I signed up for life (Six Month Reflections)!

This is real life, or as real as I imagine life can get, and I love it. I wish so badly I could convey to you how much I adore this country. There are challenges and nothing ever make sense. In spite of this, all you have to do is live; it should always be this way. We rise with the sun (about 6:30 AM these winter days), eat what the earth has in stock, go to work and work hard, come home to spend time with the family during a gardening, laundry, or sweeping session, and finally rest (5:30 PM!!!) when the suns goes down. I walk or ride my newly acquired bike wherever I need to be. Life here is happy.

I am learning life is not about our accomplishments, where we are, or what we have but instead it is about our attitude, who we are with, and how we chose to respond to the situations we are in. We spend a lot of time whining and complaining in America, but I promise this country has a lot more legitimate issues to mutter about. Every single day I see HIV/AIDS destroying families (scheduled to wipe out the entire population by 2045), students literally wasting away because they have no food to eat (meaning they gorge on every test I return, yummy ink and paper!), poverty leaving people (especially orphaned children) homeless, and uneducated adults (due to lack of family finances or the poor education system). The Basotho never complain about anything. It’s incredible to me how happy these people are. I want to so badly ask if they ever get tired of the hour plus long walk to school or eating papa and spinach every day for every meal (if they are that lucky). If they do, they would never let you know it. Being an American I could complain for days about washing laundry, doing dishes, or bathing without running water (running HOT water) when it is below 40 degrees. Every one of these tasks is indescribably difficult.

There are lots of problems in the world and there always with be, but all in all it is a nice place (in the words of K.F.A.). I live with the nicest, most generous, caring people I have ever met. The harvest was bad this year, and they were only able to collect 15 ears of corn for a family of eight. It does not matter. They still bring me a piece. It is so hard for me to accept the small gifts they bring me because while right now I might be living on there level I still have way more than they do… although most days I am not sure I do.

My dad used to have a pin sitting on his desk that said, “kindness is contagious.” I know you have all heard it before. It took 22 years of life and six months in this country for me to believe it. I feel kindness and happiness go hand in hand. I still do not like teaching one bit, though I have concluded it is really the science I dislike (a tangent for another day). So sad, poor me! At the same time spending time in the classroom with my students, really getting to know them, even if it has to be through adding decimal numbers, is one of the best parts of the experience. They light up when I call their name in class and talk about contagious, their smiles could make anyone happy. I give them stickers for getting perfect marks on their homework and the whole class claps for them. It’s brilliant. At 13 plus (like 10) years of age I definitely could have cared less about a sticker. To them, it is opposite. A sticker symbolizes how hard they worked. It is the only thing tangible they will probably ever have to display. I am all about seeing the bigger picture, about results, about making changes, but my students and several other villagers have stopped me in my tracks. I am starting to appreciate the little pieces of life.

The past few post have been about the recent hurdles facing me here in Lesotho consequently I thought it appropriate to convey that regardless of the challenges all is well. The best part about all the curve balls is the motivation they give me to work harder. Nothing makes sense, so be it, I have always loved puzzles. I got a letter from my aunt today and she wrote that love has no bounds. It’s so true. I have also decided people can never be too happy. If I (we) have to go an extra mile to get shoes to our runners, books to the school, or food to an imaginary kitchen it will be worth it in the end.

I wish I could pinpoint why I am so happy here or at least put it into words. There is lots to love, yet at the same time there is also lots to hate. Perhaps too often we focus on the negative (I am a pro at this) in life and there is none of here (which has been incredible lesson for me). I have wanted to write about my happiness in this foreign land for quite sometime, but I have been postponing my thoughts, waiting for some grand conclusion on what makes life here so great. I decided it is a multitude of pieces, not one exact puzzle piece, nothing that can be captured with my lack of writing skills.

The madness that makes up this country makes me laugh harder than I ever knew possible. I have never laughed as frequently as I do here in my life. I laugh by myself, I laugh with complete strangers, I laugh with other volunteers. I can have fun with myself or in large crowds of host country nationals. As much as I want to travel to all the corners of southern Africa I really enjoy living in a fish bowl here in Thaba Tseka. Things are by no means prefect, however everything is manageable. I will continue trying to be the best person I know how to be and if I impact a few students life it will be better than no lives at all. We all have the power to make the world a better place. Do not be too mislead I miss my family and friends more with each passing day. Happy simple living until next time!