Barack Obama

On the early morning of November 5th (it was Nov 4 evening in America), I was huddled in my grass hut in Lesotho wrapped in a fleece blanket listening to history take place in America and across the world. I had my shortwave radio sitting on the end of my bed, and listening to the the last of the votes coming in on the West Coast. The Static live broadcast of the elections came through on of the Voice of America as the sun started to rise here in the Southern Hemisphere. I can't fully explain how I felt when they announced Barack Obama as my next President and then when Obama gave his amazing speech. I had tears streaming down my face and felt a sense of relief and a sense of hope especially on the global scale. It was something I felt in my village as soon as the message got out. Here in Lesotho everyone is excited and hopeful, waiting to see where America goes from here and believing that anything is possible in this world.

African Library Project. Donors Needed

2008-11-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, In an effort to help the communities in the remote Mashai River Valley, I'm working with 5 schools near my village to establish libraries. The African Library Project is working with Peace Corps volunteers in Lesotho to facilitate and set up libraries all over the country and to help establish book drives in America. The cost of mailing books is enormous and African Library Project is coordinating a freight container of libraries expected to arrive in May 09.

The remote schools in the mountains where I live in Lesotho have no running water or electricity, no phone signal and most of these students have never left the Mashai River valley, never rode in a car, seen a television or computer, and most don't even own a book. The students in the Mashai River Valley live in small one room grass and mud huts called rondavels with their large families. When they get home from school they have many chores like washing clothes by hand, collecting water from the river, taking care of animals like cows, sheep and donkeys and much more. Many of these students are single or double orphans due to the high rate of HIV prevelance in Lesotho (about 29%). We hope that a few library books will open the students' minds to a world of possibilities and inspire creativity and imagination. The books will also help students increase vocabulary of English (the second official language in Lesotho).

If you have a contact with a school, library or group that might be interested in holding a book drive, please forward this on. If your interested in organizing a book drive please go to the African Library Project website at: http://www.africanlibraryproject.org/ and click on Book Drive guidelines. There are very specific instructions on how to organize a book drive, how to ship the books to the African Library Project (you ship the books to them in America and they ship the books to me in Lesotho). They will be your contact throughout the book drive process (as my access to the internet and phone is very limited).

Please tell them your book drive is to go to Lesotho and the volunteer your working with is Pam Rogers. Please also email me if you have any questions, need "facts" about Lesotho, need additional photos to promote the book drive (although I have a lot at my photo website at http://picasaweb.google.com/ponderosapam

Thank you for your time and consideration in this project. Please email if you have any questions, I head back to my village tomorrow but I'll be checking my email again before Thanksgiving.

Lesotho AIDS Diary

2008-11-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Check out this Link on BBC News about Lesotho and AIDS

Lesotho Aids Diary

Culture Festival

2008-09-18T08:23:00.002-07:00

St.Theresa Secondary school had a wonderful cultural celebration. James and I attended the day long celebration to support our students and experience more of Basotho culture. The students spent most of the morning dancing and singing in their beautiful colorful clothing and traditional wool blankets. In the afternoon we ate platefuls of traditional Basotho food.

It was awesome watching the culture dances with a backdrop of mountains and clouds Basotho diet primarily consists Papa (maize meal), Moroho (cooked cabbage), Nama (meat), Mokopu (pumpkin) and the drink Motoho (a fermented sorghum drink). Then there were a few huge buckets full of joala (booze made from fermented sorghum or corn). They also slaughtered a cow so we had beef with all of our sides. Everything was eaten without silverware and about 50 of us passed around a wet dishcloth to "clean" our hands. It was a fun day and I took a lot of photos and videos to share when I return back to the states.

Keyhole Gardens

2008-09-18T08:23:00.001-07:00

I've been working with village health workers and members of HIV support groups recently to talk about Keyhole Gardens and nutrition for HIV+ folks. Keyhole gardens are circular raised beds that are constructed right outside the door (close, easy to maintain & water). There are many organic layers of grass, manure and soil in the garden creating a small but healthy soil soup of nutrients. Ideally throughout the year these gardens can be an overflowing feast of vegetables. Keyhole gardens also have a "keyhole" constructed of sticks, grass and manure where "gray water" can be dumped. Culturally its not normal to use gray water on your food for Basotho, in an area where water isn't always available, its important to save every drop of water.

These workshops over the last month have been very successful for me and my role here as a Peace Corp volunteer. In reality I haven't "done" a lot, I didn't teach hardly at all at any of the workshops. My role for these workshops was to connect resources together especially with the local HIV extension workers, the community council and the Ministry of Agriculture farmers extension officers. I primarily met with the motivated extension officers talked together about what we thought should be introduced, made some colorful flipcharts & posters and they presented and organized everything. Over the few weeks that these workshops went on, about 70 health workers & support group members from 45 villages received training that they might not have received if I wasn't there to give a little encouragement and "push". Now my hope is for each village health worker and support group member to go back to their remote mountainous villages and teach and build workshops in their own communities. Next week I'll be working with a support group in my own village to construct 8 keyhole gardens for HIV+ folks &/or orphans and using seeds that were donated from home to help motivate.

Changes of Season

2008-09-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

I walk past this tree and group of Aloe plants every day. Its just down the "road" from my house. I haven't taken a photo of it with snow yet, but will next year.

Mozambique Adventures.

2008-07-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

I just returned from 2 weeks of traveling with three of my friends from Peace Corps - “The Permies” Amber, Casey, Kjessie and I originally trained together 1 year ago in Permaculture and have been great friends in this journey of Peace Corps Lesotho.

We started planning Mozambique vacation a few months ago, spending a few late nights at the Peace Corps office together oogling and ahhing over photos of sandy beaches, food and ocean.

Our amazing journey started on an early winter morning here in Lesotho. We all stayed at the Peace Corps transit house and in the early morning during winter we wear blankets and down coats inside the house. We knew we wouldn't need all those layers in Mozambique so we had a bit of a cold walk into Maseru to catch a taxi to the border post. I was happy to leave my hiking boots, wool socks and down clothing behind. Our first challenge was crossing the border into S.Africa, it's usually really easy because they rarely need to see our passports as we cross into S. Africa for the day, but we needed all the official stamps as we were crossing into Mozambique in a few days time. Anyway, we had some issues with my passport and KJ's. The last time we had crossed the border we were given the wrong stamps/stickers and they wanted to charge us a huge amount of money and were saying I was illegally in S.Africa... because I didn't have the right stamp... lots of drama and early morning stress as we tried to argue our way out of fines. After over an hour of headache we called Peace Corps and the amazing staff came down to the border to help us out and work with the border agent. All got cleared, we didn't have to pay any fines and we got the correct stamps we needed. We had missed our taxi to Bloemfontein and one of the Peace Corps staff came to our rescue and drove us the 2 hours to find our rental car.

At Bloemfontein airport we picked up our car from First Car Rental. We rolled into Bloemfontein and went straight to the grocery store. Visiting a real, big grocery store is always a stressful experience – so much stimulation, choices and it's a little stressful compared to Lesotho/village shopping. We picked up some “goodies” - snack foods we can't find in Lesotho like Mountain Dew “), Bagels & Cream cheese and then we hit the road. 12 hours of driving later through tons of construction in S.Africa we arrived in Nelspruit at midnight. The cheapest room available at the hotel had 2 single beds so the 4 of us got real cozy. We all got in a laughing fit at about 1 am as we were getting ready to fall asleep as I was sharing a tiny twin bed with Amber who is about a foot taller than I and it was really funny looking. We had a 1am call from hotel management to ask us to be quiet and to check and make sure there were only “2” people in the room. So much for being sneaky… A few hours of sleep and we were on the road again.

