A short video featuring a few of my photos that I took of Lesotho. I feel like I should write some type of "ending" to this blog - now that I've returned to America. But I haven't found the words yet.

Thank you for following my experience.Khotso, Pula, NalaPam Rogers/Amohelang Rabale - Peace Corps Lesotho 2007-2009

My Basotho Me' gave me this hat as a going away gift. I believe its 3 different animals - it has 3 tails and 7 paws. Its a Basotho tradition to give a hat like this after major events in life like weddings, after building a home and moving back to America.

I was presented with several gifts from teachers, friends and family in my village but the Cat Hat is by far my favorite.

We Thank You Moscow!

After a week of sorting, organizing and finishing painting Lindsey, Jack, St. Theresa teachers and I finished setting up the library books.

Here are a few photos of the finished cabinets in the classrooms and kids with the beautiful books.

Becky and Victoria facilitating workshops for teachers on library care, set-up etc.

One of the cabinets I've painted with a photo of the Moscow Library crew.

Painting the St. Theresa Library wall

I'm in Maseru now for my Close of Service Workshop. I can't believe I'm almost finished with this amazing experience. In my last month and a half as a Peace Corps Lesotho volunteer I'll be in Mashai working on 5 school libraries, finishing painting some maps and murals, saying goodbye to other volunteers and then my village and family - both which will be very difficult.

Its Fall now though it feels like winter. One of the cabinets I've painted in preparation for the library books.

Some of the kids in my village playing with their car.

Just got back from a weekend/holiday backpacking with my girlz Casey & Kjessie. We walked from Caseys site to Semongkong. It was a 2 day trip and we overnighted in a remote village then spent 2 days in Semongkong watching friends rapell from the waterfall, hiking and visiting with other volunteers. The trip started with Kjessie and I walking through the taxi rank to find the right Kombi (taxi/van transport in Lesotho) to Ramabanta. While wondering through the chaos of the taxi rank we spotted a truck of watermelons. We couldn't resist and purchased a HUGE melon for only 20R! The 3 of us gals at the whole thing! A great way to start a trip!

We had incredible views of the mountains the entire trip. Sunrise near Ha Mphmphe as we began our journey on Day 2Leaving the village of Ha Mphphe where we stayed the night with a family.

Grandmother and children in Ha Mphmphe

Waiting for a hitch near the end of the trail. We waited for about 2 hours on the "main-road". We gratefully accepted a hitch in the back of a boxed truck (like a cattle truck) - it was an adventure in itself! Hiking down to Semongkong Falls

Nick & Kjessie after Nick rappelled the waterfall

Such beautiful hiking!

This is where I get my drinking water. Its a natural spring covered with stones to keep out "floaties".

I then haul the water about 15minutes up a relatively steep hill (as herd boys, donkeys, kids and everyone else watches)

Washing Laundry takes a lot of water and a lot of tubs. I usually wash inside my house so people don't stare as much :). When I go to the river or well the women usually tell me I'm doing it wrong and try and wash it for me.

I've learned baking. I'm getting really good at bread.

I spend a lot of time in my doorway reading, journaling, practicing guitar and people watching.

I was really anticipating the presidential inaguration and was hoping to listen to it live on BBC. Much to my suprise Jack (replaced James) talked to the woman at the clinic in St. Theresa and discovered they had a satellite dish. On Inaguration night we watched Obama get sworn in in a village in Africa thanks to nuns, a satellite dish and car batteries. It was really awesome! I walked over to St.Theresa early and sat at the secondary school making signs with the teachers and Jack. We made popcorn to share with the nuns and anxiously watched TV by candlelight when the inaguration started. The Bo-Me women -nuns, the priest and school teachers were very vocal speaking in Sesotho and English - asking questions about the president, his wife, the guests, the clothing of the Americans in the crowd and more. It was fun to answer their questions and share a piece of our culture on such a historic day.

After watching the inaguration we walked back to Jacks rondavel/house via, the light of our headlamps then only "electricity" shining in St.Theresa on that warm summer evening.

I’ve been working on a project in my river valley having students create Prayer Flags about HIV. I’ve asked the students to write messages about their feelings, hopes, fears and prayers about HIV or a tribute or memorial to a loved one with HIV. The students create their “flags” on old sheets and we’ve sewn them together. Its been a great project to work on, the students have enjoyed being creative and to express themselves in a different way.

On the last day of 2008 I went to the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. I celebrated New Years Eve on Long Street in Cape Town. More to come soon.....

