Memory 1: Training Village

So I have not done as promised but have been intending to write this blog since the last.

I am skipping staging in Philly, the plane ride, meeting everyone, and the couple days at the training center in Maseru because we didn't really get to know each other then. Sure, we had lots of forced bonding time and knew almost everyone's names but we didn't know each other as people.

I'm going to start with travelling to our training villages. We had gone shopping for "basic essentials" most of which Peace Corps had already purchased for us. This meant a plate, bowl, glass, and set of silverware, maybe a couple knives. We didn't have to buy food yet because for the first week all meals were going to be provided by our host family. A majority of us still got some granola bars and treats to stash just in case. Sunday morning, two days after landing in the country, we got onto buses and separated from a group of 23 into 3 training villages.

I arrived at Hasoole with Megan, Kelly, Tom, Lorriane, Oscar, Merrill, and Barb. a couple people were already close but none of us were close enough to support each other in what was to follow when we got off the bus. We were told to expect singing and lots of screaming. Instead our village was in mourning. Someone had passed away and so singing and celebrating next to the body (which was in a hut about 10 feet away from us) was not allowed. They sang one more solemn song as they lined us volunteers up facing a line of Bo'me (mothers/women). They read our names from the list and we had to step forward to greet our new mother with an awkward hug. The village had been instructed to speak only Sesotho to us so immediately my 'Me starts jabbering at me. I just stood there with my pack on holding my pee bucket looking totally lost. A quick glance around me showed everyone else doing the same.

It was an uncomfortable walk the 20 yards to our home. I didn't notice until the next day that Oscar was in a hut just a few feet away. My siblings informed me that 'Me was telling my my name was Katleho Mofoti and she was 'Me Mamotephu Mofoti (both names and those of my siblings it took me until training was almost finished to memorize. They opened my hut door, i went in, they closed it. I was alone. Very alone. More alone than any sane person should be able to stand. But we all made it through that first night. It was uncomfortable when I realized that the family had to eat in my room because they had put the one table in the house in my room. So I sat in total silence eating a meal which then I could barely swallow but would come to be my favorite food at the end of two years. Rice, fried chicken, moroho (cabbage), mokopu (squash), a type of chakalaka which is beans and mayonnaise that I never learned to enjoy. The kids departed my room with their licked clean bowls and my half eaten plate which made me feel horrible until I saw them sharing what was left once outside my door.

I woke in the morning to everything covered in frost. It was like a layer of shiny silver had been placed on every surface to tell me it would all be bright and okay. Getting routine of bathing and eating in time to go to school (my 'Me was instant I not be late but also had a difficult time following my schedule) was very difficult. I was still ready about 10 minutes before Oscar came out of his house. My siblings were to walk us to school together that first morning. a routine which stuck all 10 weeks of training. It was the first true realization of where we were. Frost was everywhere and I was freezing so had snuck thermals and pants under my required skirt. Hiking boots, all 3 of my long sleeved shirts, my Columbia jacket, scarf, earmuffs, and gloves completed my outfit. The kids who accompanied us wore sandals or Mary Jane's without socks, short skirts, a t shirt or long sleeved shirt, and a ragged blanket wrapped around their shoulders. I was amazed that Peace Corps really put us into the real Lesotho just a few days into our training. It was eye opening and proved to be invaluable.

We started our walk and picked up Merrill first then the others at various locations. Me and Oscar lived the farthest away from the school and the trip took an average of 30 minutes either way. Barb lived just next to the school so we met her there. I don't remember that first day of school much except we sat huddled around a heater trying to learn yet again the Lesotho national anthem and spent most of the day in Sesotho Lessons. Really what sticks most with me from that first day and night was the realization just how long two years really is (since that first night was an eternity two years was unfathomable) and just how difficult it was going to be.