Despite the dry winter in S.Africa we drove through some beautiful country. As we got north towards Mozambique and Swaziland we passed orchards of oranges, fields of sugar cane, banana plantations etc. We had huge baboons cross the road in front of us and pulled over to take a picture of a huge giraffe that was chilling on the side of the road. Several times I thought to myself “Where am I?” Our border crossing out of S.Africa and into Mozambique was really smooth – we were so nervous after our first border crossing of the trip. After another full day of driving and getting lost around Maputo (the capital of Mozambique) trying to find a bank we arrived to our first destination – Tofo. We arrived late at night after driving through forests of palm trees on sketchy pot hole ridden roads in the dark dodging people on bicycles, goats, bags of coconuts etc. We made a grand entrance getting our small rental car stuck in the sand as we pulled into the backpackers right on the beach. At that point we said the hell with it, took off our shoes and squished our feet in the sand as we laughed our way to the check in, warm, humid salty air coating our skin. The sounds of waves crashing on the beach a stones throw away comforted me as I fell asleep under my mosquito net in the grass bungalow.

For several days we stayed in Tofo soaking in the sun and washing away our stress from Lesotho in the warm turquoise waves of the Indian Ocean. It took me several days to get in vacation mode and to “let go” of some of the stress I'd brought with me from Lesotho. KJ rented a surfboard and spent all day surfing while we walked along the beach, I journaled a lot, sketched and played with the dogs that were on the beach. It's the slow tourist season and it's not a really touristy area yet so most of the time we were the only “tourists” on the beach besides a few of the local surfers. We stayed at a place called Turtle Cove which was a peaceful and beautiful place to stay. The lodging and food was inexpensive and wonderful. The owners are really cool and we met some really interesting travelers from all over the world at meal time and around the campfire pit. Sitting under huge palm trees on comfy couches outside around a crackling fire with stars shining brightly above us... was truly wonderful.
Walking along the beach we passed many villagers collecting mussels and fishermen. It was interesting to see how the villagers lived and in my head I couldn't help but compare everything to Lesotho. As we walked along the beach or sat on a ridge above the surf we watched whales so close spraying water, slapping their tales and breaching. We also saw dolphins, colorful tide pools, colorful crabs scurrying across the white sand.

Amber, Casey and I jumped in the car after 5 days in Tofo. We decided to do a snorkeling trip in Vilanculos. The road to Vilanculos was insane; there were huge huge potholes in the semi paved stretches among sections of bright orange clay. We got 2 flat tires and a speeding ticket on the way there which created some adventures getting those fixed and asking for help. Our hero at the hostel – Usted helped us get our tires fixed and helped save us a ton of money. The snorkeling trip was so amazing. We took an hour boat ride out to an island and snorkeled along the reef all day. Our guides cooked us lunch on the boat of fresh crab, grilled fish, salad, rice and fresh pineapple, oranges and bananas (all local). It was my first time snorkeling in the ocean and I will never look at the ocean the same again. It was so incredible. I swam through huge schools of fish and saw more colors of fish than I ever imagined. There were large angelfish everywhere, vibrant tangs, orange blowfish, purple anemones, sea urchins, candy cane colored fish in blood red coral, enormous neon blue & green fish, eels, swordfish so many things. Casey and Amber said it was the most colors of fish they've every seen snorkeling, I was in heaven. That evening some guys we met at the the hostel cooked us an amazing meal of grilled fish, curry, salads. After 2 nights in Vilanculos we headed back to the more chill Tofo beaches for a few last days of beaches and warmth.

Our last night in Mozambique was spent in Maputo. We had a lot of adventure at the fish market where we bought fresh seafood and then took it to a “restaurant” where they prepared it for us. It was a crazy experience, four white girls walking into the local fish market created a lot of attention and competition between vendors. So much yelling in Portuguese which I was glad at that moment that I didn't understand the language. We waited a long time for our food to be prepared, but it was so worth it. It was a little stressful at first, all the shouting and decisions and bartering, but the best meal of fresh seafood I've ever had. We felt like were in a sitcom several times that night. So many funny things to laugh about that market experience.

We had many more adventures on our last few days of driving, including the 3rd flat tire, getting lost in Johannesburg at night, a 2nd rental car, and hitchhiking our way from Bloemfontein to Lesotho.

It was a liberating trip in a sense. I think about where I was a year ago and would have probably been really stressed or terrified about some of the things that happened on our road trip and vacation to Mozambique, but after a year of living in Africa and experiencing/dealing with so many different things has made me a more confident and experienced traveler.

Now it’s back to work here in Lesotho as I’m refreshed and ready for my second year as a PCV.

For more photos of the beautiful country of Mozambique follow this link:

Thanks Casey & Amber for sharing your photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/ponderosapam/MozambiqueMadness

Week at Kjessie's!

2008-07-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

Just spent the week at Kjessie's site near Quting. We caught a rat, wore coveralls and fixed irrigation pipes, tamed a wild kitten, dealt with Basotho culture, boated across the river, ate a lot of popcorn, prepared permaculture training materials for the new group and even more adventure on her site across the Senqu. It was freezing cold! but we are headed to Mozambique in 3 days!

New Volunteers!

2008-07-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

My first year in Lesotho anniversary was marked by the arrival of 23 bright eyed and bushy tailed volunteers. I am fortunate to be able to help with the training of the new group of Community Health and Economic Developement (CHED) volunteers this year and have been able to spend a lot of time with them. I was a “resident” trainer for their first week in Lesotho so in addition to getting to meet them all at the airport I got to spend the first week with them answering questions and providing some support. It was a fun experience.

The “newbies” flew into Maseru in the middle of the day so they got to see a bit of Lesotho. My group had walked across the border at 2am a year before. It was fun to see all their brand new clothes, shiny squeaky clean new hiking boots & shoes as they stood in line at customs. I knew they would be full of excitement and nervousness but wasn’t quite ready for the bombardment of questions immediately at the airport. Many had read my blog which was sort of a weird feeling and then many had questions like “what’s your project”, “what’s your house like”, “do you have pets?”, “do you have electricity?”, “whats ….. like?”.

Over the course of the week I answered a ton of questions about my experience, about Lesotho, about the Basotho culture, where to find things, and so much more. Some of the questions made me laugh like “where do you go to the bathroom? “Are there snakes in Lesotho”? Many of the questions made me reflect back on my first week arrival in country.

I’m at my “1st year mark/Mid service crisis” time. For me it hasn’t really been a “crisis” but a few things are challenging. Part of it has been a time of reflection on what I’ve accomplished this year, which is difficult to see and to measure. Another thing that is difficult about this time of year is the other CHED group is leaving some good friends are finishing their service as I type this. Many have left, but most will be gone by August/September. It’s tough to say goodbye to people whom have been sharing in this experience.

It was nice to get to spend some time with the “newbies” while they were still excited and energetic to be here in Lesotho. It was some good energy to be around at this point in my service. Also, the new group of volunteers is a great group that has a lot to bring to Lesotho. I’m looking forward to getting to know them better during the rest of their training and during the remaining part of my service.

Pumpkin Apple Bread Recipe - Peace Corps Style!

