I Went to Mozambique

As you may or may not know by now, I spent last week on the beach in Mozambique. Well not entirely on the beach. I had a few beach days and then 4 days doing my PADI dive course. This involved a day in the classroom watching cheesy yet informative videos, a day in a disgustingly dirty swimming pool and 2 days with some under the sea time. I didn't see anything fancy like a whale shark - largest fish in the world - or a manta ray but I saw some fun colourful fish, a few sting rays and a bunch of other random stuff. I also got to destroy some centuries old coral reef as I crashed around the ocean floor trying to find my buoyancy, drank a lot of salty sea water, got carried around in a very strong current and did some unintentional barrel rolls when my weight belt weights were unevenly distributed. Fun times.

The weather was warm but not too warm, the mosquitoes were malaria filled but generally blown away by the night breeze, the accommodation was simplistic but comfortable and the music was bad but not, wait it was too bad. Really bad. Cliche 'beach music' of Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Bob Marley and Ben Harper was tolerable but night club techno like I have never heard before was at times, unbearable. Tara and I still managed a good time and some good meals. We also really enjoyed our two nights in Maputo, Mozambique's happening capital city.

Our first night there, we discovered a parking lot dance party - bring your own car (or hire one), with your own music - open the doors and pump the tunes of your choice and buy your beer from kindly older ladies with ice boxes along the beach. On our last day in Mozambique we enjoyed delicious coffee and wandered from restaurant to bar to restaurant to bar enjoying the fact that we could 1- walk around at night and 2 - had so many different places to see and choose from.

If you're in the neighbourhood, I would definitely recommend Mozambique. Brush up on your Portuguese and you'll be all good.

Pictures to follow

Freshlyground

Yes, I went to see Freshlyground in concert...again.

I love them, I can't help it.

Tara loves them now too so she was excited to plan a trip to Jo'burg to check them out live.

They are fantastic live. Better than on CD which isn't always the case.

We had a great day in Johannesburg - went to a delicious restaurant, stayed at a nice guest house and went to a fun fun show.

Watching them live just makes me smile so that is great.

We were in the third row and managed to force a few band members to take photos with us after the show. Very uncharacteristic of me but I guess I was in the mood.

The only Jo'burg scare was when I thought I lost Tara's camera and the it got taken. Turns out, I'd given it back to her and she had it in her bag all along. Oh the antics of two interns deprived of a social life living it up out and about in a big city.

Check the photos below.

The band owns the stage

I spotted Simon chatting with some friends and more or less anticked my way into a photo with him.

Because of Tara's sneak around tactic, Zolani had no choice to take a photo with her. Then a friendly Canadian insisted I get in for a photo as well.

Me and My Parents in...

LESOTHO!!!

Yeah that's right, my parents came to visit me in Lesotho. I know it's old news for most but it was really nice of them and we had a great time I think. They brought me a crazy amount of stuff from home - so much amazing coffee, wicked sweatpants (courtesy of my younger sista), a birthday present I have yet to open (from my older sister) and just lots of great stuff I've been missing.

It was really nice to get love and hugs and be around 2 people that know me pretty well and too drink lattes or cappuccinos or coffee everyday (where available) and have some really nice meals - fantastic pizza and mouth watering ostrich steak in Jo'burg.

Anyway, I'm just going to post some pictures for your enjoyment?

Ali Ali

Mom and Dad in Pitseng

Me and Dad horsing around...par for the course

Hanging out by the waterfall 1/2 way through our horseback ride

Mom's horse grabs a quick snack

Mom and Dad at the Malaelae Lodge coffee shop where we spent our mornings and afternoons.

Moving....Moved

Moving, some people like it, some people don't.

Some people are good at packing and getting organised, some people, as anyone who has ever helped me move know, suck at it.

This time, it was kind of different.

My manager was shocked at how much stuff Tara and I had, I can't say I was that surprised.

Recently, after wavering as to whether or not we should move from our cozy home into the staff apartments at the colossal new centre we were indirectly informed that we had no choice. Our days at the Craft Centre, St, Joseph's house, with our neighbours the Joames and a cast of ladies we have grown to know and love, were up.

