Lesotho is no Liberia

So I am following a great friend of mine's blog as she chronicles her life in Liberia as an intern? volunteer? project manager? country director? I'm not too sure as she seems to be all of these things. Anyway, her blog is the best blog in town. I both feel like I am there with her and also am aware that I have no clue what it is like for her at all. Whenever I read her blog, I know that I've got it made in the shade or sun or rain. Lesotho is not a post-conflict zone and at times, that can make all the difference in the world.

I remember the advice of an instructor at Humber - don't wait until you need to be evacuated to make friends with the military. Well I haven't seen anyone who belongs to the military here in Hlotse or in Pitseng. I smile and say 'lumela 'M'e, lumela Ntate' to most of the police officers I see dressed in smart looking uniforms but I don't even know if they carry guns. I haven't seen them so if they are packing heat, they are packing concealed weapons. There are security guards in some shops carrying either batons or machine guns or both but you stop noticing them after a while...maybe.

So I am writing this entry for my friend who is both necessarily surrounded by and friends with military of all sorts. She is doing hard hard work with what seems like little support and at times is receiving much criticism for it. She has jumped in with both feet or perhaps she has dived in, head first with a blindfold on. I know she is trying her level best and experiencing things daily that can only make you laugh or cry or lose your mind. It feels like a donkey's year since I have seen her, since we left the comfort of Parkdale, red wine, parody song writing and our status as world class slackers.

We had a dream of reuniting in Botswana because it seems like a nice place. For now, my dream is for her to keep up the great work, stay sane(ish) and escape for some R&R when she needs it. When I feel down or as if things are just too much, I know I can read her blog and feel much much worse. Naw I'm just kidding. I can think of my dear friend Jack Ass and know that one way or another, things will be okay.

And then a pig ran into our yard...

It has been just another sunny Sunday in Hlotse. Quite hot I'd say and with not much on the go for the day, Tara and I decided to do a little shopping. On the list - a hat to protect me from the sun, a head scarf to keep her hair out of her eyes, maybe some rubber boots, or gum boots rather and anything else that might catch our eye I suppose.

It was a surprisingly successful adventure up one of the main roads and through the market. I got a hat...featured below. Yes, I passed up

a chance at an Addidas hat. Yes you read that right, not an Adidas hat, an Addidas hat. They call knock off merch here something that sounds like Faux Kong. A reference to it being fake gear from China. I googled Riggs (which is what is on my hat) and apparently it's a branch of Wrangler, who knows, who cares, I got a deal on it - 10Rand off the first quoted price.

Neither of us bought gum boots as the prices were all over the map. Maybe next time...which is why we end up gumboot-less in the pouring rain and say 'why didn't we get them before?'. No matter, we've survived. Tara found a bandana. She ended up with a navy blue one, as she was unsure about black after I made a comment about a pirate. She had misunderstood though as I was talking about the Orlando Pirates - a football club in the South African league. But I don't know what's wrong with looking like a pirate anyway.

I hit the jackpot finding slippers and in my size too! I'm including a picture of them as well because I'm so excited about them. They remind me of old man/grandpa slippers so of course they are amazing.

We also got some tomatoes - way cheaper and tastier than at Shoprite - and had a great time in a music store we had previously overlooked. For 3 Rand we scored some traditional Sesotho music on tape! They even have the likes of Jay Z, Mariah Carey, Freshlyground, Peter Tosh, Lucky Dube and many more on cassette. Next we need some house music to really fit in.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty low key as we drank coffee, read books and chatted... And then a giant pig ran into our yard. We started taking pictures and a woman came running after it, while another woman yelled for the pig 'spiky! spiky!' That's what it sounded like anyway. Not sure if it's the pig's name or what but off it ran, as you can see here...

So that was my Sunday in Hlotse. Just a few more hours to to fill so I don't fall asleep at 8:30. Oh and as you can see in the picture of me and my new hat, I did some dishes, as well.

Fleas

Yup, I’ve got ‘em.

I’ve had bites since the flight over and I’ve been wondering what they are from. I’ve only seen 3 mosquitos here so far and although they do not carry malaria, they are apparently quite annoying. If they get into your house they will buzz in your ear all night and feast away. Despite their imminent threat (summer is essentially here), these pesky creatures are not the cause of my bites. I kept thinking they bites would go away and no more would show up.

No such luck.

So after 3 weeks of biting, itching and scratching, including a night where I woke myself up scratching my legs in my sleep with my feet, I sought expert advice. I asked 2 co-workers what was up and who was likely responsible for the bites.

NEWMAN! They replied. No, no they didn’t but imagine if they had? In unison they replied “Fleas!” Apparently they were in this house before and are in and around the yard so are a common visitor. Or I brought them in from the plane, who knows.

