Ha Sefako, Butha Buthe, Lesotho
I graduated from Penn State and currently live in Lesotho, Southern Africa as I serve in the Peace Corps!

My Lesotho Videos

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.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Mike Dissen down to wearing the same clothes for multiple days and only bathing once a week?? I didn't think I'd ever see the day, now you're like the rest of us men. haha interesting stuff dude sounds like things are going well, i'll try to check back and read your blogs more

Tara Lang said...

Your mouse needs a name....I'm going to go with Stewart (with the guess that Kristalyn will fully agree with me on this) but maybe he needs a Lesotho name as well just like you, so you will have to decide that one.( I love your name by the ways, it so fits you!) Instead of the mouse trap, you could always make him a nice little cage home and become friends! haha
MISS YOU TONS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY once again!! <3

Unknown said...

hi michael!!! i think that it is hilarious that you had a STARING contest with your mouse! haha i laughed so hard when i read that. and the issue with you showering once a week miighhht pose a problem haha you know what i mean;) anyway i hope you had a great birthday and as for coming to see you i would LOVE that. me and chels are going to plan it cause we both want to go really bad. love and miss you!!!

Katie said...

Hi Mike!!!!! I hope you had a great birthday. I was thinking about this time last year when we all went out to celebrate your birthday... I believe it was around the time we had the brick wall incident :) I still have a little scar from that! But anyway, I miss you and it would be amazing if I could visit at some point. I am so proud of all that you are doing, especially how much you are helping the people & teachers there, going on these long hikes/walks and dealing with spiders and mice. I just remembered our extra long 3 hr. Mt. Nittany hike last spring and how miserable we were at the end... and now look at you! You've come so far! I love the updates- keep those stories coming!

Love, Katie

Mike's Dad said...

Mike, you're too nice.
Plug the holes and get rid of the mice and spiders!!
Then I'd suggest you work on losing the pink chairs!!

Have fun, be safe-

Love you,

Dad