Turn Around & Life in Lesotho is the New Normal
I know it did not
happen overnight - of course not, but there I was walking my usual path into
Mohale's Hoek and it struck me… This is my home, this is my community with all
the familiar faces of children & adults I see every time I walk. Maybe
because my neighbors & the children no longer think I am the oddity, the
lekhoua (English speaking white person),
passing through. Maybe because I too stopped thinking of them as part of
a unique but temporary experiment of
living in Africa. It was just a long
process, one without issue or angst, of slowing becoming a part of my lovely
Lesotho home. This is my new normal.
Basotho often ask me
what I like about Lesotho - actually it comes out more like "what could
you possibly like". I can't help but say the first thing is the vast
vistas of rugged terrain on rolling hills & mountains, the clear blue blue
sky; the abundant aloe, flowering in the spring, dying out in the fall; the
rugged dongas (very large gullies), a constant reminder of erosion; the
picturesque rondevals with thatched roof & herd boys with their cattle, a
symbol of a traditional way of life for the Basotho but an ever present
reminder of how hard it is for this country to overcome lack of resources &
poverty.
Yes the people too -
and they are as varied & comples as the vistas. The Basotho are homogeneous yet complex; with a culture that continues to baffle & amaze me. Helpful, generous, at
times suspicious & wary. Their heritage is a people who sought refuge &
safety in the mountains protected by King Moshoeshoe yet today sometimes seem trapped inside by those same mountains with little access to the world outside.
Cultural practices & norms are so strong & pervasive - they are the
Basotho's strength but also their weakness… questioning the status quo &
seeking change are new behaviors struggling to emerge… or so it seems to me if I observe things
well.
And then the children!
Wow - they are so energetic, so friendly, so dear. But I have to be thoughtful
- many will automatically flinch if I raise my hand to pat their shoulder; they
have learned a raised hand is mostly for delivering a blow as punishment in class
or at home. It pains me to see that - I have to tell them I am only delivering
a kind touch & then all is well. I compliment them on the car toys they
create out of scrap metal wire or the futbol made from plastic bags compressed
into shape. Aside from those - I rarely see toys but I do see friendly kids who
love to say "Good Morning" no matter what time of day it is and who
respond "We are fine" in a group response just like they are expected
to say every day in class; the collective "we" that is parroted back
to the teacher.
And so I go along
into town, the street vendors acknowledge me as I try to divide my purchases
among vendors but my favorites know I'll stop so they can pick out the best
onions & tomatoes for me. They'll call out to me when they have a rare
supply of peas, eggplant, or green beans; they take care of me that way - this
is my town after all.
A walk through Mohale's Hoek:
A walk through Mohale's Hoek:
Close of Service Workshop
On May 2-4th my
cohort, Healthy Youth 2014 met for our COS workshop at the Thaba Bosiu
guesthouse. This is the site of first cultural tour when we were in training
almost 24 months ago & so it seems we have come full circle. A few of the
original group have departed - Britney, Jenea, Edward, & Tyler. My training
village cohort is just missing Britney - we are the Ha Taaso five: Nick, Jody,
Tracy, Eloise, & me. The original Bo 'M'e are together again & we sit
outside in the crisp evenings to share stories & drink wine. We three
pulled through - we made it! Only 2 1/2 months before we begin to head our
separate ways & back to the lives that no longer include each other. Will
we still chat on our What's App group, the HeYo Bo 'M'e, checking in to see how
each is doing: what crazy stories Tracy has to tell, what new event Eloise is
attending with her friends from church, what the sweet St. Camillus kids are up
to now. This strange & challenging, yes even surreal life we have been
living brought us together & perhaps we will always be the Bo 'M'e of Ha
Taaso.
Tracy will be the
first to leave on the first date possible, July 15. She will take a COS trip to
Ireland & Iceland before returning to Ohio to start life again with Carlos
& enroll in a massage & crystal therapy course. Eloise is the last to
leave of us to leave, she will depart on August 12. She will move immediately
to Virginia to complete her Master of Public Health at Liberty University. I'll
head to Madagascar on July 20 to begin my half-baked plan to explore who knows
what or where. We are so different in so many ways but we found each other just
we needed to and I think we will all be forever thankful, forever grateful of
that, as Eloise likes to say.
The next few months
will be a slow whirl - quick trips & slow days of transitioning work.
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| Ha Taaso Bo Me: Eloise, Tracy, Stephanie |
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| Ha Taaso 5: Eloise, Tracy, Nick, Stephanie, Jody |
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| HeYo 2014, Lesotho 82 Back: Tracy, Emily, Jody, Nick, Eric Taylor, Eloise, Dani, Beth, Stephanie, Yolanda, Caroline, MacKenzie, Torle |
Mountain Bushfire
On May
26 I set out on a road trip with PCVs Patricia, Jillian, & Hanna; our
destination, the Mountain Bushfire Music Festival, May 27-29; our road name
thanks to Patricia, Bush Fire Babes; our mascot, a Bush Baby! We made our way
from Maseru, through Clarens & the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in
South Africa, and on across the border of Swaziland to our charming bunk house
at Sondzela in the Mlilwane Wildlife
Sanctuary.
The festival was amazing! Patricia & I shared a ready-set up tent in the "Forest" section of the campground - away from the grounds and very peaceful. Each morning we were up early to find the best coffee and watch the festival come to life. There were three major stages with a shows from 11am to 3am - mostly African bands, all terrific. Great music, delicious food, plenty of drinks, high quality crafts, and best all lots of folks enjoying the great weather and dancing to an eclectic array of talented musicians.
The festival was amazing! Patricia & I shared a ready-set up tent in the "Forest" section of the campground - away from the grounds and very peaceful. Each morning we were up early to find the best coffee and watch the festival come to life. There were three major stages with a shows from 11am to 3am - mostly African bands, all terrific. Great music, delicious food, plenty of drinks, high quality crafts, and best all lots of folks enjoying the great weather and dancing to an eclectic array of talented musicians.
