I’ve been told that back in the 1980’s WHITE Afrikaner Missionaries decided to have a parade and drive around Lesotho throwing tons (literately, not figuratively) of candy to the Basotho children just so that in the future every white person, trust me if you don’t think your white, your white here, afterwards would have to endure the following statement, “Give me sweets” as soon as they walk outside. Except it is not only the children, even the oldies ask because you guessed it, they still remember. Of course, I’ve might have embellished the above story, but deep down I think those Afrikaners knew what they were doing, since I’ve yet to see one in Lesotho unless they are locked in an overfilled land rover heading to the Dranskberg for holiday.
Some chose to ignore. I chose to stop and commence a small lecture. I’m going to attempt and in fact, as a Peace Corps secondary project, undo all the damage those Afrikaners have done and teach every young and old Basotho that white people are afraid of candy and therefore banned from all things sweet. Sooner or later they will cease to ask.
I am having much luck with my "white people don't have candy" project (note major sarcasm) that I have also decided to teach the Basotho that prior to noon is the only time we say "good morning!" It does not matter if it is morning, afternoon, or night the little ones (and uneducated elder ones) greet me with "good morning." During the winter holiday between the hours of noon and four I take Spads for walks simply to work on greetings. This project is having a much higher success rate. In all honestly it does not really matter to me that after five it is still considered morning but if they are as eager to learn English as I am Sesotho I figure they best learn correctly.
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