Starting Young

Kids grow up fast in Lesotho in a lot of ways. They have a lot of responsibilities in the household, some of their parents die young leaving older children to care for siblings, abuse is more common, and the threat of HIV is all-encompassing. However most kids in Lesotho never learn the basic skills of life they need in order to be healthy and successful. These basic skills are taught in a new subject being introduced to Lesotho called "Life Skills." I've talked about Life Skills before in my blog, but I want to elaborate on exactly what Life Skills education entails and why it is necessary.

In Lesotho, families don't communicate very well with eachother. Men don't talk to women, women don't talk to men, adults don't talk to children, children don't talk to adults. When I say "talk", of course, I mean discussion of important things like emotions, dangers, self-awareness, self-esteem, sex, poverty, HIV, etc. People tend to talk about small things like weather, chores, activities, etc. Not only are some of these topics taboo (like HIV), many children have lost their parents to AIDS and thus lack any sort of immediate role model. Without the self-esteem to resist peer pressure and the information about the risks in life, many young Basotho turn to drugs, alcohol, or unsafe sex. Yet other children in Lesotho get caught in the cycle of abuse and lack the tools to recognize the problem and seek help. Life Skills was introduced into Lesotho's school curriculum because it was obvious that Basotho children were not learning these basic skills in their homes. Children don't even know how to do something as simple as identifying their strengths and weaknesses, or likes and dislikes.



Because I think these basic life skills are so important to empowering the next generation of Lesotho, I have made it my main objective for the remainder of my Peace Corps service. I will be teaching life skills in the schools in my village, a primary school and a high school, and then I hope to refine the Life Skills syllabus in order to make it more user-friendly for teachers. Now the manual is in English and doesn't really educate teachers on the new subjects they are supposed to be teaching. Life Skills includes basic psychological topics like self-esteem, dealing with stress, self-awareness, dealing with emotions, effective communication, interpersonal relationships, and assertiveness. Important preventative information is also included like HIV/AIDS prevention, sexual and reproductive health, abstinence, early pregnancy, sexual abuse, and where to get help for these problems. Other topics like creative thinking and problem solving are also included. As you can see, a teacher has to be an expert in psychology, biology, health, and counseling in order to teach Life Skills. Hopefully I can better equip Lesotho's teachers to teach the next generation to take care of itself. The education system seems to be failing a lot of these kids, but maybe they can help to fix it if they're given the proper tools to believe in themselves and stay healthy.

Passions

I have a confession to make. Before you assume that I’m over here in Africa “saving the world” and sacrificing my time for humanity’s sake, there’s something you should know about me—I watch Passions, a soap opera. I am not proud of this fact, but unexpectedly it has become a small pleasure in my life. Those of you that know me well can attest to my previous hatred of soap operas and daytime dramas, but living in Africa changes you. I’m pretty sure the episodes I see in Lesotho are a few years old, although I’m not sure because I’ve never watched it before. I’m even a “soapies” (as they are called in Lesotho) elitist—I only watch Passions. I refuse to watch The Young & the Restless after Passions. It’s just so unrealistic. But OMG, if Luis and Sheridan don’t get married soon I’m going to quit Peace Corps, and can you believe Kaye is pregnant with Miguel’s baby even though he’s in love with Charity and evil MADE him sleep with Kaye even though he thought it was Charity?! And poor Charity just had a heart transplant after her evil zombie twin almost killed her! Peace Corps Volunteers and bored housewives unite—I think I’m addicted.

But let me explain… Some of the wealthier people in my village (and by wealthy, I mean not dirt poor) enjoy the luxuries of electricity and television. Wealthy people in Lesotho are better educated which means they speak decent English which means they are automatically my friends. Thus some of my closest Basotho friends have TVs in their homes. Peace Corps Volunteers rarely get to watch television, so I watch it when I can, regardless of what is on. My best Mosotho friend, Nozipho, leads the youth group that we’re starting in our village and conveniently schedules the committee meetings at our friend’s house at 3pm so we finish just in time to watch Passions at 4:30pm. I blame her for getting me hooked. Although I’m unabashedly glued to the romance and drama and evil in Passions, perhaps my favorite part is that it’s set in Los Angeles, and, because I’m from Los Angeles, Basotho assume I lived like a steamy soap-star back home. Upon meeting me, some Basotho have even said, “Oh yes, Los Angeles, I know it. I have seen Passions.” Thank you, daytime television, for promoting wealthy American stereotypes across the globe. Still I don’t know which is worse—Basotho judging Americans based on soap operas or WWF Wrestling, another television favorite in Lesotho.

