I am the filthy American.

Both Palesa and Nthabileng think I am the worst kept person in the world. I told them it is because I don't have a woman keeping after me and they enthusiastically agree!
Several times they have taken things of mine and cleaned them for me because they were so disturbed by the discoloration. I clean, a lot, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, I do it all. They want one level better. I had to tell Nthabileng that my back pack was dirty because I wanted people to know I had been places. All my pots have this dark discoloration on the outside from the gas stoves. Palesa hates it and is still trying to decide whether it's legitimate to say I am keeping them dirty so people will believe I do, in fact, cook though I am a man.
Thankfully, I rarely let anyone see the unmade bed in the other room!!

Buses and I are not getting along very well lately. Trying to get back to Semonkong I decided to wait for the afternoon 2pm bus. In light of recent events, my thought was the newer government buses are less likely not to have problems. I was wrong!
Half way through the trip and just before we started our climb up Thaba Putsoa, the mountain range before Semonkong, the bus dies. We are told there is no power. I have no idea what that means but we stopped in Ha Ramabanta to wait for another bus to rescue us. This is actually Casey's village but unfortunately Casey was still in Maseru so I was stuck waiting for another bus until 8:30pm. We didn't get to Semonkong until 10pm. On the bright side, they didn't try to continue driving and end up down some embankment and I have mastered the art of shuffling home in the darkest dark of Africa. For the record, I was not scared at all and made it home just fine! Next time I will take a real flashlight just in case!

Don't freak out or anything. Lesotho is not burning!
You probably didn't even hear about it but there was an assassination attempt made on the Prime Minister on election day in South Africa. Opportunists are everywhere. The email I am posting is from a communications officer at the embassy that updated all of us on the sitch. I just thought it would interest someone. . . maybe.
U.S. EmbassyMaseru, LesothoWarden Message- Attempted Assassination of Prime MinisterApril 22, 2009This warden message alerts U.S. citizens to security incidents thatoccurred in the early morning hours of April 22, 2009, in Maseru.Local media are reporting the attempted assassination of Prime MinisterPakalitha Mosisili on April 22. Following this incident, sustainedgunfire was heard in Maseru West, and gunshots were also exchanged inthe areas surrounding Ratjomose Military Barracks, Makoanyane MilitaryBarracks and the National Abattoir between 3:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.Following the incident, three assailants fleeing the Prime Minister'sresidence carjacked a combi-bus/taxi in Thetsane Extension. Reportsindicate some of the assailants were killed and others apprehended bypolice, who are still actively seeking other suspects. There is noindication of Americans being targeted, and all gunfire appears to haveceased at this time.The U.S. Embassy advises all U.S. citizens to remain alert at all timesand to consider of the potential for crime throughout Lesotho. Weremind American citizens that they should stay current with mediacoverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at alltimes.For the latest security information, Americans living and travelingabroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau of ConsularAffairs Internet web site <http://travel.state.gov/> , where the currentWorldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, andhealth-information resources can be found. In addition to informationon the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on securityconditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outsidethe U.S. on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers areavailable from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday throughFriday (except U.S. federal holidays).The U.S. Embassy continues to encourage U.S. citizens living in ortraveling in Lesotho to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy throughthe State Department's travel registration website,https://travelregistration.state.gov/, and to obtain updated informationon travel and security in Lesotho. Americans without Internet accessmay register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy.The U.S. Embassy in Maseru is located at 254 Kingsway Avenue, tel. (266)2231-2666. The after-hours emergency telephone number is (266)5888-4035. Office hours are Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. andFriday, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The U.S. Embassy website ishttp://maseru.usembassy.gov/.

Well the time has come again for another group of CHEDs (Community Health Economic Development) to leave. Unfortunately, CHED '07 is an awesome group of people and helped us transition to Lesotho. My winter just got a little more drab... **an icy tear for them!**
Anyway, they had their COS Banquet this past week; April 22nd. It was good times and great to see everyone. I think almost the whole CHED '08 group (the group I came with) came in to see these guys off.
Some of you might see the few pictures of me with a mohawk. That's right, the hair is growing out and that hawk was my ticket to be Casey's date. No, I could not resist!

