Lesotho Update #7

Friday, March 31st, 2006

Good morning! It's 9:49 a.m. here - you're all snoozing at 2:49 a.m., safe and warm in your beds in your heated (or perhaps by now, air conditioned homes!)

I will be leaving for Mahlekefane shortly. I have two huge bags of boots and coats for the teachers' kids and am so excited to see them in their new warm coats. It was difficult to find cozy warm things here - they don't have many warm North American style coats, because people dress in layers and top everything off with their heavy Basotho blankets, often worn as though they were capes.

I am spending four uninterrupted weeks in Mahlekefane and am thrilled. The two days I've been away, I've been missing the people there and the clean, clear air and absolutely breathtaking view of the mountains. It is totally indescribable, the beauty of the mountains (that is rivalled by the beauty of the people). The village where I live is on the edge of a mountain - agriculture is done on plateaus up the mountain. If you walk towards the school, you approach a steep slope down to a river that leads to the Katse Dam (the freshwater dam in Lesotho that belongs to the government of South Africa. The South Africans pay the Basotho $21 million a month for the dam...none of this filters down to anyone who needs it in this country). If you walk away from the school, towards my hut, you head into higher mountains, like the one I will be climbing tomorrow - the pyramid shaped Maleqatse (q is a click). I'm excited to get back to the village and see faces that have already become familiar and dear.

Last night, I was able to find supplies for makeshift S'Mores that we shared with our Basotho friends around a campfire. I have been staying with two wonderful Ottawa girls who are interns for a closely associated CIDA sponsored project called Youth Against HIV/AIDS. Donna and Mel have been wonderful support and I'm crazy about them. It was the three of us along with 'M'e Mahlmpho (the office neighbour and an incredible single mother of 3 living on an 800 Rand a month teachers' salary - her boys are very bright and succeed in school, but high school is crazily expensive, so she struggles) and her boys Matekoa, Mpho and Hlmpho. There were other friends there as well, a friend of the boys named Thabo (which you will recognize as part of my Sesotho name, 'M'e Mathabo!) and a woman who works at the nearby Leribe Craft Centre.

The Leribe Craft Centre is in the same compound as the Help Lesotho office and was a project created by 'M'e Mojaje (of long ago computer lessons - we actually had another this morning!) to create a livelihood for disabled women from nearby villages. They make beautiful mohair scarves (in wildly bright colours) with mohair collected from goats in the mountains at Ha Lejone (20 minutes from Mahlekefane). The women clean, dye, spin and weave the wool into gorgeous crafts. All of them are physically disabled and energetic, lovely and friendly. At the fire last night was one of the women - she is profoundly deaf and speaks in sign language only. She was delighted the entire night. As the maize roast progressed, we were joined by more neighbours (all the women who work at the Craft Centre live on the compound and wanted to join the fun).

We had a blast, singing songs, playing games, wishing on stars, learning sign language, eating roasted corn and S'Mores (the night watchman even stopped by for a treat!) and laughing at 'M'e Regina who told us stories of witches. This week, there has been a much discussed news item - a woman who reporters are claiming is a witch was found sitting in a taxi one morning, locked inside in only her "panties and petticoat". I don't know what this has to do with witchcraft, because she could have easily locked the door behind her after entering the parked car, but for some reason, her being inside the locked car, and barely dressed has made her a witch. There are some strange superstitions about witches that 'M'e Regina told us all about.
Mpho was waving a stick in the air after roasting marshmallows - the stick had a bit of burning ember at the tip. 'M'e Regina made him stop right away, as it was beckoning witches. There are all sorts of things you cannot do after dark - waving burning sticks is just one. If you leave out your laundry, cut your nails or your hair after the sun goes down, a witch will pick up your clothes, nail or hair clippings, sniff them and know that they are yours and will come and do terrible things to you (never specified). Before we went to bed, Donna took down all her laundry. 'M'e Regina's stories were hilarious, she is a gifted storyteller and uses her whole body and face to tell a story. She is hard of hearing and was teaching us signs by the fire. We laughed so hard. It was a wonderful night for me to be in town, the first time I have been outside after dark here!

Thanks once again for all the wonderful e-mails, the support and the news from home. I'm sorry I have been unable to respond to all individually, but I have read all messages and really appreciate them. It's only that the internet is so slow and expensive here that I don't get a chance to write lots of personal messages. When I get home, I promise to make up for it! Do know that your messages are being read and absorbed. I feel so energized and empowered from all the love and appreciation I have recieved from you. Thank you for that. You have helped so much in charging up my batteries for the remainder of my time here.

This break has been great, refocusing me and reminding me what I am doing here and I return to the mountains today refreshed and totally eager and enthusiastic. I will be back to Hlotse for a couple of days at the end of the month. I am coming down on the last Friday of April (the 28th, I believe) and will stay for the weekend. Because I will be back, I have arranged with the neighbour here (the beautiful 'M'e Mahlmpo, mother two three clever, funny and charming little boys) to collect any mail for me. This means that if you are interested, and can do it in the next couple of days, you can send me letters, photos or items from home! Mail takes about three weeks, so anything should be sent ASAP in order for me to be able to recieve it! I'd love somethings to read - a paperback, some current magazines (how I miss my celebrity gossip!), some tasty milk chocolate (the chocolate here just doesn't compete with ours and the small supply I bought in Switzerland is long gone, shared with other Canadian volunteers!). Most of all, I'd love letters and photos to keep with me. Anything that can be sent should not be very valuable, as I have been warned about the reliability of the mail here, but I would be SO happy to get anything from home! The mailing address is c/o 'M'e Mahlmpho c/o St. Mary's Home Economics School PO Box 707 Leribe 300 Lesotho. I brought many balloons which have been hugely popular, but I'm running out and they are not available here for a decent price. Also, the kids are crazy about the punching balloons (available at the Dollar Store in Canada), they're sturdy and attached to an elastic.

Any little sign of home will be so appreciated when I've been gone for seven weeks! Thanks once again for reading these and joining me in this journey, this wild experience!

I'll be in touch in late April or early May!

Happy April Fool's Day tomorrow,

Bye-byeeeee (as the kids say here, it's the cutest the way they raise their tone at the end of the second "bye")!