Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Planting Season


I have been back in Lesotho for almost a month now. It has felt like a whirlwind of farm activity, moving around and meeting people again. I think I will describe to you all the different ways my life has been crazy and full in the last month.

The first and biggest one is my job (aka farming). It started with putting in some new plots on my first full day here and has continued on to putting out fertilizer in a research field until 7pm last night. I arrived in the middle of the planting season, which explains some of the craziness. All the maize (corn) is supposed to be in by Nov. 25 but we always wait on the rain. On Nov. 24 we got a really good rain so we have been busy ever since.  Last week some professors from the University of Tennessee arrived to plant the research fields and put out tests.  Part of my new job is helping them and overseeing the research fields while they are away. It has been fun to learn some new things and hear what the plans are for our fields. But it has been tiring trying to keep up with all the new things.

The new plots we put in 
There is a group of short term volunteers here and a group of Basotho young adults (the residents) that are learning about conversation agriculture farming and living at the project for a couple of weeks at a time.  So needless to say, the housing at the project is very full. As I have been reminded since I returned the norm in this place is people coming and going; some expected, some unexpected. And I have not been disappointed.  In the last month over 15 people have arrived and over 20 have left. I am still waiting for housing to be built before I can move into my permanent residence so I have been moving around on the project property as rooms become available.

I have also got to see all my old friends and family! That has been a wonderful, welcoming, love filled time. On the first sunday I was back in church I was called to the front. I had forgotten that this would probably happen, so I was a little surprised when they started singing a song for me. And then everyone stood up and walked past to shake my hand. It was such a beautiful welcome. It made me feel wanted and that is a great feeling.

I arrived during a very busy season at Growing Nations, but it has been a fun, exciting return. Every day holds something interesting and new and I have been welcomed so warmly and so kindly that in a way it is does feel like coming home.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Heading ‘home’ again


Tomorrow I head back to Lesotho to start a 2 year term with at Growing Nations (GNT) with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)*.  I have slept in many different beds and been through many transitions since I left Lesotho just over 4 months ago. Mostly I have in Canada visiting friends and family, but most recently I returned to the US and then South Africa (SA) to do an MCC orientation. 

During my last time in Lesotho my I have often used the word ‘home’, but it was not always to refer to the same place. When I talked with new people about where I was from, what I ded at home, ect. I would use the word home to refer to my home community in Canada or the broader Canadian culture.  As I spent more time in Lesotho I started to refer to the place that I lived with my ‘host’ family as ‘home’, especially when I was visiting in SA and talking about life in Lesotho. Over time my ‘host’ family ceased to be my host family and just became my family. And the people I lived with simply became my mother and sisters and brothers.

When I flew to SA 2 weeks ago I watched Madagascar 3. I watched it because it had been quoted a lot by one of my fellow SALTers but there was one scene that stood out to me about ‘home’. #Spoiler alert# There are 4 zoo animals that got out of the zoo that have been having adventures throughout the world. They have been trying to get ‘home’ for a long time. When they finally make it back to the zoo they stand outside the gates and reflect on how much smaller everything looks and how tall the fences are that separate them from each other.  They then decide to go back and join the new friends they have made rather than go back to what they thought was their home.  It made me think about how my perceptions of where home is has changed. I still consider Canada home, I still love seeing my family and friends there, but I can no longer ‘see’ it exactly the same. I am realizing that it is not the only place that I consider ‘home’ any more. 

When I arrived in SA I stayed at the MCC headquarters. It is a place I had often stayed before and I felt ‘at home’ there.  As I started to meet old friends again it started to feel more like ‘home’.  For a long time I have been looking forward to seeing my Basotho family again.  As I have been thinking about going back to Lesotho, in a way, it feels like I am preparing to go ‘home’.  I will still miss my Canadian family and I will still miss my Canadian ‘home’.  But the Mumford and Sons song lyrics ‘where you invest your love, you invest your life’ have been echoing in my head.  And I would say that I have invested my love in Lesotho and now part of my life, part of where I consider home, is also Lesotho. 


