The pictures I added are of my house and town. When I say I come to town, I leave my small village and come to the place in the picture. I'll try to take more pictures, but didn't want people to notice the camera!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Pictures!
The pictures I added are of my house and town. When I say I come to town, I leave my small village and come to the place in the picture. I'll try to take more pictures, but didn't want people to notice the camera!!
HIIi
Hey everyone! I’m sitting in a double story rondoval, a grass roofed hut, typing to everyone. I have to keep my computer connected to the power because my battery won’t charge! I’m not really sure what’s going on. Anyway, about 8 volunteers are here with around 20 high school students for Diversity Camp. This weekend, the students learned about people who are different than most people living in their village. We had gay and lesbian speakers, a person who is HIV positive, a Taiwanese woman, and people to test and teach about HIV/AIDS. The kids seemed really engaged and interested in what was going on. I think it would be great to do something very similar in my village!
It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog, so I’ll catch everyone up on the past few weeks! Last Wednesday one of my schools hosted Cultural Day. The day was a chance for people to sing and dance to traditional music and get together as a community. Women sold some of the arts and crafts they made, which was a great way to bring some money into the community. Some of the profits benefited the orphans in the community! It was really cool to see some of the traditional dancing. I’m going to try to put pictures up and even video on youtube! We also got to see girls coming back from initiation school. I’m not sure how much I can really talk about it…it’s very secretive, but the school is where they learn how to be a man or woman. When the girls came back, they wore beaded masks and were topless. They had painted their chests white and were parading through villages to show the men that they had become women. Some of the girls will go back to school, but many will not.
On Friday, my schools had a welcome party for me! All of the teachers came and we had a great time! It was a really nice thing for the teachers to do. We ate, danced, and had a great time!
Well I have to go! I'll be back in town in 2 weeks!!
It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog, so I’ll catch everyone up on the past few weeks! Last Wednesday one of my schools hosted Cultural Day. The day was a chance for people to sing and dance to traditional music and get together as a community. Women sold some of the arts and crafts they made, which was a great way to bring some money into the community. Some of the profits benefited the orphans in the community! It was really cool to see some of the traditional dancing. I’m going to try to put pictures up and even video on youtube! We also got to see girls coming back from initiation school. I’m not sure how much I can really talk about it…it’s very secretive, but the school is where they learn how to be a man or woman. When the girls came back, they wore beaded masks and were topless. They had painted their chests white and were parading through villages to show the men that they had become women. Some of the girls will go back to school, but many will not.
On Friday, my schools had a welcome party for me! All of the teachers came and we had a great time! It was a really nice thing for the teachers to do. We ate, danced, and had a great time!
Well I have to go! I'll be back in town in 2 weeks!!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Hey everyone! Sorry for the quick and choppy update! I haven't been able to charge my laptop and it is expensive to be online long enough to type a decent blog! So I'm in town for a camp for some high school students. I will have service until sunday.
Things are going pretty well. It turns out, I have 2 mice. I took out my carpet and discovered that there was a ton of dirt/dust under it. No wonder my allergies are terrible! I also found 2 small holes that the mice get in. I filled them with dirt and put a rock on top. I can hear them trying to get in at night, but they haven't been able to! Yay!
Well I have to run! I am going to try to post a real blog entry and maybe a video of my house in 2 weeks!
Miss everyone!
Things are going pretty well. It turns out, I have 2 mice. I took out my carpet and discovered that there was a ton of dirt/dust under it. No wonder my allergies are terrible! I also found 2 small holes that the mice get in. I filled them with dirt and put a rock on top. I can hear them trying to get in at night, but they haven't been able to! Yay!
Well I have to run! I am going to try to post a real blog entry and maybe a video of my house in 2 weeks!
Miss everyone!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Bathing (or not), Mice problms, and travel plans!!!
First! Thanks for the birthday messages! I got a ton on facebook, some e-mails, and some here. It made my day!
Kelly - things are great! I am having a wonderful time. I have not seen a lion, but I will keep an eye out! if you e-mail me at michaeldissen@gmail.com i will be able to write you more often!
I just spent the past two hours washing my t-shirts and underwear. I am exhausted. Last time I hand washed my clothes, which was about 3 weeks ago, I realized that I should probably wear things for a few days before throwing them in the basket. I am not so proud of this, but I when I got dressed Sunday morning…well let’s just say I’m still wearing the entire outfit and it is Wednesday. Bathing is also a hassle because it takes about half of one of my 2 water buckets to bathe. I also get water everywhere and don’t usually get all of the soap off. So I’m down to bathing once a week. Right now it is summer, so I am really pushing it with my not bathing or changing, but once it starts to get cold, things will be great!
Earlier this week, a teacher at one of my schools (I am a resource for 4 schools) asked me to help him teach science. He was not sure how to teach without the necessary materials. After a little searching, I found the school’s math and science kits. The kits, which are really just a metal cabinet, there are all kinds of great materials to help teach math and science. When I found it, I felt like a kid on Christmas, or Hanukkah Sally! With the help of another teacher, I unwrapped everything in the cabinet. Everything was in a box and wrapped in brown paper. I got so excited to unwrap everything and explain to the teacher how to use it. He was so excited to learn how to use most of the objects that I ran to get other teachers to spread the joy!! Most of the teachers were completely overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do when I handed them a teaching clock, a bag of unifix cubes, or some other random teaching aid. I had just finished observing each of the teachers, so I knew what they were teaching, especially in math and science. Each teacher left the room knowing how to use or teach with at least 2 objects and all promised to teach with them before I came back the following Tuesday. I am so excited to see how it went! The teachers have been drawing abacuses on the board and the kids just didn’t understand what an abacus was. I really think they will start to get it with the help of all of the new supplies!