2008-07-01T00:50:00.000-07:00

First, you plant some pretty little seeds in the soil and wait many months for the flower, then pumpkin to develop. Then you pick it with joy! Knowing that deliciousness awaits!

Then you carve the pumpkin purely for fun and to share this weird American tradition with your Basotho neighbors. Be sure to save the seeds so you can grow more pumpkins next year and trade the seeds with neighbors!

"Mokopu Man" (Pumpkin Man)

Then shred Mokopu man into many pieces.

Smile a lot because it's messy and fun to make pumpkin bread in Lesotho!

Then add some apples to the Mokopu pot and bathe the pumpkin and apples in ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, oil and sugar and heat it up til it's nice and mushy and yummy.

The pumpkin, apple, spice mix is delicious and you should definetly taste test a few spoonfuls but this is a bread "recipe" so you'll need to mix it with some eggs, flour, baking powder and maybe some other stuff. Be sure to mix by hand because it's way more fun and messy!

Poor the mixture in a bread pan - or metal bowl, place it on top of a empty tuna can with hole poked in it, in your big pot/ "dutch oven". Pop it on top of your 2 burner propane stove put the lid on, light up the stove and in about 45min-1hr you have some yummy yummy bread!

Yummy! Hot Fresh Pumpkin Bread!

Rock Climbing in S Africa

2008-06-30T02:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went rock climbing. It's the first time in over a year that I've felt the heat of the rock, the soreness and stiffness of arms, the freedom of heights, the wonderful company of other climbers and so much Peace. It was an incredible day filled with so much sunshine, good company and also great food. After climbing & hiking around for the whole afternoon we enjoyed the company of many folks from around the world at the Oldenburg Lodge & Game Park (where the incredible rock climbing was). We sat in front of a huge fireplace surrounded by people, dogs and we wolfed down delicious hamburgers the size of large plates :). Then back to Lesotho (a 20 min drive) on a star filled night. It was an amazing day!

A little Disturbing photo of me Belaying Sean and Adam backing me up so I don't fly up the wall if Adam took a "Zinger".

Sean is 6'9" and was trying to show me a "great bouldering route" I'm 5'1" and it was a little challenging/impossible following his lead.

I took this photo of Kjessie and I was feeling exactly the same way...

Thanks Sean for letting us borrow your gear and for taking out on the rock!

My First Year on African Soil

2008-06-05T23:22:00.000-07:00

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)

Snowflakes in Africa

2008-06-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

I love to play practical jokes but it's been difficult here in Lesotho. The other day I was explaining to my Me' why I was excited for the snow to fall, she shook her head and said “healdee” which is like the Lesotho version of “geez – your crazy!” As she prepared to visit a friend I had a mischievous spark... When she returned from visiting her friend I had covered all of her windows with paper snowflakes. I was so excited and laughing to myself as I waited for her to return. I heard a yell “Amo” Ke eng? Ahhhhhh Cheeee (Basotho expression for so many things). I walked over to her house and she had a huge grin on her face I said “Me' Leshua e teng!” (The snow is here!) She furled her dark wrinkled brow and said ee ee (no) Ke' lipalesa, Li Linkle! (It's flowers their beautiful!).

So... the joke backfired, but it's been fun explaining to my Me' and everyone that walks by that they are snowflakes (not flowers) and I give a song and dance schpeel about how all snowflakes are different and beautiful and that under a microscope (a huge pair of glasses that make things small big) that snowflakes look like those on the glass windows of my Me's grass hut. Very few people believe me, but at least I've taught a new arts & craft project (besides the paper airplanes that were so popular).

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Book by Barbara Kingsolver

2008-06-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

I've just read an awesome book by Barbara Kingsolver and her family called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It's a collection of essays written by her and her family about their year of eating locally. They spent 1 year buying and eating locally grown food - feela (only)!. They grew most of their own vegetables and raised a lot of their own meat. It was inspiring to read about their experience and challenges and it impacted me much more, as I'm here in Africa, having a somewhat similar experience. While I'm in my village all the vegetables I eat have come from my garden (or a neighbors). Most of the meat I have eaten in village was once running around the yard, grunting baaing or clucking at my window. Most of the eggs I eat were plopped on the grass by the chickens.
This book really made me reflect on my own food purchases (especially if/when I head back to America next year) just thinking about how much fuel and energy went into transporting the food that you get at the grocery store. Although it's hard to find bananas & oranges in the Pacific Northwest, you can buy most vegetables and many fruits locally during the spring/summer/fall months. For folks back in the states, most farmers markets have started up again please support your local farmers! At the farmers markets you can buy food that was grown very close (saving on fossil fuels), probably organic (not pumped with steroids and chemicals) and supports your local economy. Vegetables that are grown in the soil near your home are more nutritious and farmers markets are really fun.
I encourage everyone to read this book, regardless of where you live or if you have a garden. It will make you think about your food purchases more, maybe inspire you to have a small garden and more conscious about the food you purchase and eat. It also has some great recipes, and will make you laugh at their stories.
I could go on forever about how Lesotho and having my own huge amazing garden has changed my views on food security and physical and mental health but I'll cut it short. Please check out this book at your local library, or buy it and pass it along to friends!

Stepping Back in Time

2008-06-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

I never imagined myself being much of a “Betty Crocker” type. Before coming to Lesotho I was the queen of Pizza Pockets, Canned Soup and Fast Food. Amazing how spending a year in a grass hut in the mountains of Africa can change certain habits. Now I bake my own bread, make tomato sauce, can peaches and tomatoes and COOK! I make amazing vegetable soups, sauces, casseroles, homemade pasta, tortillas, breads, sweets etc all by “scratch”. I have the time to experiment and am really enjoying it. I also have an amazing garden (even still in the winter) that has provided me with a continual supply of fresh vegetables.

Sometimes I feel like I'm connecting with some of my great grandmothers as I do everything by hand (washing clothes, cooking, baking, writing long letters by candlelight, walking long distances to visit or work, plowing a field with cows, harvesting crops by hand, shelling peas and beans for days, hemming clothes and patching holes for hours. In a small sense I can imagine what life was like for the women of my family “back in the day”.

A 6" Trim

2008-04-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

Went to a Salon for the first time in a really long time. I asked for a 6" trim which would have cleaned off some of my dead ends. Now my hair is about 3" long! Ahhhh! At least it's hat weather now!

20 Liters of Water

2008-04-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Water is truly a precious resource, especially here in Sub-Saharan Africa. In my village of Mashai, we have no working taps. I can collect my water in a well that’s a 10 min walk downhill and at least a 15-20 min walk back up the hill with 20 liters of water on my head. That 20 liters of water gets put to good use, I can use a small amount of water to bath then do laundry (in my dirty bath water) and then water my garden. The other half of the bucket gets put in my water filter and used to rinse my clothes then wash my dishes. It’s amazing how far such a small amount of water can go.

The other day as I was preparing one of my environmental education lessons, I came across a water conservation activity (for American classrooms). It had a list of the different water supply amounts we use each day in America. I calculated my approximate usage of water when I was in America (it took a while to remember how often I use to shower, do laundry with a machine, flush a toilet etc). What I came up with astounded me.

In America on a average day I calculated I used about 605L of water! Here I can get by on less than 20liters of water a day!