For more of my photos of the Western Cape check out my site at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ponderosapam/WesternCapeChristmasNewYearsSA#

A few weeks ago I attended a Housewarming Party for my Masotho sister. She built a new house in Maseru with her husband and had a traditional Basotho ceremony to welcome everyone to her house

Like all Basotho celebrations I've attended, the event started with food, singing and dancing. My sister and her husband were presented with many gifts in a procession from her family. We started down the street and paraded up the dusty red road to her home carrying all kinds of gifts from new household supplies, blankets, buckets of traditional beer (carried on the head) and more. When we arrived to the new home his side of the family sang and danced and accepted the gifts from our heads/hands and then we all paraded into the house - her mom going first. They were both presented with new clothes and traditional Basotho blankets. Many speeches were given after we all saw the house and then more gifts were given and a sheep was also presented and slaughtered. A few hours later we ate that sheep and an assortment of salads, potatoes, bread and beans more dancing and drinking of the traditional beer.

It was a great day to spend some time with my Masotho Mothers children, all of whom live far away from the remote village now and a neat cultural experience. Everyone was really excited to meet the American family member. I left early but I'm sure the party went on all night... like most Basotho parties do.

Our 5 day trek across the most remote mountains in Lesotho was amazing! Over the week we hiked over 70k, crossed numerous rivers and summited the highest point in Southern Africa We did HIV outreach with over a dozen herdboys as we navigated through secluded river valleys, up steep ridges and through windy mountain passes. We visited the chief of an isolated village and explored some of the most beautiful areas of this country, it was incredible!

Check out more photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/ponderosapam/HIVOutreachBackpackingOnTheRoofOfAfrica

Another year here in Lesotho and lots to be thankful for.

This year I spent Thanksgiving at KJ's site. Our gala holiday started with launching water balloons at volunteers who had just crossed the river and were hiking up the mountain. Julie brought in a turkey from neighboring village spending many hours hiking and transporting the live bird. Early in the morning on Thanksgiving day Julie lopped the head off the turkey and we spent an hours plucking all the feathers.

Some people started drinking a little early so when we played a game of real american football (not soccer - which is called football here) it was a crazy scene, but so hilarious. The American football game was definetly a highlight for us and the entire village who came out to see what the heck we were doing throwing around a "pumpkin". They thought it was awesome and the game was quite the "show" half of us had no idea what was going on because of cheap whiskey or had no idea what the rules were or both. Every person "on the field" was bleeding or bruised or covered in red dirt somewhere on their bodies by the time we finished the game. It was hysterical! We finished the day off with a huge Thanksgiving dinner. The lijo (food) was amazing, it was with most of my favorite people here in Lesotho.

Bringing "Turks" to his final home after a long hike and transport Plucking dinner... way more work than buying it at the store!

After a hilarious game of football

I was recently told by a Peace Corps staff that the definition of Shenanagins = Pam Rogers. Yes… I’ve been keeping up my mischievous reputation even here in Africa. From pranking staff at the PC office, other volunteers and even people in my village have fallen victim to my pranking. Most recent jokes have including my partner in crime Kjessie. We have coined our mischief as the RAKP club Random Acts of Kjessie and Pam or (Kindness and Pranks)… however you want to look at it. Over Halloween I “got” my PCV neighbors James and Lindsey by creating a scarecrow out of my clothes and hiding it in Lindseys pit latrine and then in James bedroom. The following week KJ and I did a bunch of yardwork and planted flowers at a PC staffs house while she was on vacation. During the same week I invested 18R ($1.80) on a package of fake snakes and lizards and have had a lot of fun with that, much to the horror of other volunteers and kids in my village. Here is a little documentation:

Fake Reptiles Really Freaks People out in my village... but it's so fun!

Water Balloons, way to greet volunteers hiking up to KJ's site on T-DayA Little Flower Planting Mischief.... RAKP!

Months of Drought, Limited Bathing and Washing, Garden of Dried Brittle Plants… Waiting for rain is another thing I’ve learned patience for here in Lesotho. For the last few months we’ve had a serious drought. At this time last year the fields were green and full of corn, sorghum and sunflowers reaching towards the hot summer sun. Now, the fields are dry red soil, some remnants of the stalks of last year wave in the breeze like scarecrows to the rain.

Rea Thloka Pula! Hona Joale! (We need Rain! Right Now!)

The other day Me’ Mphone stopped by my house to ask for help. She’s a teacher at the primary school and one of my friends in the village. She had a question about her keyhole garden that she was constructing and wanted “2 minutes” for me to come and look at it. I told her I would stop by later (because I was cooking), but she talked me into following her to help with her garden. I turned off my stove burner, slipped on some shoes and headed out of my family compound, fully knowing that “2minutes” was going to be at least 1 hour.

Here in Africa things operate on "Africa Time" or "Basotho Time". This essentially translates to things will happen whenever everyone is ready with little or no stress or pressure which usually happens hours or much later that you expect or are told. This isn’t always a bad thing, but its much different than the punctuality I’ve experienced, stressed about and sweated over in America. In my village in Lesotho if I’m invited to a meeting that is scheduled for 10am it will likely start at about 12pm. Same with shops opening and school starting. Its time to open and start school and businesses when everybody is ready.