Made a weekend trip to Bloemfontein and now I see why Peace Corps volunteers consume such great quantities of alcohol. It's no wonder when you visit them at site where there is nothing to do and then travel with them to places that have nothing to do!
Bloem, as the locals call it, is a provincial capital for the Free State area and it is also the Judicial capital for all of South Africa. This doesn't sound very exciting because it really isn't. Basically you are looking at the melding of Afrikaner Free Staters and the recently empowered black government living together. Like much else in Africa, it is a work in progress.
The town doesn't have much to offer to a Westerner coming to visit Africa and it may be nothing more than a gas stop to most but to Lesotho's Peace Corps community Bloem is a sweet haven of civilization, better food, and two movie theaters. Nothing could be more amazing. Unfortunately for Casey and I, the movies were less than spectacular. No Casey did not want to drag me to the newest Chick-flick so we ended up seeing the newest Underworld movie; Rise of the Lychin (sp??). It was good and for a movie that is basically made to fill in gaps from the previous one, the story was pretty interesting.
Other than that and some decent food in town, Casey and I sat out at the Waterfront area drinking a few beers and enjoying the extreme lack of a donkey smell in the area. Woolworth Foods and Pick-n-Pay are heaven for anyone who loves food but a distinct hell for a volunteer on a strict 'cheap is best' budget. We did get a few good things and the Panini sandwiches with cheese were amazing.
Our backpackers, Backpackers at Naval Hill (lodging), was alright but what made it was Ann and her family's kindness. They were more than helpful with tips and places to go. We are also extremely thankful for the info about the Satanists. Witnessing burning baby sacrifices was not part of my vacation plans.
Casey is awesome to travel with though this is the only trip I have ever made with her. It's a shame she is peacin' out and heading home. She will be missed but already has an awesome trip planned in Costa Rica to work with a friend.
This reminds me that if ANYONE hears of or knows of work, keep me in mind. I like real paying jobs just as much as the next person! Cheers!

Monday, 4/13: Today I have off for the Easter Holiday the same as most Basotho. The holiday's always see an increase in customers riding public transport from Maseru headed out to Semonkong. A line of hundreds has formed since the early hours of the morning with people headed back to Maseru and elsewhere. The bus companies try to keep up with the swell in the number of people but inevitably fall short, but attempting to accommodate in a timely manner isn't always the safest.
Proof of this occurred this morning between 7:30 and 8am about thirteen miles (about 20 km) outside of Semonkong when one of the buses went off the side of the road and halfway down an embankment.
It was a fairly straight stretch with slight bends and a strong upward grade. This kept the bus at low speeds. Looking at the site, it is a thankful wonder how the bus didn't begin to role side over side. Instead, it ran into two large boulders about 50 feet down the embankment where it rests with a strong lean on its left side. The front end took most of the damage due to careening into the boulder that stopped the bus.
There were many injuries but mostly everything was minor. Reportedly, four people including the driver were in pretty bad shape with injuries to the back and legs. Others had arms, legs, and feet that needed x-rays to determine if they were, in fact, broken. Most others had bruising and abrasions that were treated at the site and again looked at here in the Mission's clinic to identify where stitches were needed.
Fortunately, we can say it could have been worse and only hope that everyone recovers.
I was running up the road at the time and when I reached the site it was a mess of people all standing and staring at the bus below. It was about an hour after it happened and the first vehicles taking the injured passed me just as I reached that last hill.
Everyone was very shaken up. There were still those that had serious injuries when I arrived but were forced to wait for additional transportation. One family from Cape town that I had met at the Lodge a couple nights before did stop and had a first aid kit to help patch up people and clean injuries while they waited. It was a really awful feeling to know I couldn't help treat people once there were supplies available. I'm still not too sure how I feel about that Peace Corps rule but at the time I tried to make myself as useful as possible. Just by chance, the family came well prepared with supplies and some first responder training. Finally, a group, of which two were doctors, arrived and offered their services even heading back to Semonkong to help in the clinic.
There are obvious rumors of a tired driver or some story about a faulty stirring rod. Obvious, quick conclusions can be drawn just from the fact that Kwela Bus service is using the most run down of all the buses that service Semonkong. Even more disturbing is the increase in driving time that drivers see during the holiday season. That then is compounded by their own tendency to participate in the festivities after work.
We will have to see what flushes out from the police investigation, if anything substantial at all. Hopefully, however, this will alert people of more serious problems: poor vehicle condition limping between Semonkong and Maseru, overloading vehicles, staff that are overworking and no formal regulation of driver time. These issues will continue to be contributing factors to a very poor road environment. It is only this time that everyone has come out with so few serious injuries.

