May 29, 2007 (written by Jason)

So yet another exciting adventure in the story of Jason and Janeen. I am in Maseru for a medical appointment, which they did not have me down for and am taking care of some other business whilst I am here. We are now in the thick of winter and have offically survived our first frost filled week. The coldest day of the last week was Tuesday. Janeen in her blog said that "Jason thinks that if it were to rain today, that it would not be rain, but snow." Well shortly thereafter it surely did do just that.

After figuring out the coal stove we did eventually warm during the evenings, however by this time I had already got some sort of flu bug. It lead to many trips to the toilet on Friday and basically ruined the plans for us to head to a friend's place in the mountains. We did get to see our friend off though who is just finishing her service. It was a good weekend.

Now I am killing time waiting for the doctor as they did not make me an appointment. So I hope that you all are reading this and checking up on us from time to time. All our Love!

May 21, 2007 (written by Janeen)

Brrrrr! I am writing to you with my long underwear, a t-shirt, a fleece jacket, and my windbreaker on AND I am still cold! I also am wearing an earmuff type headband, a scarf, tights, pants, and gloves. I guess the only way to get warm is to put even more clothing on! Winter has arrived! I think it is worse today because it is so windy! Jason thinks that if it were to rain today, that it would not be rain, but snow. Poor me! I’ve only ever lived in Southern California and this cold thing is NOT my cup of tea. Not to mention that I have had several cups of tea and coffee already today!

I am proctoring an exam for students who missed the English exam last Monday. Many students were absent because they had to go home to collect school fees. In fact, I’ve had one student who is in my B1 class who has not returned since they have asked for the second quarter school fees. I hope that he can make it back, but he has been gone over a week now and of course is missing important information in all classes! I asked about him from other students and they were not able to tell me anything. Its sad to think that he has dropped out because his family is not able to pay. It of course makes me want to pay for his schooling and then I think about all the kids who can’t even afford to come to school at all. Of course orphans get their school fees paid for by the government, but that does not include the cost of renting books, uniforms, or any additional fees that schools have (i.e. my school has a building fee and a computer fee). So THAT makes me want to pay for everyone! Of course I can’t afford to do that, but I just wish that they could all get a good education.

That’s enough blabbery thoughts for today. We get our next stipend on June 1, and we are crunching pennies (we get paid once every 3 months because the bank charges even for deposits & Peace Corps wants to save $)! The joys of Peace Corps volunteers!  Miss you and love you all!

May 22, 2007 (written by Jason)

Ok so I will second the cold thing. Today on my way to school I wore a t-shirt, a wool sweater, a windproof vest and an outer shell jacket. Even with all of these things the wind bites through me like a knife. I can’t even begin to imagine the poor little boys and girls who have nothing but thin outer jackets, wholly shoes and thin pants or skirts with no stockings. It makes me want to hold all of them all day so that they stop shivering. The teachers at my school do what they can but it is so little and there are so many.

Things have been tough emotionally lately. I know that I am making an impact on my teachers but the progress is slow and the results are poor. Tomorrow, they want me to give a few model lessons. I am fine with this as the lessons that I have observed are very weak. I hope that I will be of some help to these teachers! Who knows though really?

One positive thing is that my school did finally finish their grant proposal for the U.S. Embassy grant. I think that our chances are pretty weak but who knows right?? Ok I am cold now to the core and am going to go home and start a fire. God bless the coal stove.
All the best
Jason

May 14, 2007 (written by Jason)

Ok So I just wanted to say a quick whats up to everyone. As Janeen said we had a nice wekend and it was fun to get on the internet and do somethings (inclding the update of this site. Hope you enjoy!). I also have been trying to stay much more motivated as I often run out of things to do at school. This means I have been writing out the projects that I am actively involved in and am trying to get them accomplished in a timely manner. It is a good way to stay organized and focused on what needs to get done now and in the future.

I finally got a crop in the ground so soon I could even call myself a farmer. That should be fun. We planted beans, peas, onions, carrots and of course rape. That is right their is a plant called rape. Apperently it is a lot like spinach so we will see.