The day that Me’ Mphone stopped by I finally made it to look at her garden almost 2 hours after I left my compound. I can walk from one end of my village to the other in about 10minutes, but on the way to her house we had to stop and visit with many people. My Sesotho isn’t that great, but I still communicated ok with some of her family, friends and people in the village. My stomach growled as I walked through the village and sat visiting in dark huts thinking about my tuna pasta getting cold in my own hut. I couldn't help but laugh to myself about the "2 minutes".

By the way, her garden was beautiful and she didn't really have any questions, I think she just wanted me to visit her and her family.

...to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. ~ Barack Obama

On the early morning of November 5th (it was Nov 4 evening in America), I was huddled in my grass hut in Lesotho wrapped in a fleece blanket listening to history take place in America and across the world. I had my shortwave radio sitting on the end of my bed, and listening to the the last of the votes coming in on the West Coast. The Static live broadcast of the elections came through on of the Voice of America as the sun started to rise here in the Southern Hemisphere. I can't fully explain how I felt when they announced Barack Obama as my next President and then when Obama gave his amazing speech. I had tears streaming down my face and felt a sense of relief and a sense of hope especially on the global scale. It was something I felt in my village as soon as the message got out. Here in Lesotho everyone is excited and hopeful, waiting to see where America goes from here and believing that anything is possible in this world.

Hello Everyone, In an effort to help the communities in the remote Mashai River Valley, I'm working with 5 schools near my village to establish libraries. The African Library Project is working with Peace Corps volunteers in Lesotho to facilitate and set up libraries all over the country and to help establish book drives in America. The cost of mailing books is enormous and African Library Project is coordinating a freight container of libraries expected to arrive in May 09.

The remote schools in the mountains where I live in Lesotho have no running water or electricity, no phone signal and most of these students have never left the Mashai River valley, never rode in a car, seen a television or computer, and most don't even own a book. The students in the Mashai River Valley live in small one room grass and mud huts called rondavels with their large families. When they get home from school they have many chores like washing clothes by hand, collecting water from the river, taking care of animals like cows, sheep and donkeys and much more. Many of these students are single or double orphans due to the high rate of HIV prevelance in Lesotho (about 29%). We hope that a few library books will open the students' minds to a world of possibilities and inspire creativity and imagination. The books will also help students increase vocabulary of English (the second official language in Lesotho).

If you have a contact with a school, library or group that might be interested in holding a book drive, please forward this on. If your interested in organizing a book drive please go to the African Library Project website at: http://www.africanlibraryproject.org/ and click on Book Drive guidelines. There are very specific instructions on how to organize a book drive, how to ship the books to the African Library Project (you ship the books to them in America and they ship the books to me in Lesotho). They will be your contact throughout the book drive process (as my access to the internet and phone is very limited).

Please tell them your book drive is to go to Lesotho and the volunteer your working with is Pam Rogers. Please also email me if you have any questions, need "facts" about Lesotho, need additional photos to promote the book drive (although I have a lot at my photo website at http://picasaweb.google.com/ponderosapam

Thank you for your time and consideration in this project. Please email if you have any questions, I head back to my village tomorrow but I'll be checking my email again before Thanksgiving.

Check out this Link on BBC News about Lesotho and AIDS

Lesotho Aids Diary

St.Theresa Secondary school had a wonderful cultural celebration. James and I attended the day long celebration to support our students and experience more of Basotho culture. The students spent most of the morning dancing and singing in their beautiful colorful clothing and traditional wool blankets. In the afternoon we ate platefuls of traditional Basotho food.

It was awesome watching the culture dances with a backdrop of mountains and clouds Basotho diet primarily consists Papa (maize meal), Moroho (cooked cabbage), Nama (meat), Mokopu (pumpkin) and the drink Motoho (a fermented sorghum drink). Then there were a few huge buckets full of joala (booze made from fermented sorghum or corn). They also slaughtered a cow so we had beef with all of our sides. Everything was eaten without silverware and about 50 of us passed around a wet dishcloth to "clean" our hands. It was a fun day and I took a lot of photos and videos to share when I return back to the states.

I've been working with village health workers and members of HIV support groups recently to talk about Keyhole Gardens and nutrition for HIV+ folks. Keyhole gardens are circular raised beds that are constructed right outside the door (close, easy to maintain & water). There are many organic layers of grass, manure and soil in the garden creating a small but healthy soil soup of nutrients. Ideally throughout the year these gardens can be an overflowing feast of vegetables. Keyhole gardens also have a "keyhole" constructed of sticks, grass and manure where "gray water" can be dumped. Culturally its not normal to use gray water on your food for Basotho, in an area where water isn't always available, its important to save every drop of water.

