I'M HERE

Lebitso la ka ke Neo Thamahane.  Haesno America, empa ke lula Ha Mabekenyane hobane ke moithaopi oa Peace Corps.

About the only two sentences I’m feeling confident with while speaking Sesotho, and I can tell you I say them over and over and over while walking through my village every day.

My new name is Neo.  My host mother gave me the name when we arrived last Friday, and it means “the gift”. J

A lot has happened since our plane touched down in Lesotho last week.  As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, I haven’t had any access to internet… and a LOT has happened.  I’d like to get it all out there, and let you know I’m OK!, without writing five pages of rambling.  I promise that I’ll keep you updated as often as I can with the limited internet access we have in this sleepy little tin-roof town I’m in!

Last Friday at the airport, Peace Corps volunteers greeted us with baskets of fruit and giant posters listing names that would split us into groups in three different nearby villages.  Just my luck, I got the hardest one to pronounce: Ha Mabekenyane.  We loaded our backpacks into the Peace Corps Land Rovers and shuttled off into Africa. 

When we pulled into our village, the driver layed on the horn for about five minutes solid, bumping along a narrow dirt road past round straw-covered huts and tin-roof houses.  Children immediately came pouring out from everywhere, running alongside the car, yelling and waving and smiling.  We went directly to the chief’s house, where all of the women in the village were waiting for us.  They were smiling and waving their arms to the sky and hugging us.  It was so overwhelming I started crying.  They sang some of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in my life.  Then they prayed, thanking God that Peace Corps had come to their village again (the last group was in 2009) and blessing our travels.  Then we were introduced to our host mothers, who named us in front of the village.  We unloaded our bags (to my surprise, the kids were more than willing to carry absolutely everything for us!) and went home.

I still have a hard time keeping everyone in my family straight.  We are the Thamahane family.  I live with about 6 other women, and there are always so many other ladies from the family coming and going and staying the night and eating dinner and making me lunch… the general term you call others here is either roughly translated as “mother, father, sister, or brother”.  For people in the street, for your neighbors, for your family… everyone’s a brother!  The Basotho people have been overwhelmingly kind and welcoming.  My family likes to sing, dance, talk, cook, and EAT. 

Every day, I have Sesotho lessons from 7:30-9:30am.  I usually wake up at 5 or 5:30am to the soothing sounds of roosters and donkeys outside my window.  Not a lie.  At 9:30 we break for tea time J, and around 10 we walk to a nearby village to meet with the other groups of volunteers and go through safety and security meetings, discussions about teaching, culture lessons, etc.  I’m home around 4pm and (if I’m lucky) spend some quality time alone in my room reading or writing letters.  I’m usually interrupted halfway through by my sisters to come and dance, play a game, or just sit in a room with them while they speak Sesotho at the speed of light.  I don’t add anything to the conversation; the family is just always together in the same room sitting around.  As much as sometimes I’d like to be alone, it does wonders for my homesickness.

I don’t have electricity or running water.  I poop in something that resembles an outhouse, or if it’s after 6pm (or dark outside) I must pee in a bucket in my room.  It’s too dangerous to stay outside after dark.  I’ve eaten cow intestines already.  Yes, I can do the African “click” language.  Try saying “maqebekoane”; it’s my favorite food here so far.  I’ve been homesick one night, and cried for two minutes. 

I’ve also been told everyday while walking home from meetings with other volunteers how loved and appreciated we are here.  We received a note the other day from an anonymous girl saying, “my beautiful people!  Congratulations, for being successfully selected as my favorite people in the world, the first thing I think of in the morning!”.  Children walk with me everywhere.  They ask for hugs and hold my hand.  If I turn down a road that doesn’t lead home, every random stranger or child will tell me I’m not going the right way.  And I have dance parties with all of my sisters every night before dinner.

So far, it’s everything and nothing I expected.  Even if I wanted, I couldn’t leave now.  After a week, I already feel my heart invested in these people.

I miss you all more than you know.  Sending you my love from Lesotho,

Hannah