Every year, winter in Lesotho passes entirely too quickly. The Basotho and PCVs alike would deem me crazy for enjoying the harsh weather conditions and short days, but I’m in love with this time of year. The snow, the blankets, the scarves, the portable heaters, the hot chocolate- I fancy all of it!
It has been a strange few months, however, with a host of people living in my house temporarily- high school students, undergraduates, medical students, fellows, and of course the occasional Peace Corps Volunteer. All are here for very noble reasons and their research at the Baylor Clinic is greatly needed and much appreciated. Needless to say, I am looking forward to the new Princeton in Africa fellow’s arrival in late August, as her coming denotes some sort of stability in the house.
Maseru has also seen a swarm of visitors over the past several months due to the World Cup in South Africa. I imagined there’d be plenty of tourism but unfortunately Lesotho hasn’t been given the recognition it deserves as a jewel in Africa. Perhaps some day! I did, however, have the opportunity to meet with 2 wonderful families exploring Maseru proper and a few remote sites across the country. I met the first family through Dr. Woodruff, a most exceptional graduate professor. His American friends take part in an economics exchange program between Mississippi State University and University of the Free State in South Africa. It was rather shocking to discover the similarities between their experiences teaching students in SA and mine here in Lesotho, particularly in regards to teacher-student relationships among host country nationals. We as Americans should all be grateful for the manner in which are educated- in a system that promotes fairness, critical thinking, and the ability to question. I met the second family, a pair of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and 2 boys, through my blog. The five of us dined with my PC Country Director and her husband at a local Indian hotspot. We shared multi-generational stories and compared notes of Peace Corps experiences across the world. Again, I realized just how much I have to be thankful for in this generation of volunteerism. To both families- thank you for your visit and your kind words of motivation.
World Cup fever is over and I am curious to discover what the new hot topic will be in the forthcoming months. For the past two years, it has been nothing but soccer and vuvuzelas so it goes without saying that I am relived this era is over. What are the odds that the Basotho will now refocus all of that World Cup enthusiasm and obsession towards something like fighting HIV/AIDS, TB, poverty, etc? Only in a perfect world? Regarding the World Cup, I’m quite disheartened by the trio of bombings in Uganda that took places during the final match between Spain and the Netherlands. While the PCV and Country Director that I know are safe, it doesn’t minimize the unease I feel when looking at pictures of what unfolded that night in Kampala. The photos of innocent Africans and foreigners uniting in celebration are hardly dissimilar from the ones I snapped at World Cup viewings here in Maseru. I have a few choice words for terrorists but I’ll refrain on public domain.
On a cheerful note: Happy Fourth of July! One of my colleagues at Baylor, Dr. Amy, had relatives in town so we celebrated by hosting a party at my house. The afternoon boasted Johnny Cash and other American classics, hot dogs and sausages galore, couches on the lawn, and thoughts of home. It’s always the irreplaceable moment when we’re able to share one of uniquely American holidays with people from a variety of other nations- especially England!
1 comments:
Great post, kiddo :)
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