These workshops over the last month have been very successful for me and my role here as a Peace Corp volunteer. In reality I haven't "done" a lot, I didn't teach hardly at all at any of the workshops. My role for these workshops was to connect resources together especially with the local HIV extension workers, the community council and the Ministry of Agriculture farmers extension officers. I primarily met with the motivated extension officers talked together about what we thought should be introduced, made some colorful flipcharts & posters and they presented and organized everything. Over the few weeks that these workshops went on, about 70 health workers & support group members from 45 villages received training that they might not have received if I wasn't there to give a little encouragement and "push". Now my hope is for each village health worker and support group member to go back to their remote mountainous villages and teach and build workshops in their own communities. Next week I'll be working with a support group in my own village to construct 8 keyhole gardens for HIV+ folks &/or orphans and using seeds that were donated from home to help motivate.

I walk past this tree and group of Aloe plants every day. Its just down the "road" from my house. I haven't taken a photo of it with snow yet, but will next year.

I just returned from 2 weeks of traveling with three of my friends from Peace Corps - “The Permies” Amber, Casey, Kjessie and I originally trained together 1 year ago in Permaculture and have been great friends in this journey of Peace Corps Lesotho.

We started planning Mozambique vacation a few months ago, spending a few late nights at the Peace Corps office together oogling and ahhing over photos of sandy beaches, food and ocean.

Our amazing journey started on an early winter morning here in Lesotho. We all stayed at the Peace Corps transit house and in the early morning during winter we wear blankets and down coats inside the house. We knew we wouldn't need all those layers in Mozambique so we had a bit of a cold walk into Maseru to catch a taxi to the border post. I was happy to leave my hiking boots, wool socks and down clothing behind. Our first challenge was crossing the border into S.Africa, it's usually really easy because they rarely need to see our passports as we cross into S. Africa for the day, but we needed all the official stamps as we were crossing into Mozambique in a few days time. Anyway, we had some issues with my passport and KJ's. The last time we had crossed the border we were given the wrong stamps/stickers and they wanted to charge us a huge amount of money and were saying I was illegally in S.Africa... because I didn't have the right stamp... lots of drama and early morning stress as we tried to argue our way out of fines. After over an hour of headache we called Peace Corps and the amazing staff came down to the border to help us out and work with the border agent. All got cleared, we didn't have to pay any fines and we got the correct stamps we needed. We had missed our taxi to Bloemfontein and one of the Peace Corps staff came to our rescue and drove us the 2 hours to find our rental car.

At Bloemfontein airport we picked up our car from First Car Rental. We rolled into Bloemfontein and went straight to the grocery store. Visiting a real, big grocery store is always a stressful experience – so much stimulation, choices and it's a little stressful compared to Lesotho/village shopping. We picked up some “goodies” - snack foods we can't find in Lesotho like Mountain Dew “), Bagels & Cream cheese and then we hit the road. 12 hours of driving later through tons of construction in S.Africa we arrived in Nelspruit at midnight. The cheapest room available at the hotel had 2 single beds so the 4 of us got real cozy. We all got in a laughing fit at about 1 am as we were getting ready to fall asleep as I was sharing a tiny twin bed with Amber who is about a foot taller than I and it was really funny looking. We had a 1am call from hotel management to ask us to be quiet and to check and make sure there were only “2” people in the room. So much for being sneaky… A few hours of sleep and we were on the road again.

Despite the dry winter in S.Africa we drove through some beautiful country. As we got north towards Mozambique and Swaziland we passed orchards of oranges, fields of sugar cane, banana plantations etc. We had huge baboons cross the road in front of us and pulled over to take a picture of a huge giraffe that was chilling on the side of the road. Several times I thought to myself “Where am I?” Our border crossing out of S.Africa and into Mozambique was really smooth – we were so nervous after our first border crossing of the trip. After another full day of driving and getting lost around Maputo (the capital of Mozambique) trying to find a bank we arrived to our first destination – Tofo. We arrived late at night after driving through forests of palm trees on sketchy pot hole ridden roads in the dark dodging people on bicycles, goats, bags of coconuts etc. We made a grand entrance getting our small rental car stuck in the sand as we pulled into the backpackers right on the beach. At that point we said the hell with it, took off our shoes and squished our feet in the sand as we laughed our way to the check in, warm, humid salty air coating our skin. The sounds of waves crashing on the beach a stones throw away comforted me as I fell asleep under my mosquito net in the grass bungalow.

For several days we stayed in Tofo soaking in the sun and washing away our stress from Lesotho in the warm turquoise waves of the Indian Ocean. It took me several days to get in vacation mode and to “let go” of some of the stress I'd brought with me from Lesotho. KJ rented a surfboard and spent all day surfing while we walked along the beach, I journaled a lot, sketched and played with the dogs that were on the beach. It's the slow tourist season and it's not a really touristy area yet so most of the time we were the only “tourists” on the beach besides a few of the local surfers. We stayed at a place called Turtle Cove which was a peaceful and beautiful place to stay. The lodging and food was inexpensive and wonderful. The owners are really cool and we met some really interesting travelers from all over the world at meal time and around the campfire pit. Sitting under huge palm trees on comfy couches outside around a crackling fire with stars shining brightly above us... was truly wonderful.