Well I better go. Janeen already left for the market and I am meeting her. All our love to you, wherever this may find you!


May 14, 2007 (written by Janeen)

This weekend we have spent our time in Maseru lounging around at the transit house (a house owned by Peace Corps for volunteer use when in Maseru). We have watched several movies and taken a few hot showers. (NICE—especially since we didn’t have to heat the water on the stove before jumping into the shower) Yesterday we also had the opportunity to visit with the directors of Beautiful Gate, a center that cares for abandoned and HIV/AIDS affected children. They are just about to move into permanent facilities and they are amazing. Just talking with them got us excited. According to Lesotho law, we are unable to adopt directly through the center, but the kids there were absolutely adorable. The visit was very affirming and even though we were already convinced that we want to adopt here, we became even more assured! In fact, Jason even picked up a baby to hold ALL BY HIMSELF. Normally, I have to shove a baby at him and say, “You need practice.” At the center, there were 2 rooms of children. The first room we visited had the toddlers. One three-year-old child came up to us right away and grabbed my hand. He was so cute, and has quite a sad story. He is the oldest one there and has seen many other children come and go. We were told that each time new prospective parents come through, he is hoping that they will be his! Apparently his new parents have been in the process of adopting him for over a year now, and have had so much trouble, that they are starting back at square one again! Anyway, today we are headed back home. Jason is trying to download a later edition of Internet Explorer in hopes that we will be able to post blogs to this site. We’ll see!

May 12, 2007 (written by Janeen)

Yeah! We are finally able to post on our site!! In town the internet has been sketchy and we have been unable to post here. However, I am in Maseru right now and it now works at the Peace Corps office! yippee! They just installed new computers here and we can now publish blogs here, where the internet is much faster than elsewhere.
ALSO, we have internet at our site now. We spent the big bucks and bought a bluetooth phone, so that we could have access using the computers at my school. We have had that for about a month, but it is still terribly slow and a tad expensive for a Peace Corps salary (roughly 20-30 licente a minute). HOWEVER, we just found out that we can purchase data bundles instead of using air time for the internet. We can purchase 10 mega-bites for 10 rand. Now, that turns out to be 2-3 licente per minute-- very affordable, even on a Peace Corps budget! The internet is still slow, but it is not the amount of minutes that matter, it is the amount of information being sent/received so we can be on for longer and have it cost less. Yeah! So, all of you that complain about your hand cramping when writing letters, can now just email! :) Though the snail mail letters really do make us feel good, so those can still keep coming & I will still be writing responses!

By the way, we have been posting on Jason's blog www.lifeofanominee.blogspot.com since this site has been finicky. If there are no posts here, be sure to check that one out.

Well, I have several papers to grade this weekend, so I better get going.

Lots of love-- Janeen

May 2, 2007 (written by Janeen)
Well it has been a while since I have written a blog! Our computers at school are finally virus free and all the software works. Yippee! Jason had to download something off the internet in order to fix the problem. He finished fixing everything just after we got back from vacation. I just realized that the last blog I wrote was a bit of a sad one. I was having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. I have good news to report that I am doing much better. I taught some good lessons and am enjoying my students again. We have already given the first exam for the second quarter. For my form A students it was a reading comprehension exam and for form B it was a composition. I am finished grading the form A students’ exams and am going to start the form B students’ exams today. I also gave them 3 choices for topics so at least I won’t have to read 100 of the same paper!

It is starting to get pretty cold here. In fact the other day it was snowing. It wasn’t cold enough for it to stay on the ground, but it was definitely snowing! I’ve heard the winter here is harder to bear because there is no escape from the cold. You go from a cold building to another cold building. At home you only have to brave the cold when you leave a building! Jason and I have a coal stove that we are going to test out. Our other option is our standing gas heater (I’m told that only heats a small radius). The days are not unbearable. I’ve been wearing layers, and shedding some throughout the day. The evenings are the challenge, which is why we will probably start going to bed at like 7!

