So in this past week, our group of 23 volunteers has unfortunately dwindled down to 22. One of the volunteers had to return to the states because of family medical emergencies, so Miss Kate, you will be dearly missed (I’ve already told her this about a thousand times, after I had begged her to stay, which, alas she did not). As a result of Kate’s deaprture, I made her give e a hurried lesson on knitting, which I am now addicted to. It is such a good past time, so now instead of loafing around and reading for, hmmm, let’s see 4 hours at night, I have successfully split it into about 3 hours of knitting and about 1 hour of reading. I’m sure this will trickle down to a more even distribution, none the less, if you normally receive a present of some sort from me for your birthday or Christmas, chances are this year it is going to be a knitted scarf, or wait, hat now too. One of the house keepers here has taught me to crochet a hat too, I’m not finished yet, but it looks hopeful. I mean this is a huge success for me, imagine, learning how to crochet a hat when a) I know squat about knitting/crocheting minus what Kate taught me before she left b) I speak very little Sesotho and she speaks very little English. Now tell that that wasn’t one of the biggest accomplishments of mine thus far. It is also kind of a twofold accomplishment, first of all conquering actually learning the crocheting knot and okay, most Basotho believe that there is nothing they can teach Americans, because we are perceived to know everything about anything and that we hold the key to the world secrets, which obviously I haven’t quite attained the key yet, but soon. Anyways, it was a huge confidence boost for this woman to teach me something, and successfully at that. Sooo basically I thought that was worth the extra long paragraph to explain.
As of now I am working on finding my niche here at the clinic. Yesterday I met with my supervisor to lay down a schedule of what it is that I am supposed to do here each day. So on Mondays I am to shadow the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Counselor, Tuesdays I put on my boots and head out the farm also meet with a group of local women to help out with an income generating project, Wednesdays they lock me up behind a computer in the pharmacy, Thursdays I chill with the housekeepers and help cook in the kitchen, and finally on Fridays I will be working and shadowing the head nurse here. Well I am writing this on Tuesday, so I will give you a run down of what I did today. I woke up at 6 and did the usual eat breakfast, bathed, dressed, which brings me to around 7:30 at which time I make tea and read and well now knit too. During this I check out the window to see if who is arriving and once I see the person I am supposed to work with I read/knit for another half hour, then wonder out of my house around 9. I then find who I am supposed to work with, today it was the farm manager and gardeners, they are all men. So I helped till a plot for onions and then plant onions while the men talked about me in Sesotho (which they didn’t think I would notice) and grilled me on marriage practices in the United States ( I may be getting a serious proposal now as a result, I’m just going to have to tell them I’m worth more than the standard 6 cows). It then started to rain so I wondered back to my house and had a cup of tea while I waited for the women with the income generating project to show up. They did come but since it was raining not all of them came so our first meeting was pushed back to next week. I then wondered into the kitchen, where I helped serve lunch to the patients, then got some lunch myself and chatted with the women who work in the kitchen.. After that I went to the shop to get airtime for my phone and a few other groceries. Afterwards I went back to the kitchen because I thought I would help with the dishes, but instead I just continued to chat with the women there (one wants a American husband the other wants my shoes, which we joked about). This is when I had one of them teach me to crochet a hat, this went on for about an hour and then around 4 I went to my house and made granola (which I burn every darn time I make it) and to retire for the evening. I anticipate many days like this, so it wasn’t too bad and I just basically wondered around the clinic grounds all day.
Oh and this is entitled nutrition for a reason as well. I finally talked with the nurse and Kathy Kress (my food systems management professor) you were sooooo right. The number one thing they need here, nutrition wise is sanitation procedures in the kitchen and portion and pricing control with the food here. Which I am really excited to get started on because, right now anything that doesn’t include designing an inventory system for the drugs here is great. I also might get to develop some HIV/AIDS nutrition education materials and talk to the counselor here about nutrition education, but that might be a long time coming yet. I was just so excited that I will get to use some of my piles of nutrition knowledge I have stored up in my head. One more thing and I promise I will stop rambling,, I have made a rice and lentil curry the other day for dinner, and it was fantastic. Again, I’m excited over a very small instance, however its all I got right now. That and this Saturday we have the Berea District (that’s my district in Lesotho) welcome party, which should be a good time and I’m really looking forward to it. Okay enough with my rambling. I’m posting some pictures of Paballong at spring time and I hope to hear from you all soon, Salang Hantle (Sesotho for “stay well)!!
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