Happy Easter!

It was a good Easter. On Friday I did this crazy hike up to one of the tallest peaks outside of town and turned it into an all-day loop. Robbie and I hung out at the Lodge, met some cool people, and had an awesome dinner on Saturday. I ran both mornings, did some taichi, and made pancakes which were awesome. The mission has been extremely quiet because everyone who lives here including the boarding girls all went home to spend the holiday with family. The quiet is cool but I do miss the people and the noise. A few times I have gone to the local bars just to play some pool and see people in town. I have Monday off too so I plan on running out to Ha Phallang which is about 13 miles round trip. Surely gonna take it easy after that!

Much love to everyone. I enjoyed the call Sunday night from everyone! It was great to hear everyone there!

Went out to Ha Moahloli Thursday. This is the village where the BTCV group from the UK helped to build a community garden. Apparently, the garden is looking pretty scrappy and the indigenous plants have all died.
Ntate Matsitsi, the staff member who works in Ha Moahloli, has been trying to gather people to build a grow box at the nursery too but no one has come to collect stone. This has left Matsitsi and another staff member to work in the village alone. I flat out told Ntate Matsitsi that he should stop working on the grow box until people come to help. I even suggested that we auction off the purchased materials for the grow box to other villages. They can pay by the show of how much stone they have collected and community participation they gather. The donors, however, may not like that too much! Matsitsi knew what I was saying but part of the problem is everyone knows it's his job to work on these projects. I guess he must complete them even if no one else wants it completed. And that's the face of wasted time on an un-sustainable project.
Well this trip with Nthabileng to the nursery was to look at the site and talk to people responsible for watering and caring for the place. I went to lend another critical eye and to see for my self what's going on. By the look of everything the place could use some more lovin'.
The women who are responsible for the site are frustrated because they were promised payment for their work. It never seemed to occur to anyone to explain the labor needed to have a working nursery for indigenous plants, vegetables, and eventually fruit trees or the potential reward from their work. KMA also doesn't have the money to pay its own staff, much less to pay these guys. The idea of volunteers in Lesotho has been warped anyway. More accurately people are volunteering for work and expect to be paid for their attendance.
At least the site has a fancy new sign. It is meant to greet tourists and officials visiting the site. No one considered that people must find their way, first from Semonkong, and then to a village off the road and up the mountain. It hasn't even been a year and the well thought out mess seems destined to go the way of other 'white elephants'; those projects funded by good intentions but disconnected from the communities within which they are established.
I haven't determined if the community is just waiting for the BTCVs to return next year and not go home instead working there permanently or if everyone is just waiting for a constant paycheck. Either way they are wasting a good opportunity. There is a similar problem with the Organic Farming group who are starting to fray at the thought of the idea and the amount of work.
The problems don't seem to have a similar fix but I hope I can show just the opposite. Thinking for both groups like I would think for my self if I was preparing such a business venture, I realized that no one has actually sat down with everyone involved and discussed the actual benefits of such projects. No one has done any kind of market research and presented it to the members. Anyone else would want to look at potential savings or additional profits making extra effort worth the changes needed. I hope, at least, that I can take the group through this process and help them to understand the possibilities. Otherwise all the other trainings meant for these groups during the winter are pointless for a group that isn't sure why they are changing their methods in the first place.