Before I blab on too much, I need to share an experience that really touched me this week. Yesterday we were traveling on a bus back home from town and this frail man got on just before the bus left the rank. He had sores on his face and his entire face was sunken in so much that I could see all the facial bones. Jason noticed him right away and pointed him out to me. I realize we were speculating, but he had the signs of a person with AIDS. It really hit me hard to see a person in this condition because it made the disease real. Because there are no signs when a person is HIV positive, the reality of the disease has not really affected me. As of now, we have not been to any funerals and most of the funerals we have heard about have been from car accidents. Seeing him made me realize that about 25% (or more) of people in this country will die in that way. The only thing they can do is go on ARVs which only allows them to live longer. The HIV will eventually progress into AIDS and they will die. I guess there is some hope though. Magic Johnson is still living a healthy life. Though he is not living in a country where opportunistic diseases are rampant (TB, etc). Grandpa Durkee just sent me an article with an interesting statistic- There is an 85% fatality rate of people with both HIV and TB. Anyway, it hit me this week. I am going to continue to have conversations with my students about it. I also had an idea of creating a lesson plan book with ready made lessons that integrate HIV/AIDS education into English. The thought is that the students need to talk about it enough that they feel comfortable talking about it. The language needs to become regular so that there is not so much shock factor and if or when the disease affects them (I don’t think there is anyone not affected by the disease), they will be prepared.

Once again, it has been almost 6 month since we have been here and we still miss you all like crazy! All these births and weddings are making us miss you even more! We send our love and wish we could be there with you sharing your memories!

May 2, 2007 (written by Jason)

Hello to all my huge fans out there. I know we have not been blogging as much as I said we would but you have to understand that life here moves at a totally different pace than back home. Our lives are really a number of boring routines that you would have a hard time reading if we were to just write the same things over and over again. It is like when we get together with PCV’s, we know that certain things will dominate conversation; e.g. Politics, Corporal Punishment in the classroom, and who is “hooking up” with whom around the Peace Corps circles. But I digress, as some memorable stuff is going on.

So it took me about 6 months but for the first time I actually was thronged by a group of kids at school. Many of you back home know that kids and I just get each other but for some reason or another I was keeping my distance from kids and what not. Today though after reading an entire Newsweek magazine waiting for class to start, I asked myself a simple question; “How badly do these kids need an adult to just recognize them?”

This was spurred on by one little boy Neo, who is in standard 1. He is this cute little independent man but whenever I am outside, he is right there beside me grabbing my hand and leaning against me. This led me to my experiment. So today at lunch, I took the kids out to the play area (a big grass lot) and played helicopter and airplane. I had to quit after about 30 kids though because by then, I had the entire 1, 2, and 3 classes mobbing me wanting me to swing them around. The truly sad part was after we quit, the students just wanted to be near me. Students were holding my hands, touching my clothes, just wanting to be near an adult who took interest in them. It was exhausting but fun and exhilarating as well.

Otherwise, things are going along as normal. School is fine. We would love to hear from anyone out there. We miss you all. Take care!
Jason

April 17, 2007 (written by Jason)

Well I have been talking about doing this for a while but it finally happened. I got the internet hooked up at our site. It isn’t fast or flashy (yet) but it is the internet with e-mail and blogging capabilities. I am super excited as it isn’t really even that expensive. I hope to open the service up to the students, if I can get some funding from the school to do that. I want to be able to show them the basics of the internet and how it can help them with research and other things. It is pretty cool though. I also hope to get instant messenger back up on this computer so that we can set times to have live chats with groups of people back home. I think that it would really enhance our experience here and yours back at home. If you have any other ideas, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or shoot an e-mail to me or Janeen @
jason.samuelian@gmail.com
janeen_samuelian@yahoo.com

All the best
Jason

April 13th, 2007 (written by Jason)