*See profile for explanation 

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Saying Goodbye...for now


It is a little strange to think about saying good-bye when there are still 2 months before I will be back ‘home’.  However my circumstances are such that I have been saying good-bye and thinking about saying good-bye since the beginning of May.  As my time in Lesotho is coming to an end I am entering a time of transition.  This week school is closing for the winter break, this has only sped up the rate of transitions.  Over 2 weeks ago I said good-bye to my 2 youngest siblings, who leave during school holidays, and soon I expect to say good-bye my oldest sibling.  This time of transition will continue for the next 2 months as I make my way back to Canada, and in some ways it will continue for the next 5 months.  I have been offered a position working here with the same organization in Lesotho.  So I will be heading home for a couple of months, then coming back here for 2 years. 

Transitions are always a time filled with good-bye’s.  In some ways I am not saying good-bye, just so long for now, since I will be coming back. But I know things will be different when I get back.  Some difference are obvious and expected others will be subtle and harder to distinguish. Some of the obvious differences will be my job description, my living arrangements (I will not be living without a host family), and the SALTer I have shared this experience with will not be here.  The biggest good-bye I have been thinking about is to my host family. I will still see them often since I will be in the village right beside them, but I will not live with them. I had not thought much about this before my 2 youngest siblings left. When I found out they were going my instant reaction was sadness and a desire to cry.  This reinforced my growing realization that these children, and this whole family has become a part of my heart, a part of my life.  I have invested both love and life into this family.   It is amazing how attached you can get to people, especially children, in a short time.  It felt very sad to acknowledge I would not get to live with them again. I would no longer come home every night to shouts of ‘ausi mpho!’(my Sesotho name) and giggling, and calling me names, and wanting me to hold them while I am trying to help with supper.  They have been a big part of my experience. 

Zanele, Noxolo, Lebo, Rorisang, 'me Malintle, Mpho


Zanele, Mpho, Lebo
TI have been trying to acknowledge how different things will be when I come back. I hope this will help the transition. Transition is something that is talked about a lot in cross-cultural experiences, and camp experiences. So I have heard lots about it, and I have experienced a few transitions myself. However, it continues to surprise me when it is difficult. It is one thing to know things will feel strange; it is another things when it happens.  It has started to become difficult to focus on life here, when I know I only have a month left before this Lesotho experience ends. 

Liminality: A threshold, the place in between coming and going. This is not an easy place to live in. There is lots of excitement and new things, but there are also lots of good-bye’s. But when I think of my next 5 months, this is the place I expect to be.  Transition is part of life as a young adult. Our lives are fluid. I have a love hate relationship with this.  I am excited to be coming back here, I am glad I am not saying a final good-bye right now.  But committing to being somewhere for 2 years was difficult. It will be the longest I have been a permanent resident in one place since high school.  And so even though there are lots of transitions in my near future I am looking forward to a little permanence, even if it is only 2 years.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Out and About

It is a rainy day here in Maphutseng. Usually I would say this is a rare thing, but this week has been full of rain.  Fall is a rainy time, so I have heard.  A rainy friday afternoon seems like a good time to update my blog, or rather upload some more pictures, as it seems like this is what my blog is going to be used for. If you ever want to hear more of the stories feel free to e-mail or comment. 

This post is called 'Out and About' because recently we went on a little expedition to Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Bloemfientien, Maseru, Thaba Bosiu and everywhere in between. The main purpose of the voyage was a spiritual retreat with MCC, but we also did some vacationing along the way. Also 'Out and About' is the phrase that shows off my Canadian accent the best :), according to some of the Americans that have been here.

A group of 200 Basotho and 6 Makhoa on a very long hike. We signed up for the hike, but only because we had no idea how far we would be going.  Well that is not entirely true, but 120 km in 3 days does make you think twice.


On Day 2 we started at 4am. The dots are people with headlamps coming down the hill, seriously.

It was a beautiful sunrise, over a beautiful valley

We could still see the moon

The scenery the was amazing throughout the hike.