If I am writing incoherently and in an incredibly disjointed manner, it's because I have just spent my first night at our new place. It's spacious (unnecessarily so), it's clean (but for the dust and old rotting food left behind by its previous dwellers) and it's fully stocked (but for a few things Tara and I have come to deem essential - drinking glasses, cereal aka any bowls and a holder for a shower head).

Right, so we're here and both Tara and slept HORRIBLY our first night. The best news for me is that there is a full length couch, which I suspect I'll be sleeping on regularly.

The point of this dumb story is that we have moved into a new place. The move wasn't so bad. I haven't unpacked yet. We have a neighbour for the time being in a young woman named Kate who works in the Ottawa office. We have running water and electricity still. We have our stereo and our coffee maker and we have enough floor space for a real dance party or for an aerobics class.

It definitely could be worse...I just wish I'd slept last night.

Seshoe Shoe time

First Try On - I thought I'd go for a heads of state theme. I don't like being told what to wear.

Yes pictures were taken of me hiding in the curtain - this is me with Retsu Retsu in a more traditional get up.

'M'e Makatleho & 'M'e MaIsaaca in their traditional Seshoe-shoes.

These are 2 kick ass grannies.

Me in the new centre posing because I had to. I going for the Masotho meets pirate look.

It's Cultural Appropriation Night!

Last night, Help Lesotho hosted a few members of the community at the new centre for a dinner as a way to say thank you for their support. I don't actually know who most of the people were. Easily identifiable was an Anglican Reverend, a Catholic Priest and a bunch of nuns. Otherwise there was the site supervisor for the construction of the site and his wife and a bank manager from some bank, obviously. Oh and a chief from Pitseng who wasn't actually supposed to get invited. The rest of the people, well I have no clue who they were. The food was good though and by the time we ate, that was really all that mattered to me.

To be perfectly honest, Tara and I, were the main event. Okay, I'm joking but amongst my co-workers we were a hit. Why you may or may not ask? I'm gonna tell you. Because, apparently, in Lesotho, cultural appropriation goes down a storm. Peg had instructed us all to wear our Seshoe-shoes - pronounced se shway-shways - the traditional get up for Basotho women. You see them all the time in a variety of colours, patterns and styles. The majority of the styles are a little, shall we say, old fashioned - mostly because of the sleeves. Tara and I had 2 days to pick fabric and get our dresses made. We stated firmly that under no circumstance would be get a full Seshoe-shoe, we were getting skirts and only skirts...okay skirts and head scarfs.

For someone who is decision-making challenged, picking seshoe-shoe fabric is kind of a nightmare. My favourite Masotho hat one is virtually impossible to find. A few workers in the shop, Goldern Wonder, recommended one with King Letsie III on it. Hilarious, Tara and I laughed and then of course, I went for it. I'll stop talking about it but I'm including photos. Oh and I'll mention the skirt making lady, seamstress if you will, mixed up my measurements with Tara's and vice versa. Luckily the measurements were comparable...but I have a little more room in the hips than required, for now anyway.

Signs

Here are some signs I've seen around Lesotho that made me laugh or err something.

Thanks Nedbank for your new sign which kinda implies that deaf people are in wheelchairs or are blind?

Uhh this petrol station has an unusual selection of goods...

I’m in Lestoho?

According to a training manual on secure land tenure and inheritance rights put out by Habitat for Humanity Lesotho and funded by CIDA and the German government, I’m in Lestoho. Well, on the English side anyway. They managed to get it right on the Sesotho side…luckily. I suppose worse than misspelling the country name are the contents of the document. I’m only halfway through a reasonably comprehensive tool for sharing information on land and inheritance rights in Lesotho but so far I’m not impressed. Okay, spelling errors aside, the contents are important but they are tough. Partially tough to understand with the mumbo-jumbo semi-legal speak and partially tough to understand because women cannot inherit or own land. Okay, okay they can but only as a last resort.

Under Customary Law, if the head of the household (read father/husband) dies, the eldest son inherits the land/home. If there is no son, the uncle/father’s brother gets the property. If for some reason there is no man or boy to be found, um, I’m not sure what happens, the manual doesn’t seem to say. If the heir is a minor though, the mother looks after stuff until her son is 18 but she can’t sell any of the assets, she just gets to keep track of them.