First thing Monday morning I am asking ‘M’e Malompho, the office manager, who knows the answer to every question, where to get some flea stuff. I cannot take it anymore. It’s fumigation time! Couches, mattresses, pillows and who knows what else. Good thing some of my friends gave me some after bite. It’s helping as is the anti-itch cream Tara brought but I will have some scars for sure.

For now I'm off to a co-workers bbq, just to make an appearance. Here's hoping 1 beer on this hot sunny day won't impair the work I am to do this afternoon. Or here's hoping it will.

Top 3

The 3 things at the top of my list that I would really really like right now are…

1. A Latte! Or any specialty coffee really – an Americano from Blondies on Queen West in Parkdale, even a regular coffee from White Squirrel by Trinity Bellwoods

2. To walk down the street without attracting any attention and to be able to go for an evening stroll

3. A hug

Hmmm now that I mention Trin Bell I also miss parks.

I’m not suffering by any stretch of the imagination but I had a dream about ordering a latte in London, England and not being understood. I realise this dream is tapping into both a desire for a latte/coffee shop and some of the communication challenges I encounter here. Many people speak English but you know, we all speak in different ways and use different words and expressions and one can never quite tell what percentage of the conversation has been mutually understood. This works both ways. I’ve come away from many a conversation and upon conferring with Tara, realises we understood completely different things in the exchange or nothing at all.

I haven’t been doing much, cough cough, any, exercise and I would really like to go for walks. Two main issues with this – 1 - it’s a small town so there aren’t that many places to go – there are 4 roads leading out of town and it’s advisable that you only walk so far out of Hlotse. 2 – I am still new here and therefore worth paying attention to. It is common in Basotho culture to greet men and women as you pass them on the street but not necessarily required that you say hello to everyone. Well it would seem that the rules are a little different for me. I have two choices – greet nearly everyone or keep my head down and try to ignore my surroundings entirely. I get a lot of attention from children and young men and women and I don’t yet feel comfortable ignoring them all. When I go for a walk I like to keep my head up and look around so it’s a tough balance to negotiate but I’ll keep working on it...from the confines of my home. Just kidding, I’ll get back out there.

Lastly, I’m a big fan of hugs and appreciate their importance. I can’t say I like hugs from strangers so this one will be tough to figure out. I did get a great hug from a co-worker yesterday after I teased her about shutting down her computer early on in the day. It was Friday and we were all hoping for a sudden change in the work week that allowed us to knock of early. But I digress. When I got that hug, I realised how much I miss them. Maybe I’ll just start asking my co-workers for end of day hugs but probably not.

Anyway, I’m off to the Basotho Girls Leadership Corps end of year party. There will be music, dancing, food and who knows what else. I expect to have to dance and subsequently be laughed at. Luckily I’m much less of a poor sport than I used to be.

More Cowbell!!

Sho, I am back from 3 days in Pitseng. That’s the area about 45 minutes away, by private transport mind you, where Help Lesotho has a community centre – the Seotlong Centre (pictured below – like 2 entries below). It is located on Anglican church-donated land and the money for the building came from the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, so says the sign (actually pictured below).

Anyway, this was my first overnight trip up there but from now on* I’ll be spending Thursday evening through Saturday there. Tara will be there Tuesdays through Thursdays but for our first overnight adventure there, we both went. It was nice to have the company that is for sure. Pitseng is peaceful and beautiful. The backdrop is amazing and the stars at night are infinite. My photos of the mountainous landscape do not do it justice so feel free to come and see it for yourselves.

Ladies and gentlemen, the sounds of Pitseng stem largely from animals. Herdsmen stroll past with their cattle – you know they are coming and going when you hear, you guessed it, their cowbells!! I don’t think I knew the origin of the musical instrument/noisemaker version of the cowbell. It literally is a bell, worn by cows around their necks. I guess the cattle are warning humans to get the heck out of the way lest they be road kill. Other common sounds are cows mooing, inexplicably for hours on end, the usual roosters crowing, men and boys trotting by on horse or donkey back, often greeting those they pass by and the rush of water from the water tap.

There is a water right by where we stay, well 2, one inside our compound and one outside. From here we can observe and sometimes participate in, the talk around this life source. It’s like a more important water cooler where people of all ages collect water for cooking, cleaning, drinking and watering their gardens. It seems to be a great place to catch up on the news of today and greet the strange, new white people across the fence if they happen to be out. Yeah, that’s me and Tara. It’s less tiring and actually more interesting to be noticed by the people of Pitseng than it is the people of Hlotse. When I figure out how to explain it, I’ll try.