Back in the US of A

I have now been back in America for 3 days. I arrived home Tuesday the 5th of October after about 50 hours of travel including a 16 hour flight over the North Pole from Dubai to LAX. I am still way off schedule and continue waking up at 3 am every morning. Besides the strange sleep patterns, coming home has been a lot easier than I anticipated. I think this comes from me trying to act as normal as possible, like the old me. I have a feeling this is going to come back and bite me in the ass thought. I have almost been feeling like the last two years didn't happen. I have heard other volunteers say this but always thought "well that's silly, how can something this major feel like a blip?" I have a theory though... I think it stems from all the stress and everything associated with coming home; fears, anxiety, expectations, etc. So when us returning volunteers actually get here our brains are pudding that can't and won't process more than the present moment.

I have also realized that I have, due to lack of decent Internet connections, posted far too few stories of my service. My pledge is to post one new story a week as i read through my journals from site. This pledge serves two purposes. 1) It gives people more stories from my service and 2) It might help me process and remember just how important my time in Lesotho was to me.

So, keep checking in for new posts and new stories.

Dog Gone

Leslie is my pall, my friend, my sounding board when I'm sad. When she was missing for two weeks my world was in shambles. On Tuesday she came to school, which she has been doing, but turned around when I yelled at her to go home (might have also been a rock involved). She was sighted playing around my house at 2:30/3:00 that afternoon so when I got home at 3:30 and she wasn't there I wasn't that worried. It wasn't until Wednesday morning that I started to get worried. It wasn't until Thursday that I was freaked out and stressed.

I don't keep Leslie on a leash during the day when I'm only at school. She always stays by the shop, at my families with their dogs, or with the boys a couple houses away. Everyone in my community knows this and keeps an eye out for her and generally loves her. When news started to spread that she was missing it was so touching how they all rallied around me for support and to help keep an eye out for her. For the whole week and the following week my brothers would go out into the town with her leash and look for her.

There is a guy who is the brother of my friend who is a veterinarian and gives Leslie all her shots. He likes me and is actually pretty annoying. He loves dogs and he really "loves" me so I might have used him to help me look. He got word on the following Wednesday that people had been seeing a dog meeting Leslie's description towards Khanyane. On Saturday I spent 4 hours with him walking from my house to Khanyane, through every village in between, calling her name. We also stopped and the guy described her and gave out his number in case people found her.

We hit a huge field and a woman told us that she had just seen her with a herd boy. We ran up a huge hill into the field, me crouching with my hat pulled low so they didn't recognize me. The kids and men in the fields told us they had been seeing her but we couldn't find her. It was so emotionally and physically exhausting!

Later that night I was watching a movie and making tea with the family when I heard Hlapa start yelling. I stepped out to see who it was and there was the vet guy and a handicap man with my BABY!!!!! It took everything I had not to start crying immediately. It also took 50 rand to pay the guy for bringing her back. He said he "found" her in a village way over the hill, digging in a rubbish pile. Sorry Ntate, I totally recognize him as a guy who walks his cattle through the village. My guess is he got scared that word was spreading and the whitey was looking for her dog. All the villagers were so supportive and wanting to help. Nothing feels as special as when people are willing to help you. It makes you feel like you have really become a part of their community.

Now I have my dog back. She was filthy, covered in fleas, and her eyes were all red. After a bath, a cuddle in from of the heater, and a dinner of milk and eggs she was feeling good as new. She did have runny poo all over my floor but I was willing to let it slide for the one night. I have found a company to ship her to the USA and until then I'm tying her and watching her like a hawk.

World Cup Opening Ceremony- KE NAKO!

While lots of people were going to bars or to other peoples houses to watch the world cup I was sitting on my families couch and sharing the experience with them. I was lucky to see the opening ceremony because 30 minutes before it was supposed to start and in the middle of us baking a cake, Marosa decided she had to go to town and get her hair washed and that I had to accompany her. I was pretty pushy and got us to avoid "basotho time" so we arrived at the house with a 2 minute countdown on the TV.

M'e was working so for the ceremony it was just me and the kids. The second the ceremony was over a group of younger, 20-30's, neighbors came for the game. There was an electric energy and excitement in the room and it was fun to see how excited they all were.

