After six months in Lesotho, I was finally allowed to leave the country, and spend a luxury day in Ladybrand, South Africa. I took one vacation day to cross the border for a haircut, a massage a pedicure, and some good food. Thanks to another Peace Corps friend, I booked a room at Cranberry Cottage, a serene, boutique-style hotel, with beautiful Continue Reading
Cultural Differences in Lesotho-Gutsy Living
I found this sign staring at me as I closed the door in a ladies restroom at the shopping mall in Maseru. I could not resist taking out my camera. The other day, Sister Bernadette, my Principal told me, “The boys in grade 3 and up to grade 7, are walking to the clinic to get circumcised this morning.” “What, they just walk to Continue Reading
My Weekend Routine in Rural Africa
A friend asked me to explain what my life is like in my rural village in Lesotho, “The Mountain Kingdom” in southern Africa, so I figured I would start with my weekend routine first. It’s nothing like Orange County, California, that’s for sure, but here’s what I do to keep myself as “happy and healthy” as possible. Saturdays, are my “luxury” Continue Reading
Getting Rid of the Evil Spirits With My Healer
There's a famous healer in my village in Lesotho, who can get rid of the evil spirits, and cure anything. People flock to him from all over Lesotho, where I'm serving as a Peace Corps volunteer as well as South Africa, to seek treatment, and cures for all kinds of ailments. For weeks, I've been asking Mary, my Continue Reading
I Have No Privacy
When you live in a rural village in Lesotho, southern Africa, you soon realize that everyone knows your business, and that you have no privacy. In the morning, I peek out my door to see if there are any bo-'m'e, bo-ntate or bana (women, men or kids) sitting on Mary’s (my host mother) porch, chatting, singing or shouting, as that’s how most Continue Reading