The season has come for the electricity to begin cutting out. Luckily just when I get home is about the time it shuts down to store up water at the dam for the next day. So my life has completely changed from just a few weeks ago.
Now I cook with a camp light on and read with candles while listening to the Ipod. What once was bright and illuminated is now dark by 5 pm and light again by 7 am. It's amazing how much I don't really care, at least not yet! I remember those first five weeks in CBT (community based training).
I lived in this one room shack smaller than the bedroom I have now. The place was voted the worst of all the houses in our village. Rightly so, a block building with no insulation, it had a half functioning door, two small windows, and a tin roof separating me from the outside. By five the sun was going down and the place was cold. I've never tried to go to bed so early in my life!
Cooking was a great time waster. Trying to figure out gas cooking coupled with an inability to cook and not much to cook made for some interesting meals. After dinner I would sit as close to the gas heater as I possibly could with a regular rotation like a well done rotisserie keeping all sides more or less not frozen.
Of course, cooking at night as it got colder caused the steam and that heated moisture rose to the top where it collected on my tin roof. In the morning that condensation had collected on the tin roof and everything else in the place leaving a winter wonderland look that wasn't as enjoyable as special as it sounds. My clothes were always so cold. They felt frozen because of the dampness. Once 10 am came around, though, that condensation would start raining down everywhere.
Huddled in my warm sleeping bag under the covers on my bed just as I got up in the morning was the best. There were a few times, just when you get up and you aren't sure where you are, that I sent myself back to a few mornings waking up in the Smoky Mountains. The air was clean and so cold. The crispness of everything is so joyfully startling.
Cold is a completely different beast when there is no haven from it's unrelenting torture. The constant invasion of a blast from the wind or the deep settling dampness that inches ever closer to the core down to your bones is worrisome. There was no central heating then, like now, or a car to give a blast of heat on high. All day is the same battle for warmth. That's when we all started to go native and huddle on the sunny side of buildings wearing dark colors to absorb as much heat as possible.
I'm not sure if I am remembering these things fondly or not but they are rushing back to me as I sit in the dark with a jacket. Those thoughts remind me that winter does come to Lesotho. Thankfully, I live in the second coldest place in Lesotho. I guess the memories of CBT will be thought much warmer compared to the highland chills of Semonkong.

Staff meeting 2

Yea sometimes sarcastic jokes, of which I make a few, don't go very well when people take you serious. At the beginning of that staff meeting the director made a smiling—what I thought joke—comment about my Sesotho ability. He said, “And now Hlompho(me) can speak Sesotho fluently!” They were excited about the two day business session I taught just before this meeting. Clearly they were not there to hear by broken Sesotho because when I jokingly said “yea, I can speak Sesotho perfectly now” they actually believed me. Mistake!
I just read this week that most international, European Union, and other multi-lingual meetings all practice the same rule. The majority language best spoken by the attendees is the language of the meeting.
Yea, no that doesn't make the meeting any less painful. Next time I'm playing deaf or I'll continue working at my Hearts game on the computer.

Thieving Sheep

Semonkong Drama unfolding
A herd boy was passing along the mission the other day with the animals he was hired to care for but the Priest caught him grazing those animals. Don't laugh, animal conflicts are the number two issue with local Basotho.
The Priest was pretty upset and went to the herd boy telling him to hand over the animals. It is customary that when the violator is caught illegally grazing his animals then he looses the animals until he can pay the fine determined by the violatee, the person who was violated. When the priest tried to take the animals the boy got real upset and was very angry saying he was just taking his animals back to the owner.
Calling other people over for backup the Priest finally got the animals and headed them off but the boy was still pretty angry. Later that day, apparently the boy came to the mission and confronted the priest violently pinning him to the wall telling him to release the animals. Someone interrupted the meeting and the boy somehow ran off.
The next day the owner, the boy, the Priest and his entourage all met to discuss the animals return. In exchange for the animals the priest is demanding compensation of R5000 (about $500). Winter is coming and grass is running scarce, right?! Really the priest is pretty angry about the boy's actions and is using this as a way to show his disappointment. The owner, of course, can't pay that fine and is still in negotiations. The first round had the Priest walk out of the meeting unwavering on the amount of the fine.
Word is the Priest is expecting two letters of apology, one from the owner and one from the boy. Both he very well likely get because the other option is to have a meeting with the area chief, a man who represents all the other little chiefs in Semonkong and also acts like a court system with binding decisions.
Tune in next week and we'll see the conclusion to 'The thieving sheep'!
HAPPY EASTER!

Allison and Kjessie really got me this April 1st. I couldn't believe how gullible I was when they called acting as a secretary for Peace Corps' regional security representative. A perfectly scripted dialogue put me on edge and got the ole' heart running. It was especially disconcerting since on the same day, Wednesday the regional security representative had made an appointment with Robbie to discuss security issues in Semonkong.
Plans are in the works to get them back. At some point, some day, turn-about will be sweet!

To end this week (the first of April) Palesa and I had a potato storage demonstration in one of KMA's villages. This is a pretty neat and inexpensive method of storing produce people have before winter. Though it didn't seem like the farmers were too keen—I think their minds were elsewhere—but the staff and others have expressed interest. We are going to do some tests this winter to see how the potatoes store and for how long they seem to last. With success I hope farmers can use this method to store their own potato seed for the next year which will give them a huge advantage.
The technology is pretty low-tech. It uses basic concepts regarding air circulation, insulation, moisture, and base temperature levels. Because it is so simple, hopefully locals will use the idea to store not just potatoes but cabbage, carrots, beets, and other hearty late fall produce. If they do it right then by September—the end of Lesotho's winter—people will still have food when most are hungry and can't grow anything.
In honor of a good and busy week I am taking it easy Saturday. I'm going to hang out, workout, drink some coffee and read some. Sunday I hope to increase my run by heading out to Ha Phallang which will be a 13 mile run.
I hope everybody is doing alright back home. I would love to hear from you guys. What's new with everyone?

