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Our Fantabulous Trip Around the Globe
We're back from the mountains...back to in the capital. Today my mother (or my `M`e in Sosotho speak) arrived from Canada. She will spend the next month with us up in Thaba-Tseka (the first place we were here). We are hoping to run a day camp as the students start their winter break next week. Must entertain and educate kids....
Our month in Mahlekefane, better known as the place on the cover of your calendars, was excellent. It was really the image of Lesotho that we were expecting. No electricity (yet it is only 15 km from the Katse Hydro Dam, ironic), no phones (well actually if you walked 45 minutes from the town, you could get cell phone reception as long as it was sunny-if it wasn't sunny, then the solar powered tower wouldn't work, when will the hippies learn). Most everyone lives in rondavels (the traditional huts). Important lesson learned: when building a new house, use thatch and not sheet metal for your roofing. Thatch is much warmer as we learned. It was really cold there; the altitute is roughly 2km high so well had snow on several occasions. Most days, we had classes outdoors as it was warmer in the sun than in the extremely dark school houses.
Amazingly, the parents of many of the children volunteered to build a new classrom. They are all unemployed and they have been quarrying the stone from the side of the mountain and built it by hand. Help Lesotho bought the roofing materials. The parents didn't get paid for their work so with some of the donation money some of you sent went to buying maize meal (1260 kg to be exact) for their inspiring work. Pictures may follow some day...
Actually, we figured out our iPod so one day when we get some serious broadband, there will be pictures, promise.
We've had a great experience in Mahlekefane. The kids were great and we pretended to be teachers while we were there teaching math and english mostly. We made some good friends and we hope that some can get sponsored to go to high school (any interested people please get in touch with Help Lesotho...only 450$ a year! What a deal!) Our `M`e treated us so well that we didn't have to cook or to clean once while we were there. She didn't believe that we could on our own. Ah...`M`e Letata. Actually, our Sosotho names Lehlohonolo Letata means Lucky Duck. Wicked!
We are having a great time despite the cold. Who would have thought Africa would be so cold. Miss you guys
j&m
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