How To Eat An Orange

This posting is really nothing more than a few stories I have collected over the past few weeks just have not fit them in other postings, a recap on my trip to Botha Bothe, and, obviously, how to eat an orange. First of all, I’m always writing these stories but not really telling everyone what work (and I use that term lightly) I am doing at the clinic. I have a few projects going on and I’ve set some goals. Right now I am working on a workshop with the counselors here to put on for local support groups. I should mention, however, that support groups here are not what they are in the states. Support groups are groups of people that care for people living with HIV/AIDS. And what I hope to provide with this workshop is to help them lay a solid foundation for their groups, to have definite roles in the group and in the lives of the people they care for, to help them decided if they are committed to helping others and are still willing to do so, to respect the rights and confidentiality of those living with HIV/AIDS, and of course the proper nutrition for these people and how to get them the food they need via keyhole gardens. It sounds like a lot but what I just typed up is basically the presentations. I’m also still working on the dreaded drug inventory project, which we have the program (which I did actually find for the clinic, which I was surprised at my own skill) but now we have to input all the info, which will be a bitch, but hopefully the pharmacy tech won’t be too lazy and help a little. I’m also working on getting a library at the local school, which I think will be fun to do. Last thing is that I’m working with this income generating project associated with the clinic in getting started, and more specifically what I am doing with that is right now I’m emailing to get quotes for the machinery they will need to make aloe creams and jelly using this blue aloe plant that grows everywhere. I actually think it is the blue agave plant, the very same that tequila is made from, so if this aloe thing goes well and they still have a ton of blue agave lying around, maybe we might try out fermenting it into some African tequila. I’m joking the last thing they need here is another alcoholic beverage to waste their money on. So that’s the work plan, it will be interesting to see how much gets done.
Moving on to more interesting things. So in response to my African belly I have begun to run in the evenings, despite the fact that with the altitude and the onset of spring, my lungs are hating me for it. I have gathered a few running partners. One of the ladies that works here enjoys working out too. Sometimes she stays in Maseru and sometimes she stays in my village and when she stays in my village we run together, which is nice because then people don’t bother me so much. Also when I run with her we go off the tar road and into the fields to run, which is a nice change. However when she is not running with me, like today, I seem to get some “unofficial” running partners. You know that scene in Forrest Gump when he is running and “Running On Empty” by Jackson Browne is playing and he has this huge group of people following him? Well, as luck would have it, when I run on my own, I get my own little following. I start off on my own then seem to pick up random children on the way. Today my total was somewhere around 10 kids following me at various times in my run. I was pretty surprised that some ran the whole way with me. I mean I go pretty slow but I did do a respectable distance, but really these kids probably are being nice and not speeding up ahead of me and are probably wondering why I am going so slow. Some of these kids live for soccer so I mean my slow steady pace was probably a joke for them. Anyways, I don’t really mind them running with me, it is kind of funny and sometimes we chat along the way. It normally consists of them asking me for sweets, in which I think to myself “I’m running, with my keys tucked away in my bra, and you just so happen to think I might have some candy on me right now? Really?” But I have since learned to smile, and reply that I don’t have any and I don’t eat any because am trying to lose kilos. Little do they know that I have rationed a stash of Almond Joys mom sent me and there is no way I’m letting those guys go.
Speaking of food, I will now relay a grocery store story. So I have fallen in love with this type of cookie, biscuit, biscotti thing they have here called a rusk. They have these nutri rusks which are approved by the South African Diabetic Association, jammed pack with vitamins and fiber and are only 100 calories per rusk. So I was in the store going to pick up a box when one of the workers looks at me (and I soooo wish I could impersonate the voice via blog, but unfortunately I can’t) “So, you like the Ouma brand rusks?” in a slightly seductive, slightly inquisitive manner. It nonetheless creeped me out. I reply “Yeah.” And this worker is like “So they’re good?’ And I’m like “Yeah, I guess so.” He lifts his eyebrows at me and I grab the box and jet off towards the Diet Coke. I really don’t think you are getting the full effect without voices, but who does that??? I mean come on.
Since I am on the topic of food, one of my favorites, I will go ahead and tell you how to eat an orange. So there is the conventional American way to eat an orange by peeling it and breaking it into sections and eating it. Which I think we will all agree is a little messy. Then there is the Martha Stewart alternative where you use a knife to cut off the peel and the pith then cut the sections out avoiding all the white stuff. Which is nice if you don’t like the white stuff but you lose a ton of the juice, it is kind of messy, and you miss out on a ton of orange that way. So thus far, this might be the best thing the Basotho have taught me. Generally speaking I don’t eat oranges, because they are messy and I am not a big pith fan. So this I what they do, and as a result I may just eat oranges the rest of my time here. You roll the orange around either on your hand or between your hand and a hard surface to release the juices. You then cut off or bite (real Basotho bite it) one of the ends off. Don’t slice the end but kind of cut a little cone into the end. You can then suck the juice out of the orange and it is like God’s very own juice box, once you have gotten all the juice out, rip open the orange and using your teeth you just bit on to an end and strip the orange off of the peel. It is so much more convenient and saves you having to clean up a mess. Try it out. I don’t know maybe they already do this in the States, and my reluctance to enjoy oranges has prevented me from this orange eating knowledge. But if not, it comes highly recommended.
Having detailed how to eat an orange for a full paragraph, I should probably redeem myself with blogging something that makes me sound a tad cooler. So this past weekend I visited some fellow volunteers in Botha Bothe, which is the northern most district in Lesotho, and for those of you who follow England’s Royal family, it is where Prince Harry was and built a school, which I hear is pretty nice. Anyways, on the way up, as usual, I was getting the harassment that makes every public transport experience a joy. This time though I came prepared, no I didn’t learn more Sesotho, I just merely brought a guy along with me. My friend Andre was coming with me and since we were traveling together everyone was asking if he was my boyfriend and when I was starting to catch some harassment he told that he in fact was. It was a beautiful 45 minute relationship, I must say the highlight was when we shared a bag of salt and vinegar chips. Once we got to Botha Bothe, we hung out and on Saturday we went on this great hike into a cave and through all these rocks, it was like back when mom sent us to Camp Ondessonk, a.k.a. “Catholic adventure camp.” We then had a little party that night, which really enhanced the 4 hour trip home on public transport. Ohhh, Lesotho.
Okay last thing I promise. Remember a couple posts ago I mentioned a girl here who wanted to get pregnant? Well, I might be speaking too early, but today she told me that she doesn’t want to have a child anymore because there is a good chance that she will get to go to nursing school. My jaw dropped, I’m soooo excited for her and hope it all goes through so she can go. She so wants to better her life and nurses here are in need. It made my day, but then that means she will be leaving her job at the clinic, which sucks, but, hello!!! She will get to go to college, something she has wanted to do for a while. Well I will leave you on that warm and fuzzy note and wish you all a great week/weekend. Hopefully I will have posted more pictures from my Botha Bothe adventure. Adios!!