KMA Staff meeting on April 2, 20009.

I'm sitting in on a staff meeting today. Actually, I am writing this while in the meeting. I'm not sure it would be any different if the meeting was conducted in a language I could understand but in Sesotho it makes it that much more useless. At least they started out in kindness to me by using English but that didn't last long.
Being invited to this meeting was a nice gesture but it's surely a waste of my time. I do feel it is necessary for them to think I am a part of their team. When they want my input a question in English reaches out to bring me back from the fringes! I suppose that is just the place I carved out for myself; the quiet consultant tapped for information when needed. It's not a bad spot to sit because I know they are working through issues on their own until they reach a point of uncertainty.
I'm most excited about a statement that the director, Ntate Moahloli made in line with what I have been saying for a while; KMA should strongly consider making the transition to more of a business model. Once he introduced the idea to the staff, it was reinforced that once KMA makes that move it is permanently removing the possibility for NGO status. The fact that this discussion has started is exciting because it is in my assessment that no organization that is receiving donor money is a sustainable organization nor is truly capable of long term development. Maybe I am too harsh or sound like too much of a capitalist advocate. Whatever, it's exciting none the less.

Alright, so I had an excellent two day training with a group of women who are trying to develop into a full-fledged business. They are spinning wool and mohair (the hair from goats) into spun yarn and then selling it to weaving groups in Maseru. Most of our work the past two weeks has been to introduce the idea of a business based on the costs it takes to produce wool.
One of the most telling moments was beginning the training with a question. I asked the women what it cost to travel to Maseru and purchase the uncleaned wool then to bring it back to Semonkong. In their analysis of those costs they determined as a group that it cost at around R300. Once we wrote it out, however, and thought through the trip it ended up at about R400. The costs for transport were completely forgotten once the women arrived in Maseru. Similarly, the costs for food wasn't well determined.
Of all the concepts, the women thought record keeping was most helpful in depicting their money's activity. On the first day we introduced the concept of tracking the groups money through keeping a record book. On the second day, as a way to evaluate their understanding of what I talked about the day before, I had the women fill in a record book for the month of April. It took nearly an hour + but it was very successful in demonstrating the ideas we previously discussed and their level of understanding. They did this with great accuracy and worked very well together, even teaching one woman the activity since she was not present the day before. We used this record in April to then make a budget for May that reflected their concern for the speed with which their money disappeared.
Something I already expected and tried to cater to was the fact that farmers, like many people, like to “do” things rather than just be told about them on a superficial level. Introducing an idea and then allowing them to practice the idea provided the needed chance for the idea to solidify into a real and practical activity. More than anything, everything was made relevant to each woman. Instead of the typical business training that included a large specific set of vocabulary and equations that attempted to calculate hourly pay and the such, relevance was prioritized to include the women's expereinces. What do they make per one kilogram of spun wool and what costs are included in each kg made the women think about what they spend their money on.
This seems really boring and dorky but I'm just extremely excited about these two days. The excitement stems from the women's energy and participation. I could tell immediately that they wanted to know and cared about the information I tried to communicate in Sesotho. It is amazing that they worked so hard to stick with me as I spoke Sesotho throughout the training. Everything was spoken with a hope that they would follow better if I tried to use their language. The simplicity of my sesotho, something similar to a child, may have aided in their understanding because I didn't reach for words outside their understanding. Thank goodness Palesa was there both days to help translate for these women!

I did some winter prep work on my house this weekend. It really only consisted of sealing everything up. I used packaging tape around the ceiling to cover the gaps. Hopefully that will keep the hot air in and all the bugs, mice, or other stuff from coming down. Trying to make do with what I've got, I've used plastic bags for the huge gaps around my bedroom door and over the open electric outlet on my wall. Looking so closely at my place I see all the issues with its construction. Tape sealed up the gaps, window putty keeps the rain and snow from blowing in, and a grocery bag makes a barrier between the live wires hanging from my wall. Thankfully I realized the wires were hot before I ever ran the risk of dieing. I must remember to thank dad for all the electrical training through the work on our house. With the amount of experience I have from back home I could be an electrician here. The three wires have been hanging out of my wall since I have been here and at least I don't go grabbing things when I'm bored. Apparently placing some red tape at the end of each wire was the universal sign for live wires. What a mess.