Walking along the beach we passed many villagers collecting mussels and fishermen. It was interesting to see how the villagers lived and in my head I couldn't help but compare everything to Lesotho. As we walked along the beach or sat on a ridge above the surf we watched whales so close spraying water, slapping their tales and breaching. We also saw dolphins, colorful tide pools, colorful crabs scurrying across the white sand.

Amber, Casey and I jumped in the car after 5 days in Tofo. We decided to do a snorkeling trip in Vilanculos. The road to Vilanculos was insane; there were huge huge potholes in the semi paved stretches among sections of bright orange clay. We got 2 flat tires and a speeding ticket on the way there which created some adventures getting those fixed and asking for help. Our hero at the hostel – Usted helped us get our tires fixed and helped save us a ton of money. The snorkeling trip was so amazing. We took an hour boat ride out to an island and snorkeled along the reef all day. Our guides cooked us lunch on the boat of fresh crab, grilled fish, salad, rice and fresh pineapple, oranges and bananas (all local). It was my first time snorkeling in the ocean and I will never look at the ocean the same again. It was so incredible. I swam through huge schools of fish and saw more colors of fish than I ever imagined. There were large angelfish everywhere, vibrant tangs, orange blowfish, purple anemones, sea urchins, candy cane colored fish in blood red coral, enormous neon blue & green fish, eels, swordfish so many things. Casey and Amber said it was the most colors of fish they've every seen snorkeling, I was in heaven. That evening some guys we met at the the hostel cooked us an amazing meal of grilled fish, curry, salads. After 2 nights in Vilanculos we headed back to the more chill Tofo beaches for a few last days of beaches and warmth.

Our last night in Mozambique was spent in Maputo. We had a lot of adventure at the fish market where we bought fresh seafood and then took it to a “restaurant” where they prepared it for us. It was a crazy experience, four white girls walking into the local fish market created a lot of attention and competition between vendors. So much yelling in Portuguese which I was glad at that moment that I didn't understand the language. We waited a long time for our food to be prepared, but it was so worth it. It was a little stressful at first, all the shouting and decisions and bartering, but the best meal of fresh seafood I've ever had. We felt like were in a sitcom several times that night. So many funny things to laugh about that market experience.

We had many more adventures on our last few days of driving, including the 3rd flat tire, getting lost in Johannesburg at night, a 2nd rental car, and hitchhiking our way from Bloemfontein to Lesotho.

It was a liberating trip in a sense. I think about where I was a year ago and would have probably been really stressed or terrified about some of the things that happened on our road trip and vacation to Mozambique, but after a year of living in Africa and experiencing/dealing with so many different things has made me a more confident and experienced traveler.

Now it’s back to work here in Lesotho as I’m refreshed and ready for my second year as a PCV.

For more photos of the beautiful country of Mozambique follow this link: Thanks Casey & Amber for sharing your photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/ponderosapam/MozambiqueMadness

Just spent the week at Kjessie's site near Quting. We caught a rat, wore coveralls and fixed irrigation pipes, tamed a wild kitten, dealt with Basotho culture, boated across the river, ate a lot of popcorn, prepared permaculture training materials for the new group and even more adventure on her site across the Senqu. It was freezing cold! but we are headed to Mozambique in 3 days!

My first year in Lesotho anniversary was marked by the arrival of 23 bright eyed and bushy tailed volunteers. I am fortunate to be able to help with the training of the new group of Community Health and Economic Developement (CHED) volunteers this year and have been able to spend a lot of time with them. I was a “resident” trainer for their first week in Lesotho so in addition to getting to meet them all at the airport I got to spend the first week with them answering questions and providing some support. It was a fun experience.

The “newbies” flew into Maseru in the middle of the day so they got to see a bit of Lesotho. My group had walked across the border at 2am a year before. It was fun to see all their brand new clothes, shiny squeaky clean new hiking boots & shoes as they stood in line at customs. I knew they would be full of excitement and nervousness but wasn’t quite ready for the bombardment of questions immediately at the airport. Many had read my blog which was sort of a weird feeling and then many had questions like “what’s your project”, “what’s your house like”, “do you have pets?”, “do you have electricity?”, “whats ….. like?”.

Over the course of the week I answered a ton of questions about my experience, about Lesotho, about the Basotho culture, where to find things, and so much more. Some of the questions made me laugh like “where do you go to the bathroom? “Are there snakes in Lesotho”? Many of the questions made me reflect back on my first week arrival in country.

