The title is again not a joke! Toilets are few and far between and good, bad or in between - they never have TP, so this is our new Lesotho survival strategy! We are now in week three of training and doing ok - so parts are harder than others. Our family is still really awsome! Sorry the photo thing hasn't really worked out so far, we are trying! We have done some cool stuff in the last couple of weeks, we visited two orpanages and a couple of successful businesses a jewerly making group for HIV/AIDs affected women that doubles as a health care plan http://www.grofoundation.org/. We also went to a successful weavers guild that takes mohair from start to finish - one cool thing was the bicycle tire spinning wheels! Today we hiked Thaba Bosiu where the Basotho nation was founded and we saw the grave of Moshoeshoe the first and second! We got our first care packages! Thanks so much to both moms! What a nice treat and we definitely felt loved! Thanks so much again! Please keep the chocolate and handsanitizer coming.
We also have been on some great hikes, we also gave the whole village we are staying in a nutrition lesson:-) and we had an interesting ag panel talking about the status quo of farming here: main crops, corn and sorghum, big problems - not being able to afford inputs also soil erosion is huge. I now also have a personal goal of learning to plow with oxen like many locals do! I also saw my first John Deere tractor on Wednesday! I have seen others, new holland, landini etc... this was the first JD. We got our site packets today and will look through those to "apply" for jobs and placement for the next 2 years. I am kind of hoping for quacha's nek where I visited before. Unfortunately any travel does seem to make me incrediably motion sick and that is pretty far out! We now hope to know where we will be placed by next Sat.
The King's bday is tomorrow and we are going to go celebrate and hopefully see lots of great dancing and traditional dress. We will have a pile of pics when we do get to post.
I'll stop rambling but we both hope all is well with everyone and all of our best from Lesoth!
Shane and Carol
Oh my gosh, you know I want to see pictures of those toilets. Do you guys have your address posted up here? Will you have a new address soon?
ReplyDeleteI never would have made it through my service without Dramamine. PC Ukraine kept me well supplied. Does it work for you? Really enjoy reading about your adventures. Will send you a few little things soon.
ReplyDeleteEllie Raffety
Wow, sounds like you are really immersing yourself in the culture there! Sorry to hear you get motion sick every time you travel. :( That is super bummers. Sometimes it helps me to sit up straight and look ahead while not really focusing on anything.
ReplyDeleteI've been super busy the last month, and will be the next two weeks, but after that I hope to get some things to you soon! Its really great to hear from you. :)!! Keep the updates coming when you can!