What's for dinner?

I was hanging out at home on a Sunday afternoon when I get a knock at the door by some of the kids on the mission. It was anything but normal when I opened the door to two of the kids standing over a half alive crane. As if this startling sight wasn't enough, the two kids told me this was a 'gift' from some people on the mission. 'A gift,' I repeated. 'What kind of gift?', but already I knew the answer. The universal sign of patting the belly and smiling told me this was meant to be dinner.
To the best of my ability I tried to explain that I don't really eat crane though it was a great gift. After cleaning a fish in front of the kids, trying to explain that I don't eat meat would have been impossible. I really tried to hide my disagreement about having the bird in the first place especially after seeing how strangely sick it seemed. God knows if they ate it instead.

Finally, My first fish!

I've caught my first fish from the rivers in Semonkong!
Saturday morning I reluctantly got out of bed at 5 am to head down to the river. Staggering along the rock edged as I switchback and forth toward the river bank I can't help but think how futile it is to even try. This river must be fishless. I have thrown my line in so many times in the past six months that I can't believe I will catch something.
The curious nature of a fisherman is the determination to enjoy the act of fishing with the optimism of enticing something on the other end. Isn't it as much about communing with the river in spiritual union as it is about catching an awesome trout? No, communing is great but eating fish is another type of communing that I can't say I would turn down!
Within the first ten minutes I had nice sized trout on the other end. A real fighter that swam back and forth pulling at my line and flopping about the water, gave for some great excitement. It's not a snag if it's moving!
I got the guy to shore and became the happiest person in Semonkong. I must have stared at him for a few minutes just to convince myself it was real. Not twenty minutes before I had been in bed so maybe it was just a dream. The cold wet feel of the fish still flopping on shore brought me back.
There are pictures! This is no fish tale. I do, however, have the second half of the story up river in another rapid, a hole I have thrown a line into again so many times I can't count. Where's the luck today? I get above the rapid, cast my grasshopper fly at the top and let it flow down skirting the rocks rolling from the top to the bottom and back to the waters surface. The current brought the fly out just above a rock out-cove and a deepening hole. I played with the fly giving it some action as I could imagine a grasshopper having in the water and quick as lightening another trout grabs the line.
Now hindsight is a mysterious thing because it's playback not only includes what did happen but with some help from my imagination is tempted to play out alternative possibilities. In reality, the time between the fish hitting my line, me working to reel it in and the line snapping all was too fast for me to do much else. There is no picture of this fish. It has become my fish story. The one that got away with my grasshopper fly and the first section of my fly rod.
Yep, that's right, in the recoil of the the rod the tip slips off and into the rapid I am standing above. In a fruitless search, I get into the water knee deep trying to locate the end of my rod. Nothing, not even a good idea of where to look other than 'down river'. My fisherman's optimism is still high and the adrenaline is still running so I can't help but laugh, look down river and at the rock out cove. 'I know you are there fish'.
I figure I can contact White River and ask for another piece to be sent. The excitement could not be tamed to the point where I cleaned and cooked the fish all before 10 am Saturday. I have never had fish for breakfast but it was amazing; fresh, clean, and delicious. Thanks Dan, Amy, Jake, Sam and Nathan for the rod. Thankfully I do not have to rely on it as my only source of food but it is great to have!

There is a tenuous relationship being lived out under my roof. Naturally we push and pull getting irritated with each other like neighbor tenants in an apartment complex.
I live down below in a two room house, the pigeons live just above me at both corners of my roof, and the rats claim mostly the rest of my roof space as their playground. Much of the time we tend to get along, or better said, we stand each other. Since the rats are only busy late into the night I am hopefully asleep and not bothered by their shuffling play above me. The pigeons and I are on worse terms because of the incessant cooing that begins at dawn and which they insist to continue throughout the day. I have kicked them out on several occasions leaving them running from a man wielding a hammer to bang the ceiling.
Lately, however, the relationship has been strained. The pigeons wish to roost in the drop ceiling space and the rats in good fashion would like to have those nested eggs as a snack. The fighting between the two can be intense at times. I have even wondered how sturdy my drop ceiling was constructed imagining the group of fighting creatures crashing down on my floor.
Have I thought about kicking these guys out. Of course, I have contemplated numerous ways of preventing their entrance or poisoning them before escape. The thought of dead animals decaying above my bed has deterred me from trying that. Instead, like a good drama does, I have been drawn in and captivated by one of my only sources of entertainment. Did I mention my pool game is getting pretty good too.
Semonkong, entertainment is in short supply!