Durban Highlights

2008-03-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

Beaches, Ocean, Seashells, Mexican Food, Thai Food, Italian Food, Indian Food, Pizza,Chinese Food, Bakeries, Fountain Soda, Zebra's, Gazelles, Electricity, Friendly/Playful/Clean dogs to pet, Seatbelts, Safe Transportation, Botanical Gardens, Street lights, Showers, Pavement, Soft Ice cream, Margarita's, Fresh Seafood, Customer Service, Cold Corona's on the Beach, not being in a “fishbowl”, Indian Festival, Indian Markets (spices, incenses, food and beautiful clothing and people), Grocery Stores, Real Coffee, and so much more... Yeah! Vacation!!!!

Organic Gardening

2008-03-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

I love working in my garden. I'm often working in the rich, red soil as the sun is cresting over the peaks above my home. The lighting is always amazing as the mountains change from grey, to pink, to orange and then brilliant green. Recently the fresh crisp fall air has been my source of early morning energy. It's a great way to start a new day and I'm always at peace when I squish my toes into the cool earth and tend to my many plots of fresh vegetables.

This year I've grown tomatoes (cherry & large), cabbage, spinach, swiss chard, yellow onions, red onions, leeks, carrots, sweet corn, green beans, radishes, cucumbers, sweet peas, squash (gem, zuchini, butternut), pumpkin, lettuce, potatoes, basil & cilantro.

It's so amazing and wonderful to just run out to my garden and fill my bucket full of fresh vegetables to eat or share.

Teaching in Africa

2008-02-22T21:04:00.001-08:00

A new school year started on January 21, and thus began a new year of teaching kids Agriculture and HIV Life Skills here in Lesotho. I feel more confident this year as a teacher. My first few months as a Peace Corps volunteer and teacher in my village had a big learning curve. I spent a lot of time being frustrated, confused, angry and annoyed with the Lesotho education system and the teachers that I work with. I was also still grasping the cultural differences in learning and teaching here in Lesotho.

Although I still get frustrated, I have a better understanding of how things work here, with the limited resources available. I can go into a classroom and feel like some students understand me now. At first they would all sit there and give me a confused look. It took me a few weeks to slow my voice down so they can understand me. All schools are English medium, so I speak in English (Sehua) to my students but my accent is difficult for them to understand. I live in the remote mountains so my students only exposure to English is at school. Many of the teachers at my schools English is really poor, and often they resort to Sesotho. It's important for students to understand the concepts, but at the end of the year their only examination that "counts" is a multiple choice exam administered by the Ministry of Education and it's all in English. If they don't understand English, then they don't pass their exam.

I teach at several different schools. Here's a few "stats" on my schools & Lesotho Education System.

* My largest school is the Primary School that's only a 20 minute walk from my village, other schools are 1-2 hours away.

*At the primary schools I teach Classes 5,6 & 7. At the Secondary School I teach Form C.

*My classes sizes vary from 9 students - 76 students - depending on the school and class.

*In one of my classes at the primary school, the age range of my students is 11-24 years.

* 1 out of 5 schools has toilets (pit latrines) for the students

* All of my schools have a garden

* Most of my classrooms are cement block walls with corrugated tin roofs. I have a few classrooms that are mud & stone walls with tin or grass roofs.

* Teachers in Lesotho only have to graduate high school to work as a teacher

* Teachers make about 21,000 R ($3,000) a year

* It's estimated that 1/3 of school age children are not in school

* Many schools are controlled by churches - makes it difficult to teach Sex Ed / HIV life skills.

* Some of my students travel as far as 5 miles to come to school

* Only a few of my students from the Primary school will actually go to Secondary and less to High School.

* Many of my Primary School students drop out of school to get married (girls - ages 14+ & boys)

* All students are required to wear a uniform (but many can't afford it) They can come to school still, but sometimes get beat across the back of the legs or the tops of their hands for not wearing a uniform.

* Corporal Punishment is the preffered method of punishment of students.

Some days I get so frustrated with how things operate here. It's all part of being a Peace Corps Volunteer, I know no "big" changes will occur while I'm here, I'm in a developing country and I must be patient and work with what we have at the school. I'm doing my best to help the students have some fun, learn some important life skills. I also work with teachers on lesson plans and helping them do fun activities with students.

Change is slowly coming here, the education systems has faced a lot of challenges after the Primary education was changed to Free. Class sizes doubled in some schools and there isn't enough space or teachers to teach. Also, the impact of HIV & AIDS has impacted all sectors of this government, lack of teachers, many orphans etc. There are a lot of unexperienced teachers all over the country, trying to do the best they can. There are also some amazing teachers working in the schools that want to see change. There is hope, but it's slow in coming.

But, Like the Sesotho Proverb, Ho bea ditho ho hlahisa kgomo. (Patience is a virtue.)

Running From Lightning

2008-02-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

It’s summer here in Lesotho. It’s difficult to imagine the fresh powder and snow in the mountains of Idaho. During the rainy season the weather is typically predictable. In the mornings we awake to amazing sunrises, the sky full of pastel clouds and soft green light on the mountain slopes. A cool mist rolls through the river valleys as the herd boys take their flocks of sheep and cows to the field and women carry buckets of water from the spring. The hot summer sun will shine through a clear blue sky, until the dark thunderheads roll in around noon. For a few hours the sky turns dark, the rain pours and lighting flashes all around. The thunder sounds like gun shots then freight trains racing through the ground and through the grass roof of my hut. It scares me, but it’s exciting and makes me feel alive. It typically clears around 4pm and I sit outside my hut enjoying the fresh smell of rain and the beautiful rainbows that connect the canyon ridges. As the sun sets I watch the sky turn a kaleidoscope of oranges, blues, purples, grays and reds. I’ve never seen such amazing sunsets and have had my breath taken away many times by the beauty of it all.

This is “typical” weather for the rainy season/summer. But…I live in the mountains and the weather can change at a moments notice. My days are planned by the weather, if I wake up and I see some unfriendly clouds in the sky I won’t go to a remote school. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell, the storms sneak over ridges really quickly, and there have been a few times I’ve misjudged the sky and have been pelted by hail, downpour rains and stuck next to flash flooded rivers. It’s so unpredictable at times, but also incredibly beautiful. I always carry my raingear, lots of water and some snacks, even if there is not a single cloud in the sky. Just in case I have to run from the lightning.

Some of my favorite moments are the hard rains, lightning, sunshine and double rainbows all at the same time.

Rats for Breakfast

2008-02-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

My Basotho mother, Me’ Masentle Rabale is a spunky 60 something year old woman that always keeps me on my toes. The other day she appeared at my open window at 4:30am, as the dawn light started appearing over the mountains. I’m usually starting to wake up around this time, but was still sleeping that particular morning. I woke up to Me’s voice, “Amohelang na u robala joale? (are you sleeping?) Amo! (my nickname). “Amohelang, ke na le bohobe hape tokolotsi” (I have bread and an elf) “Nka” (Take it). I debated pretending I was still sleeping, but groggingly crawled out of my bed and mosquito net and went to the window. Me’ was standing there with a bowl of hot steamed bread in one hand, a dead rat the size of my kitten in the other hand and a huge grin on her wrinkled brown face. She had set some rusty spring loaded traps the day before and was successful at catching the corn stealing culprit. I took the bowl of bread and laughed at my Me’ and wished her well as she was heading to her field. She placed the rat on my window sill hoping my cat would eat it, grabbed her hoe and water jug and walked down the dusty road to her corn fields. I crawled back in bed (after checking and making sure I didn’t have a rat under my bed or sheets ).

One thing about living in a remote village in the middle of Lesotho, is you never know what surprises each new day will bring.

