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Our Fantabulous Trip Around the Globe
The following are excerpts from Caley's Journal. Posted by Shauna so hopefully this works! They weren't able to send through any pics so the one you see was provided by this website....Enjoy!
April 7, 2006
We took the amazing road from Hlotse to Thaba Tseka. A grueling 5+ hour drive to go just 160km. It was the most incredible car ride I've ever been on-with breathtaking views. At one point the sun was beating down, Basotho music was blaring and the taxi was whizzing by the rondavels. Could the experience be any more African?!
We passed through many small villages and were constantly amazed by the women. Some carried logs (not branches, logs) on their heads. Others carried 50kg bags of maize!
One of the highlights of the day was going to the school (Paray Primary). The kids sang for us-I had to hold back the tears. They are so beautiful! Another highlight was seeing our first African kitty :)
We also met the people whose guest house we'll be renting-'M'e MaRaphoolo (a teacher at Paray Primary). Her husband and son are great people too.
The night sky here will render you speechless.
April 8, 2006
Tonight we are in our own house, complete with a spider. Yick. I need to think of this as a vacation at a cottage, as Joel put it. It is a one-room hut with no running water. I wouldn't mind so much if we hadn't seen the spider! Spoiled North American.
The kids (orphans) helped us move our things up here. They are so different from Canadian kids-eager and willing to help. 'M'e Tsebo says it's because their help is all they can afford to give. They sang for us again and we recorded it. Beautiful voices.
The people here have so much joy (thabo), even though they have so little. Sadly, I see the real possibility of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, much like in the rest of the world. Someone in the village has a house almost like any you'd see in Canada. Smaller, yes, but richly decorated. I couldn't believe it when we went to visit.
April 10, 2006
Last night half of our blankets fell on the ground, so we were freezing all night. Ntate (Mr. Raphoolo) told us that he would take a needle and "needle" us in if it happens again!
April 14, 2006
Today Joel and I climbed the mountain that is behind the main strip in Thaba Tseka. It was a gorgeous view and we were sad that we hadn't brought the camera. There was one snapshot I don't think I'll ever forget-Joel lying down, wearing his sunglasses and Parks Canada hat, sporting a bushy beard, with the bluest sky dotted with puffy white clouds and distant mountain tops in the background. We were both so content at that moment. It was a taste of true freedom.
April 15, 2006
We have light! At first that would have really really excited me, but right now I'd much rather wish for a flush toilet. But I'll take the electricity, if that's all that's being offered.
I think the best expression I've heard since I arrived is "badly stuffed", as in: "Are you badly stuffed?" (Meaning: hungry) Talk about great imagery; all I could picture was a sad little teddy bear, lacking in stuffing.
April 17, 2006
Today is Laura's birthday. I hope she's having a good one.
We went for a walk and saw the Easter bunny! A cute little guy, hopping up the side of a mountain with a bright white tail and tall pink ears. Very cute.
It is pouring rain and it sounds like a monsoon because of our tin roof. I like it though. It made it a perfect day to curl up and read or knit. Speaking of which, I got the back of Joel's Christmas sweater done again! It looks great. Tomorrow 'M'e Tsebo and the orphans come for knitting so I should get some more done.
Yesterday we went to church. I had no clue what was happening (it's a Catholic church AND it's all in Sesotho!). The music was awesome. It seems as though everyone here is born to sing. I loved it, even if I was confused by the entire service!
April 18, 2006
Tonight we can see our breath as we get ready for bed. Yikes. Our eggs froze last night.
Joel saw a mouse in the house yesterday. It means that food prep and storage had to be tooth-proof. I'm not a huge fan of mice, but I'd much rather have Mickey around than a rat. *shudder*
The other day Joel and I bought a HUGE fat cake (doughy, deep-fried goodness). People were laughing at us because we were inhaling it. Today we went back to the same stall and bought some fat cake "timbits". So yummy. And the lady remembered us. I wonder why?! The timbits were 20 lisente each (about 4 cents CAD),so we got 5. A delicious snack for only 20 cents! The big ol' one we bought the day before was 2.50 Maloti (50 cents). Crazy. The oil they fry it in probably costs more than that!
April 19, 2006
I forgot to write about the little boys we saw playing last week-they had made a fooseball table out of an old box and some soldering iron stuff (it looked like). It was amazing!