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been. We are just beginning to settle back in to our quiet little lives here in Tsa-Kholo after the last few weeks of “big city” life and vacation. The transition has been a little difficult after having some well needed time off and time away. That is the problem though. We have heard with people going on vacation is that when they return to their homes in Lesotho, there is some feeling of dread. Not that we dread living here, which is not the case at all. It is just that after being able to drive (a rental car with the drivers side on the right; manual transmission which was weird but you get used to it), stay out at night passed 7 p.m., go to restaurants and the movies (we saw 300 and Music and Lyrics), and just feel like life was a little more normal, going back to a cold house with a single light bulb hanging from the roof and a bathroom that smells like an odd combination of mildew and poop, is a little depressing (for those living in houses with none of these features I imagine the feeling is even more intensified).
Work can also be disappointing. I know that the first quarter can start slowly no matter where you are, but seeing that same pace carried into the next quarter is down right frustrating. I sat in class today and waited for 30 minutes while the teacher asked, “If you don’t understand ask me questions.” This is massively frustrating as the teacher knows that you are there to observe the best that she has to offer and that is pretty much the extent of her ability.
But it is not all bad being back in Lesotho. I have found that I have a liking to some of the simpler foods here. Roast corn known as Pone (not at all like roast corn in America) is one of my favorite snacks/meals here. It kind of tastes like unflavored corn-nuts or pop corn kernels partially popped. The pace of life is also kind of fun. I do like having long bike rides to think about things in life and taking naps in the afternoon after work. It is a pace of life that I know will not be able to be emulated as much back home, especially once we start a family.
It has also been great being home because we get to hear from all of you. Your packages and letters, this means we did receive it Kyle, Ronnie and yes you too Dakota ;-) have made all the difference in turning a bad day into a manageable one, although it does make us miss you something fierce. This is especially pertinent to all of you back home having babies. It really makes us wish that we could be there and celebrate the new lives with you.
One more quick shout out and then I am done. Congratulations to our best friends, Brad Blaze and Valerie Jorritsma (now Valerie Blaze), in the whole world on finally tying the knot. We have tried calling a few times to wish you well but have been unable to get a hold of you. This is the next best thing though. Announcing to the world, via the internet, our heart felt love and congratulations to you. Hope that you had a great time at the Adventura Spa Palace!
I think that is all I got to say today. We are still working on trying to get the internet here at school but I will definitely hit you all with a fatty blog once we do get that sucker rolling. All the best,
Jason

April 13th, 2007 (written by Janeen)
Well, I can’t really say that I am too excited to be back. The return to school meant that I had to finish grading 200 quarter exams, which all consisted of reading comprehension questions, grammar questions, and the dreaded compositions. This time the topic for Form A students was: “My first day at Tsakholo High School” and for Form B students: “A day when my friend disappointed me”. So I got to read about 100 of each of those. It can get just a tad boring and sometimes the essays all start to blur together. Though, I can say that I am almost through. I’ve only got about 50 more compositions to read. Then I get to fill out quarter reports for each student. All of this is due by Monday, so my first weekend of being back at school is of course going to consist of doing work! Our small home is in disarray, and needs a good sweep and mop (not to mention that I need to clean up my piles of clutter that have accumulated as I have spent my time grading, sleeping, eating, and going to class).
ANYWAY! I am going to stop complaining because the teachers here do this ALL the time, and I only have to deal with it for 2 years (I’m never going to be a high school teacher). For those of you out there that have ever thought, “Those who can’t do-teach” you are TOTALLY wrong. This is one of the most challenging jobs ever. Many days I get frustrated because I know that I can do better, or I wish that there were more hours in the day so that I could do all the things that I hope for.
And then there was how I was feeling this week—like I didn’t want to do any of it any more because I didn’t think that what I was doing was making any difference any way. Here a passing score is 40% and many students are happy just to pass. I am NOT okay with that and of course want my students to score in the 70% or higher range, but those are few. So of course I feel like I am failing because my students don’t do as well as I would hope. So I ask myself does it even matter that I am here? Am I really making any difference?
I guess I am probably just dealing with “coming home from vacation blues” and I am sure things will settle down. I do enjoy my students and I hope that I am teaching them well. It can just get you down sometimes when you know how much better things could be, you see what the reality is here, and then realize that my impact may only be small.
Thank you again for all of your correspondence. They really do help cheer us up when we are having a frustrating day! When we left for training & vacation I had just about caught up on my letters, but since being back I think we are about 10 letters behind, which of course will not get responses until AFTER I am done with all the exam & report madness! We miss you all so much!