I’m at my “1st year mark/Mid service crisis” time. For me it hasn’t really been a “crisis” but a few things are challenging. Part of it has been a time of reflection on what I’ve accomplished this year, which is difficult to see and to measure. Another thing that is difficult about this time of year is the other CHED group is leaving some good friends are finishing their service as I type this. Many have left, but most will be gone by August/September. It’s tough to say goodbye to people whom have been sharing in this experience.

It was nice to get to spend some time with the “newbies” while they were still excited and energetic to be here in Lesotho. It was some good energy to be around at this point in my service. Also, the new group of volunteers is a great group that has a lot to bring to Lesotho. I’m looking forward to getting to know them better during the rest of their training and during the remaining part of my service.

First, you plant some pretty little seeds in the soil and wait many months for the flower, then pumpkin to develop. Then you pick it with joy! Knowing that deliciousness awaits!

Then you carve the pumpkin purely for fun and to share this weird American tradition with your Basotho neighbors. Be sure to save the seeds so you can grow more pumpkins next year and trade the seeds with neighbors!

"Mokopu Man" (Pumpkin Man)

Then shred Mokopu man into many pieces.

Smile a lot because it's messy and fun to make pumpkin bread in Lesotho! Then add some apples to the Mokopu pot and bathe the pumpkin and apples in ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, oil and sugar and heat it up til it's nice and mushy and yummy.

The pumpkin, apple, spice mix is delicious and you should definetly taste test a few spoonfuls but this is a bread "recipe" so you'll need to mix it with some eggs, flour, baking powder and maybe some other stuff. Be sure to mix by hand because it's way more fun and messy! Poor the mixture in a bread pan - or metal bowl, place it on top of a empty tuna can with hole poked in it, in your big pot/ "dutch oven". Pop it on top of your 2 burner propane stove put the lid on, light up the stove and in about 45min-1hr you have some yummy yummy bread! Yummy! Hot Fresh Pumpkin Bread!

Yesterday I went rock climbing. It's the first time in over a year that I've felt the heat of the rock, the soreness and stiffness of arms, the freedom of heights, the wonderful company of other climbers and so much Peace. It was an incredible day filled with so much sunshine, good company and also great food. After climbing & hiking around for the whole afternoon we enjoyed the company of many folks from around the world at the Oldenburg Lodge & Game Park (where the incredible rock climbing was). We sat in front of a huge fireplace surrounded by people, dogs and we wolfed down delicious hamburgers the size of large plates :). Then back to Lesotho (a 20 min drive) on a star filled night. It was an amazing day!

A little Disturbing photo of me Belaying Sean and Adam backing me up so I don't fly up the wall if Adam took a "Zinger".

Sean is 6'9" and was trying to show me a "great bouldering route" I'm 5'1" and it was a little challenging/impossible following his lead.

I took this photo of Kjessie and I was feeling exactly the same way...

Thanks Sean for letting us borrow your gear and for taking out on the rock!

It's unbelievable to imagine that I've been in Lesotho now for 1 year! It's difficult to summarize the amazing experience I've had so here are some highlights & memories

· I've built snowmen in Africa...crazy!

· Swimming in the Indian Ocean

· Sunrises and Sunsets that make me breathe deeply and have brought me to tears

· Growing an amazing garden that nourishes my body and soul

· Lightning storms that make my heart stop... so... so... so... intense

· Painting a mural on the mud wall of a church with lamb wool & food coloring, teaching the old women how to draw and paint flowers and seeing their pride in the finished product.

· Turning 26 (but aging 10 years in many ways)

· Spending 2 hours on a bus talking to a school teacher about eskimos and people who live/lived in houses of snow/ice or animal skins who hunt really big fish (whales) his fascination and questions were like that of a really excited, interested child

· Children's Health Day I went to the clinic early in the morning to 400 women and children that attended an event I organized at the St.Theresa Clinic, amazing how many people showed up using word of mouth marketing and some dorky posters I made. I had no idea so many people would come.

· Teaching the kids in my village how to make whistles by blowing on blades of grass (dumbest thing I've ever taught them)

· Introducing the Paper Airplane to Mashai Primary (hee hee hee) we made paper airplanes with their old exams and then composted them in the garden. :)

· Giving 70 5th graders heart attacks because a toad jumped out of my hand in the class – you should have heard the screams as the frog innocently jumped on the mud floor towards my students. So much for that “Habitat” lesson... fortunately the frog didn't “croak”

· Peace Corps slumber parties, it's amazing how many volunteers you can fit in a small rondavel

Parts of Animals & Foods that have been a new experience

· Pig Skins (fried with the black bristly hair still in tact)

· Chicken Feet, Intestines and yes.... the head (an uncomfortable meal as a guest at someones home) I gnawed on the head... so weird... but tasty!

