Mid March

So, the past few days have been pretty fabulous. We had a permie re-unite down in Quthing, at KJ's ridiculously too big and too nice house. We met her students, bought some solar-baked bread (delectable!) ate good food (after hours of trying to 'grill' hamburgers), discussed Lizzie's recipe book, went for a hike, saw cave paintings, developed cosmos predictions, at even MORE good KJ-made food, shared ideas for future nutrition booklets, boated it back across the river, and then spent quality time with Miss Drunk M'e on the sprinter the whole 3 hours from Mohale's Hoek... Oh Lesotho!!

I have been trying to compile a Nutrition booklet for my center's cooking staff. I'm gathering info on food groups, dehydration, vitamins, recipes (in both English and Sesotho), and (protein and carb-added diets for HIV positive people. We'll see how it goes... Might need some help, Lizzie. =)

Again, everybody, thanks for all the packages and mail. (I have two more in Pitseng and it kills me when I get the slips in the P.O. box and I have to wait until the actual office is open to find out what they are!!) By the way, I binge-wrote some letters last weekend. So be on the lookout for a Lesotho-stamped envelope coming your way. I'm trying to improve with my replies to people...

I'm really REALLY glad my parents FINALLY received the box I mailed from Ficksburg!! I know the elephant is kinda hippyish looking Gram & Deb & Mandi & Chris, but it's funky and it's from Swaziland =) Hope everyone else likes their small, VERY delayed Christmas surprises.

I don't really know how to react to hearing about deaths from home. I mean, I cannot actually do anything to alter life's course if I were home. But it's just DIFFERENT to be so far away and hear about it. Maybe it's because I am so far away that it all doesn't really ring true in my mind. It doesn't hit close to home, because I'm not at home? I just accept it now. Life and death happen. It could be that I've been in Lesotho long enough and so I have become a little more insensitive, and I probably sound very selfish. But, I can't really stop living my life to make sure I'm home for everything. Yes, I guess I have gotten to be a bit more insensitive. Sorry. It's the truth about how I feel though. Really, Dickie is better off. Much better off. And that's what I focus on. I feel weird mentioning the more recent one because I haven't spoken to my Mom yet. She was the one who knew him best. But it does make me think of Grandma Lila. <3 Anyway, know that I do love you Mom & Dad & Ryan and I do wish that I was home sometimes, just to BE there.

Okay, serious moment just passed.

I'm very suprised by how many people read this, and how many letters and cards I get that say people read about my adventures. It's amazing. Really.

Salang hantle

<3 Am

I wonder if that worked...

So I don't know how these pictures will post -- I wanted to fit in text by each individual one, but I stink when it comes to figuring things out computer-related when I am on a time limit...Sorry! Anyway, the first one goes out to my mom and dad -- Thanks for the bday present!!! They fit TOO nice huh?? Numero dos: Mother and daughter volunteer duo and me in my hut after their going away dinner & caramel corn gift 3: Me & my new purchase for myself 4: the national (or should be) flower of Lesotho
<3 Am

Jan/Feb. Update

So just a few recent happenings in my village:

I organized an HIV testing day at my center for last week. That one, along with another unplanned visit by a clinic and its testers, allowed for some relief. There were 75 people in total tested, and 73 were NEGATIVE!!! Huge. And so relieving. For real. I was brainstorming with my supervisor and other volunteers how we would be working out an ARV schedule and education and ARV buddies and clinic transport for visits...Now it's only two people, which is plenty do-able.

I miss Ausi Tsepiso. That brat left Lesotho to go travel around South Africa's coast and now she's in Ethiopia (I think). Then India. Then she will end up home in Israel around June. I'm jealous, but not, because I'm sure she's spending a boat load of money...and that's something I can't do. But either way, I still wish she was here some days. To say funny things and laugh and complain together.

My parents are coming to visit!!!! March of 2009!!! I'm excited. It will be a very touristy visit, but that's okay. They will be coming to southern Africa, a place I'm sure they will not visit twice in their lives! They're the best.

Thanks for the birthday boxes, Judy, Ashley, and Mom & Dad & Obi!! Judy, all the Snickers are now gone, as well as the pretzels. I only shared with two other people. (I'm quite the stingy one when it comes to Snickers...) I even remember the secret candy drawer where you ALWAYS had a stash of them in your kitchen... =) Ash, like I said in my text, my fingertips were throbbing one night. I'll have to start putting tape on them or something. The smelly reeds and pic are cool too. My house smells good and the pic is magnetically sticking on my heater -- I don't exactly have a frig to stick it on...! =) Mom & Dad: You know I brought my pink blanket here, but didn't have room for my pillow when I was packing way back in June. And now I have them both here!!! Thanks!! The M&M's were enjoyed by many other volunteers, as I set them in the middle of the four computers when we were here ALL DAY, and later we all had the worst stomach aches!!! And the speakers and book and little slipper/booties/moo-moo boots? Thanks for thinking of me!!

