Teaching, Families, and Chickens

Wow, I love this country! Another week brings what feels like another month of living here. Here is what I've been up to and what I think about it. And a cool story about a chicken at the end. So now you have to read the whole thing.

The facts:

being welcomed by my host mom :)

We were supposed to move in with our host families last week, but due to some security issues in the village we are moving to, we now move in with them on Thursday! So, we are still at the lodge. Which is so fun to be with everyone in the cohort, but I was also disappointed our move-in date got pushed back as I am eager for village life. No worries though, we still met our host families last Thursday, a day where I don't think I stopped smiling once! All of us volunteers hopped on a bus and drove over to the village, where we were met by our host moms, along with a bunch of other people from the village, dancing and singing to welcome us. The energy and joy in that room from the Basotho and volunteers alike couldn't have been more electric. We had a celebration in the church and then were announced and paired with our host moms. Afterward, we had some time to speak with them (or try to. because Sesotho is still so hard.). My 'Mme (mom) was so incredibly kind, and while she didn't speak a ton of English, she was able to convey to me how excited she was that I was there. And I can honestly say I feel like one of her own kids. I spent the day with my host family today and that made me even more excited to live with them. So I now have a new mom, grandma, sister and brother (plus his wife and son) to call my Lesotho family. And while I do miss my family in the States - which includes all of my friends that are my family... you know who you are :) - I am grateful to feel welcomed and given a space in this community.

Last week also brought my first day of school! I am placed in a combined 3rd and 4th-grade classroom until I move to my permanent site and school in December. The kids are awesome. I learned rock games and played soccer and jumped rope. The teachers are incredible. They work seamlessly with a lack of teaching materials and student resources. There are some key differences to schools in the States. Are there dried pea bags and sacks of rice lined up against the walls? Sure. Textbooks? Not really. But passionate teachers and students who love learning and are eager to be in school? Absolutely. What a JOY to see the staff work with everything they have and their passions to engage learners and give them the education that they are actively seeking and excited about. This was another day I never stopped smiling.

The feelings:

Wow, has this experience been such an honor already. I'm feeling loved and grateful this week! Not to say there aren't hard things, and I know more are coming, but experiencing this culture has put me over the moon. I've always been fascinated by the difference between knowledge and knowing. You can have endless and abundant knowledge about something, but truly and deeply knowing that same thing will never compare. I researched and heard so much about Lesotho, about culture, about people, and about what this experience would be like. But, there are truly no words to describe what knowing this new life has been. And I've barely gotten a taste of knowing it. I can't imagine what that will be like in a few months. And I can't wait to find out!

The chicken story:

I'm sitting in my host family's house, enjoying a hot cup of coffee and listening to Sesotho being spoken all around me, feeling joyous and grateful for the family I have been placed with. I hear a squeak. No big deal, probably just something in the house or outside. I don't think much about it. My brother continues to teach me Sesotho, as I make broken sentences with the words I know and have some good laughs with the crowded room I'm in. Another squeak. Whatever. More people come in and out of this home, eat, talk, sing, and laugh. It's probably been two hours since I sat down at this table and I'm loving every minute of it. A few more squeaks. And did I just see Grandma's purse move? There is no way. I must have imagined it. I'll just focus on helping make lunch.

new home for the next few months!

Another hour passes and grandma (who speaks no English) will randomly sing me songs or bang the table in front of me to get my attention, then speaks Sesotho at me until she whips out the only English phrase she knows, "Thank you very much!!". I'll tell her good job and we laugh. This happens probably 10 times. Another squeak, another movement from Grandma's purse. Okay, that's weird. Is there something in there?

All of a sudden, Grandma whips something wrapped in grocery bags out of her purse (the purse that has been sitting right beside her for hours)! The bag erupts with clucks and squeaks.

"That's a chicken!" I say. "Yes! Chicken! For you!" She responds. My eyes are wide and I look at my family, now laughing at my surprise, as my brother explains to me that this is a gift for me. Which I of course accept, because it's not everday you get gifted a purse chicken. Plus this poor guy has clearly seen some shit and I'm not about to get on bad terms with Grandma.

Long story short, now I have an answer if anyone asks me what the best gift I've ever recieved is.

Currently loving life here but miss you all in the USA! I still can't believe I'm living in Lesotho - I feel like I'm going to wake up one of these days back in my home in Boulder! Coming up is more school visits, Sesotho lessons, host family move in, and swims/hikes/hangs/Maluti with all of my new friends here :)

Salang Hantle!