School Out and Murals and Trips!

Hello all! This post is just some updates on the last month! First the random things:

• was short .50 cents for taxi fare so paid in gum (from America) instead. both parties were happy.

• went to the only snake park in lesotho. featuring spitting cobras in a cage that was closed only with a stick propping it shut.

• my river water is finally free of tadpoles and I love having tadpole-free water to wash my clothes with!

• guy showed me a frog he had self-preserved in an old mayonnaise jar.

• my last day of school I told my grade 4s “madam tseli loves grade 4!” to which they responded “grade four loves you!” and I fought back tears.

• helped my host sister make an entire business plan for selling potatoes. we also had a lesson on how to use Microsoft Excel because she wanted to learn. Now she’s on a PowerPoint kick. No one can stop her from becoming a master in Microsoft.

• Went for a run in the evening and immediately had at least 10 kids run with me. They could only keep up for a few minutes but… run club?

• and so many more little quirky things that continue to happen on the daily!

last day of school!

And now what I’ve generally been doing! The school year has come to a close and we’re a couple weeks deep into our summer break. I was so encouraged by how the year ended! We finished Grassroots Soccer and the kids graduated from that program with improved scores in understanding HIV/AIDS and other important topics. My grade fours all passed their numeracy test (minus one kiddo) and drastically improved on English scores. My class was also top in numeracy in our district! I’m so proud of my kids and it was also just wildly encouraging to see that I am actually doing something right here as a teacher!

The last week of school, I headed out a few days before our last day to head to Maseru (the capital) for some medical appointments. All of us PCVs have mid-service dental and physical exams. The few days in Maseru was honestly lovely. Got my teeth cleaned, probably my thousandth vaccine since being here, blood tests and the works. All standard for mid service exams. Despite having medical, I was able to go to our favorite restaurant, Café What, and get a real latte and sandwich. They even have smoothies there! And, hit up the mall for my usual Maseru purchases of nutella, pesto, sesame oil, and protein powder. My poor reeboks have served me well, but the soles had split from the actual shoe and after 2 rounds of sewing and super glue, it became obvious I needed to bite the bullet and find some new shoes. Success at the Maseru mall!! All in all a good few days there.

Qachas Nek goat braai!

From Maseru, I headed south to Qachas Nek, where a group of volunteers gathered to celebrate a birthday and hang out for the weekend. It was good to see people and going to Qachas marked the tenth district I’ve been to in Lesotho! Now I’ve seen them all, which is pretty cool.

After Qachas, I went on over to Mohales Hoek where I stayed for the next week in my boyfriend’s village painting a mural at the health clinic there. For neither of us having any substantial mural painting experience, I was incredibly proud of what we were able to accomplish! It was a rewarding weekend of meeting a new community, completing a fun project, and all around having a good time. Art and painting is one of my many hobbies and getting to express that here was just a blast! Our mural was for World Aids Day and was a point of pride for the clinic that they now have the only art display for miles around. The wall that we painted is visible a mile down the road, so the entire village can see it and many people have continued to come to the clinic just to look and take pictures with it. If you ever need a mural done, you know who to call!

When this week came to an end, Henrik and I headed to Malealea Lodge where we met up with all of our favorite friends for a friendsgiving/christmas weekend before we all go different ways for holiday travels. This was my second time at this lodge and it is just so cool! It’s tucked in the national park, so lots of hikes (if you don’t mind getting a little lost or wandering through random fields) and good vibes. The lodge does a lot for the community and it is really cool to see how good it’s been for the village. Choir sponsors, library projects, meal programs, a craft center, and local employment are all some of the initiatives the lodge has in place. Our thanksgiving meal was burgers, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, corn bread, and green beans. Honestly, I might like thanksgiving burgers more than turkey! I had the best time seeing my friends and getting a little break from reality for the weekend.

And now I’m back at my site! The next cohort of volunteers just arrived in their villages, so it’s been fun meeting some new Americans! And other than that I’m just killing time until I head out for Christmas vacation. Couldn’t come soon enough! Stay tuned for all my vacation shenanigans :) Love and miss you all!