Swimming and Climbing with Bo-Abuti

2008-02-11T00:20:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just need to get out of my village. A few weekends ago I sent a student note to James in the neighboring village and we made plans to travel to Thaba Tseka and get a plate of food and some cold drinks. A plate of food is the name of the traditional meal of Basotho. It usually consists of nama (some type of meat) moroho (cabbage salad) and papa (cornmeal). Sometimes there are other salads like salsa, beets, carrots etc. In Thaba Tseka you can get plates with really good fried chicken and papa. It’s worth the bus fare and the waiting for hours on the side of the road to get some meat and a cold soda.

I jumped on the bus on a cool summer morning just as the sun was coming up between the peaks above my village. Two hours later we rolled into Thaba Tseka at around 8:00am. The first thing James and I did was find a cold soda, then walked to the house of a volunteer who lives in Thaba Tseka. After visiting with some other volunteers we found our infamous plate of food, then went to the local joalang (bar). James, Jordan and I sat outside and visited over cold drinks. The Lesotho wind blew red dust in our faces as we chatted with Basotho who were curious about who we are. The bus eventually came by and we returned to Mashai.

On Sunday we hiked down to a waterfall and relaxed in the water. James and I like to rock climb and both have recently received our climbing shoes in the mail. We bouldered around the rocks while Jordan bathed in the waterfall. The cliff faces above us were lined with kids watching the crazy Americans climb rocks and laying in the “cold water”.

It was a nice weekend hanging out with the guys. James cooked some amazing food (as always) and it was nice to pull on my climbing shoes for the first time in many many months. I've been bouldering around my house lately, the Basotho think I'm absolutely crazy, but it makes them laugh.

The Joys of Public Transportation

2008-02-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

Transportation in Lesotho has made me a very patient (or crazy) individual.

The bus stop is a select spot on the side of the road that has a few nice “butt rocks”. Yesterday morning I didn’t have a chance to “park” as the bus was actually on time. I had to jog the last stretch of trail to get to the road before the bus made it. It’s rained for several days so I slid several times running down the red muddy slope. The bus was nearly empty, because of the rain. Most Basotho hate the water and when it floods we have to take a boat across the river and get on another bus. Somedays I could spend 4+ hours on a rock on the side of the road, waiting for the bus. Somedays it never comes, somedays it's 4 hours late and somedays it's actually "on-time" (whatever that means).

The road from Mashai and most of Thaba Tseka is a very bumpy, rocky road that currently is washed out it several places. The slick mud from the heavy rains made the bus move really fast, or really slow, or not at all. We got stuck a few times, the longest for an hour. We were going uphill and stopped then slide backwards quite away, it was a little nerve wracking. I plugged into my ipod and “shut it all out”. Especially when other buses passed us on the down side and every time the brakes were applied they would slide several feet. There are no guard rails on these beautiful mountain roads.

At the Thaba Tseka bus rank (a muddy, empty lot) the bus became full (really full). The rivers were behind us so the bus filled quickly. All the seats were full and the center aisle was crammed with as many bodies as you can get shoved into that small space. I was so happy I wasn’t one of the passengers standing in the center aisle. I’ve spent some quality time sandwiched in one of those spots and always get out of the bus with a few new bruises.

Another seat that really sucks is the edge of a center aisle. All the people standing lean or sit on top of your shoulder or head. If your lap is empty anyone standing in the center can put their bag, child or chickens on your lap. It’s almost as uncomfortable as standing for 8 hours on the really bumpy, rocky, muddy roads.

Yesterday I had my nice comfortable seat by the window. I could occasionally open the window for some air flow, but have to shut it soon after. Basotho think they'll get really sick if the wind blows in their faces. I've tried to explain the chances of getting TB while having 100 bodies confined in a bus with no air flow is much higher, but they just think I'm a crazy American. I was sitting next to a huge woman who’s elbow was in my kidney for a good part of the journey, but that’s nothing compared to other bus journeys I’ve had. For part of the trip she fell asleep on my shoulder. In the states I would have totally felt uncomfortable, but here… no big deal. A little weird, but no big deal. I was content tuning in to my Ipod and staring out the mud splattered window at the beautiful villages and people that waved to the bus. For ten hours…

We spent 1 hour and moved about 15 feet on this slippery spot of the road

Welcoming 2008

2008-01-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

I welcomed 2008 drumming around a campfire in the jungle along the Wildcoast of Africa. The burning driftwood crackled and sent sparks shooting into the star filled sky as we beat on drums made of wood and goat hide. Large palm fronds blanketed the forest canopy and we could hear the sound of the waves crashing in the Indian Ocean.

I went to the Wildcoast to backpack with one of my best Peace Corps buddies, Casey. The two of us had planned the trip for months, and were looking forward to getting out of Lesotho and camping along the ocean. We were hoping to get away from all the crowds… but plans changed as soon as we arrived to the coast.

We arrived to Amapondo backpackers in Port St. Johns on the 29th with our huge backpacks in tow. We were excited to get a few tips on the route, pick up a trail & tide map and eat a big dinner before we hit the sand. We had heard stories of muggings and that there were potential dangers involved but we had weighed our options and talked to other volunteers that had hiked the trail and thought we’d be fine. We are both strong independent women with many miles of trail experience so we were confident we would have a safe trip.

When we got to Amapondo we talked to a few more people and got a lot of warnings and heard stories of recent incidents. We also realized that no one else was hiking the trail either and that was a good hint that it might not be too safe. We took a stroll along the beach and again weighed our options. We could go – and risk it, hire a guide (very expensive on a Peace Corps Budget). Two white women walking alone by the coast through the jungle in Africa… Long story short we decided to not hit the trail. Amapondo was great and found a spot for us to pitch our tent for the duration of our vacation. It wasn’t exactly backpacking, but the vibe at Amapondo was chill and the staff were amazing. Our tent was pitched below the jungle on a ledge overlooking the ocean and we spent several days hiking and exploring the jungle and ocean. One of the guides at Amapondo; Albert guided us on several free hikes around the area.

I spent some quality time walking along the beach, squishing the white sand between my toes, feeling the salt spray on my face. There is a history of storms, jagged cliffs shipwrecks and treasure along the wild coast. In my first few hours of walking along the coast, I found a shark tooth. I spent hours walking along the rocks staring into tide pools. I’d sit on the edge and watch the anemones and fish as crabs scurried around my feet. I also found several beautiful shells along the beach to decorate my grass hut with.

We also experienced a S.African tradition. On New Years day 10,000 + people came to that beach. It’s “the thing to do” to celebrate the New Year. It’s so crazy though. Overnight the beach went from a quiet peaceful place to thousands of people. We walked down to the beach – just to see and be there. There were thousands and thousands of people and I think we may have been the only white women on the whole beach. In additional to all the people, there was a herd of cattle chilling on the sand next to ocean – who knows where they came from, it was interesting. We didn’t spend too much time, way too many people and too many drunk men.

We spent most of the New Years day in the jungle, hiking to a waterfall, jumping off the waterfall and swimming in the fresh, clean pool of cold water. The hike is about a ‘arduous” mile so there were only a few people there and when we arrived there were some S.African “hippie types” camped out in the jungle with their drums, a tambourine and a long wooden flute thing. They drummed and played music while we swam and sat on the rocks, watching the huge butterflies and dragonflies swim in the sky. I felt like I was in a completely different world, but I also felt like I was seeing a part of Africa that I had imagined Africa to be like. Drums, Jungles, Waterfalls, Monkeys, Vines, and more… It was amazing – a news years memory that I will never forget.