Harsh Realities in Lesotho

For the most part I’ve tried to paint a pretty picture of Lesotho in my blog (if not pretty, then quaint), but the reality is that Lesotho is a third world country steeped in poverty. The beautiful mountain landscape is littered with trash; women are treated as second-hand citizens (until just a few years ago women were considered a minority by law); and the vast majority of the population cannot access and/or afford healthcare. On top of everything, Lesotho holds the third highest HIV prevalence rate at 23.5% (though current statistics say it is probably higher) caused by alcoholism and promiscuity (fueled by a similar combination of boredom and desperation—caused by extreme poverty).

The peace in Lesotho and the friendliness of the Basotho people hold the country together and keep it afloat. Lesotho prides itself on being a peaceful nation. Especially compared to surrounding South Africa where racial tension still breeds hostility, Lesotho smiles and welcomes the few foreigners who venture within its borders. Despite the supposed national pride of Basotho, virtually every person born in Lesotho wants to get out—and who can blame them? Unemployment skyrockets at 40% according to statistics, but in reality it is much worse especially in rural areas. Government, whether national or local, is usually lazy and uninformed about its own people—and is at least somewhat corrupt (though not to the extent of some African countries).

As an ex-pat volunteer at the grassroots level in Lesotho it’s easy to see the suffering and needs of Basotho, along with the many problems that exist here. However living with Basotho in their villages, many Peace Corps Volunteers are also exposed to the Basotho’s high expectations of aid workers and low expectations of themselves. In other words, Basotho want international aid workers to give them money to build a clinic, start a business, or go to school, but Basotho refuse to hold themselves accountable if the money is squandered or the project fails—it’s not their money, why should they care? Basotho have developed a serious dependency on international aid. Money constantly flows into the country no matter where it goes or how effectively or efficiently it is used. As far as I can tell, organizations do little to follow up on where exactly their donated money ends up (i.e. receipts, surveys, names, etc.) The host country is not held accountable by the donating organization, and the organization is not held accountable by its donors. I encourage people who donate money to charities and non-profits et al to inquire about where the money actually goes. More importantly though, international aid organizations need to monitor the results and spending of their aid money. International aid has had a presence in Lesotho for decades, even before the HIV/AIDS crisis. I fear that if money is thrown at Africa (and the rest of the third world) like it has been in Lesotho, the entire third world will develop a dependency on foreign aid and lack the skills to improve and progress its societies.

Dance Party Lesotho-Style!!

January 2008 was a party month for me. Of course there was New Year’s Eve in South Africa, but I have been to multiple parties since then too. You’ll all be happy to know I’m kind of a big deal in Lesotho this year. :) Each of my first two weekends back in Lesotho I attended a party. The first was a good-bye party for my friend ‘Me Refiloe, the Youth Coordinator of the Qacha’s Nek district, who sadly has been transferred to a different district. Because she works for the government (Ministry of Youth and Gender), many local government officials were there which was kind of weird—it would be like partying with your mayor and police chiefs in the States. I didn’t know too many people at this first party so I was glad Adam was there with me (especially when a very drunk man started hitting on me) and we left pretty early. The second party was thrown by my friend Nozipho and thus was a younger crowd. I was definitely the oldest person there for a few hours. I knew many more people at this party so I was much more comfortable and had more than just one beer like the previous weekend. I felt like I was being accepted into the youth community—I wasn’t exactly working at the house party, but I was breaking ground with the youth by proving to them that I could hang, which will help me in my work with the youth. First we had a braai (British English for bbq) at about 10pm after the electricity came back on. Then after we ate chicken and beef and papa, the dance party began. There are only two things Basotho do at parties: drink and dance. And damn are they good at both! Dance music consists of re-mixes of almost anything from Celine Dion to crying babies to Microsoft Windows sounds—anything you can put a beat on top of. Dance moves are just as eclectic—my personal favorite is a variation on the one-legged push-up. The all-out, all-night dancing is my favorite part about Basotho parties. In the States, people are so afraid and embarrassed to dance (especially the guys!). In Lesotho it’s embarrassing if you don’t dance. It doesn’t matter how old you are in Lesotho—when the music starts, your hips start swaying. Even adolescents going through their awkward puberty stage are not ashamed to dance like crazy! Parties usually rage on through the night until sunrise. I had mentally and physically prepared myself to be up until 5 or 6am. However the party was at a young guy’s house, and his mom broke it up at about 3am because she said she needed to sleep… lame. No, she’s actually a really cool lady and was awake with us the entire night laughing and dancing. One of the guys walked me home (my co-worker’s son) to make sure that I was “safe and protected” he said. Everyone there was very concerned about my safety while walking home which made me feel loved (it was only a 3-minute walk).