This morning Rethabile and Thabiso came to visit with a new girl, Motsoaruoa. We did some knitting and then did a search-a-word (new to the kids). The boys love them! Thabiso is a wonderful knitter-I was very impressed with his work.
An amazing thing about the altitude: water boils so quickly here! Who knew that my grade 8 science teacher knew so much? Thanks Dad ;) I never thought that information would come in handy. Very cool.
Tomorrow we need to mail some letters, find the Internet place (if it actually exists) and maybe go to the school garden. Funny how that seems like a jam-packed day here but it would be a slow day at home. It seems as though not just the seasons are reversed in this hemisphere. All things normal at home are hard to accomplish here: phone calls, Internet. All of the foreign concepts at home are normal here: farm animals in the road, outhouses, starvation.
April 21, 2006
The first time in 3+ weeks that I've really been alone. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't feel good. I've been surrounded by people since well before we left Canada. I was definitely in need of space.
The same three kids came by this morning and I was a bit disappointed. Joel was busy with his laundry so I thought I'd have some "me" time. Then I reminded myself that we're here for them, not for us.
I just brought the laundry in and it smells so nice! We both mind the time factor in hand washing, but I think we just need to embrace it and enjoy the down time. It's not like we have a choice! We'll see how I feel in June though, when it's freezing cold out there and I'm washing my laundry.
April 23, 2006
It's so freaking cold in here! I can see my breath. Joel is freezing and I'm not much better. Nicholas (one of the Raphoolo boys) is getting help with accounting and I'm pretty much ready for bed.
We head to school to work tomorrow. I hope it all works out. I'm sure I'll be nervous, but I'm looking forward to having stuff to do. Worst-case scenario, we work in the garden.
I saw my first African rainbow today, and it was a double one! It didn't last for very long, but it was awesome all the same. We got a photo. It was complete too, which was cool.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....
April 24, 2006
We finally got to work today! The kids seemed excited to hang out with us and Joel taught the little little ones to give us high 5s. Very sweet. They would slap our hands and run away giggling. I wonder if they will remember tomorrow?
It's no wonder that the Basotho kids do not generally perform well in school. We are supposed to meet at 7:45. Some teachers don't show up until 8:15.We do an assembly with prayer, announcements and singing. At about 9:20 the kids finally get to class. But that just means that they're in/near their classroom. We went to each class to be introduced and not one was in the process of learning.
Out of 9 teachers, 5 were present (including the principal). One teacher left with the keys, so 2 classes of children couldn't even enter their classrooms. Nuts.
The school store room was broken into and 10 or 11 25kg bags of maize meal were stolen. Devastating.
The girls in standard 5 (grade 5) seem to really like Joel. They were so taken with our clip-on sunglasses! I'd love to have photos of them with them on. They were hilarious.
Some kids helped us in the garden today, even once school was over. It was nice to make a connection and finally feel like we're fulfilling our reason for being here. It felt as though our first two or three weeks were a waste.
April 26, 2006
We had a boy (16) come to our house today to ask about sponsorship. He lives with his father; he has 3 sisters who all live with the grandmother. It sucks, but all that we can really tell him is that we'll look into it, maybe put him on a waiting list. But that's best-case scenario. Will anything happen when it's out of our hands? There are so many who need help.
Today the standard 7 kids learned how to make scones. They loved it! We got photos of them, which they thought was really cool. Every once in a while they would spontaneously burst into song as they were cooking. It was great.
The teachers are amazed that we garden and clean with the kids. It's interesting to see their reactions.
April 29, 2006
Today there's a party at 'M'e MaNtabiseng's house. We don't know why, we just know we're invited. :) They're supposedly going to have joala, the traditional beer. Should be a good time!
Today I had one of those "this is so weird" moments. I went to the outhouse and there was a random horse munching on the grass, just outside the door. Hee hee.
May 2, 2006
Hooray! I'm sitting in a bathtub of warm water!! I just peed in a flush toilet!! (not in my bath water) Of course, this means we're in Maseru (at the Lancer's Inn). Oddly enough, Shauna Pollock, another Help Lesotho volunteer, is here too. She has totally jumped into the culture and the country. I wonder if the same will happen to us in Mahlekefane because it is so much more remote? You don't really have a choice but to jump in. It is great to see her.
I got to talk to Dad last night. It was so great to hear his voice. Today I will try to talk to Mom. I can't wait; I honestly feel like a kid on Christmas morning.
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