· Lamb guts (intestines, brain, liver, etc... )

· Tunafish Sushi ( a creative meal at a PCV's house)

· Beets Mayo & Jello Salad

· Carrot & Ketchup Salad

· Corn, Corn, Corn, Corn in every way imaginable (flour, homemade beer (so gross!), porridge, bread)

I love to play practical jokes but it's been difficult here in Lesotho. The other day I was explaining to my Me' why I was excited for the snow to fall, she shook her head and said “healdee” which is like the Lesotho version of “geez – your crazy!” As she prepared to visit a friend I had a mischievous spark... When she returned from visiting her friend I had covered all of her windows with paper snowflakes. I was so excited and laughing to myself as I waited for her to return. I heard a yell “Amo” Ke eng? Ahhhhhh Cheeee (Basotho expression for so many things). I walked over to her house and she had a huge grin on her face I said “Me' Leshua e teng!” (The snow is here!) She furled her dark wrinkled brow and said ee ee (no) Ke' lipalesa, Li Linkle! (It's flowers their beautiful!).

So... the joke backfired, but it's been fun explaining to my Me' and everyone that walks by that they are snowflakes (not flowers) and I give a song and dance schpeel about how all snowflakes are different and beautiful and that under a microscope (a huge pair of glasses that make things small big) that snowflakes look like those on the glass windows of my Me's grass hut. Very few people believe me, but at least I've taught a new arts & craft project (besides the paper airplanes that were so popular).

I've just read an awesome book by Barbara Kingsolver and her family called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It's a collection of essays written by her and her family about their year of eating locally. They spent 1 year buying and eating locally grown food - feela (only)!. They grew most of their own vegetables and raised a lot of their own meat. It was inspiring to read about their experience and challenges and it impacted me much more, as I'm here in Africa, having a somewhat similar experience. While I'm in my village all the vegetables I eat have come from my garden (or a neighbors). Most of the meat I have eaten in village was once running around the yard, grunting baaing or clucking at my window. Most of the eggs I eat were plopped on the grass by the chickens.

This book really made me reflect on my own food purchases (especially if/when I head back to America next year) just thinking about how much fuel and energy went into transporting the food that you get at the grocery store. Although it's hard to find bananas & oranges in the Pacific Northwest, you can buy most vegetables and many fruits locally during the spring/summer/fall months. For folks back in the states, most farmers markets have started up again please support your local farmers! At the farmers markets you can buy food that was grown very close (saving on fossil fuels), probably organic (not pumped with steroids and chemicals) and supports your local economy. Vegetables that are grown in the soil near your home are more nutritious and farmers markets are really fun.

I encourage everyone to read this book, regardless of where you live or if you have a garden. It will make you think about your food purchases more, maybe inspire you to have a small garden and more conscious about the food you purchase and eat. It also has some great recipes, and will make you laugh at their stories.

I could go on forever about how Lesotho and having my own huge amazing garden has changed my views on food security and physical and mental health but I'll cut it short. Please check out this book at your local library, or buy it and pass it along to friends!

I never imagined myself being much of a “Betty Crocker” type. Before coming to Lesotho I was the queen of Pizza Pockets, Canned Soup and Fast Food. Amazing how spending a year in a grass hut in the mountains of Africa can change certain habits. Now I bake my own bread, make tomato sauce, can peaches and tomatoes and COOK! I make amazing vegetable soups, sauces, casseroles, homemade pasta, tortillas, breads, sweets etc all by “scratch”. I have the time to experiment and am really enjoying it. I also have an amazing garden (even still in the winter) that has provided me with a continual supply of fresh vegetables.

Sometimes I feel like I'm connecting with some of my great grandmothers as I do everything by hand (washing clothes, cooking, baking, writing long letters by candlelight, walking long distances to visit or work, plowing a field with cows, harvesting crops by hand, shelling peas and beans for days, hemming clothes and patching holes for hours. In a small sense I can imagine what life was like for the women of my family “back in the day”.

Went to a Salon for the first time in a really long time. I asked for a 6" trim which would have cleaned off some of my dead ends. Now my hair is about 3" long! Ahhhh! At least it's hat weather now!

Water is truly a precious resource, especially here in Sub-Saharan Africa. In my village of Mashai, we have no working taps. I can collect my water in a well that’s a 10 min walk downhill and at least a 15-20 min walk back up the hill with 20 liters of water on my head. That 20 liters of water gets put to good use, I can use a small amount of water to bath then do laundry (in my dirty bath water) and then water my garden. The other half of the bucket gets put in my water filter and used to rinse my clothes then wash my dishes. It’s amazing how far such a small amount of water can go.

The other day as I was preparing one of my environmental education lessons, I came across a water conservation activity (for American classrooms). It had a list of the different water supply amounts we use each day in America. I calculated my approximate usage of water when I was in America (it took a while to remember how often I use to shower, do laundry with a machine, flush a toilet etc). What I came up with astounded me.

