April 23

April 23, 2010

Wow, it’s gotten quite cold here! Well, cold for Lesotho anyway. This means that instead of sleeping in boxers and a tank-top, I’ve been putting on a t-shirt and capris, and I’ve added an extra blanket on top of my (thin) comforter. I’ve also gone so far as to (gasp!) close my windows at night! The up-side of all this is that I really have no more need for my mosquito netting (thank goodness, its kind of a hassle getting in and out of bed!), and I sleep much better! It also means that the Basotho are bundled up like they’re about to go on some Arctic mission… Most wear hats, gloves/mittens, the thickest coats they can find, and some even wrap heavy blankets around their midsection. Quite frankly, I find it amusing, but I’m sure I’ll be tired of the cold in a month or so… I just really prefer cold to extreme heat. I definitely feel for the students who have to sit in (very cold) classrooms all day, only moving around during their single 20-minute break or lunch. Whenever they get a chance, they’re outside sitting in the sun, next to a building to cut the wind.
The cold makes bathing interesting… I can no longer come home from a run and use water straight from the tap; unless I want to completely freeze, I have to heat the water. I wash my hair much less frequently (yes, I realize this is disgusting), and when I do, I have to wrap up in multiple layers afterwards until my hair is dry. I think I’ll be drinking a lot of tea this winter… warm beverages are the best thing I’ve found (so far) for an instant warm-up. Rest assured that I have plenty of warm things (after all, I’m from Minnesota) and know how to layer my clothes very well (thank you, Grinnell!). School is only in session for another month and a half before we go to winter break (for close to two months!) so I just have to hang on until then.

It was the secretary of our school’s birthday yesterday. Thankfully, she told me about it
the day before so I could bake a cake. It’s amazing how far a small gesture like baking a cake can go – she was so thankful! I’ll admit, the cake was pretty delicious… I’ll also admit that I saved some of the batter so I could bake another (much smaller) cake for my friend who is coming this weekend! Hooray! More cake!

My Form A students are currently writing letters to my partner teacher’s class in America… I can hardly wait to read them! Students here are taught very formal letter writing, so when I told them I didn’t know the exact address of the school, they were absolutely flabbergasted. They wanted to put it on top of the page like a business letter! I managed to conceal my laughter until I got to the safety of my home… They’re so earnest with this letter-writing… “Madam, how do I end my letter? With ‘Sincerely’ or ‘Faithfully Yours’ or how?!” … “Madam, is it okay to draw the beautiful flowers on my paper?” … “Madam, when will the letters arrive? When will the other students write back?” Needless to say, I really hope this class pulls through for me… they have between fifty and sixty letters on the way… I couldn’t choose just one class to write; as soon as I’d asked one of my form A classes, I had to tell the other class too.

AH! HOW COULD I FORGET?! THE CHICKENS HAVE ARRIVED!!!
We have about 150 chickens just clucking around one of the extra buildings (I’m told it is actually meant for chickens!) towards the back of the school. They arrived on Tuesday (shortly after my friend left). Students brought them to their new home and set them up with fresh water and plenty of food… I’m not sure how long it will take for the chickens to start laying eggs, but as soon as they do, I’m going to push full force for a breakfast program to start! These kids need protein, not just Cheetah-like snacks that are primarily air and MSG. I want to find a way to have hard-boiled eggs available for students in the mornings so they don’t have to start their day with a completely empty tummy. I think I wrote more about this in an earlier post (I hope so, at least) so maybe search for chickens or breakfast or something if you want to know more? I’ll definitely keep the blog posted on how the breakfast program is coming (or BrEGGfast, if you will…) I’m still not entirely sure about all my duties as the chicken care-taker, but I think more will become clear as they actually start laying eggs.
Well, I think it’s time to go check on my students as they write their letters… and maybe read through a few of them before I send them away – those letters are going to be absolutely priceless. I will definitely have a “Letters to America: Best Of” post coming soon… until then, thanks so much for all your continued support. It really means the world. I (still) love receiving letters, but even a quick message online is great (and I can respond on my phone now too, hooray!)
Take care, enjoy springtime, smell some lilacs for me – I miss my family’s lilac bushes!
All my love from Africa,
-Katie