To rest my case, I must get ready for work now. I’ve actually been back a few days since I started this and leave for Pitseng tomorrow. This time, I’ve got some sunglasses so even if I play volleyball for another 2 hours in the sun, I won’t have the excuse of burnt eyes to leave you hanging for an update.

Note-I’ve been typing up the entries for our annual essay contest and I’m trying to employ some of the techniques used by some of the youth. It’s my subtle or not so subtle commentary on the teaching of English and its challenges.

*Only until the new year, which I just found out and helps make the whole scenario a little more understandable.

Ntate Peter's cow - Ntate Peter is our night watchman

Here and There

Until the new year, I will be dividing my time between Hlotse and the more rural, Pitseng. I have posted pictures of the external view of both but now, for your viewing pleasure, here are some pics of the insides of my two homes.

Our kitchen in Hlotse My bedroom in Hlotse

Our bedroom in Pitseng

Until I Can Muster the Energy...

and my sun burnt eyeballs stop burning, read this!

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/11/10/f-gutnick-help-lesotho.html

and here is a picture of our centre in Leribe as an extra reward for your visit to my blarg as I sometimes call it in my mind.



and here's the view

She Plays with the Darkness – A Book Review?

By Zakes Mda

With little to do in the evenings, I was told that I better like reading. Well, luckily, if I have a good book, I do. I didn’t actually bring many books with me, just James et la grosse pêche with which to work on my French and Managing Your Health: A Guide to living with HIV and AIDS, with which to work on my understanding of what it means to live with HIV and to share as a resource. Thus I am left to the books in the office library, quite an extensive collection I must say. I started with Zakes Mda’s, She Plays with the Darkness. It is set in Lesotho, starting around the 1970s. It builds around the story of a set of twins, well sort of twins, a girl, Dikosha, and a boy, Radisene, and follows their lives up until the mid-1990s. It has an element of historical fiction in that Mda seamlessly intertwines Lesotho’s growth as a country into the development of his primary characters. At times magical, at others upsetting, Mda paints a vivid picture of life in the Mountain Kingdom.

I would highly recommend this book - Reading Rainbow style. I sped through it and I am not a speedy reader. Mda is a well-known South African author with the type of talent that leaves you wondering if you have been able to understand all he has set out to tell you. I know I am always missing something…well, I’ll be honest, a lot but I still felt satisfied with this read. I believe you will be able to picture the backdrop for this story even if you have not been to Lesotho.

I hope you can find it at your local library.

Up next, I’m reading a book by another well-known South African author, Nadine Gordimer’s July’s People.

Happy reading

My Home...for now

Side View




and no, we don't have satellite or any tv for that matter, I guess our neighbours do

Front View



That's my bedroom window on the left and our living room window on the right.

Coffee, Laundry and Country Music

First things first. Fear not, I have come up with a way to brew my own coffee without a coffee maker. It’s mountain brew! All you need is water, a working stove top (read – electricity), a pot and of course, coffee, ground coffee. We had been getting by on instant coffee. Way too easy to make and unfortunately, lacking in authentic flavour. I do have a few emergency instant packs from some great friends who saw this situation coming. It’s actually a really good option, smells like coffee, tastes like coffee and seemed to get those nasty caffeine withdrawal headaches out of the way. I’m intentionally not advertising the source so figure it out yourself if you really want to but I’d rather you continued to support your local independent coffee shop or make your own unless you find yourself in a bind, like me :)

Anyway, Tara brought some coffee so we have been experimenting daily with our mountain coffee. The first was too weak, the next still a little weak yet and a little burnt but this morning, let me tell you, it was happening! Strong enough to make it out of the pot (yeah that’s right, I used a tea expression to talk about coffee) and I made it without making much of a mess. Or wait, was today the day I spilled it on my sock? Either way, it was good. We have added coffee filters over a strainer into the mix. This after using tissues the first few times – not used ones of course. So coffee is great. I bought some more in Ficksberg, a small town across the border in South Africa which requires an entry unto itself, to make sure we had enough coffee to keep us going. Clearly, I am very happy about this.

I also tried my hand at laundry today. I was never good at hand washing as the girls in Ghana kindly made clear to me by consistently taking over the task despite my protests. Here though, although we will have someone coming to clean and do most of our laundry, we must take care of our unmentionables on our own. Fair enough. Nice activity for a Sunday afternoon, especially when the local radio station is playing yesterday’s greatest country hits. Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers’ the Gambler, Dolly Parton, and some song about a Gypsy woman, to name a few. Great great stuff.

It’s been a good day. Who knows what the rest will hold. If you’re lucky, I’ll post some pictures just now. At the moment, I think it’s lunch time or at the very least, round two of coffee time.

Don't wait a donkeys year to be in touch.