Now, there is also Civil Law in Lesotho and under this law, if a woman’s spouse dies, she gets half of the estate so long as it doesn’t amount to more than M1200, roughly $171 at today’s 7-1 exchange rate. Better than nothing? Gee I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway since it’s ultimately the King’s land anyway.

I’m not sure what I’m trying to convey but I suppose it is that I have been consistently bothered by gender relations here in Lesotho. As such, I would like to share the definition of marriage in Lesotho. Maybe it’s the same as the definition of marriage in Canada, which is not something I’ve ever looked into. Anyway, here is Lestoho “Marriage is a legal relationship, established by means of a state ceremony, between two and consenting persons of different sexes, obliging them to live together for life and to afford each other conjugal privileges exclusively.” How romantic. I hope one of my suitors proposes obliged shared lodging and exclusive conjugal privileges for life this Valentine’s Day. My co-workers would totally go for it. They are really pushing the prospect of a customary marriage in which I might be worth 20 cows. I say I’m asking for 40 which I've been told is completely unreasonable and unattainable. Um, yeah, thanks tips, that’s the point.

School's In!

Schools are in full swing here in Lesotho. The results from last year are out so kids know if they have passed or failed and with summer holidays over the kids have returned to the towns from their respective villages. Many kids stay with relatives near better schools if they can or are in boarding if they can afford it. The quality of schools varies widely all across Lesotho and I am getting a first hand look at both primary and high school level institutes of learning.

Part of my 'job' is to visit our sponsored kids at their respective high schools, as well is check in on our twinned primary schools to see what the current needs are. The needs at the schools are many and are varied, as are the needs of the individual children. Many wear raggedy uniforms and shoes with holes in them. Many don't get enough food at home, which adds another challenge to school in Lesotho. Aside from being hungry (which makes concentration difficult), there are anywhere from 35-65 students in a classroom, some classrooms are shared with one grade facing one way and another facing the other, often kids don't get stationery from the government until April - 2 months into the school year - I could go on but I won't.

This is a common story across the world I'm sure. Kids wanting to learn but resources being scarce. Teachers wanting to teach but not knowing where to begin. Principles and Teachers talk to us about the school needs without expectation and maybe only a little hope. We can only do what time, money and resources can afford. The good part though, is that even though life is hard people show up and that must count for something. It better count for something because I don't want to stop showing up.

I Can't Sleep

Well it's 4:18 am here and I am awake. I'm not sure if I have a lot on my mind or if it was the pesky mosquito buzzing in my ear and repeatedly biting me that has me pulled from my sleep at this hour. The mosquito is now nowhere to be found yet I know my repeated attempts on its life were unsuccessful and simply resulted in my hitting my ear over and over. Probably didn't help me doze back off either.

After going to bed with little dinner due to a lack of desire to eat (a luxury of a problem here) I have just eaten 2 fried eggs with toast, tomato and avocado (one of my occasional luxury items). Normally I would just eat plain toast at night but a friend taught me to have some substance with my meals...actually, many friends have taught me that. Anyway, I'm drinking rooibos tea with honey as well to help my aching throat, which I'm hoping is simply a result of a lack of sleep.

As the clock approaches 5 I am reminded that most people wake up at that time to start their days. Collecting water, putting it on the boil for bathing, making sorghum porridge for breakfast, getting kids ready for school, sweeping and tidying the house and then starting the commute to work.

Things have been busy at work as we have started our school visits. My counterpart, 'M'e Mampaka and I have been getting all the little details ready although I can't tell you if we're actually ready or not. We went to a school today to listen to the needs of the school, getting input from a small room full of teachers. The school itself is quite nice - rebuilt in 2009 by the government after the wind took it away. Shells of the old buildings still exist and there is hope that parts of the more sound structures left behind can be used to build a hall for assemblies, sports or events. Everyone will have to wait to see what is deemed the most urgent need and what the budget allows for.

I think I'll rest my head for the next half hour or so in case I can actually get some rest. Tomorrow (or today rather) we are visiting a rather destitute school that I've been to before. It will be quite the contrast to yesterday for our new visiting director of programs, here on her first trip to Lesotho.