The game started of pretty slow, Bafana Bafana looking like kids compared to Mexico. The second half they really got their stuff together and looked like a pro team. Me and Malekhula were yelling at the screen the whole game though because had they worked as a team and had follow through, BB could have had a bunch more goals.

I have never liked football before. Correction: I love American football but never got "soccer". Watching WC with the family, sharing their excitement, seeing how athletic (and hot!) the players are, and being a part of my family gave me a new appreciation for the sport. I don't think I really get the offsides rule still, no matter how many people explain it it still seems lame.

Easy as Pie

February 6th, 2010

At about 10 am this morning (Sunday) Hlapa, the youngest abuti in my host family, came to my house for his weekend romp with Leslie. His whole face was covered in black/purple spots and he kept drinking a thick liquid out of an old plastic bottle. Turned out to be blackberries. Now, I am not a lover of any berries, but these were so big and smelt so nice that I told him to give me 5 minutes while I ran back inside to dress, grab a hat (was at least 30 degrees), and clean my bucket. Hlapa then hooked Leslie to her make-shift leash and said "up". Up it was. The bushes that had the most berries were, of course, at the top of the lower shelf of my mountian. Up we went. We were just past my house when out of no where two other village boys grabbed the leash with Hlapa and decided to join us. We got to the top, Leslie loved climbing, and started to pick. It was really difficult because of the slope we were on. My height gave me an advantage to get the berries all the little boys havent been able to reach. Their tiny size made them able to really get into the bushes though. I only wanted a few to make a pie with but the boys were determined to fill the bucket. It was finally filled and we trooped back down to my lawn where they continued to play with the dog. Here were three little boys who could have spent their Sunday playing but instead took the lekhooa up the mountain to pick berries, I had to do something nice just because they werent expecting it. So, I invited them in and had them take off their shoes and I turned on "Indiana Jones 2". Hlapa has seen it a million times so was telling the other boys all that was going to happen during the talking parts. I proceeded to make a pie then freeze the rest of the berries. They thought I was totally weird, how do you COOK blackberries????? The end result was a little too sugary but they each devoured their piece and my host family received the rest.

It was a simple Sunday but very enjoyable. Even though none of the boys spoke english, so they were all jabbering in Sesotho and me in English, we made eachother understand. Most of the villagers though I was insane to climb a mountain to pick the berries instead of just sending the boys. From it though I some good exercise, made 3 little boys who rarely get nice treats very happy, and got to bake a pie which I love doing. You don't have to be saving the world to be a Peace Corps volunteer. Sometimes its as easy as pie!

Mt. Q(click) o q(click) olosing

I had another PCv at my house for a couple of days while they were in transit- not going to name names. I decided that I was feeling adventuresome so invited PCV to do something with me that I have been wanting to do for a very long time... climb Mt. Qoqolosing (pronounced "click"o"click"olosing)! Marosa and I went on a walk and shoed me the road to the mountian. Why, you might ask, has this been my desire for 2 years? This mountain is a perfectly conical and sticks up over the ledge ehind my house. When Marosa pointed out said road I asked if it was possible to walk to the mountain and back in one day, it looks really far. She was skeptical and said that maybe. Good enough for me. So, me and PCV headed out at about 7 am with full water, peanut butter sandwitches, and other supplies. Everyone thought we were crazy. It took us about 3 hours to get to the base of the cone. Two bontate decided to walk with us and were actually able to keep up, though it was hard, the entire up hill climb. Yep, 3 hours all up hill. We took a short break at the base after I got really excited about the most beautiful and fertil soil I have seen in the country and PCV got excited about a small stone quary. We encountered a little boy during our break who suprisingly didnt ask for our food. Instead, he very nicely asked us if he could have some water so I obliged. This silly mountain, we asked the bontate if there was a path and they said "some how yes" meaning no. The sides were steep and we had to stand at the bottom looking up, guessing which side to climb. it was a two person job, one above and one lower down the mountain, telling eachother which path might be best and each going totally different ways. It was an intense hour of trying to find a footing because if you slipped you would end up back at the bottom. Tippy top, not visable from the bottom, is a crown surrounded by an 8 ft. cliff. Super fun. veryone knows I'm not super athletic but everyone also knows that I want to do things on my own. PCV totally got this and didnt do all the anoying, cheer leading, crap. I did it. On my own. I got to the top. Exhausted and bleeding!!!!! It was totally worth it though. The climb down was just as adventurous because the sideof the mountain was so steep that you could not see more than a few feet. PCV tried to climb most of the time. I slid on my ass. Bled some more when the grass impaled my palms. Bled even more when a rock fell on my foot. Walk home only took a couple hours so we were able to make it back around 2. It is a great feeling to climb a mountain and survive challenges others think I am not or have never been capable of. The reward is always worth the challenge. Now I drive into Hlotse and look up at Qoqolosing. Though I can't say the name, I have conquered it!