Casey and I are planning to go back and hike the Wildcoast, but will probably hire a guide. It’s really expensive on a Peace Corps budget, but in US dollars it’ll only cost about $100 total for 5 nights of accommodation (in huts in villages), all our food and guide fee’s. $100 US dollars is over a months worth of living expenses though. We also won’t hike the trail during the holiday season; we’ll come back when there is less people and less chance of crime.

It was an interesting experience and amazing break from Lesotho. I was so glad to see the ocean and the jungle and look forwarding to returning one day.

Care Packages

2007-12-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

I've been getting a lot of letters and emails from folks asking me what I need in here in Lesotho if they send me a care package. I have received a few care packages already and they have been amazing. It's really expensive to ship and Idon't really "need" anything - except letters & photos :). But if your sending a package anyway here is a few things that are "favorites" that I can't find here in Lesotho.

* Drinks - Double SpicedChai Tea, cocoa, crystal light, propel/gatorade etc...
* Sour Jelly Belly's, Jolly Ranchers...
* Cliff Bars, Luna Bars, Granola Bars etc... "On the go" types of "meals"
* Meat - I can get cans of tuna here, but those individual packages of salmon, chicken breasts, are great.
* Reading materials - newspaper articles, magazines, books
* Seeds - cold, drought resistant seeds
* Maps/Posters - those National Geographic ones mail nicely - I'll use them in my classrooms. Maps of the world, posters on reproductive health, nature, diversity, etc...
* Seasonings; taco, cheese, pesto..... anything that can flavor rice, pasta, cabbage and cornmeal :)
* Anything that makes me laugh......

Some Notes on Shipping things...
It's really expensive! The cheapest way to ship is padded envelopes and flat rate boxes. There is a international flat rate box, I think it's around $40 to ship and there is no weight limit. Please claim things as missionary supplies, religious materials, used clothing, educational materials etc. A few "God Bless You's" and religious phrases on the boxes really help also. Packages arrive here (and S.Africa) and can be searched and sometimes things dissapear. There is a lot of missionary influence here and other volunteers have found boxes that are labeled religious are not even opened and searched.

A lot of people have asked about sending things for the villagers. I have to be really careful and I can't give out things in my community. I get asked for things all the time - because of missionaries and other NGO's that stop by the schools and hand out toys, clothes, candy, blankets, books etc - then leave. Some villagers re-sell the donations, other use actually put them to use - but regardless I don't think it helps them much in the way that I want to help them.

If I handed things out it would be really difficult for me to live there for the next 2 years and I'm not sure it would help much. I want people to see me as a source of knowledge and resources, not a source of gifts etc. Things that I could use to help the villagers are seeds (that I could plant in my school gardens) (drought & cold resistant) and posters/maps. I could use them as teaching materials for my schools. If you know anyone that has National geographic maps they want to get rid of (the ones that fold up and can be mailed easily) those would be great. The walls are bare mud or concrete. I draw posters on paper I brought but my artistic skills are not that great. Also, if you know of anyone that had posters on reproductive health, photos & posters of diversity in America (everyone thinks all americans are white and rich), and posters of conservation/nature/gardening that would be amazing. I teach in English - because that's the medium but props would help them understand my heavily accented english...

If I start a project that needs financial assistance I'll let everyone know via email. Technically I have to go through the Peace corps and they have a website where you can donate to projects that pcv's post. I probally won't because I don't think it's a sustainable impact here to give people any money or to start a huge project and then leave. I've seen a lot of botched programs and projects where lots of donated money was spent and as soon as the NGO or volunteer left the program also fell through... I have only been here 6 months though and my attitude and knowledge about things could change.

Christmas in Africa

2007-12-27T20:42:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful summer day here in Lesotho. I've just returned from a week at Bethel, the site of my friend KJ. She's a teacher at the Permaculture/Technical school and lives in a really sweet house on the school compound. To get to her site we had to ride buses and taxi's for hours, hike for several miles down to a river, ferry across the river in a boat and ride in the back of a truck to her house. It was an all day adventure.

It wasn't feeling much like XMAS until we went into KJ's house. The weather here has been really warm and there isn't as much Christmas "hype" in the stores, radio etc. It's weird being in the S.Hemisphere. KJ went all out with decorations and made a construction paper fire, stockings and snowflakes. To celebrate Christmas we spent several days eating fantastic food, watched "It's a Wonderful Life" (on a laptop), decorated cookies, exchanged funny gifts and enjoyed each others company. I loved hiking around and seeing another part of Lesotho (and collecting rocks :) ) We had access to solar electricity, flush toilets and hot showers, it was awesome! I also was able to receive a few phone calls from home. I had to answer the calls in a field, where the best signal came through. I talked to some of my family in the pouring down rain, but it was awesome to say hello and hear everyones voices.

The most memorable part of Christmas this year was getting in touch with our food source. We had ducks for xmas dinner (couldn't find a turkey). Casey and Andy each lopped the heads off of a duck, we then plucked them, gutted them and ate them for dinner. It was a dramatic, disgusting and humorous event. The ducks turned out fantastic, but it was a lot of work.

It was a fun week and one of the most memorable holidays I've ever had. Hope everyone in the states had a great holiday also.

Tomorrow Casey and I are headed to the Wildcoast to do some backpacking and relaxing on the Indian Ocean.

Returning Home

2007-12-27T04:07:00.000-08:00

Many people ask me if I miss “home”. I know they mean the states… Idaho etc. Yes, I miss family & friends but right now my home is Africa. The remote village of Mashai is my residence and community for at least 20 more months. I have no idea where I’ll call home after that. Recently I spent several weeks in the hustle & bustle of Maseru and I was so happy to finally return to my home.

There is only one bus that goes past my village everyday, so if I missed the bus it means I’d have to wait until the next day (or several days if the bus isn’t running). I had spent the night before returning home to my village at a Peace Corps party at a nice hotel in Maseru. One of the volunteers rented a huge sweet for the night and stocked an entire fridge and freezer full of liquor and soda. We spent hours visiting, eating and dancing. It was a long, memorable and fun night. There was a little political unrest before I returned home and I didn’t want to get stuck in Maseru so I jumped on the bus even after a long night of partying with other volunteers.

I had had about 3 hours of sleep and nothing in my stomach as I walked through the “taxi rank” at 6:00am. It was still early in the morning, so I didn’t attract as much attention as usual but I was still cranky, tired and a little hung over, so I was not your typical friendly Pam. I probably “snapped” at a few Bo-Ntate and kids begging for sweets. The taxi rank is my least favorite place to be, especially alone. I stepped onto the bus after a swift walk through the taxi rank.

After handing my huge backpack to the Ntate on top of the bus I eased onto the green metal seat and greeted everyone around me. I was fortunate to get a seat and to have several familiar faces of other teachers or villagers I recognized. My stomach and head were pounding so I sunk down low in seat, hoping to draw the least amount of attention as possible. The bus had a familiar smell of gasoline, body sweat, exhaust and livestock.

We sat on the bus for an hour or more before leaving the taxi rank. Women carried baskets of fruit, bread, plastic combs, mirrors and many other random items to purchase past our open windows. You could hear the murmur of voices on the bus, the honking of other buses preparing to leave, taxi conductors yelling locations, chickens clacking, babies crying and lambs baying.

