Believe it or not it has been about 6 months since I moved to my site in Mohales Hoek and about 9 months since I came to Lesotho. 1 pre-service training, 2 grading periods, and many marriage proposals later I can say that Lesotho is one of the best South African countries.
1. Basotho have a sense of fashion
Before leaving Lesotho Peace Corps sent us all a packet giving us details about Lesotho such as weather patterns and how people dress. They told us that Basotho dress very well and I didn't know exactly what they meant until I came here to see for myself. Basotho, for the most part, know how to dress. This is especially true for people who are working. The terrain may be rocky but that never stops anyone from wearing heels. And Basotho women are quite good at matching their shoes to their outfits. As someone who has a deep appreciation for fashion I love that people here appreciate others that take time to put an outfit together.
2. Basotho are very clean people.
Never in my life did I see myself eating inside a tin hut but I have done it in Lesotho. Basotho are extremely clean people; they sweep and mop the house everyday (which includes moving all the furniture to get those hard to reach places). They polish not only their floors inside the house but any area outside also. They even sweep the dirt outside. I have also been told that Basotho women will take a bath once in the morning and once at night. Cleaning is very important in Basotho culture and while I am not as clean as a Mosotho, I can certainly appreciate that they are.
3. Basotho are genuinely kind and peaceful people
There are few people out there who can understand how hard it is to be a volunteer in a foreign country. The language is strange, the culture goes over your head, and the food...well it's just not like home. But through these challenges I have found that most Basotho people are genuinely good-hearted and do not hesitate to take you under their wing. I know I can go up to anyone for help and they will stop what they are doing and help me.
On that note Basotho are also quite tolerant and peaceful. We hear a lot of atrocious things happening in South Africa. To name a few men raping lesbian girls to "set them straight," men raping virgins to get rid of HIV, etc. But you don't really hear about those things in Lesotho. Not to say that Basotho are incapable of doing such deeds but you don't hear about cases like this in mass quantities like you do in South Africa.
4. Lesotho is just beautiful
I can't describe how beautiful Lesotho is, you have to see it. Maybe the beauty comes from the fact that most of Lesotho is still natural; no skyscrapers, and very few cities. Pollution is low since few have electricity or cars which means you can just see for kilometers in the distance. Lesotho is also anything but flat and now that it's winter you can see the tips of the mountains covered in snow. Lesotho le letle.
5. I have a blackberry in Lesotho
This goes back to one of my previous posts about technology so enough said.
6. Lesotho is a small country.
Lesotho is about the size of Maryland. Because of mountainous roads and bad transportation it can take a day to go from one side to the other but when a country as small as Lesotho has about 60 volunteers you are close to a few people. This means that it's easy to meet up with volunteers. Another nice thing about living in a small country (especially in Africa) is that, for the most part, Basotho only speak one language and the culture is pretty consistent through out the country.
7. Most Basotho speak English
While I am working hard to improve my Sesotho there are moments that I just don't know how to say what I need to say in Sesotho. Almost all Basotho understand at least basic English so with a mix of Sesotho and English I can usually get my point across.
8. I can buy cheese in Lesotho
Cheese is a delicacy in Lesotho for volunteers like me. It's pretty easy to find sliced cheese though it doesn't taste very good. In some camp towns you can find some decent cheddar cheese and in others you may even find Gouda (slightly different from American Gouda). But in Maseru you can get mozzarella, Parmesan, and many many more. I am very happy for cheese.
9. Basotho know how to sing
I love music so it makes me very happy to be surrounded by a culture that sings as if they were born harmonizing to their mother's labor pangs. Singing is an integral part of Basotho culture. Every morning my students have morning assembly which is like a prayer session to start the day. They sing a song and say the Lord's prayer. This is repeated again in the afternoon assembly. Basotho also sing in church, they sing at funerals, they sing when they cheer for sports teams, they sing in bars, they sing...well for any reason. There are very few instruments here and I have not seen them used during these times so Basotho just harmonize and it comes very naturally to them.
10. I love Lesotho because....well, I'm here!
When it comes down to it I love Lesotho simply because I'm here. Of course I have my share of frustrating days, my "if I were in America" days. But when it comes down to it I'm happy here, I feel pretty good about what I'm doing here, and I am enjoying every bumpy rock that I trip on. Lesotho is an amazing country to be in and I am so thankful that I found my way here.
Aparna
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