Starting Out the New Year

It’s late Friday morning in Qacha’s Nek, and I’m feeling good. November and December were stressful months because I was somewhat homeless and disheveled. Thankfully Peace Corps paid for a hotel stay, and when I didn’t want to eat hotel food Adam let me sleep on his floor and eat his food. I’m finally settling into my new home. When I first returned to Qacha’s Nek after vacation (more on that later), my family was still away on holiday. I was at my new home by myself and the anti-malaria meds gave me nightmares and paranoia so the first week was rough—I didn’t sleep much. My next door neighbors have been great though and made sure I was comfortable and safe. My ausi (sister) returned home yesterday so now my home feels like a home. My ausi is a young teacher who is still attending school (a sort of long distance college education from South Africa), and says I will have to help her with her studies. I told her I will do my best. I still have to meet many of my new neighbors and establish myself in my community, but so far I’m happy in my new home.

I was not putting in many hours at work during the move in November, and I spent a lot of time in Maseru and on vacation in December. The New Year for me marks a new beginning in Qacha’s Nek, not only because of my new home but I will be returning to work fully with some new ideas and energy. School re-opens at the end of January, and in February my counterpart at LPPA and I will begin giving presentations to high school students about reproductive health and their bodies. I will also be speaking to the prisoners in small groups at the Qacha’s Nek Correctional Facility; we will discuss HIV/AIDS at first, and then hopefully they will tell me what they want to learn about. PSI/Lesotho Headquarters has asked me to paint a mural in Maseru, hopefully the first of many—I’m looking forward to that.

Next week I will be back in Maseru for a Peace Corps Conference, then back to work in Qacha.

VACATION:My South African vacation was awesome. I spent almost every day at the beach, and almost every night at the bar. The bartenders at our backpackers hostel were fun and let us pick our favorite music. I don’t think I’ve ever danced so much in one week. I really enjoyed driving our little rental car too. Although disorienting at first, I soon got used to driving on the left side of the road and shifting gears with my left hand—I ended up driving most of the way there and back. We had the windows open and the music on loud—we were free! At the Wild Coast, I almost ran over some little monkeys that were crossing the road. We saw some zebras and ostriches from the road too, and we could see monkeys hanging out in the trees outside our backpacker. We got all dressed up for New Year’s Eve which was fun because most everyone else wore shorts and jeans. I put on make-up for the first time in 6 months. We all had a great time dancing and drinking, but most of New Year’s Day was spent nursing a hangover. Ho lokile (ho lohkeelay: it’s ok), I was still at the beach.

"These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things..."

We swore in today! I am now an official Peace Corps volunteer. Yesterday a few of us volunteers were bored so we wrote a song about our PST (pre-service training) experience. Enjoy!

Sung to the tune of "My Favorite Things" by Julie Andrews:

Raindrops in my room, I hate my tin roof.
I pee in a bucket and you can too .
Tampered packages might arrive in spring.
These are a few of my favorite things.

Braying donkeys, ke kopa lipompom.*
Tea time and cookies, I fell in a donga.*
At sunrise I shiver in my drafty latrine.
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the dogs bite,
When the cocks crow,
When they call my fat,
I simply remember I'm in Lesotho, and then I don't feel so bad.

Time has no meaning we ema outside freezing.*
Music in kombis leaves my ears bleeding.*
Bitter PCVs why don't you just leave?
These are a few of my favorite things.

Aggravated assault; I just lost my teeth.*
Always use the bridge, no wait, never use the bridge.*
Papa, moroho and MSG--
These are a few of my favorite things!

Ample Leg Hair.
Bucket Bathing.
My Butt's never Clean.*
I simply remember that boxed wine is cheap, and then I don't feel so bad!

Hahah! Sometimes we get crazy when we're bored. :) The asterisks above will eventually be footnotes, but I'm too lazy to figure out how to do that in HTML. Email me if you have any questions or news! I leave for Qacha's Nek tomorrow morning at 5am via kombi!

Qacha's Nek, here I come!

I'm here now at my site writing this blog on paper later to be transferred to "the internet." I got the site I wanted!! I'm in Qacha's Nek working for PSI (Population Services International) and LPPA (Lesotho Planned Parenthood Association). Both PSI and LPPA are international organizations at least as far as their funding and infrastructure are concerned, so I will have the luxury of working in an actual office (at times) and working with educated and accountable people. I live outside of town in my own rondavel with... ELECTRICITY! This came as a surprise to me because I knew I was going to be living in a village, and the vast majority of volunteers do not have electricity. I am so happy to have a light in my house so I can read and draw and get work done at night (like at home!). In the training village where I was living prior to Qacha, it was difficult at night working by candlelight. Also I have cell phone reception in my house! I'm spoiled by Peace Corps Lesotho standards. According to others in Qacha's Nek though, it can be rough living up here in the mountains. The weather is unpredictable--lots of snow in the winter, rain in the summer, and cold temperatures at night. I need to get me some long underwear. :) The other PCVs in Qacha's Nek seem cool too despite the fact that I think they're all from the East Coast. Coastal rivalry is common here among PCVs so I will be representing the Westside by myself in my district. Luckily my fellow Californian Kjessie (surfer babe from NorCal) is relatively close to me--about a 4 hour bus ride plus a boat ride across a river plus a hike over a mountain. According to current volunteers, the first few months at site can be difficult because not only am I getting settled and used to my home, but I'm on "lockdown" meaning I can't leave my district--which for me means I won't be able to see any of my fellow trainees for 3 months because I'm the only new volunteer in Qacha's Nek. Hopefully someone will throw a big party when lockdown is over.
I live on a family compound outside of town with my ntate (host dad) who is almost 90. I know--he's so old, especially for Lesotho. He's awesome. I love him already. I'm sure there will be more on my ntate in another blog...
After discussing my job position with my supervisors at PSI and LPPA, I will be doing a lot of work in the villages mobilizing the communities in Qacha's Nek and informing the villagers of the services provided by PSI and LPPA. In a nutshell, PSI focuses mostly on VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) for HIV; and LPPA offers contraceptives and education for family planning. Although the circumstances are obviously drastically different I'm looking forward to comparing Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles, one of the wealthiest and best-known cities in the world, to Planned Parenthood in Qacha's Nek, the smallest district in a relatively unknown poverty-stricken country in Africa. Because I will be mobilizing villages, it will be crucial to my success here that I learn Sesotho and speak it confidently. Easier said than done--wish me luck!
Since I will be at site for the next 3 months and I'm not sure how reliable internet is in Qacha's Nek, it may be a while until my next blog...