Also. I have a mouse. It is now official that I have a small, golf ball sized, brown mouse living in my grass roofed hut. He kept me up all night Monday, rummaging through anything that made noise. Every time I shined my light on him, he would disappear! Last night I found the little thing. We had a staring contest and I haven’t seen him since. I’m not embarrassed to say that I told the mouse that if he peed or pooped on my counter or anything else in my house, I would get a mousetrap. I think he knew I meant business! The spiders…they are another story. No matter how many times I tell them to stay out of my bed, I wake up with one staring at me.
Last piece of business. I know sooo many people want to come and visit me, so you should probably make some travel arrangements now! I would LOVE anyone to come visit! I can’t find the school schedule right now, but I have a rough idea. You can come any time, but there are definitely more convenient times to come and also times that might be more fun. Our school year runs from January to roughly November. Our winter break is June and July. So November and December would be a great time to come and June or July would be amazing. If you want to come as soon as July, my friends and I are planning a trip to Swaziland and Mozambique around the last 2 weeks of July. It would be AMAZING if you flew into Mozambique, hit the beach for a little, and then drove back to Lesotho with me and stayed for a week or so!! If you wanted to come when we were in school, it wouldn’t be as exciting, but we could work things out!! Plan now and let me know! I would be sooooo excited!
As always, hope everyone is well at home! E-mail me some updates!! I don’t think I’ll be back in town until the 21st. We’ll see though.
Kelly - things are great! I am having a wonderful time. I have not seen a lion, but I will keep an eye out! if you e-mail me at michaeldissen@gmail.com i will be able to write you more often!
I just spent the past two hours washing my t-shirts and underwear. I am exhausted. Last time I hand washed my clothes, which was about 3 weeks ago, I realized that I should probably wear things for a few days before throwing them in the basket. I am not so proud of this, but I when I got dressed Sunday morning…well let’s just say I’m still wearing the entire outfit and it is Wednesday. Bathing is also a hassle because it takes about half of one of my 2 water buckets to bathe. I also get water everywhere and don’t usually get all of the soap off. So I’m down to bathing once a week. Right now it is summer, so I am really pushing it with my not bathing or changing, but once it starts to get cold, things will be great!
Earlier this week, a teacher at one of my schools (I am a resource for 4 schools) asked me to help him teach science. He was not sure how to teach without the necessary materials. After a little searching, I found the school’s math and science kits. The kits, which are really just a metal cabinet, there are all kinds of great materials to help teach math and science. When I found it, I felt like a kid on Christmas, or Hanukkah Sally! With the help of another teacher, I unwrapped everything in the cabinet. Everything was in a box and wrapped in brown paper. I got so excited to unwrap everything and explain to the teacher how to use it. He was so excited to learn how to use most of the objects that I ran to get other teachers to spread the joy!! Most of the teachers were completely overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do when I handed them a teaching clock, a bag of unifix cubes, or some other random teaching aid. I had just finished observing each of the teachers, so I knew what they were teaching, especially in math and science. Each teacher left the room knowing how to use or teach with at least 2 objects and all promised to teach with them before I came back the following Tuesday. I am so excited to see how it went! The teachers have been drawing abacuses on the board and the kids just didn’t understand what an abacus was. I really think they will start to get it with the help of all of the new supplies!
Also. I have a mouse. It is now official that I have a small, golf ball sized, brown mouse living in my grass roofed hut. He kept me up all night Monday, rummaging through anything that made noise. Every time I shined my light on him, he would disappear! Last night I found the little thing. We had a staring contest and I haven’t seen him since. I’m not embarrassed to say that I told the mouse that if he peed or pooped on my counter or anything else in my house, I would get a mousetrap. I think he knew I meant business! The spiders…they are another story. No matter how many times I tell them to stay out of my bed, I wake up with one staring at me.
Last piece of business. I know sooo many people want to come and visit me, so you should probably make some travel arrangements now! I would LOVE anyone to come visit! I can’t find the school schedule right now, but I have a rough idea. You can come any time, but there are definitely more convenient times to come and also times that might be more fun. Our school year runs from January to roughly November. Our winter break is June and July. So November and December would be a great time to come and June or July would be amazing. If you want to come as soon as July, my friends and I are planning a trip to Swaziland and Mozambique around the last 2 weeks of July. It would be AMAZING if you flew into Mozambique, hit the beach for a little, and then drove back to Lesotho with me and stayed for a week or so!! If you wanted to come when we were in school, it wouldn’t be as exciting, but we could work things out!! Plan now and let me know! I would be sooooo excited!
As always, hope everyone is well at home! E-mail me some updates!! I don’t think I’ll be back in town until the 21st. We’ll see though.
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