Hey Everyone, I'm Here!

Ever moved to a whole new country, been rescued by the US embassy, eaten a pig foot, washed all your laundry by hand, and tried homemade sorghum beer all in one week? Well I can now say I have. One week into living in Lesotho and we’ve all already had our fair share of adventures. It honestly feels like I’ve been here for a month!

photo cred to Sam :)

There are 37 people in my cohort (all either education or health volunteers) - we all arrived in Philadelphia on September 24th and had a few days of staging - getting logistics and general Peace Corps information, as well as hanging and getting to know each other before heading to South Africa. We took a short 15-hour flight into Johannesburg where we spent a night before boarding a bus to Lesotho. What was supposed to be a 6-hour bus ride turned into a 15-hour bus ride/side of the road hang and another overnight in South Africa.

This involved 2 bus breakdowns, hours stranded on the side of the highway, and then a rescue from the US embassy because a bunch of Americans on the side of the highway in the middle of South Africa after the sun goes down usually doesn’t end well.

BUT after a roller coaster of travel, logistics, and emotions, we finally got to Lesotho. What a beautiful country full of beautiful people! Everyone here is so kind, warm, and full of joy. Each interaction I have fosters more and more excitement to be here and realizing I have the privilege of being invited into a country and culture that I have no business being a part of - what a joy and gift! I'm excited and nervous and spooked and happy and frustrated and thankful and joyful and sad and eager. Literally experiencing all the emotions.

My cohort and I are currently in a lodge while we get oriented with sessions and language training. We are moving in with host families in a nearby village next Thursday! That's when it's going to get real with continued training and interaction with host families, communities, and students. Honestly, I feel like I'm on some sort of intense cultural exchange vacation right now. Being in the lodge, we are eating great food and still have running water and electricity - which we won't with host families. So I'm waiting for that rude awakening and to actually get started with living in Lesotho.

Ke bua Sesotho hanyane hanyane! This language is tough and learning it has its ups and downs for sure. I've been frustrated with my progress and am trying to remember to have grace for myself. I'll keep you posted on how that goes...

My favorite moments so far:

Meeting everyone in my cohort and beginning to develop sweet friendships

Teaching a bunch of kids in the village the macarena after they tried (tried... key word here) to teach me Sesotho

Lesotho Independence Day (lots of dancing and music. excellent food. great times.)

Getting a Sesotho name, Lerato, which means laugh :) A Basotho friend I made who works at the lodge gave me this one! However, I might get renamed by my host family.

Anyway, dropped calls and terrible reception have made speaking with friends and family challenging, but not impossible - thanks to everyone for bearing with me. This weekend, my cohort and I are going to explore Mohale Dam! The weekend will also probably involve hiking, convincing people to run with me, and lots of language studying. Oh, and maybe one or two Maluti (country beer named the "pride of Lesotho") and enjoying the time with the other members of my cohort before we all split up with our host families.

Any questions or things you want to know, message me! My primary forms of communication are now WhatsApp or email :)

Salang Hantle!