Random Updates From Lesotho!

Lumelang baratua ba ka!

(Hello my dear ones!)

Disclaimer: This post is written fully in my own perspective as a US citizen and not with any affiliation as a Peace Corps Volunteer or with the US Government.

Back again! Hope you all are well and thriving. I’m currently sitting in my hut waiting for my liphaphata (a traditional flatbread) to finish cooking and thought it’d be the perfect time to whip up another blog post. A little warning: this post is not cohesive in the least… oops! I’m just a girl with a lot of random things to say!

I’ll start with this - just got back from a trip to Namibia! And oh my my did I have the best time! I would highly recommend this country for anyone looking to come to this side of the world. The landscapes were majestic and other worldly. I felt like I was on another planet half the time and couldn’t believe how mystical this country was in all it’s desolation and remoteness. Sand dunes of brilliant orange in Sossusvlei!  Petrified trees on salt flats in Deadvlei! Towering sand dunes melting into the ocean on the coast! Such a dreamy, truly wild and interesting place and I loved exploring another country with dear friends. It was a much needed break from hut life. I was also reminded how immensely different each African country is. Many people tend to think of Africa as one country and that couldn’t be a farther from the truth assumption. Seeing the difference in development levels and diversity between Lesotho and Namibia was wild. We ran into some Peace Corps volunteers from Namibia and Sierra Leonne and it was fun to talk with them and see the vast difference in our experiences (namely that I am in the minority of volunteers that have both no water AND no electricity… lucky me!).

Deadvlei in Namibia! Gorgeous!

Speaking of hut life - not going to lie, its been tough lately. Before moving here, I thought the hardest parts of living in Lesotho were going to be not having electricity, hauling water, speaking a different language, or just learning a new culture. But that is not even close to the case - washing my clothes in a river and cooking meals with no refrigeration don’t even cross my mind as not being “normal” anymore. Honestly, working for international aid has been the most challenging part for me personally. I’ve shared some of my frustrations about my current organization before, but lately the political climate in the US and how that has affected international aid has been incredibly emotionally and mentally tolling. My American coworkers and I have been in a limbo for months now on weather or not our jobs are going to be dissolved in the next days or weeks or months. And living in that emotional tornado has gotten pretty tiring. Still, no clarity has really emerged and while it’s looking like we will most likely be fine to finish out this year in Lesotho, the future of this industry (that I was planning on continuing to work in) is uncertain and rocky. Not ideal! All this to say, my cohort has been in a collective rut lately and it's been a tough environment to work in. Here’s to hoping for concrete answers on how this will all turn out!

Anywhoo….

my best girls!!

Other updates: Had a weekend with my closest girl friends and I don’t think we stopped talking for the entire time we were together! Oh how thankful I am for good friends here! 

Winter is here! We’ve had some pretty chilly days and it even snowed in some parts of the country last week. I live in a valley and the snow didn’t get to us, but you could see it on all the mountains that surround the village. I was provided with a heater upon moving here, but never got a propane tank for it last winter, so am planning on making another hut winter sans-heater. I’ve got layers and blankets that do the job just fine.

I sprained my ankle and can’t run for six weeks. SO am currently trying to decide if I run a marathon in July (already paid for) with a month of training. Yes, I know this is a stupid idea but I’m thinking I’ll probably do it anyway? Not sure. If you have advice please weigh in. 

My students continue to be hilarious and bring an immense amount of joy to my life. I truly adore the relationships I get to have with them. There is something so special about having kids trust you enough to be their pure selves and I love that they feel free to ask me questions, attempt conversations with me in broken English, and work hard in my classes. They have and will always be the best part of my time here. One of our teachers just transferred to another school which means we’ve joined the large group of Lesotho schools that don’t have enough teachers for each grade. I have been teaching 4th and 7th grade, but will now be jumping into the (newly combined) 5th/6th grade classroom to help out. 

village sunsets :)

Up next is just getting through the rest of this part of the school year - we have a lengthy winter break in June and July. Which means another few weeks of teaching and then in June I'll be heading to Italy to attend a friend’s wedding, and then going to Victoria Falls in July for this marathon and some exploring. And that will be my school break! And much of my bank account, haha! August will bring the start of the second half of school and our close of service conference, after which we’ve got a short 3 months before finishing this whole Lesotho adventure at the end of November. CRAZY. I honestly can't believe its already May, this year is flying by and I suspect it will continue to move quickly. Got to savor all the good and bad things about all of this, cause the reality is I’m going to miss every part of it when I’m done. 

Much love to you all! As always thanks for keeping up with me - miss you people!