Hello!

Lumela!  I just got back from my friend Meg’s house.  Seven of us are living in Mokema and have been taking turns cooking dinner for the group.  Tonight, Meg, Nicole, and Janice made hamburgers.  I brought a pineapple!  Eating together is a nice way for us to spend our nights.  We are usually free from 4 until we go to bed.  It gets dark around 7, so the fact that I am up at 8 is a little bit late! 

When I got back to my house, I spent a little time with my family.  I got to hold baby Mike, who is about 24 days old!  The family I am staying with decided to name him after me because we arrived at the house on the same day.  Apparently it is a huge honor to have a child named after you because names are chosen based on characteristics the parents would like to see in the child.  Who knew I had such great characteristics!!  Right now, my room is a mess and I have dishes that I really should do.  One of the 5 gallon basins that I wash my dishes in broke, so I have to figure something out.  I have a desk/table that I have all of my stuff on.  It looks like someone just dumped a box of stuff on a table and put a lantern in the middle. 

We went food shopping today and I bought a ton of fresh fruits.  I am kind of boycotting the vegetables because one day last week my peppers were fine, the next they had maggots and were just a ball of funky mush.  My onions smelled like BO and my tomatoes had layer of fuzzy mold around them.  I guess my large pot that doubles as a refrigerator when I place it on the floor in the shade doesn’t work so well!  I went through 4 years of college without eating Ramen Noodles.  It took me 1 week in my village to cave and buy 6 packs with my friend John to make a few times a week.  I am going to have to figure something else out very soon! 

So my site in Ha Sefako…I found out last week that I will be living in Botha-Bothe, one of Lesotho’s 10 districts.  It is a northern district and I am as far north as you can get.  I am very close to the South African border, which is awesome because they have great grocery stores!  I love the fact that I will be able to buy almost anything I would need to make almost any dish.  Now, I am not so sure that I will be making a wide variety, but it’s great to know that I can! 

Quick note, I just took a bathroom break.  I don’t think that people will ever think that it is normal to see me walk around with a light strapped to my head and a roll of toilet paper in my hand.  I am hoping that I do, however, get used to the latrine.  I have a feeling that sitting in a little out house that leans to the left and has a solid 15-20 foot drop will always be uncomfortable.  Being able to wave to other people from the inside always helps to break the ice though! 

Anyway, I will be living in the north and I have a neighbor!  Phil, whose blog is listed on the left, will be staying in my village.  I call it “my” village because I hope to be the king J  I am really excited to have a neighbor.  I am starting to get the idea that my village is pretty remote.  I asked someone how far we were from the camp town, which is the capitol of the district and usually has a place to buy food and stuff like that.  They told me that it was about 2-3 hours away from me.  Many people hitch hike here, which is very safe and free!  When I asked about that, my friend laughed and said that not many people travel to that village and that it is the end of the road.  Things could be very different when I get there, so I am trying not to make any assumptions.  Whatever it is, I’ll make the best of it!

By the time I post this, it will be Christmas Eve!  I can’t believe the year is almost over!  It is soooooo hot here that even listening to Christmas music doesn’t help it to feel like Christmas.  Tomorrow we are hiking a mountain, having a barbecue, and swimming in a lake!  I’ll tell you all about it later!

Miss everyone!  Love the comments!