Then last week was the All-Volunteer Conference in Maseru where all the Peace Corps volunteers in Lesotho came together to discuss new policies and project ideas, etc. During the day we were all business at the conference, but every night was a party. It’s extremely rare that we all get together at the same time so we had to take advantage of the situation. Needless to say, many beers were imbibed. And one night we had a dance party—Peace Corps Lesotho style, which is a unique combination of American and Basotho music and dance moves. January has been the month of dancing. It was a good month. But seriously February will be the month of working… I swear. :)

HOST FAMILY UPDATE:
I cannot recall who I have told about my ntate so I thought I would write it in my blog because I have received a few questions about it. My ntate-moholo from my previous home, Ntate Makeka, passed away right before Christmas. I had not seen him for a while before his death, but thought he was doing fine because I had not heard otherwise. His oldest daughter didn’t tell me what he died from, just that it happened “very quickly.” He was an old man at 90 years old, the oldest in Lesotho as far as I’m concerned, and lived a fruitful life of many travels and many children. He was a devoted husband and father—an excellent role model for today’s Basotho men. He will be missed.

His son and his family now own the compound so it was good that I moved when I did.

Papa! Moroho! Nama!

One of the most frequently asked questions I get in emails or phone calls is: "What do you eat over there?" Honestly, PC volunteers in Lesotho are pretty lucky because we're so close to South Africa--even if we don't have a certain food product in our village, chances are we can get it in Maseru, the capital, or South Africa.
Traditional Basotho food consists mostly of papa, moroho, and nama. Papa is usually described as a stiff porridge made from maize meal. I like to think of it as extremely bland mashed potatoes that have had all the moisture sucked out of it (and not actually made from potatoes). It's pretty good with other foods, but it's pretty gross by itself. I don't make it myself (although it's very easy), but I eat it at "restaurants" in town and with Basotho sometimes. Basotho eat it with everything-- it's their staple carb food. I love papa with "moroho" which is a blanket term for any cooked leafy vegetable. Moroho usually involves chopped up cabbage, sometimes carrots, sometimes spinach, or swiss chard, etc. It's cooked in oil and flavored with salt or Aromat (pure MSG!) or something similar. My favorite moroho (that I can make) consists of chopped cabbage and grated carrots. Then there is nama which simply means "meat." When we were in training at the Training Site in Maseru, most of the meat that was cooked for us was dubbed "mystery meat," but it always tasted good. Nama in Lesotho is either chicken, cow, pig, or sheep. No rat stew... yet! Just kidding. Other things Basotho eat if it's available: pumpkin, squash, beetroot, bean salad, potato salad, soups, eggs, bohobe (bread), etc. Most food are doused in salt or MSG flavor or Rama (margarine, yum).
Although these are the most available foods in Lesotho, I usually don't eat them. I eat a lot of rice with veggies, beans, grilled cheese, tuna sandwiches, yogurt and granola, PB & J, lentils, soups with bread, etc. In the mornings I eat either oatmeal, yogurt and granola, or eggs and buttered bread. That's right -- I like eggs now! Basotho taught me that they taste really good if you use enough oil when you cook them. :) You can get a lot of instant foods in Maseru too -- like 2-minute noodles (Top Ramen) and cup-a-soup. I generally don't cook meat for myself, but I eat it in town or with friends. And of course I always boil my water. Oh, and tortillas are hard to find here so I make my own with I'm really craving a burrito. We can bake things too with a Dutch oven (hehe), like cookies and casseroles, but I haven't attempted the Dutch oven yet. Also they sell candy bars in most camptowns so I get my chocolate fix when I need it -- I can even get Peanut Butter M&Ms at a certain gas station in Maseru, so good! The only food I truly miss and salivate when I think about is the In-N-Out cheeseburger. Alas, there is no hope of finding an In-N-Out cheeseburger in Africa, or barely outside of California. Most of my fellow American volunteers have not enjoyed or even heard of In-N-Out which causes me pain. So, to all of my In-N-Out buddies (there are so many of you), enjoy an INO cheeseburger or Double-Double for me and tell my favorite burger joint that I miss it.