Monday, January 24, 2011

Brightening things up with some photos.

Posting photos in Africa is difficult, at best. My intention was to post five or six photos, but it's just not working out. Here are the two that loaded succesfully. Hopefully I can get some more up in the future. I'll keep trying.

The photo on the bottom is of the giant boulder that sits outside the front door of my house. The family dog, Fetus, named by the family, is in the foreground and you can also see his tin-roofed dog house.

The photo in the top right is of my host sister
Mohlabase. She caught this moth and is showing it to me through my
burglar bars.

I'll work on getting the other photos up later. But for the moment I'm frustrated with this process.

The Second Year

Everyone says the second year of Peace Corps goes by much faster than the first. My first year flew by, punctuated by cultural integration, fantastic vacations, and getting to know some of the best friends I'll ever have. Sadly, it all came to a screeching halt in September. Since that tragic day I've been struggling to put the pieces back together. I'm just now able to write about my experiences of the past few months, and still I find the task to be a challenging one.
Monday, January 17th marked the beginning of the school year in Lesotho. Whether I'm ready for it or not I am forced to face my second year of work, integration, and general African lifestyle. However, this time I have to do it without the support of some of my best friends. So far the rain has been pouring down daily, which makes moving about quite difficult. Roads are flooded, bridges are non-existent, and everywhere you step you wind up covered in mud. I have no doubt that this year is going to be full of daily ups and downs. Latrines are flooding, houses are crumbling, rules are changing, and I'm always missing my friends. My first year here was one big adventure. Everything was new, exciting, and fun. The reality of Lesotho has changed a lot for me. This second year will surely be nothing like the first and that makes me more sad than I can explain. I can only hope that I will be able to enjoy the positive things that my work, my remaining friends, and Lesotho have to offer.
I will attempt to write on this blog more regularly, but I can't promise anything.
....Here's to year two....