Once upon a time...

I haven’t written in a long time, I know. This blog goes back many moons, all the way to Thanksgiving. it would have more but I got to where it ends and my brain hurt.

A quick note... We had an all volunteer conference in January and it has led me to decide it's time for me to get a real, paying job or go back to school. So, looks like I will be home in Septmber

For Thanksgiving many of us went to Semongkong to stay at the lodge there. The bus ride is miserable. We got on at 9:30, the bus was ready to go around 11, and it was so full some people had to stand. I traded Al when there was only 45 minutes left of the ride so she could sit. The road is not paved for the last couple hours and the bus goes maybe 60 mph so you can imagine how easy it was to stay standing. We arrived and spent that first evening just hanging out. The next day was turkey day. It started out with a hike to the waterfall, totally awesome! Then we set of on another Donkey Pub Crawl. My Donkey, Peter Pan, was not as good as the last one, Tinkerbelle, but still a noble steed. It was fairly uneventful as far as pub crawls go. We headed back to the lodge at about 3 so that we could all shower and get dressed for the huge buffet the lodge had prepared for us. The menu is on the blog photos so I won’t go into detail. Suffice to say that that was the best meal I have had and probably will have in my Peace Corps service. Back home I could cram down 2 or 3 or 4 plates full of food. Our stomachs are not used to so much rich food, let alone so much food, and so I could barely finish the one. Nick was a total hero and made Starbucks coffee for us to drink with our pumpkin pie and ice-cream. Friday was very chill. I went for a walk by myself for a few hours just up and down the river. I sat with my feet in the water and read, wrote in my journal, and just thought. I ended up running into a few people on my way back so hung out with them for a while. Someone suggested a boat race with boats made out of natural/found material. Being easily entertained as we all are, we had a blast. Mine died in the rapids. Al had taken some (very brief) fly fishing lessons and showed Megan, Kevin, and I how. We probably should have had real lessons, not second hand, because I almost killed myself a few times when the fly came straight at my face. It was a great weekend with great food and great company.

I was then supposed to go to Bloom and see “New Moon” with various, un-named volunteers who cancelled on me. So, instead, straight from Semongkong I headed to Quting to visit Erin at her site, Mt. Moorosi. I went to visit and also to see what projects she was working on and how I could help. That week was probably the best one I have had in Lesotho thus far! I arrived Monday morning to find her busy at work at the chief’s office and with youth Club stuff. We went to visit her Youth Center and I was floored. It is a great space and I can’t wait to hear about how she uses it.

Tuesday morning was looking nice and sunny so we put on swim clothes and headed to the river, about an hour hike, with her two dogs. Just after we arrived some clouds started rolling in and it got cold. We decided not to swim so instead climbed out on the sand bar which was a quick-sand bar and I got sunk up to my thigh. The walk back was long and it rained on us then got really sunny and hot so I took a nap and Erin went and played football.
The next day we did some laundry. Her pump is so far that she does her laundry in the creek. I played in the pool above the rock she does laundry on and enjoyed the sun. It was a really quiet, beautiful spot to just chill. We then went into town and had a pitso (public meeting) and went to see her environmental project area.