Unfortunately, on our longest day of hiking I forgot my hat, so I wore a different kind of apparel

We saw many interesting things along the way, such as this church with no walls

Every time we stopped children showed up to gather the bottles from our water and powerade

On a wet Sunday we made it back to the tar roads

That Sunday was Moeshoeshoe Day. The day celebrating the founding king of Lesotho. This is our Flag

There were many people to greet us at the end, including this group of 'friends' I made
Our fun trip out of the valley

Geese at the toilets at the taxi rank in Quithing

A delicious cup of coffee in Durban (one of the delights of travel)
 Back at Maphutseng, we have been doing a lot of harvesting. Mainly tomatoes, but also maize and beans.

The bean harvest

Some chutney we made from all the tomatoes

Me picking my maize from the first field I ever planted!

The post harvest stalk lodging aka destruction of maize stalks
Well, the rain is stopping, so those are all the pictures for now, hope you enjoyed.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

My Host Family

Here are a few pictures of my host family, at least some of the members.

'me Malintle, my host mom, modeling the oven mitts my mom in Canada gave for Christmas


Me and little Rorisang, the grandaughter of 'me Malintle, and part-time resident at our house

Me, Noxolo, 'me Malintle, and Rorisang on our front porch.

There are 2 younger children at our house, but I have already posted pictures of them.  There is also my older host brother, Atang, who you can see in the Christmas pictures. I realized I have not put up a lot of pictures of my family here, so I hope you enjoy.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Where do I see God?


Last Sunday I was supposed to skype with my church in Canada.  Unfortunately, the Internet here does not work well in the evening.  I did prepare some thoughts though that I sent by e-mail ahead of time.  Some of the stories are ones I have blogged about before others are new.  However, all the stories are still relevant to my life here, and I hope you enjoy reading them.
Here are some reflections and stories with you related to some questions my pastor sent me.
The first question was ‘what do I see God doing around me’ and my first thought was ‘what do I not see God doing around me?’ In this place there are so many things going on, so many people working to try to help others, so much community care, so many people trying to understand more of who God is that I wonder ‘where is God not at work?’
But here of some specific instances.

