Kea Leboha!

Roof On

Kea Leboha (Thank You).  The Grant for our new building was fully funded by last week.  It took under one week to raise close to $3500 towards our new classrooms.  People are so generous.  Thank you so much everyone who donated.  I know some people wanted to donate but didn't make it in time, sorry, but there are soooo many other good causes in the world that will happily use your money.  In lesotho there is Sentebale and Friends of Lesotho that also help children in this community.
   As you can see our building is moving right along.  This week they are working on the roof and next week we will start with all of the electrical work.  Later today I am headed to the hardware store to do our first big purchase of electrical supplies from the money that was donated.  Next week my prinicipal will be gone for the week and I will be responsible for overseeing and purchasing materials on my own!! I am a little nervous, but I think there are plenty of people around to help me.  I wish Dan, my brother in-law, was here!

Playing Dress Up

  Over the last few weeks I have noticed many children dressed funny on Fridays.  Apparently the schools here have dress-up days sometimes.  On these days kids can dress up in any way they want, some where nice clothes, some where costumes, etc. The point is to have fun and raise funds.  For the privledge of not wearing their school uniform they get to pay 1 Maluti (about 15cents).  It has been fun to watch them and see how creative they can get.  On the right is my host sister, age 12, dressed up as a lady.  She is wearing her monther's dress and has stuffed a winter coat in to give her a funny shape.  My other neighbor, 16 year old boy, dressed up in a girl's school uniform.  We have been laughing a lot, it is well worth the 1Rand.
  At school this week I have been pretty busy working on reports and plans with my principal.  She has to report next week on the progress of the centre and work on the budget for next year.  She is pretty good at using excel for budgeting, but she had never used powerpoint.  We had fun creating a powerpoint together about the successes and goals for the school.  She was so excited about the photos and videos that we incorporated and she is convinced that she will have the best presentation at her meeting.  She was actually jumping up and down and hugging me when we finished.  I have also been preparing for a presentation on our Get Ready To Learn yoga program that we have been using.  Sentebale asked me to present about it to 12 organizations that serve vulnerable children at a meeting next week.  Too much time in the office this week and not enough time with the students.
  I have had plenty of time at home with the kids.  For the most part I have had a sort of unstated rule that the kids don't really come in my house.  For one it is important for me to have a tiny bit of my own space, and two it is just more fun to play outside nobody really hangs out inside here.  BUT I often break the rule and let kids come in briefly to look at pictures, etc.  Well this week I broke the rule too many times and now the little ones think it is a game to just stand at my door and yell.  They actually try to fit through the bars, it is really funny.  I love it because they are so cute, but it makes it hard to get my cooking, etc. done.  I know I will miss this time in a few months.
 

Let Us In

Maybe we can reach the keys

Progress

Herders in front of Botha Bothe Prison

Sometimes I have days where it just feels so normal here to me and I think that there really isn't much of a difference between here and home.  BUT then I walk into town and see huge herds of cows and sheep walking down the main street, the herd boys and men wrapped up in tons of blankets, hats and boots.  Wearing all these clothes on a day when I am hot in a T-shirt, it amazes me.  They wear all these clothes because they have to carry them, being out with their animals for many days.  Anyway, once again I am reminded of how different things are from home.  These men saw me walking and asked me to "shoot" them with my camera.  Sometimes they look so tough and then they light up like children when they see their photos.  Digital cameras are so much fun here.
     I can't believe the support that has been received in just a few days from family and friends at home.  All of you who have donated to our building project at school, thank you so much.  In order to cut back on costs we hired a builder, Ntate Lefu, instead of a contractor.  This means that my principal and I are basically acting as the contractors, purchasing materials and coordinating everyone.  I am learning a lot and trying to help, but she is basically in charge.  We check in each day with the builder and then make sure that he has the materials here for the project.  He is moving so fast, we can't keep up.  In just a week we already have walls, windows, doors, foundation, etc.  We are actually trying to slow them down a bit because we still have to wait for the Peace Corps Partnership Grant money (that is your donations) to come before we can start the plumbing and electrical work!  I know people are really happy to get work here, unemployment rate is around 45%, and the sooner they get done the sooner they get paid.  I am hoping to have all of our grant money within the next week or two, if you haven't donated and would like to the link is:
 https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.donatenow&keyword=dold

Lefu and building crew

 Otherwise things are rolling along at school.  I spent the week with our more severely disabled class, my favorites.  We worked a lot on toileting, washing, and staying clean here.  Having a new class with a bathroom will be great for those students.  It is impossible for 1 teacher to take all 12 of them to the bathroom, carry buckets of water in for washing hands, etc.  Many of these students are non verbal and we practiced using pictures to communicate.  It has been a tiring but fun week.

