Elections 2015

Elections are being held today in Lesotho.   We were all geared up for loud and rambunctious strife.  My school is the local voting station.

It could not be quieter here and a typical seasonal storm is brewing in the backdrop.

Since I am so close to the voting station, i have stayed in all day reading and listening to Tchaikovsky.  Pretty relaxing.

As much as I would like to be consolidated so that I can see my PC buds, I do hope that all is peaceful for the Basotho nation. 

Keep your eyes and ears open (Google); I am grateful to get a clear RFI signal here. I do like the French  perspective on Africa as well as getting European updates.

Needs

Many of you have asked about needs here in Lesotho.  I cannot thank all of you enough for all the coffee, coloring books, nuts and all of the other wonderful gifts that you have sent.  I am grateful for those of you who have sent money knowing full well that postage is always around $70 per package and usually takes about two months to receive.

Books are still much needed.  I have set up a little library and we only have about 40 books and many of them are not books suitable to be read to the little guys.

Here is a link from the Darien Book Aid that clarifies how to send books cheaply to Peace Corps Volunteers: http://www.darienbookaid.org/us-peace-corps-requests.html

We mostly need easy readers that are hardback.  Even the little ones that you first buy for your kids.  All non-fiction books with great pictures work well.  My school is a Catholic school so all kids like religious books as well but Halloween and other type books are highly frowned upon. I would really love to have brought my children's praise books that I used for Religious Ed some time ago. I hope this gives you a bit more of an idea of books to send.

I was asked where to get crayons and for the life of me, I have yet to see them here.  I probably could buy them in Maseru (the Capitol City), but we are no allowed to travel to Maseru as the elections approach.  I think about the HUGE box of crayons that I had kept from the early years of my kids (who are now 28 and 25) which I just gave away - - wish I had brought it along. So if you would like to fill Ziploc bags with crayons to fill voids in packages, that would be great.

Thanks again to all!

Moshoeshoe Day - March 11.

Look it up on Wikipedia!

We have been practicing singing every day after lunch in preparation for Moshoeshoe Day - much to my dismay as it encroaches in instructional time.  But what do I know?!?!

The last two days we have been practicing athletics for the occasion!  Here i am walking up the hill with the cute little ones who are observing!

I swear, these kids could outrun any American I know (maybe) without shoes!

Teaching at Gethsemany Primary School

I have now been teaching at Gethsemany Primary School for three weeks and what an adventure it has already been.  Peace Corps Eds are encouraged to teach English to 4th, 5th and 6th graders, and Life Skills (HIV/AIDS) to all or any grades. Since the school had not really expected my arrival, there has been some confusion about what I am supposed to teach.  At this point, I am just trying to adjust to the schedule and teach according to their needs, although it has taken some juggling since the kids eat porridge first thing, and then lunch sometimes gets overextended not to mention all the song practicing for Moshoeshoe Day on March 11th.  They have BEAUTIFUL voices and note the way that they read music - reading Do, Re, Mi and they they put the words to the music that they have learned.

It has been wonderful, however, setting up the much needed library that primary schools are struggling to have established at the schools.  The Principal and Teachers gave me one of the classrooms to work with and although we do not have very many books, we now have a location.  I have only had a couple of classes come in but I am wary of this becoming a space to "park" classes since there is a trend of teacher absenteeism here in Lesotho (sometimes required by the government for training/documentation) and there is not a protocol for hiring substitute teachers.  But everyone really loves having the space and I read to the students every day after lunch.

It amazes me how the children entertain themselves.  The girls play a game whereby they draw a circle and push rocks in and out of the circle trying to keep only one remaining.  The boys set up a geometric figure whereby they push rocks away from the intersecting points of the lines.  Pretty interesting and it can become quite competitive and loud.