Anywhere in the world kids will press you to the brink of annoyance. Casey, another volunteers about an hour and a half bus ride from Semonkong would attest to this fact. A group of volunteers were down by the river at Casey's site swimming as a group of kids with their donkey stopped by to gawk and chid our group with taunts just to be normal kids and be silly. We started out of the water and headed up the bank. The kids were headed our opposite direction but their donkey wasn't really following. As much to mess with them as to entertain the rest of us, Casey starts to herd the donkey back toward her village, the opposite direction. This donkey was all about it running with us. I guess it was tired of carrying the 50 kg bag of corn meal on its back.
Once the kids start to figure out what is going on we are 40 yards from them down the road with donkey by the side. The kids, running in their larger-than-their-feet rubber rain boots, finally catch up breathing hard and laughing too much to catch their breath. “The white girl stole our donkey” I'm sure the kids were thinking. That must have made their week and really given them something to talk about around the fire at night!
Donkey finally sputtered off to the side of the road stubbornly giving up. Freedom was short lived for that one once the kids got close enough and turned the animal around to head home. It was excellent entertainment for all of us!

Package day!
Not sure why it all comes at one time with different post mark dates but none the less I have gotten a few packages from people.

Melissa and Brian,
I received your letter and it's great to hear from you. Look for a response in the mail.

Tom and Mary Anne,
The early Easter box you sent was excellent and I would like for you guys to know the bubble rap did not go to waste. Some kids on the mission here love the stuff!

Stephanie,
I got the Christmas/Birthday gifts! Thanks and they were awesome!

Mary and Mitch W.,
I got your card. Thank you! By the looks of the Disney pictures I am not sure who had more fun, the grand-kids or the grandparents!

Mom and Dad,
I got your box. Might could use more package tape in the future. Thanks for the box but I am just wondering where the half used container of Country Time Lemonade powder came from. Sounds like something Chadam put you guys up to doing! Also, I got Steven's address. This is his heads up to a letter coming his way.

Thank you guys for thinking of me out here. It brightens up a slow day and makes my trip through town interesting (everyone wants to know what's in the mail when they see me!).
Cheers and Happy early Easter!

Vacation plans.

So I have a goal. It's actually the only trip I absolutely want to do while I am here. This might sound strange on the continent of safaris, Mt. Killimenjaro, or Egypt (further away than you think). The only thing I WILL do is get scuba certified. I have already been asking around and have tracked down a place in Sodwana Bay. The place sounds really great, the service there is personal and friendly, and the diving in this area is supposed to be amazing. As a good friend advised “you can get certified in any water but why not pick a place where you can enjoy the scenery while you are in the water?” Good advice Craig. Really I have wanted to get my certification for years now since those years back in Salter's Path, NC. The opportunity has arisen and I am plannin'.
I'm pretty excited already and have admitted on numerous occasions that I will go on my own if I have to. There are a few people who might want to come along. I can't imagine having to convince to many people in July when the winds of Lesotho are blowing the coldest and the call of the ocean is the loudest!
Hluhluwe Game Reserve is right there and iMfolozi Game reserve was some king's private animal park back in the day so no matter what I will also get my big five quota filled hopefully! In any event, it's nice to be planning a distraction for myself. As winter comes with the shrouds of darkness and cold (literally the electricity will be gone!), it is refreshing to plan an escape.
So please keep me in your thoughts as July comes around!

My potato storage demonstration this week was cancelled. More accurately, Palesa and I showed up in Ha Lesala and only three people showed saying others were in their fields harvesting. They were saying because of the lack of rains it was a good time to cut the wheat which it really was with a few days of solid sun.
I can't say I was too upset once I realized it was best to cancel. Yea, I wasted a trip up to Ha Lesala. Yes, it we had to hike up there sit and wait to be told that no one was going to show which did suck. In reality, however, farmers aren't as tied to my watch and calendar as I am. Their schedule run by a different set of rules. Their livelihoods depend on their tuning to this more natural undercurrent of time. Noticing the subtle comings of rain or the shifts in the wind are critical. Not wanting to sound Victorian and not about to break out into poetic verse, farmers are truly tied to their fields. We rescheduled for next Friday. Hopefully this will give farmers some more time to bond once again with their wheat.

