Aparna...PCV

After weeks of training which included practice teaching, information sessions, and cultural tidbits I finally swore in to become an official PCV.  We were sworn in by someone from the Ambassador's office (the actual Ambassador was meeting the King so she couldn't come but I had a chance to meet her during Thanksgiving).  After swearing in I was separated from my fellow volunteers and headed to my site in Qhalasi in Mohale's Hoek district.

My site is about a half an hour taxi ride north of the camp town.  But from the road (or tar road as they say here) it's another half an hour walk to my village.  If I'm lucky there's a older man who shuttles people back and forth for a small price in his beat up car (I wish I had a picture of it).  If I'm luckier then there may be some one passing by who will take me home for free.




My home consists of one room.  The first description I read of the room described it as a "block house with the walls pained egg yolk yellow and the ceiling painted egg shell white."  I can now say it is a very accurate description.









I will admit that the first time I saw this room I was greatly disappointed.  It was difficult to see myself  living in a single room for two years but after spending some money (and of course my inherent talent in these things) I can now say that I love my home.





This room serves as my kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.  First, I should mention, that living in a single room is not uncommon here.  In fact there are families who will live in such a fashion though I would assume their room is bigger than mine.  Many Basotho will place a curtain between the bedroom/bathroom area and the kitchen to create a sense of privacy.  A good Basotho home will also have a clear distinction between the different areas.  For those who are wondering my "bathroom" consists of two buckets which I can store away on top of my dresser to make more space (previous picture).



Volunteers here usually live in two types of homes: a rondaval or a block room.  A rondaval is more traditional.  I believe the walls are made of mud and it has a thatched roof.  They are usually round for the Basotho believe that a little dwarf demon will hide in the corners but this is not always the case.  During training I lived in a rectangular rondaval.  The roof would shed so my floor was always dirty.  But the roof is an amazing insulator so my room was never too hot or too cold and I barely heard the rain.







A block house on the other hand has a tin roof which I have now.  It's considerable cleaner but my room gets very hot and the rain sounds much louder.

This is how my place looks from the outside.  Peace Corps requires that the windows and doors to have burglar bars for extra security.  Apparently this building used to be the main house until the new house was built.  I live in the old main bedroom.

The main house is the one by the blue barrel.  The closer building is a continuation of my building.  I have one room in this unit.  The rest are used for storage and keeping animals.

This is the view from my home.  Most of the village does not contain such nice houses or electricity (see the power poles).  This row of houses (which includes my host family) is the nicest part of the village.  They all have nice houses and they all have access to the electricity.  I'm pretty sure this is because this road is the most direct route to the school so when the school got electricity it was easy for these houses to get it too.  I don't have electricity in my room but my host family does and they are very generous to let me use it when ever I like.

Another view from my room close to sunset. The plant life in the area is very interesting.

 My host parents!  My host mother's name is Mapalesa.  If you remember my quick lesson on names from a previous post then you will know that this means that one of her kids is named Palesa (which means flower).  My host father's name is Lenka.  They have five daughters, all of them extremely educated and quite successful.  I had the chance to meet them during Christmas.  My host family has also taken in extended family's children to raise.  Currently I live with a sister and little brother from their extended family.  Both of my host parents speak English fluently.  They were both primary teachers though my host father is now retired and takes care of the animals during the day.

And lastly, the bane of my existence for the moment, my kitten Cali.  I came in to Peace Corps thinking I would never get a pet of my own but I had so much fun with my kittens in Berea that I decided it would be nice to have a little companion.  But having a kitten in Lesotho has its challenges.  There are few vets in the country and the Basotho have a very different attitude towards animals from Americans.  Dogs and cats are considered wild here and they are usually not very friendly to people.  Fortunately Cali was born in to Peace Corps for I got her from another volunteer.  She definitely lightens my day and keeps me entertained.

School starts in exactly 1 week.  Qhalasi is only a secondary school which means it only contains Forms A through C (or grades 8-10).  I will be teaching Forms A and B though my exact classes have not been decided yet.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and I will update soon (I'm trying to upload videos but these things become a little more difficult when you don't have DSL at fingertips).

Aparna