April 1, 2007 (Written by Jason)

So James and myself, ditched our last language session meeting to come down to the VRC (volunteer resource center) and putz around a little bit on the computers here. We were just starting when these 2 older gentlemen came in and introduced themselves. Fred, a former volunteer in Columbia, back in the 70's, and Matt, a former worker down in Antarctica were coming through on vacation. Fred knew that Peace Corps volunteers are the real source for the on the ground information as to where to stay and what to do while in country.

The trully funny part was that Fred now lives in Mariposa, which for those of you not from the north is only like 30-45 minutes away from Sonora. It is kind of funny that things like this just seem to happen. I really do love the random nature of events as they happen around the world.
Ok well I thought that this was blog worthy. Sorry to bore you if it wasn't!
Jason

March 30, 2006 (written by Janeen)
Well we are back in Maseru and let me say, it is a very different feeling. It is Friday afternoon at the end of the month and the lines for the ATMs are HUGE! I bet people stand in line for about 2 hours or more! Most people get paid at the end of the month and then withdraw most of their money at that time, since the bank pretty much charges for any transaction (deposits, withdrawals, from the ATM and even more inside the bank). Plus most people here do not really save money. They live paycheck to paycheck.

Anyway, my friend and I walked around downtown Maseru and it was pretty crazy! I felt a little flustered because there were so many people around and I am not used to that. It kinda felt like the mall at Christmas time!

It is nice to be back around with other volunteers, but its pretty crowded at the training center this time because other volunteers not in our group are also staying with us because there is another group of volunteers also in town because they were having their Close Of Service (COS) conference and the transit house was full. There were a lot of volunteers in Maseru this week!

So this morning we talked to our country director about something very important to us. We have been considering adopting a child while we are here, but had to get his permission before we do so. He has given his blessing and we are going to start looking into that process. Its pretty crazy to think that within a year or so we could be parents!!!

Well next week we are off vacationing and are excited for that time. The only unfortunate part is that I have to grade papers while I am there. Report cards are due four days after we get back and my 200 students all took a quarter exam last Monday. My supervisor is going to bring them when he comes on Monday for a workshop. So I am trying to enjoy my time until I have the burden of that grading. Jason and my friend Nichol (who is my twin & born on the same day & year) have offered to help, so that will be nice.

We are coming up on the 5 month mark of being here. I can’t believe its been so long, but at the same time miss everyone like crazy. Love you and miss you much!

March 30th, 2007 (written by Jason)

So training this week is finally wrapping up and that is good because some times it just drives me a little bit crazy. I have been trying to stay cool and calm but sometimes it can be really really hard to keep my mouth shut. I almost seriously lost my cool with the safety and security coordinator but I managed to wrangle my emotions back in. I am however really enjoying the ammount and quantity of food that we get here at the training center. It is amazing.

In reality I am having a hard time not thinking about vacation. In only 5 days time, we will be in South Africa at what is considered by many as the premeire backpackers in southern Africa. It is really hard to focus as I spend most of my time dreaming about the ocean and not doing anything for a few days.

Some of you have written that you have noticed that we might look like we are losing weight. The answer is yes we have. Janeen has lost about 15 pounds and I am around 20. The thing is, is that we are losing weight naturally and healthily. It is really nice. I am excercising about 2 hours (because of the long bike trips) a day and Janeen and I think we are going to train to run in a half marathon in Cape Town next year. It should be really good. Help keep us motivated as at the elevation it can get discouraging some times. Ok well I think I have bored you enough for this installment. Hope everyone is well. Love and miss you all.

Jason

March 28th, 2007 (written by Jason)

Well it has once again been way to long since I have e-mailed and let all of you know what is going on with us. WE are currently in Maseru for yet another round of trainings. This will be our final stage or phase of training until our half way point. WE are getting more information on technical training stuff and language. It is a little bit redundant for those of us who were either trained professionally as educators or have been working as teachers, but it does give us a chance to get away from site for a few days and mellow out which is nice!! Mostly people are venting their frustrations alot but that is cool as we all need some healthy release.

