Fall and Catching Up at Site

So it was lucky my parents came when they did. I have not been back at site a week and this morning I woke up to a full fledge autumn. In which case, it is lucky for my parents that they caught the last glimpse of summer here and for me because my parents bought me some new winter gear, which I am already wearing. I swear the seasons here do not do a gradual change, it is just that one day it is summer and the next day you wake up and it is autumn. I kind of want summer back though, I’m not going to lie, I am not a fall or winter fan. With fall that means there will be another wave of bugs fleeing into my house along with a season long sinus infection. Not to mention after 5 pm I have to put on every scrap of clothing that I have because it gets cold here in the winter, not that it is anything compared to winters at home, but there is just no central heating ANYWHERE in this country and gas for my space heater is expensive. Just to give you a picture, my pajamas are a full set of long johns, sweats another t-shirt over the long johns, a fleece sweater, 2 pairs of socks, a wool hat, scarf, and gloves (yes I wear a hat, scarf and gloves to bed, my hands and neck and head get freaking cold) and then I cover with two heavy blankets. But then again this extremist approach to my bed time attire may just be because I hate being cold and get cold quite easily.
Well I’m sure you would like to hear more about what is going on at site besides me just ranting about how I don’t like the cold. For starters, my library committee and I are getting things in gear for when the books arrive. We are beginning repairs on the building soon and, we have raised enough money to get some shelves built. I have a couple of workshops going on, one at my clinic, where I am having two other PCV’s come and give a workshop on improving counseling tactics for the counselors here and from the other close-by clinics. Then in a few weeks I am heading to southern Lesotho (for the first time, too!) to give a presentation to an agriculture college about food sanitation. So that should be fun. Myself along with a few other PCV’s are working on revising the volunteer cookbook in Lesotho and also working on getting a nutrition manual out there to guide those less nutrition savvy volunteers in the right direction. And finally, there is still the life skills class. When, the last time I taught them, and I love this because this is soooooo Lesotho, I used a sheep’s hide with the wool still on it for my eraser. It work’s pretty good too. While I was using this I was thinking, they literally just probably snagged a little wool for free from somebody, but if somebody wanted to, in the states they could sell 100% sheep’s wool erasers for like $50 a pop. But I don’t think the Basotho ever thought of that.
And then to catch you up on other Ha-Senekane news, the chief of my village died. I didn’t really know him or work with him at all, actually I think he rather disliked me, but anyways, he has passed. This too is so typical Basotho. So when I asked what he died from they said “sefuba,” which is basically just a cold or the flu. Okay you don’t really die from a cold or the flu, meaning, he probably had HIV but the people here won’t acknowledge that he died from diseases caused by it so they don’t have to confront the fact that HIV affects people in their village or people that they were close to. Thus propagating stigma and denial of the problem. I guess I could go to the funeral, but I have already R.S.V.P.’ed to a St. Patrick’s day party, so I think I’m going to go to that instead. Also I’m avoiding having to go to any funerals at all costs. It’s depressing here enough without me having to go to funerals all the time. I don’t know who is going to replace him, but from what I have gathered they rock this village stuff monarchy style, so his next eligible relation I think will become the chief, which is most likely his wife. Most PCV’s here have women chiefs because their husbands were initially the chief but have died leaving the wife as the chief. Which, I’m always impressed by, because gender inequality is so harsh here, it is so nice that they allow women to be chiefs. Okay one other example about how people don’t accept that other people have HIV is this, and this is kind of interesting. So one of my friends here was a teacher at a school and one of the teachers came to school, literally acting crazy and mad, saying ridiculous things and acting just insane. And the PCV asked if there was anything wrong, and the other teachers just said that she was mad, then like two days later, she had died. Now in advanced stages of AIDS your brain becomes affected and literally causes madness. (It is not uncommon here for a person with advanced stages of AIDS to commit suicide because of this cognitive alteration.) Still after this teacher died nobody would acknowledge that she had AIDS. About 5 months ago this would have astounded me, but I think I’m starting to become immune to such stories.
Well that’s about it, I know like with moving to Africa you kind of think exciting things will be happening all the time, but I mean, I live in a village of around 400 people, and if you think not much happens in St. Libory, a village of 600 people all of which have electricity, cars, t.v., and etc., really not much happens in a village of 400 people with no amenities. The biggest news everyday is whether or not I go on my daily walk, so if that gives you an idea of the news in my village, it is evident, not much goes on. And yes, I will go on my walk today, but at 4:30 pm instead of 5:00 pm because it is starting to get dark earlier here. And one last update, is that time has begun to go by a tad faster, I mean I will have been here 10 months, come April and we will be celebrating our one year in country soon, which is just crazy to think about. So I will soon be on the downward slope. But then again I still have 14-15 months here, which is a good chunk of time. So okay, I always start rambling when I should be wrapping things up. So have a great day, enjoy your coming spring and know that I am loathing the on coming winter, so really enjoy it! Take care and Salang Hantle!