I see a school that is trying to teach conservation agriculture skills to students.  Agriculture is a part of life for almost everyone who lives in Lesotho. Whether people live in a village in the mountains or a house in the capital city everyone has a garden in their yard and in every village families have a field of maize somewhere close by.  However, the yield from many of these plots is poor.  There are a variety of reasons for this, that would take a lot of time to explain, but the poor yields are a problem. The teachers at the primary school know this and want to teach children skills so that they can help their families grow good crops.  There are fields all around the school that the children plant and tend.  The other purpose of these gardens is to provide income to the school.  Primary education is free in Lesotho.  The government pays for everything from teacher’s salaries, to school books for the children.  However, the supplies are very sparse, and there is very little money for infrastructure and furniture repairs, sports equipment and many supplies that would increase the quality of teaching.  So selling produce from these gardens would be a way to provide more money to pay for these things.  This is the vision that the principle and the teachers have for these children, and I see God in that.
Here are some of the kids at that school
I see a mother, who is also a teacher, who took in a female student so that she could finish her education.  This mother was already caring for 3 children, who were not biologically hers, although they were family.  She had already raised 2 children of her own and many relations, and she is now 52.  However, her heart continues to care for those children in her school.  This girl was already 18, but still in grade 7 (the last grade in primary school).  She lived with her Aunt and Uncle in a nearby village.  Her mother passed away when she was younger and her father had been off working in the mines in South Africa. Recently the father also passed away, leaving the girl a double orphan.  The Aunt and Uncle continued to let the girl go to school, but they had been talking about how she should get married since she was 16.  The teacher at school was concerned this girl would not make it all the way through grade 12, if she continued to live at home, so she did the only thing that seemed right, she took another child into her home.  I see God this heart whose love has no boundaries.
I see people who’s attitudes and practices are changing.  Change is hard.  When you have done things the way your parents and grandparents have you are often resistant to change.  That is the way it is with the farmers here in Lesotho as well, they are resistant to new ways of farming.  The project I am a part of is trying to teach people better farming practices.  We are growing crops, which are doing very well compared to the people around here; in order to show farmers, not just tell them about better methods. But it takes time for people to trust and believe that a new method works.  And it takes God working in people’s hearts for them to be ready to change.  However, I do see God working, I do see people trying something new.  One example is our language teacher.  He has never attended training at the project, but he has seen what is happening and talked to people in the village that are using conservation agriculture.  This year he has started using conservation agricultures methods on a small portion of his maize plot.  He has neighbours that think that the new method is ridiculous, but his plants are looking good and people are continuing to change.
The second question was ‘What do I see God doing in me?’  I know I continue to grow through my experience here, but sometimes it is hard to see that while in the middle of things.  I am sure it will be easier to see with perspective, but here are a couple of things I have noticed already.
I am a very independent person that grew up in an individualistic culture.  I am now living in a group culture that is very community minded.  I see this in many ways every day and I have to continually choose whether I will do things my way, on my own, or whether I will let the people around me interrupt ‘my’ way of doing things myself.  As an example here is one story.  Washing clothes by hand is a physically demanding and time-consuming task; I try to resist help, to show that ‘I can do it’.  I like to think of my laundry as a private matter, it is my problem how many clothes I wear and how dirty I get them.  However, as when I brought my wash outside one Sunday morning those around me had a very different lesson to show me.  As I started to work independently, in my little bubble, my 4 year old host sister appeared and started ‘helping’ me soak the clothes.  Just as she was pulling out my underwear 3 small faces appeared smiling and staring, looking at what I was doing.  Two of the children do not even live at my house, but after 8 am on the weekend is fair game for friends to come over.  So my washing had become a community matter.  As I continued doing my wash my 11 year old host sister came over and told me (not asked, just told me) she was going to help me.  When she saw Zane hanging up my underwear she mentioned how when she was little she loved when her mother let her help wash the handkerchiefs.  I have been learning that helping out, and letting others help, is not just about the person doing the task (ie. It’s not about me).  You are letting someone feel valued by letting them be part of your task; to tell them you can do it all alone is saying their help is not appreciated.  This is a communal culture, and your problem is never just your problem or task, as much as you may want it to be.  I feel like interdependence is something God is continuing to teach me.
Another way God is working in me is ‘breaking’ my heart over things I have become callous to.  Here is another story.  America bo pelo ha bo thata. This is a phrase we worked on in our Sesotho lessons.  It means, In America life is not hard.  We were talking about how life is hard in Lesotho these days because of the lack of rain.  When we were asked about what life is like for us, this was our first response.   However, these phrases led to an interesting conversation with our language teacher. We talked about how there actually are problems in North America, how life is difficult for some people there, but our problems are different.  The problem of poor crops, and the effects on people was one major difference.  In the village it is common for people to only eat 1 or 2 meals a day.  If the drought continues this year there will be even less to be and there may be starvation, because people are subsistence farmers.  We contrasted this with the farmer in North America, who can still feed their family in a year with poor crops, because the family does not actually eat the maize.  In fact, we started to talk about how maize is used to make ethanol in North America.  At this point in our conversation the disparity and absurdity of the situation made me cry.  The fact that people in one country barley have enough to eat, while we are burning the very thing that could fill their stomachs, just so that we can drive our vehicles, made my heart feel so heavy. I have thought about the problem of using maize for Ethanol, while in Canada, but the problem never made me cry.  It was not until I came here and was sitting beside the households without enough to eat that the problems became real to my heart.
Prayer is something that is always appreciated.  I have a few things you can pray for, for the people, the project, and for me personally.
Rain in on everyone’s mind these days.  We had late rains this year, we did not plant most of our maize until the first week of December, which is about a month later than usual.  After the rains in December there was almost no rain in January.  This week it has started to rain again, but many of the crops have become quite stressed.  Hopefully the crops will recover, but prayer that we would have good crops, so that the people in this valley are not hungry this next year continues to be on my heart.
You can pray for acceptance of the message we are sharing and people to be willing to change and work with us.  As I said before, this is something God is already at work at here, but it is something we continue to pray for as well.
I would appreciate prayer for wisdom and understanding to work well in such a multi-cultural, diverse setting.  I continue to learn more, and understand more about the people I work with, but there is still so much more.  I feel like I am just starting to get a feel for how things work here and I want to work well within that setting, and help things work even better.
I love hearing from people, and knowing that people are following what I am doing.  I try to post fairly often on my blog about what is happening here. However, life gets busy and blogging often gets left behind, so always feel free to send me an e-mail if you want to hear how things are, or let me know what is going on at home.  If you are interested in sending an old fashion letter, there is a post box in town and letters eventually get to me J
Thank-you for all your support and love and prayers
Sala huntle (Stay well)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Christmas Time in Lesotho

