The Move to BB: All Things New and Challenging!

Hey everybody!

me, erica, taylor, and sasha in our seshoeshoe (Lesotho’s cultural dress) for swearing in

I’ve given up on having strong enough service or wifi to do blog posts on my computer, so here we are writing and publishing this on my phone. I’m sorry for the mistakes and format. I’m unbelievably self-conscious about it. My communication and media degree trained me better and please take this as my formal apology. ANYWAY…

I’m at my permanent site! All moved in. Our swearing in ceremony was great - all of our host families came and celebrated with us, we had speeches from many important people (including the Queen!) and had good food and good times. So now me and my cohort are all official Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs), not just trainees. After the ceremony, we boarded a bus and spent a night in a lodge in Maseru before all being picked up by our supervisors and going to our various sites.

waterfall spot by my home!

I’ll get straight to it. Peace Corps has this chart called the “Cycle of Vulnerability and Adjustment” which basically shows the common mental health trend you experience throughout the 27 month service. I am currently in the 3-6 month phase of “vulnerability” AKA “you’re going to feel lonely and everything is probably going to suck for a little bit.” Which is pretty accurate but since it’s on the chart and is normal to be feeling that way, makes me feel better? If that makes any sense. Adjusting to site is tough! I’m by myself, far from other volunteers, and starting over with meeting everyone. We also aren’t supposed to host visitors or be visiting other volunteers for the first 3 months at site. So there are great days and hard days. Every day gets better and I’m having fun exploring my village and setting up my hut. Overall, I think I’m doing well, but it is a tough transition.

Schools are out on summer break right now, so I don’t start teaching until January 15th. Which means I have A LOT of free time up until the 8th, when I have a conference with Peace Corps and all the other ed volunteers, and then starting the school year right after. My host father also passed away, so his funeral was this past weekend. Funerals get pretty rowdy around here and are a big party with lots and lots of people, so the safety and security team moved me into a hotel for the weekend instead of having me stay at site for that. The weekend in town was fun - I like Butha-Buthe and got to explore (I found a good produce shop in the back of a random alley, a woman that sells some of the best soft serve ice cream I’ve ever had, and a Chinese grocery store that has cinnamon and Doritos. So many wins.) Whenever I’m in town I get to see other volunteers and it is nice to get to speak English and have a break from your sole identity being a PCV. At site, I’ve had a lot of walks and time with my new host family. My site is beautiful, nestled in the mountains, so there are lots of places to explore here and I’ve found some waterfalls and sweet spots by the river. The village kids also find me everywhere I go so usually a group will form next to me and just keep getting bigger as I walk around the village. I swear I had 20 kids walking with me the other day. Which is so fun and so bizarre at the same time. There truly is no privacy around here!

Other things to note:

I’m becoming one with the bugs and embracing them as my environment. I no longer kill the spiders I find in my house and just let them make their way back up into my roof. If this isn’t growth I don’t know what is. Although there always seems to be a few flies that sneak into my hut in the morning and wake me up buzzing by my ear. I don’t think I’ve ever been more irritated and it’s getting personal.

Starting with a 5 liter bucket balancing on my head to get water, I have worked my way up to 15. It’s heavy and a challenge but my neck muscles are getting stronger and soon I will feel like a real Basotho woman with the 20L bucket of water on my head. My water tap closest to me is also dried up right now, so I have to go to the second one and it’s a walk.

Spirituality is interesting here. It is mainly a Christian/Catholic country but I have learned that there are added aspects to that with all of the witches and superstitions that are prevalent. I’m still learning what this actually means. But I do know that if you see a shepherd wearing a ton of beads, that’s a witch. During PST, one friend lived right next to a witch’s hut where there were a lot of chants, songs, and water bottles filled up to different levels with a circle drawn around it. What any of this means, I have yet to figure out and can only make observations. During class one day, my students were going to tell a story and a few of them immediately ran outside to grab pieces of straw, which they proceeded to stick in their hair. My co-teacher put one on top of my head as well and explained that if you don’t have a piece of straw on top of your head and are telling stories during the day, then the spirits in the story will come and give you the haunts. Noted. Will be avoiding the haunts here cause that does not sound like a good time.

Laundry in the river is way better than laundry at the pump. Not just for the views, but the river naturally rinses out your clothes for you. Before I had a 3 bucket system that mostly got all the soap out but I'm moving up in the world. Although, washing towels and blankets is one of the worst things ever and if you've ever hand-washed a blanket I have so much respect for you. Pro-tip: make sure your clothespins are super tight on the line or your jeans will blow away into the garden and you will have to wash them again.

Kind of a chaotic post but that’s the update for now! I’m sure I will get another one out early in the new year. I hope everyone’s holidays are sweet and restful! Happy 2024!

DISCLAIMER: My thoughts/opinions/and content of this blog are my own and does not reflect the views of the Peace Corps or U.S. Government.