At last, I have arrived home to Springfield, Massachusetts! It was two rough months of traveling through West Africa. We finished our journey in Dakar, Senegal where we spent about five days on the perfect beaches south of the city center. Our flight home to New York was without incident and I [...]

I have always thought the Christmas holidays to be a bit overdone. So when Sam and I settled for a decent meal and an improvised “Christmas Branch,” in our 10 dollar hotel room, we were satisfied and then ready to press on to the north country. A ten hour haul on the Ghana state bus [...]

My friend Sam and I departed Lesotho on December 8th. Our Peace Corps business was complete and we were ready to begin our great adventure in West Africa. Our first stop was to the Johannesburg/Pretoria area in South Africa. We scrambled around there for a few days, spending a small fortune on [...]

Yes, Ke Qetile, I am finished! It is 4:45 a.m. on the morning of December 2. This is to be my last full day in Auplaas. I wake to a loud bird call that is brand new to my ears. Tschoo…tschoo…tschoo! Quickly, I follow the sound into a small cluster of trees outside [...]

A few weeks back I embarked on what will probably be my last overnight hiking trips in Lesotho. I set out by myself from my front door after the close of the academic third quarter. This is a capability that I have really enjoyed throughout my time here; to be able to load [...]

Note: Two new literary ramblings posted on my blog today! Ok, so abundant wildlife is hardly a perk of living in Lesotho. The great game reserves of Africa are elsewhere, though some are not too far. Our wildlife pool is quite limited unless you are a big fan of rats. Like most aspects [...]

The Basics rule my days in the highlands of Lesotho. It’s the beauty and grandeur of the morning commute. No car here, foot travel is boss. Thump, Thump…Shoes against earth, sights, sounds, smells. Walking, just walking. Mountains and vast, open space are perfect for strengthening my mind and body. Ahh, life in the Drakensberg! Squander nothing. Wastewater for irrigation and compost [...]

It would be a radical understatement to say that I am out of my element here when it boils right down to it. Although I have experienced some great moments of acceptance, joy, and work successes with my community, the many formidable barriers are tough to brush aside. Some things make me cringe [...]

“The River was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.” - Norman Maclean There are times when I want to push against the forces of [...]

Mozambique is a country that conjures up a variety of thoughts for some people while for other folks; it creates little but a blank space. Located in southeast Africa, Mozambique boasts a 1500 km coastline, a rich national history, and some truly amazing travel destinations. I have recently returned from an outstanding two-week [...]

Living in a culture that is so different from my own has had many effects on me over these past nineteen months. These effects are numerous and complex to say the least, but the concept of perception or the ability to perceive things stands out in my mind at the moment. Day to [...]

As the long, frigid nights of July dragged on last year, I was searching for things to do around my village in Qacha’s Nek. My ‘me had never had her peach trees pruned and I was eager to tackle the task but was unsure of the proper method. I went right to Ntate [...]

I would have to confess that this past academic quarter was my most difficult thus far. My work seemed to grow more frustrating by the day. Some days I felt as though I simply could not communicate effectively with anyone in my community such as colleagues, students, and even my own host family. [...]