Pevel, I love the pictures of Leila and the letter, and especially the hair bands and BubbleYum! I hope you got my text. And yeah, don't try to text back. It only worked with one person in the past. And he had Nextel. And I think it was a fluke anyway. But now, you can only text me with Skype. Which is awesome, but I don't know how much it is. No worries. I <3 snail mail the best!!!

Anyway, I must khotso out! Stay well and Happy New Year's and Happy MArdi Gras &...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM AND SARA MELICK!!!!!!!! Ha ha you're both older than me!! =)

<3 Am

My latest news...

So, it's been a while since I've said anything of substance. I only come into Maseru for short amounts of time, and chances are when I'm here, many other volunteers are here for the same reason...and we ALL want to use the internet...and we only have 4 computers! So, that means my time is limited!

Anyhow, the whole past 6 weeks (or more) have been holiday time in Lesotho. All of the kids at my center left back in the beginning of December and they are returning tomorrow -- thank goodness!! I didn't realize how much I miss them!! Also, school starts back up on Tuesday (or Wednesday?), so there will be the daily buzz of students and teachers and parents meetings. Of course the garden workers are there every day, and there is a group of men at the project right now finishing up the other school building. We also have a rotation of men building a pig house, as well as re-modeling the kitchen so some of the older disabled youth have a larger area to live in. My latest activities have involved planning a CPA visit (and possible employment opportunity for the project), setting up an HIV testing day for all the residents of my center, still thinking about that playground, and (on a personal note) teaching myself to play my newly purchased guitar. Pretty soon, thanks to CF Kidd and my mother, I will have MCAT study books and materials, so they will occupy some of my down time as well...I've thought A LOT about my future in the recent past. So just thought I'd update you all. I'll try to do it more often. If anyone would be interested in donating to my playground project for my disabled center, let me know! I know many of you have asked about ways to contribute while I'm here...just an idea...

I think of home quite often, but I am truly having a satisfying experience here in Lesotho. The other day another PCV told me that she could tell my work is satisfying here, and I never verbalized that to her. So it's obviously the truth. But I'll never forget my roots! =)

<3 Am

2008 Already??

So holidays in Lesotho are a bit slow, as far as work goes. Only because EVERYONE'S family comes back to their home villages to hang out and have family time. Therefore, not much work is done. Simply lot of food-making, eating, and merry drinking. Being that I wasn't going to miss much at my work site and most other volunteers are in the same boat, we decided to skip our host country's holiday celebration by visiting neighboring RSA...

After being in landlocked Lesotho, the ocean and its waves and the sandy beach were an extremely refreshing site to see (even causing tears for some...KJ). We all took turns getting burnt, NOT SO MUCH trying to surf because A) it was WAY too expensive & B) it was WAY too windy, walking into the little town of Cintsa, drinking chocolate milkshakes that taste like ColdStone Cake Batter, hanging out with Tom our roommate and his random witch cackle laugh, playing bartender -- which meant 200 Rand (accidentally) worth of drinks being given away..., DANCING, volleyball with wine breaks, getting LOST on the way to East London, taking FOREVER to find a place to eat at 4pm on NYE -- ending up at Guido's -- with incredible service and Pensioner's special (Jen), doing the fake puke, or REAL puke for that matter (out of windows, on feet), having a very DELECTABLE curry dinner our last night, enjoying the Afrikaans language and road signs, laughing at Akoua and Liz getting half-buried in the sand because they passed out and it was like a sandstorm on the windy beach, being wary of the BATHROOM BED and the night sounds that come from within, attempting to fix the ONLY safari tent that daily fell apart -- yes the one that me and KJ stayed in, making friends with all the crazy staff...so in a nutshell, one could say we enjoyed our time together HAHOLO over the holidays!!!

NYE: eight of us PCV's along with many random backpackers from all sorts of countries rang in the new year South Africa at an awesome little (well not so LITTLE) backpacker's place called Buccaneer's. There was a big party down by the pool with lots of wine, lots of whiskey shots, horrible music, a bit of sickness BEFORE 11pm and sharing a sunrise moment on the beach with a naked Big Foot/Sasquach! Hmp!

That's sort of the short version of our week-long stay.

I miss everyone and hope you all had just as fabulous of a 2007-2008 celebration as I did. Which, I'm sure you all did.

<3 Am

Feliz Navidad

So Christmas in Lesotho. Hmmm. VERY loud Basotho music all day long and random children (and adults) coming up to me and saying, "Ke kopa Christmas." (I want Christmas.) I don't really know what that means so I just replied with, "YES MERRY CHRISTMAS to you too!!" Anyway, getting ready for an adventure on the Wild Coast of South Africa. Hmmp! I even bought a zebra-looking dress for NYE! Let you know how it goes...

<3 Am

P.S. Posted more pics

A couple links...

Check these out! Hmm hm!!
http://www.peacecorps.gov/multimediapages/photos/index.cfm?gallery=worldaidsday

If you want to see my pictures...but bigger
http://picasaweb.google.com/amsber