After about 1.5 hr of pavement and accelerated speeds over the “God Help Me Pass” we descended into the river gorge near Mohale Dam, this is where the pavement ends. The bus goes much slower on the gravel roads, but it’s still scary at times. The huge buses carry about 80 passengers – both sitting and standing and various livestock and baggage. It curves around sharp bends in the road, blind corners and non existent guard rails. On my bus, we have to ford a river when it’s flooding (or get off and ride a boat if it’s too high). The shocks are non existent and you get bounced around on your seat or off your feet if you’re standing in the bus. During this particular trip the bus broke down once and we also had a flat tire. It took 10 hours total from the time I left Maseru to the time I arrived to my village. The sun was beginning to set behind the Maloti Mountains as I walked to my house.

I had spent almost 3 weeks in Maseru & visiting other volunteers, so I was nervous returning to my village after such a long time away. I wondered if my community would forget who I was, if my garden would be ok, if my cat would end up dinner for someone and if the lizards, ants and spiders had taken over my house.

As soon as the bus stopped below the hill to my village, several kids ran down the dusty red road to help me carry my bags and everyone greeted me as I hiked up the hill. I was still not feeling well 10 hours on that road, trying to talk Sesotho and sitting on metal benches is exhausting. For once I was glad for all the attention though. It was a nice welcoming from everyone. Many people asked if I’d brought them gifts, but everyone was really happy to see me. My Me’ greeted me with a big Basotho hand shake, hug and plate of papa (cornmeal). Several neighbors stopped by to visit as I was sweeping out the red dust that had accumulated in my hut. I got several comments about how boring things were while I was gone. I can only imagine… they didn’t have someone to watch and talk about while I was gone J.

Soon after returning home I sat on the stones outside my hut with my journal and watched the sunset over the mountains, my kitten was curled up on my lap purring away.

I was happy to be home.

The A Frame Chicken Tractor

2007-12-07T05:05:00.000-08:00

I’m a 25 year old (that looks like she’s 16), unmarried, white American woman that is here to volunteer and live in Mashai for 2 years. I claim to have no money, seeds, food or candy to give but I’m here to teach children about Agriculture and HIV at the schools. I don’t speak Sesotho very well and I turn down "quality" marriage proposals from Basotho men. This is what the villagers of Mashai learned about me in my first few days at my new home.
I am the local celebrity and under constant observation by villagers and scrutinized for everything I do that’s not Basotho. People who come to visit immediately notice all the things I’m doing incorrectly like cooking papa, making my bed, washing my clothes, arranging my house and gardening. It was so frustrating for a while. My village mother was especially critical, which made things even more challenging because she’s the most respected woman in our village. I’m hardly an expert in gardening but I do know how to plant and care for vegetables and how to prevent soil erosion and conserve water.
When I started to plant and dig my plots this Spring (September) my Me’ would tell me I was doing everything wrong. My plots were not smooth enough, my seeds were not in a straight line, my mulch was sloppy and should be removed, and I shouldn’t plant more than one type of seed in each plot. I felt I was doing everything right but most of the Basotho women who came to visit felt the same as Me’. My issue was trying to find a compromise – I’m here to teach Permaculture and I didn’t feel like the gardening methods the Basotho do are environmentally sound or practical. There is so much soil erosion, a major drought, and not enough food. People here are not ready to change methods especially when the new ideas come from a "young girl" from America. I felt like there was no hope in teaching anything to the community women and my first growing season was very frustrating, but things changed after I built the A-Frame Chicken Tractor.
This Spring brought the birth of many farm animals around the village. My Me` had about 10 baby chicks running around the compound the first week of October. The bright yellow balls of fluff soon became victims of feral cats and quick falcons and after only a week she had half the chicks that were hatched. Many other villagers were also losing their baby chicks to the predators around the village. I remembered seeing a chicken house design for small chickens in a Permaculture book I was reading. One afternoon I collected many small sticks and constructed a small A framed chicken house. I didn’t have chicken wire so I used string, sticks and feed sacks. This chicken house is a small portable A framed house that protects chickens from predators and moves the chickens around to "fertilize" the soil, eat insects and dig up weeds in the garden.
I built the house while my Me’ was gone working in the fields and put the baby chickens in it. I had fun making it, it was like a big craft project and I knew if Me’ didn’t like it we could at least burn it to cook papa for dinner. That afternoon Me’ returned from the fields and saw the chicken house. She muttered some things in Sesotho and gave me a grin. She soon took charge of "positioning" the chicken house and would place it near road so people would yell over the fence and ask her about it. She bragged about her American daughter all week and soon villagers started coming to me with questions about agriculture. All because of some sticks, feed sacks and yarn. Within a couple of days several villagers came over to our compound, dragging sticks and holding wire to have me show them how to build the A-Frame chicken tractor. Me' started to listen to some of my suggestions on where to plant, what to plant etc. I've since introduced a few other permaculture methods to Mashai - and so far people really are really receptive. I too have learned a ton.
Now that my community knows me better I like to think they see me as a 25year old woman who has a lot of experience to share with people in the village. I know they treat me much different now. Also the eligible bachelors of Mashai now know that I'm definetly not here for marriage as I've spread the word I'll only marry a man that is willing to cook, clean and haul my buckets of water ;)

2007-11-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

I’m told I have just survived the toughest 3 months of Peace Corps service. “Lock-down” is the first few months of service, a time where we can’t leave our districts, a time that’s crucial for cultural integration and acclimatization. I have not spoke with family or most of my PC friends in months and have received little mail. I have had amazing experiences – both positive and negative. My “return” to the lowlands of Lesotho has been intense – a huge cultural shock after spending several months living in a remote village, not visiting my American friends, using a computer or being on pavement (not to mention nonexistence of other amenities that come with living in a grass hut in the remote mountains of Africa). I have filled an entire journal with my experiences thus far but I will try to keep this email much shorter.

My journey “down from the mountains” was an opportunity to reflect my past 6 months of living in Lesotho. In my remote site there is only one bus every day that drives by the main road at 5:30am (but isn’t very reliable). My village mother showed up to my door at 4:30am to remind me to start walking to the bus stop. I was already awake, sipping a cup of coffee and mentally sorting through my backpack hoping I wasn’t forgetting anything. There was a light drizzle as I locked the wood door of my hut and started the 20minute hike from my village to the “road”. My muddy Chaco sandal tracks paralleled the tracks of bare feet as I passed the Bo-Me’ (village women) hauling large buckets of water on their head. As with any excursion I make through my village I greeted the Me’s, inquired about their sleep, health and family then answered questions as to where I was going, what I was doing – to every single person that I passed on the road and trails.

The bus was not crowded on that rainy morning as it made it’s stop near my village along the muddy Mashai river. After my bag was strapped to the top (with the sheep, luggage, etc.) the bus assistant crawled back in through an open window in the already moving bus. I was fortunate to have a window seat and had beautiful views of the mountains, villagers plowing their fields, women selling fruit on the side of the road, children walking to school, the rivers and the sheep and goats dotting the green mountain slopes.

I arrived at Mashai in August after swearing in as a Peace Corps volunteer. I am finally comfortable in my village, though still challenged by cultural barriers. The villagers at Mashai and for miles away now know me and treat me with much more respect. The constant demands for food, money, marriage and candy have dwindled in my village (but not places where I’m a stranger) and my Sesotho is much better so I can have conversations with people in my community.