Learning how to eat candy, bad I know, but every kid
should know how!

One of our new students, such a cutie.

Playing

car made out of cans and wire

I know that I have already mentioned how much I love seeing kids play here, but I think I need to do a whole blog on it.  Without video games, tv and even typical toys, play has a whole different meaning here.  There is no lack of playing, the kids are expected to help out with many chores and caring for animals, but they still have plenty of time for fun.  They get very creative and make toys out of any old thing they find.  There is also a ton of social and group playing going on without adults around (they are busy).  So the children really learn to work out conflicts, socialize and form friendships on their own.
  Each evening when I leave school I spend some time watching the students playing with each other without any teachers around.  Sometimes I get upset that there is not more supervision because the kids are dirty, missing clothes, fighting, etc.  But I have to remember that there are 65 students and only a few staff members after school.  Also the students are actually learning to be more independent and how to help each other out.   After getting over my concerns, I usually realize that they are really having fun and learning social skills.  Even with their severe disabilities, they are given some freedom to explore and invent whatever activity they can find to do.  They always get out of their wheelchairs and everyone gets dirty.  There is no such thing as being "overly protective" at our school.

playing after school

Once I get home from work I usually try to spend some time alone in my house, reading, writing, etc.  This never lasts too long as the sound of fun from outside is very contagious.  Maybe because I live there and I am "different" or maybe just because I have a big yard, whatever the reason I am not sure, but all of the action is always happening right outside of my door.  The group includes both boys and girls from the ages of 11 months to 15 years old.  Their games include playing football (soccer) with a ball made out of plastic bags,  playing freeze tag kind of game involving stacking large stones?, jax with rocks, making mud and throwing it (using water from old beer bottle), and acting out exciting football and wrestling matches.  The girls also sometimes jump rope and there are always a few who want to just sit around with me and watch the action.  I usually head in when it starts to get dark, but they can stay longer.  Without adults around (I don't count) they learn to solve their own problems and they watch out for each other.  They learn to be creative and inventive.  There is always some crying and small fighting, but it never lasts long.  Of course I wish that the children here had more toys, books, computers, etc., these are important for learning also, but for now they are doing pretty well with trash, rocks and their imaginations.

Students on Football field

so silly

Yes that is a beer bottle they are
using to get water for mud

Taking a break from the football game

Music

On the way to fetch water

Last blog I talked about our water shortage.  Well I made a trip down to the spring area with the girls from my neighborhood to fetch some water.  Unfortunately I could only carry around 10 litres and not on my head.  It was fun to go with them though, they all screamed a lot in the high grass because everyone here is very scared of snakes.  At the river / spring area they did some wash and ran around playing in the water.  They all carried their water back on their heads and laughed a lot at me when I tried.  I was exhausted after one trip and decide to just not use anymore water, but they all made several trips back and forth.  Luckily the water came back over the weekend and has been off and on since.

We also go a few rainy days over the last week.  This is great, because it has been so dry, but also very messy.  Most roads and paths here are dirt, which means when it rains a lot they are mud.  It makes for quite a commute to work.  Although I have been wishing for rain, I am now hoping it is not too much.  Last week we finalized plans for a new classroom building for our school and I don't want it to be delayed for weather.  We are adding 3 additional classrooms and trying to make them better equipt to teach vocational and daily living skills.  I have worked on getting a peace corps partnership grant to provide plumbing, electricity, etc.  People from the US can donate to this specific project until we have enough money.  If it gets approved I will write about all of the details in case people want to contribute.  Anyway we really want the building to be finished before I leave, which is less than four months away!  Crazy!!  So not too much rain please.

Way home from the water fetching

    Well my week of model teaching that I mentioned last week worked out pretty well.  This week I stayed out of the classroom, but watched to see what was going on and was very happy to see some of the things we worked on being implemented.  Next week I will focus on a different teacher and spend the week in her room, hoping for the same effect.  School has been very active lately.  We had visitors on Friday and the staff and students were busy all week preparing.  The visitors are a family from england that over the years has made donations to the school.  The students and teachers sang for them and made them some traditional clothing.  It was very nice and my favorite part was the singing.  I tried to join in but I just don't know how to sing.  People here spend their lives singing and can harmonize and sound amazing with very little practice.  I wish I could put a video clip on this blog so you could hear them, but I don't have enough juice from my wireless modem.  You just have to trust me.  I actually just read the following in a novel that really explains it well:
"Africa is too crude a stage for the small scratching of the violin, too majestic for the piano  Africa is only right for the drums.  The drum carries its rhythm but does not steal its music.  Timpani is the background, the music of Africa is in the voices of the people.  They are its instruments, more subtle, more beautiful, infinitely more noble than the scratching, thumping, banging and blowing of brass and wind and vellum, strings and keyboard."  This is from Bryce Courtenay's book The Power of One.  