In America on a average day I calculated I used about 605L of water! Here I can get by on less than 20liters of water a day!

Beaches, Ocean, Seashells, Mexican Food, Thai Food, Italian Food, Indian Food, Pizza,Chinese Food, Bakeries, Fountain Soda, Zebra's, Gazelles, Electricity, Friendly/Playful/Clean dogs to pet, Seatbelts, Safe Transportation, Botanical Gardens, Street lights, Showers, Pavement, Soft Ice cream, Margarita's, Fresh Seafood, Customer Service, Cold Corona's on the Beach, not being in a “fishbowl”, Indian Festival, Indian Markets (spices, incenses, food and beautiful clothing and people), Grocery Stores, Real Coffee, and so much more... Yeah! Vacation!!!!

I love working in my garden. I'm often working in the rich, red soil as the sun is cresting over the peaks above my home. The lighting is always amazing as the mountains change from grey, to pink, to orange and then brilliant green. Recently the fresh crisp fall air has been my source of early morning energy. It's a great way to start a new day and I'm always at peace when I squish my toes into the cool earth and tend to my many plots of fresh vegetables.

This year I've grown tomatoes (cherry & large), cabbage, spinach, swiss chard, yellow onions, red onions, leeks, carrots, sweet corn, green beans, radishes, cucumbers, sweet peas, squash (gem, zuchini, butternut), pumpkin, lettuce, potatoes, basil & cilantro.

It's so amazing and wonderful to just run out to my garden and fill my bucket full of fresh vegetables to eat or share.

A new school year started on January 21, and thus began a new year of teaching kids Agriculture and HIV Life Skills here in Lesotho. I feel more confident this year as a teacher. My first few months as a Peace Corps volunteer and teacher in my village had a big learning curve. I spent a lot of time being frustrated, confused, angry and annoyed with the Lesotho education system and the teachers that I work with. I was also still grasping the cultural differences in learning and teaching here in Lesotho.

Although I still get frustrated, I have a better understanding of how things work here, with the limited resources available. I can go into a classroom and feel like some students understand me now. At first they would all sit there and give me a confused look. It took me a few weeks to slow my voice down so they can understand me. All schools are English medium, so I speak in English (Sehua) to my students but my accent is difficult for them to understand. I live in the remote mountains so my students only exposure to English is at school. Many of the teachers at my schools English is really poor, and often they resort to Sesotho. It's important for students to understand the concepts, but at the end of the year their only examination that "counts" is a multiple choice exam administered by the Ministry of Education and it's all in English. If they don't understand English, then they don't pass their exam.

I teach at several different schools. Here's a few "stats" on my schools & Lesotho Education System.

* My largest school is the Primary School that's only a 20 minute walk from my village, other schools are 1-2 hours away.

*At the primary schools I teach Classes 5,6 & 7. At the Secondary School I teach Form C.

*My classes sizes vary from 9 students - 76 students - depending on the school and class.

*In one of my classes at the primary school, the age range of my students is 11-24 years.

* 1 out of 5 schools has toilets (pit latrines) for the students * All of my schools have a garden

* Most of my classrooms are cement block walls with corrugated tin roofs. I have a few classrooms that are mud & stone walls with tin or grass roofs.

* Teachers in Lesotho only have to graduate high school to work as a teacher

* Teachers make about 21,000 R ($3,000) a year

* It's estimated that 1/3 of school age children are not in school

* Many schools are controlled by churches - makes it difficult to teach Sex Ed / HIV life skills.

* Some of my students travel as far as 5 miles to come to school

* Only a few of my students from the Primary school will actually go to Secondary and less to High School.

* Many of my Primary School students drop out of school to get married (girls - ages 14+ & boys)

* All students are required to wear a uniform (but many can't afford it) They can come to school still, but sometimes get beat across the back of the legs or the tops of their hands for not wearing a uniform.

* Corporal Punishment is the preffered method of punishment of students.

Some days I get so frustrated with how things operate here. It's all part of being a Peace Corps Volunteer, I know no "big" changes will occur while I'm here, I'm in a developing country and I must be patient and work with what we have at the school. I'm doing my best to help the students have some fun, learn some important life skills. I also work with teachers on lesson plans and helping them do fun activities with students.

Change is slowly coming here, the education systems has faced a lot of challenges after the Primary education was changed to Free. Class sizes doubled in some schools and there isn't enough space or teachers to teach. Also, the impact of HIV & AIDS has impacted all sectors of this government, lack of teachers, many orphans etc. There are a lot of unexperienced teachers all over the country, trying to do the best they can. There are also some amazing teachers working in the schools that want to see change. There is hope, but it's slow in coming.

But, Like the Sesotho Proverb, Ho bea ditho ho hlahisa kgomo. (Patience is a virtue.)