My Sesotho name is Amohelong (Ahh-mo-hay-long) which means acceptance of a gift. It’s odd being called Madame Amohelong by my students, but I’m used to it now. My typical day starts around 4:30am before the sun rises. I work in my huge vegetable garden for an hour, haul water to bath with, make breakfast and then start my walk to school. I have a 30min – 2hr walk depending on which of the 5 schools I’m working at that day. I teach Agriculture – I work with my students in the school garden and teach in the mud or stone classrooms. Some days I also teach Health/HIV/Lifeskills, Art, English and even a little Math. I teach in English, as that’s the medium now for Lesotho schools. I’ve learned to speak much slower. Unfortunately many of the other teachers in my remote schools don’t know English very well so students have very poor English. Many of the teachers don’t have certificates to teach, but still manage and teach several classes.

My students are well behaved, but the class sizes are huge in some schools and it’s really difficult to teach 1 class of 73 5th graders. Some classes are much smaller at my more remote, poorer schools. Some classrooms are stone & cement and others are mud walls, mud floors and grass roofs. Some students sit at desks – 3 kids to a desk made for 1, others wedge on benches and others on the mud floor. In the garden they are eager to learn, help and be outside but I quickly learned that there is a fine line with gender roles. I mix things up in my classes and make sure the boys also carry water, dig in the soil and pull weeds. Women here do 90% of the work and girls are taught that as soon as they can walk.

It’s summer now – the rainy and hot season. It means hot days with intense thunder and lightning storms in the afternoon. I love it! This week is the last week of school until the end of January, so students can help with the crops and animals in the village. I have a break from teaching until January, but my job still continues as a PCV, I talk to villagers daily that seek advice, or that come and ask for things that I can’t give them. I’m the village celebrity and everyone comes to talk to me about all kinds of random or serious things. I talk to people who are HIV positive or have family members that are really sick, I try to give them advice but sometimes it’s really difficult. HIV & AIDS affects everyone in my village and in the short time I’ve been living at Mashai several young people have died. I give people advice on nutrition mostly, because ARV’s are really difficult or impossible to get out there. The local clinic has recently got ARV’s for pregnant mothers and children (under 16) but adults are left out unless they have money & transportation. Anyone can be tested for HIV and medicine is cheap or free, but transportation is way too expensive and people are embarrassed to ask for assistance for $ if it’s available because the people who control the donated $ to help live in their village and stigma of HIV leaves people scared and embarrassed. There are also many that don’t test because they feel like if they know their status they will die sooner. It’s sooo frustrating at times, people come to me a lot because I’m from America, but they can get the most help from people in the village – if there was trust and respect for people with HIV. I hope that advice I can give about nutrition, gardening helps some, although most days it doesn’t feel like it. I also vent my frustrations about the whole foreign aid, medical care, to the village chief and community council but it doesn’t feel like it helps anything. I feel like there is so much foreign aid in this country and so many “hand-outs” but it doesn’t seem to be going to the people who need it because of corruption or cultural barriers. There is also a huge dependency on foreign aid, that’s almost debilitating to the Basotho.

My village is beautiful and I’ve had some amazing cultural experiences, attending feasts, dancing, painting and just living the daily village life. After school I come home and help my village mother cook, “clean the house” ( smearing mud all over the floors and walls then drawing patterns in it), sort through sacks of beans, wheat and corn to get out the rocks and dirt before we cook them, chase chickens, plucking chickens, cooking bread, playing with village children (they love to teach me games) and much more. I also read a lot of books, play with my cat and on really emotionally exhausting days I plug into my ipod and re-read letters from home or go for a long walk ~ escape the “world” for a while and “re-charge”.

I shared with Thanksgiving holiday with a few other PCV’s. It was my first day in Maseru on Thursday and it was intense walking the streets, dodging traffic, dodging the sexual harassment and begging while walking through town. I was glad to spend the evening in the company of other PCV’s, lots of American food, S.African wine and a guitar. Venting with other volunteers about the frustrations, challenges and sharing our experiences has been so nice. Thursday was also my first day to receive mail in almost 2months so I had a large stack of letters, cards and packages to read. Thanks to everyone who sent me cards, letters, photos and packages, it’s so nice to receive mail from “home”. I have a large stack of letters going to the post office this week.

Things are going well overall. It is easier traveling now that my language skills have gotten better. Being a white woman, traveling alone around Lesotho can be really challenging but I’ve learned to respond to men that frequently harass me and also how to ask help from the Basotho women who always defend me and help me out. I am learning a lot about a completely new culture, way of life, it’s hard not to get frustrated on the inefficiencies of working in a 3rd world country and the cultural barriers. My job here is not to “fix”anything, it’s to empower Basotho and try and build capacity. I am learning an amazing amount of patience and endurance. I have so much more to learn over the next year and a half. It’s nice to have the other volunteers to talk to and also to have the letters from home, knowing I have an amazing support network.

Hope everyone is enjoying the winter back in the States. Here it’s finally nice and warm.

2007-08-13T06:02:00.000-07:00

Well, after 2 months of Peace Corps training I'll officially be sworn in as a volunteer this Wednesday. Yesterday I passed my Sesotho language test with an Intermediate Medium score. It's amazing how much language you can learn when your immersed into it. Training has been challenging, but very educational and enlightening. I spent a few weeks total in Maseru at our training center and then lived in a village outside of Maseru during my Community Based Training for 5 weeks. During Community Based Training, I lived with a host family and studied the language, culture and had technical sessions about agriculture, nutrition and HIV/AIDS. It was a chance to get a taste of the culture, language, food, music and to bond with other trainees in my village.

I am nearly finished with training now and I'm very excited to start my volunteer service. For the next 2 years I'll be living in a remote village in the District of Thaba Tseka, in the heart of the mountains of Lesotho. I had the opportunity to spend 4 days there to settle in and to meet my counterparts and supervisors. Travel to Maseru is 8-10 hours depending on the transportation that's available. I have to travel on buses over several mountain passes (steep, gravel/rocky, bumpy roads) wedged in seats with people, packages, chickens etc.. My house is about a 20 minute walk up a ridge from the road and I'm lucky for that. My house is a stone rondavel with a grass thatched roof . I open my door to a stunning view of mountain peaks and the river valley below. Words can not describe how beautiful it is. Each night I get an amazing view of the sunset and alpenglow on the peaks which are covered with snow.

I will be teaching Agriculture, HIV education and some English at the schools and also be working with community members on gardening, seed saving and soil conservation projects. There are donga's (eroded ditches) all over the mountainsides from overgrazing and farming - I'll hopefully be working on some reclamation projects with the Ministry of Agriculture and to plant some trees. It will be challenging and work is much slower with so little resources.

I have no easy cell phone access (although I can pick up reception on one of the ridges near my home), no electricity, running water, phone lines, grocery stores, microwaves etc. But, It's the Peace Corps :). I'm really happy about my site and the potential work that I can do. I love living in the mountains and the community and village is beautiful. I'm the only white person within miles and miles and I really have to continue to work hard on learning Sesotho and expanding my language skills. Things are going to be very challenging over the next few years but I'm learning a ton and am excited to live and work in Lesotho for the next 2 years.

My next update will be in 3-4months. I'm on "lock-down" for my first 3 months of service and my closest internet access is hours away.

I hope the summer in America is beautiful and everyone has been getting out on the river, lakes and mountains to play. Spring is on the way here, but it's still really cold at night. My down jacket has been a good friend during training :). I will write again in a few months.

Salang Hantle,

Pam