Happy Holidays

M'e' Matiiso and Amy

This is Me Matiiso, she is a teacher at my school.  We took this picture because we thought it was funny that almost all of the dolls that they sell here look like this one.  Not only is the doll white with yellow hair, but it is also kind of funny that her name is Amy!  As you can see in the background of the picture there are some Christmas decorations here also.  There is definately not the same level of focus on presents and such here, but Christmas is the time of year that people choose to buy new clothes for their families and clean and repair their houses.  I have heard that all of the children go parading around town in their new clothes on Christmas day, I will be sad to miss it. I am hoping to spend Christmas with Carrie riding horses around Lesotho!   I guess we will see other kids in their new clothes, just not the ones that I know.

    School is quiet this week.  All students have now gone home, Seabata and I made it smoothly to his village and I really did enjoy seeing the southern part of Lesotho.  My supervisor and I still go to work each day and we are busy trying to get estimates from builders for a few more classrooms at out school.  We are also working on getting the money to pay for them.

Seabata having ice cream

 Otherwise I have been having a nice time hanging out with my host family a little more this week.  Yesterday we just sad in the yard together playing with the baby and playing some games with stones for a few hours at sunset.  It was really nice, although I still get frustrated that my host mother and I are really unable to talk to each other because of not knowing each other's language!  Why am I so bad at learning languages?
     Only two more days until Carrie comes to visit.  I am so excited to have a friend here to travel around with.  My blogs may take a break for a bit, but I will try to update after the holidays.  After Carrie leaves I will have my parents and sister here for another 2 weeks.  I am so happy that I have adventurous friends and family.  Can't wait to post some exciting new photos from new parts of Lesotho, Mozambique and South Africa.  Happy Holidays!

Long Week

Parents washing blankets, with feet!

Over the last week my host family has killed 5 pigs, my school killed 9 geese and we got a Cow!  Strange week for animals.  Our cow was a donation from someone in Germany via Sentebale.  The cow was promised several years ago, but never actually given to the school.  Then we found out that the German donor would be visiting our school this week, so within a week Sentebale had the cow driven from South Africa and our principal had about 3 days to have a corral built, train a staff member to take care of the cow and prepare our school for the visitor.  The cow is beautiful, a Jersey, and she is about to have a calf (which might be named Lisa :) She will provide milk for our students and hopefully generate future income.
  On Wednesday our school officially closed.  Parents came mostly on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning and they helped with washing blankets, cleaning and cooking.  We had a parent meeting on Wednesday and I did a session about goals for their children.  I really enjoyed meeting so many parents, a lot of grandmothers, and talking with them about their children (mostly via translator and charades)

Seabata, not so happy

Our visitors, the German donor and Sentebale CEO from London, came via helicopter on Friday.  The families and staff were so excited, I have to say it was pretty cool to see them land in our school yard.  They stayed for around an hour or two and our kids demonstrated some of their craft skills, gardening, and yoga.  They were very nice and although they kept our kids at school an extra two days, seeing the helicopter and getting the cow were worth it!  They also provide most of the funding for our centre so we kind of have to be accommodating.  After a tiring week I came back to school on Saturday morning to organize some things and charge my computer and I found that 2 students were still here.  Both are double orphans but have teenage brothers that were supposed to come pick them up.  One of the children is severely autistic and he seems just as happy to stay here and keep his routine in place.  But the other student, Seabata, has only physically disabilities and he is very upset that he has not been picked up.  He is very sweet and it is so hard to see him sad.  We tried to have a fun day out in town, but he just really wants to go home to his brothers, around 7 hours away.  We finally got to talk to his brother and he said that he just does not have any money to pay for transport.  The school can give him money, but he has no way to get here to get it.  Most of our school staff has to attend a workshop tomorrow so it makes the most sense for me to take him home.  It should be quite an adventure and I am happy that I will get to meet his brother and see another part of the country, Mohale's Hoek.  I am a little nervous because we can't take his wheelchair in the taxis and I will have to carry him and his stuff twice when changing vehicles.  He is little so it should be OK.  Today, Sunday, when I came to school he greeted me with a huge smile and I know he is eagerly awaiting our trip tomorrow.