Students practicing Singing for visitors

My commute to work with kids in the rain

We want some Rain

Morning Therapy Group

   Coming back to my everyday life in Lesotho has been both challenging and good.  School is getting busier as we are really trying to start the school year off right with lots of productive teaching time. I have been spending my mornings team teaching with one teacher and my principal with another so that we can do some modeling of what we want to see happen in the classes.  It has actually been really fun to be teaching the students, but frustrating because of the language barrier.  At least our daily yoga and therapy sessions don't involve too much talking!  We are still missing a few students, basically the one's who are orphans and are staying with younger siblings.  They don't usually have a working phone, so we just have to wait.  Hopefully they will return this week, if not we might have to go get them.  The rest of the students seem very happy to be back among their friends.  I have been amazed at how easily they fall back into things and how well they help each other out.  Right now we only have 4 house parents (who are responsible for all at night) for 65 students, so they really do need to help.

Student with missing
wheelchair getting some help

    Last week I went with one of our students and his mother to Maseru for a dentist appointment.  The dentist that we saw in town referred us to the hospital in Maseru and with the referral he said that we could also get transport from the hospital.  At first I was very excited to avoid the usually public transportation woes, and then I found out that we would be riding in an ambulance.  Yes a real ambulance moving very fast, complete with siren, stretchers, nurse, etc. all for a dentist appointment.  We weren't alone, they packed around 10 people into the back, none needing emergency care.  Some did not even need any medical care, but just wanted to catch a ride.  While we were all sliding around the back I thought to myself that it was funny that I felt so unsafe and worried about accidents while riding in an ambulance.  Strange use of resources, but at least we got a free ride, we even stopped to do shopping on the way home!  I think the transportation adventure stories will never get old.

Yacoob and Mom in Ambulance

   Outside of school life has been pretty challenging.  I miss having visitors, showers, and yummy food.  It has been very hot here and still no rainy season to speak of.  All around the outside of  Lesotho there has been plenty of rain, even flooding, but we haven't gotten much in country.  I actually haven't had water in my area of town for over 4 days.  I had a lot stocked up in buckets, but now I am down to nothing.  I am going to to carry some home from school today and maybe make a trip to the river with my host sister, but I am not able to carry 20 Litres on my head like the women and girls here, maybe I can carry 10.  It is amazing how little water you actually need.  This may sound bad to the rest of you, but I actually bathed, cooked, did laundry and dishes over 4 days with less than 40 litres.  My clothes are a little soapy but clean.  At least I have water at work.

House father in sporting Red Sox

    One thing that makes me happy everyday is seeing Boston Redsox hats on the heads of our house fathers, my host father, and the school gardeners.  They were a gift from my sisters along with cool bags for the women.  The men all wear them religiously and it looks like they are part of their uniform.  Thanks, and more importantly right now GO PATS!

Hot sheep trying to find shade at my house

My neighborhood kids reading books from my nephews, thanks!

Animals

Carrie on Pony passing donkey and heard boy on Pony

   So many animals on our travels.  In Lesotho most of the animals we saw were your typical country animals such as horses, donkeys, cows, sheep, goats, dogs, chickens, birds, etc.  I guess what is so cool about these guys is the settings that they live in.  Traveling with my visitors I was reminded again of just how amazing the herd culture here in Lesotho is.  Mostly boys and young men will travel with their herds into the mountains for long periods of time.  Watching the herds and hearing all the bells on animals ringing in the distance is one of my favorite things here.  The animals get to graze in beautiful settings and they live without fences.  The life of the herd boys is tough though.  They have to carry everything they need with them and often go through cold and huge storms without shelter.  In fact in Lesotho there are quite a few deaths from lightning every year.  They travel with their Basotho blankets and they are such a cool sight to see on the steep mountainsides.  The animals in Lesotho all work and are highly valued, which means they are pretty well taken care of.  Notice the donkey in the picture above carrying cases of beer, funny.

Small boy on Donkey

  Ok, out of the mountains and into South Africa now.  I was lucky enough to go to two different areas of Kruger park with my visitors.  Carrie and I did more of a self guided safari right in southern Kruger and my family and I did a guided safari in Timbavati reserve on the edge of the western Kruger.  We were so lucky with our timing because this week there has been bad flooding and many roads closed in and around the park.

