I wrote this entry a while ago, intending at the time to spam all my friends and every listserv possible in the same rush of urgency that I was swept up in. Back in October, I had just finished reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and once more felt that familiar and unsettling thought [...]

My reasons for leaving are personal and will not be divulged in this entry. The purpose of this entry is both for therapeutic reasons and also to give others a taste of what it could be like to experience culture shock the other way around: in your own country. Here’s what I’ve learned about readjusting: It [...]

I left Lesotho for various reasons, compounded and cinched by the fact that I was developing health issues due to the high elevation. I was told that these issues would begin to reverse upon coming back to the States but would only worsen if I stayed in Lesotho. When I left, the one thing I [...]

Op-Ed Contributor Too Many Innocents Abroad By ROBERT L. STRAUSS Published in The New York Times: January 9, 2008 The Peace Corps finds itself less and less able to provide what the people of developing countries need — at a time when the U.S. has never had a greater need for their good will. I stumbled upon this piece a [...]

On the bad days… …people scream “hieee!” and “ni hao,” and even those who have been educated ask whether all the Chinese are convicts and Lesotho acts as China’s Australia. A priest insinuates that you have no religion because you’re Chinese, and when he’s informed you are an American, he suggests that faithlessness is embedded in [...]

Mekethe Ausi Thebello Machaina 22 Sept. 2007 Since arriving at site, I have attended three mekethe. Mekethe are feasts that people throw, sometimes because of something special and sometimes for no reason at all. The whole village is invited, and they serve food from noon till evening with plenty of leftovers so that a mokethe could even spill into [...]

27 Sept. 2007 IMHO (In my humble opinion), Menkhoaneng is still the most beautiful place i’ve seen, second only to Tsehlanyane National Park in my few romps around Lesotho. As the Peace Corps volunteer, I am not only assigned to this village of 700, but many other villages in the area as well. Considering the plethora, [...]

12 Aug. 2007 Congratulate me. Like such greats as Grace Kelly, Princess Di and Julia Stiles, I have grown up to be every little girl’s dream come true. I am now royalty. Last Monday, I went for a visit to my final site, Menkhoaneng: birthplace of the founder of Lesotho. After Tsehlanyane National Park, Menkhoaneng is the [...]

There are, apparently, two things that cannot be escaped in the world: pigeons and Coca Cola. Of the few billboards standing, every other is spouting Coca Cola. Paneled on every bar and lebenkele (shop) is a Coca Cola sign. Rather than alluding to American influence and globalization as the “McDonald-ization” of the world, I’d recommend [...]

Let’s get one thing clear: Africa is damn cold. Freezing, in fact. Imagine being scrunched up in a cold-weather sleeping bag with three heavy Aranda blankets piled on top. When I wake up at 6:30 in the morning, the air is still nippy at 37 degrees—inside. Unless I can remember high school physics to convert [...]