On Dec 4th it became official; I had finally received my "R."
For a PCV, getting your "R" consists of signing a few pieces of paper, shaking a few hands, and leaving the Peace Corps office for the very last time knowing you'll never be going back again. "R" stands for "Returned" and from that moment on I was no longer just a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) but an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer). It's actually a bit anti-climatic that it felt surreal until I was on my way home.
Many RPCVs have a COS (Close of Service) trip to not only celebrate no longer being in Peace Corps but to also spend some of the readjustment allowance Peace Corps gives us at the end of our service. A few friends and I went to Madagascar. While I enjoyed the trip I couldn't wait for it to be over and to finally, after 26 months, to go home.
Being home is hard but it's getting easier every minute. It took about a day to actually "feel at home" and there are still many things I need to adjust to. Like having internet on my computer; I'm used to doing everything on my phone. Or how fast internet is here. And how mentally I'm still making a list of all the things I have to do when I'm online. (Okay, I should stop talking about computers and the internet.) I also need to get used to talking about my PC experience in the past tense...
I feel this is a good time to say a few thank you's to everyone who has supported me during the last 26 months. I'll say it again for the last time, Peace Corps has been the loneliest two years of my life and even the littlest of things made my day such as liking my posts on Facebook. It may seem like a trivial thing to some of you but to me it showed that you were still interested in me and what I was doing and that meant the world. I want to say thanks to the friends who wrote me post cards and stayed in touch through email and Whatsapp. And to those who inquired about me through parents and other relatives, your words may not have reached me but I still want to say thanks for remembering me. I can't say this enough but I wouldn't be here with out all of your love, thoughts, and prayers.
I also think it's time to say good-bye to this blog. It's time to say "so long" to Lesotho and this adventure. This is not to say that there will not be new adventures in the future but those belong to a new blog.
So, sala hantle (stay well) Lesotho and Africa.
Khotso (Peace), Pula (Rain), Nala (Prosperity)
Aparna
Friday, December 20, 2013
Tsamaea Hantle (go well) Madiba
On Dec 5th 2013 Nelson Mandela took his last breath and left this Earth.
This was a day that was bound to come soon but when it happened I was shocked especially since I was still in Africa (actually South Africa) on that date.
I have not been staying up to date with current events but I was well aware of the stories surrounding the first President of South Africa. For months Mandela had been in and out of the hospital (this I am sure you all knew). You may have even heard some drama surrounding his family and grandchildren. What you probably did not hear was all the rumors running around South Africa during these months. No one really knew exactly how sick Nelson Mandela was so people first speculated that his family was trying to keep him alive until his 95th birthday. It passed. Then people started saying that the ANC (African National Congress, Mandela's party) wanted him to be alive until the next election for his endorsement. I also heard from some South Africans that rumor had it that the father of the nation had already passed but the family didn't want anyone to know. It's really quite sad hearing all the things people were saying.
I was in South Africa the night he passed and I woke up on the morning of the 6th to a continuous news cycle of Madiba's passing and life story. It was interesting seeing the report on a local South African station which spoke about how he was raised, his involvement in the ANC, and his personal life, and CNN's report which spoke about his time in Robben Island, ending apartheid, and being a father to a nation. Let's just say that South Africans and Americans have very different views on Nelson Mandela's life.
In July I was in Pretoria with a few friends and we decided to visit Pretoria Heart Hospital where Nelson Mandela was staying at the time. There were many people there including police and press. People were leaving cards, posters, and flowers. In honor of his passing I wanted to share a few of these photos with you.
This was a day that was bound to come soon but when it happened I was shocked especially since I was still in Africa (actually South Africa) on that date.
I have not been staying up to date with current events but I was well aware of the stories surrounding the first President of South Africa. For months Mandela had been in and out of the hospital (this I am sure you all knew). You may have even heard some drama surrounding his family and grandchildren. What you probably did not hear was all the rumors running around South Africa during these months. No one really knew exactly how sick Nelson Mandela was so people first speculated that his family was trying to keep him alive until his 95th birthday. It passed. Then people started saying that the ANC (African National Congress, Mandela's party) wanted him to be alive until the next election for his endorsement. I also heard from some South Africans that rumor had it that the father of the nation had already passed but the family didn't want anyone to know. It's really quite sad hearing all the things people were saying.
I was in South Africa the night he passed and I woke up on the morning of the 6th to a continuous news cycle of Madiba's passing and life story. It was interesting seeing the report on a local South African station which spoke about how he was raised, his involvement in the ANC, and his personal life, and CNN's report which spoke about his time in Robben Island, ending apartheid, and being a father to a nation. Let's just say that South Africans and Americans have very different views on Nelson Mandela's life.
In July I was in Pretoria with a few friends and we decided to visit Pretoria Heart Hospital where Nelson Mandela was staying at the time. There were many people there including police and press. People were leaving cards, posters, and flowers. In honor of his passing I wanted to share a few of these photos with you.
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| There was press everywhere just waiting for some news |
Monday, December 2, 2013
Farewell Ausi Neo Mokote
On Thursday November 28th my school threw me a farewell party. They invited the school board, some teachers from the primary school, the local elected official (who I hadn't met till that day) and the village chief (who didn't show up).
The event was very beautiful with speeches done by the board, my teachers, principal, host family, the politician, and lastly myself. Tears were shed, songs were sung, and to finish it off they had prepared a vegetarian friendly lunch.
Here are a few pictures from the event:
The event was very beautiful with speeches done by the board, my teachers, principal, host family, the politician, and lastly myself. Tears were shed, songs were sung, and to finish it off they had prepared a vegetarian friendly lunch.
Here are a few pictures from the event:
The snack tray to snack on during the program
Salad, chakalaka, and custard
Food and drinks, and don't forget dessert
The staff room was rearranged to make it more festive
My host mother and I
My plate of food
A gift from my colleagues. It's an outline of Africa with a woman grinding maize in to flour.
Everyone at the event signed their name on the back
A decorative plate (with a stand) of the founder of Lesotho, King Moshoeshoe I
Another decorative plate with King Moshoeshoe I, his descendant King Moshoeshoe II and his son and current king of Lesotho, King Letsie III
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