Yawning Hippo

  We were able to see almost every animal we could think of minus a few wild dogs and male lions.  Apparently the male lions are pretty lazy and it is mostly the females that you will see out for hunting, taking care of the cubs, etc.  We saw a white lion, very rare, and several leopards.  My personal favorites where Rhinos, elephants and the ever hiding Hippos.  Usually you just get to see the tops of Hippos eyes, but we had a few glimpses of them yawning.  The elephants were huge and plentiful in Timbavati and the Giraffes and Zebras were easy to spot in Kruger.  My favorite sighting was on a 4:30 am guided walk in Kruger (guides carry rifles).  We came across a Black Rhino about 20 yards away.  I was very scared, but also felt very lucky to be that close to a wild animal in their own setting.  It is hard to explain how impressive it is to just be driving and come across these animals.  At Timbavati we had a very ambitious guide who would literally drive through brush and trees to get us up close to many animals.  Despite what you would think the animals were not startled by this because they are used to vehicles, however he said that if we were to get out of the vehicle they would most likely run or attack, because then they would see us as another animal.  I was very happy to stay in the vehicles!  Hope you are not exhausted by the photos, but it was too hard to narrow them down.  Enjoy!

So Close to Us!

Taking a Nap

Old man, the males are left alone when they are old :(

African Penguins in Capetown

So close to Giraffe, I was driving on my own in Kruger

Rhinos, too many being poached over 20
already killed this year just for their horns :(

People

Carrie and Maggie at blanket presentation

I had such an amazing holiday and summer break.  I can't begin to fit all of my pictures and adventures into one blog post, so I decided I will post one with some highlights of people and another with highlights of animals.  I was overwhelmed with both over the last 5 weeks.
   My wonderful friend Carrie came to visit over Christmas.  We had many travel adventures in Mozambique, Lesotho and South Africa.  I think one of the highlights of her trip was spending time at Semonkong.  Semonkong is a village with a lodge in the mountains of Lesotho.  Everyone there rides horses and donkeys and there are no paved roads.  We picked up Maggie and traveled on a beautiful but challenging unpaved road through the mountains.  It took us about 3 hours to go around 40 miles!  At one point we got stuck going up a steep hill and out of nowhere a young herd boy, dressed only in his underwear, came to our aide putting big rocks behind our tires and giving us encouraging gestures and smiles to get us up the hill.  Besides horse riding on Christmas and taking in the amazing surroundings we spent some time learning about the Basotho blankets and their history in Lesotho.  Me Elizibeth and her sister-in-law showed us how blankets are an integral part of all aspects of culture in Lesotho, especially in the highlands.

Carrie and our tiny rental car driving to Semonkong

 The people in Lesotho were so welcoming to both Carrie and my family when they were here.  We had unexpected meals and gifts bestowed on us and plenty of help whenever needed.  One of the teachers from my school hosted Carrie and I with her family for a night in her rural village.  We all slept in the same room and almost had a run in with the boys and dogs from an Initiation school (mountain schools for boys that are very secretive, they only come down at night and you are not supposed to see them.)  Another teacher from my school made a traditional Lesotho meal for my parents and sister and had us all come to her house.  We were also lucky to hear some singing from neighborhood children and the teachers at my school recruited the football team nearby to sing a few songs with them in our cafeteria.  This singing was arranged in about 10 minutes and my family was so impressed by both how well they sounded and by the entire group's choreography while singing.  A big part of the culture here is singing and people are always able to harmonize and sing together with very little rehearsal time.  As my father excitedly told the teacher "that would never happen at home!"

My Principal dancing and singing with
neighborhood children

We also met wonderful people in South Africa and Mozambique, but I think Lesotho wins the "people" award.  Maybe it is because I am living here and I am able to understand a little bit of the language and culture, or maybe it is because of the simple and calm lifestyles of people here, whatever it is we were all charmed by children and adults.  Carrie and I even got a marriage proposal from a police officer who pulled us over (sounds bad, but he was really sweet!)
  Of course I was super excited to show my parents and Amy Semonkong also.  I think I will never get tired of a lodge nestled in a village in the mountains with horse riding and yummy food.  I am so happy that some of my family and friends got to meet my friends here, I wish you all could come.  I was also very thankful to Carrie who put in some days helping us at school.  We did a lot of cleaning and organizing to give the teachers a head start. More about our travels and the animals coming soon.

My family and I at Semonkong Waterfall

Amy and my parents at Me Matiiso's House