Christmas has come and gone, as has New Years.  However, being in a new culture gives you quite a bit to compare and contrast at this time of year, so I would like to reflect back on my holiday season, and give you a little picture tour of Christmas Day.

The build up to Christmas Day, and the ‘sacredness’ of the days around it are non-existent in Lesotho, compared North America.  There is no Advent series in church, there are no Christmas trees in the houses, there are no Christmas carols in the regular shops, children are not counting down the days until Santa comes.  Christmas here is a religious holiday in the middle of summer holidays.  This is not a bad thing; in fact it is refreshing to see a place where the commercial/consumer mindset has not taken over Christmas.  Also, from what I have heard, Easter is a bigger deal here, which makes far more sense from a Christian point of view.  However, it was still difficult for me to adjust my thinking and accept the low key manner of things when I am used to Christmas being a very special time at home in Canada.  

Now I would like to take you through the story of my Christmas Day, which will also be a story about a typical Sunday here in the valley.  I had been voluntold to make supper, which is typical of a Sunday.  So I got up early to prep, then after a special breakfast (we had granola, which is not on the menu for Sundays) I bathed and headed out to Chruch.  This is the first thing I saw out my door.  

It has become ‘normal’ to me, but I realize that sheep in the front yard would never be ‘normal’ in Brandon.  I walked along trying to keep balanced in my lovely borrowed shoes.  

I did not bring heels, I did not think I would need them.  However, I quickly discovered that all ladies wear black shoes to church and most of the shoes are heels.  It is always amusing to me to see them pull heels out of their purses and slip out of their running shoes just before they get to chuch.  So far I have just worn my sandals, but since it was a special Sunday I borrowed shoes from my host mom, who incidently is only 5 feet tall, so the shoes were a little small. 
As I walked past the water tap (the cement rectangle on the right) I saw the donkeys grazing, just like any other day. 
Along the way I also saw a couple of girls. I had my camera out, so of course they wanted me to take their picture. So here are my new 'friends' posing on Christmas morning.
It is always amazing to me the beautiful view I have whenever I walk out of my house.  In the foreground is the house of a grandmother that I always greet on my way to work.
Continuing along the way I got to the 'door' to the church yard.  It is just a hole in the barbed wire fence. It always makes me smile when I see ladies ducking through in their skirts and heels.
Here is everyone gathering outside under the tree since it was a very hot sunny morning.  It was such a hot day that during the church service we actually had a thunder storm!
The service itself was quite a long affair.  We got there at 11 am and left around 4:30 pm.  There were many different, special parts to the service, because it was Christmas Day.  One of them was christening, there were about 20 babies being christened that morning.
After church I finished making my 'traditional' North American Christmas dinner.  We had mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and a variety of other dishes.  It was enjoyed by everyone, but especially by the North Americans :)
Left to right: Atang (host brother), Randall (SALTer), Ntate Moletsane (pastor) Me Malintle (host mother)
After dinner we sang Christmas Carols together, a wonderful way to end the evening.

That is the tour of my Christmas in Lesotho.