Thursday I finally got to go see Julie’s site. That was intense though because she lives on top of a mountain which you have to climb straight up to it. Totally gorgeous being up there, looking out over the river valley, feeling on top of the world. I swear I lost 10 lbs from how much we climbed and walked that week.

Friday morning started with a big meeting for the environment project. They want to start a co-op/natural plant/community garden with an arts center. I went to help because they had an environmental consultant and her organization has never done a project like this. It was great getting to use my knowledge and to talk to the consultant about something I am so passionate about. It really confirmed in my mind that I would like to do something like international consulting for env/agric. We then took off for HaMakoa to look at another project. It was a 3 hr bus ride, gravel road, through a river gorge. We didn’t know where to get off the bus, the driver ended up just kicking us off saying “I think this is where.” We had to have a herd boy walk us the rest of the way to the village, we were so not where we were supposed to get off yet. Thabang, Erin’s sangoma (traditional healer) friend saw us so came and met us. As we walked into village a group of children gathered and started singing. It was awkward, been a while since we got a greeting like that. We then entered Thabang’s families’ rondaval. Before I explain the rondaval let me just say that this village is remote! No electricity, no phone service, one latrine for the whole village, no one had a car, no shop. REMOTE! The hut was small with a dung floor that had flooded so was wet and smelled like… well… dung. The only window was blocked by a board and so there was no air circulation. The furniture was a chest, a single bed, and 3 chairs with a small single gas burner against the wall. The nkhono (g-ma), Thabang, and 3 grandchildren lived there plus whatever family was visiting. It was late but we still managed to visit a cave of the ancestors, a healing spring, the fishery project, and we made Thabang walk us all the way to the river. It was a long exhausting day so Erin and Thabang passed out. I couldn’t sleep with out the air circulation and it being so hot and the dung floor being damp and stinky. I really couldn’t sleep when a rat started to crawl in the far corner. Then I knew I would never sleep when the rat ran across the light coming in under the door and around my feet. I don’t know how to explain that I wasn’t uncomfortable or surprised through out the whole thing. It was surprisingly normal, I just couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t until the next day that I realized how strange of an experience it was had I only just arrived in the country.

We started Saturday off busy with another pitso. We advised them on an eco-tourism project they were wanting and I started to explain that I could get them information on more sustainable farming practices. Overall we were received very well by the women. The men sat behind us, arrived late, and were not attentive. We then headed off for what we were told was a 2 hour “adventure” but ended up taking 4. We should have known! When we got back we could hardly walk or keep our eyes open. There was supposed to be a feast for the ancestors but it was cancelled. Unfortunately a few family members arrived without the memo. They decided to do an impromptu prayer session in the house with dancing and drums. It was intense to watch but we kept falling asleep. Thabang finally asked if we could have another place to stay because we were not going to make it until 3 am, when they planned to stop. We got to stay in the richest house in the village, with a double bed! There was a curtain in the house and we didn’t know what it was for until we had been laying down a few minutes and an old ntate stumbled through it and out the door. We were freaked because he didn’t know two makhooa were sleeping in his house.

Sunday morning was sad. We had had an amazing, once in a lifetime experience and now had to leave. I’m really hoping to make it back in August, before planting begins, and help with the agriculture. We got onto the bus around 7:30 am and both slept the whole way back to village where we crashed and took another nap. We were then “crazy people” and went to the creek to do laundry and also bathe. The bathing was the crazy part to the locals but it felt so nice to get off the travel grime and wet dung floor smell off our bodies.

I headed back home Monday morning, but not alone… Friday morning I met Leslie and instantly fell in love. She was a puppy at the chief’s house who decided to attach herself to me. Her cute little face and fat, wormy belly made me know I had to have her. I was also planning on staying a 3rd year at that time and decided I needed a friend to share the time with. I spent the whole weekend debating whether or not to take her. Monday morning, when she ran to me and I found out she was free it was decided. She slept the whole way on my lap and we got the front seat in all our taxis so I was able to avoid a lot of attention. It took a while to get rid of her worms and her mites (once all her hair fell out) but having her at home makes everything a little easier.