I collected the last of the bobatsi seed from the plants in my garden today. I have probably ten thousand seeds in a jar now. I hope to use the seed as demonstrations in the early spring when bobatsi first comes up when the other vegetable plants aren't willing to fight the cold. Already we have been discussing seed collection techniques for bobatsi, serue, and tepi, the most prominent wild vegetable plants in the the area. If people are successful enough then they can use this local plant in the gardens, grow something quick and early to sell in town when other people are wanting of fresh vegetables. Bobatsi is also loaded with nutrients. This is probably why I don't like the taste. To me it's like eating a multi-vitamin and I don't mean the Flintstones kind.

F R O S T !

March 18th was the first frost of the year, a full two days before the first day of fall! It's going to be a long winter. My back garden was destroyed loosing my tomatoes, beans, butternut squash, and zuchinni. Now I have about twenty greenish tomatoes hanging in my window and ten butternut on my floor waiting to ripen. Hopefully they do that before they rot!

This makes for a pretty short growing season here in Semonkong. At least the tomatoe plant growing out of the concrete by my door stays warm at night near the house! That green thumb, I don't even know my own hero strenghts!

Ag day for the Farm boy.

So I saw G-Unit Lesotho and the Giant while I was attending Seremula's Semonkong Field Day.
First impressions:
My Sesotho sucks and I hate going through a whole day whispering into Palesa's ear asking for a translation or 'What did she say?' kind of stuff. I had one woman tell me I should go home if I don't understand which made my stubborn side even more determined to grunt through the whole thing.
Potatoes are a quality crop for Semonkong (I'm not a dork for saying that because it's my job!) Seremula's seed potato production is a fledgling upstart industry that will hopefully take root in this area. Being one of the coldest places in Lesotho has its advantages for something.
Seremula is a pretty well organized organization with management skills. They put this field day together very well and kept it on time (they even announced a 7 am start time to calculate for Basothos' persistent tardiness; we started 2 hours later!).
Having longer hair means I must keep track of it throughout the day cause by the end I had a wind blown mess.
Finally, I don't know if it's the lack of deserts or that it was really good, but the layered jello crumbled cookie desert was amazing. I only had one bowl because I couldn't find my spoon after the first. It can't be too professional to slurp jello in public.
Seremula Development Organization
This is another development organization that resembles KMA, the organization I am helping out. Unlike KMA, Seremula is a development organization sponsored by Helvetas Swiss International Cooperation for Development, William Keith Kellogg Foundation, and others which means it receives a great deal of financial and I would assume, human resource support. Seeing the way this group produced this Field day leads me to believe they have gotten management and leadership training. This organization is actually not centered in Semonkong but instead has offices in several districts of Lesotho with a main office in Maseru.
Members join the group the same as with KMA with an annual due owed but I have heard complaints that members are typically wealthier individuals in the community making it feel more like a country club. Though I am not sure what people pay in annual dues, I do know the type of agriculture this group promotes is more field intensive and chemical dependent. Chemical use is exclusive. This fact is what alienates people in Semonkong the most. The prices for seed and simple farming tools is already an issue but chemical costs make this kind of farming unattainable for many in this area.
This is one major argument for the improvement and promotion of widespread organic production in Semonkong. And here is where I come in to help KMA in developing organic farming as an alternative.

Happy Moshoeshoe Day!

Moshoeshoe (pronounced Mo-shway-shway) Day was on the 10th of March, a Wednesday this year. The day honors the King who united the clans of this area in fighting off the Boor's invasions and further encroachments. He is noted as the founder of modern Lesotho by making deals with the British Government to designate this area a protectorate with sub-autonomous status. That later gave Lesotho enough precedent to establish itself a small country within South Africa in the sixties.
The guy was apparently pretty likable in his time. Not only was he able to persuade proud and independent chiefs to join him in his fight against the Boors but he also managed a one hundred strong harem of woman. Reportedly King Moshoeshoe had over 100 wives all who lived with him. I don't know if that is a talent or a sign of insanity.