After this week of training, Janeen and I with some other people are going to be going on our first vacation to S. Africa! We are super excited to spend some time at the beach doing a whole lot of nothing. It will be great to get away too. The place we are going to is called Cintsa or East London. Check it our on Google Earth and let us know what you think! WEll I should wrap it up.

I did fix our computer problems that is good but I have to redownload the Service Pack so that I can get Office 2003 to work. It kind of sucks because it is like 166mb and the internet here is lets just say, slow!! Ok miss you all! Jason

March 9th, 2007 (written by Jason)
So I am not going to write very much today as I am at the internet cafe and I am helping them update their software. It is really dragging the network down but it is good to make friends and help out when you can. A little more on the computer stuff. We are attempting to get the internet at school so by next week we may get it.
This was a hard week on my emotionally. Fortunately I have my life mate here to help me get through the rough patches. She is a rock star!!
Well all the best to all of you out there.
Next Blog Preview:
Vacation Plans!!
Jason

March 3, 2007 (written by Jason)
So what a week it has been. Very long and a little tiring. Janeen is still blugging away at grading her 200 compositions that the students wrote a few weeks ago. I think that this has definitly turned her off to teaching high school in the US, not that she was ever "turned on" to that idea anyway. I am trying to stay out of her way as much as possible so that she is just able to work. It has been a good strategy that has worked thus far.
So bad news. Computers at the school have been crashing because of viruses so this will be a shorter blog than normal because we have not had a computer for a few days. If there are any rescue strategies that I should try or links to emergency boot disks, that would help me out immensly as I am acting IT guy (as I have the most computer experience, which is a little scary).
Health wise, Janeen and I are getting used to going to the bathroom quite frequently and we have what is know here as Kea Matha (I have running). So that is tons of fun! But we are doing good otherwise.
I am also doing my first workshop tomorrow after school so we will see how it goes! It is on "routines and procedures". Sounds boring but it needs to happen.
Well anyway, hope that you all are good and enjoying your weather (still hot as blazes here).
All the best,
Jason

February 26, 2007 (written by Jason)
So I know we don't normally post this often but I had the chance to come back into the city to send a letter to Peace Corps that will be going out to the new trainees. I am going to include it because it is kinda funny and you can see what kind of sense of humor we are developing here. All the best,

Jason
Dear New Trainees,

Greetings from the Mountain Kingdom! We would like to wish you the warmest of welcomes as you will soon be our new neighbors in the small country of Lesotho. Congratulations on getting through the arduous and sometimes monotonous application process. We know that you must be nervous now that things are finally starting to materialize into reality and you will begin selling or consolidating your possessions. Enjoy this time while you are at home. It may be for most of you the only time that you will see your favorite restaurants, television shows and most importantly friends and family for quite some time.

But that is not the purpose of why we are writing. We don’t want you to have any apprehension of coming to this lovely country. Lesotho as I am sure that you have read by now is one of the highest countries in the world. This gives us the distinct advantage over other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa of having seasonal weather. That means you will get 4 distinct and very different seasons.

As we write this letter, we are on the tale end of a very hot summer. Not to worry for those people who sweat buckets because it is a very dry heat and the summer is typically the rainy season though this one has been rather dry. The season that you will probably need to worry about most is the winter. We have heard that it can get down to below zero (in centigrade) and is commonly this way in the mountains. So pack warm clothes if you were not planning on it. However be warned because we have heard that it heats up during the day, sometimes even up to 60º so be sure to pack clothes that layer.

Other than the weather, things here are as normal as can be expected. Some volunteers have access to modern conveniences like running water, electricity and even modern super markets. This is not always the case though so it still might be a good idea to pack that solar powered i-pod charger just in case. Also if you are thinking of bringing a computer, you can, it just might only get charged every once in a while or you might have to by a solar charger and car battery (what can we say, Peace Corps Volunteers are rather industrious and we steal a lot of ideas from the Basotho).

Other “luxury” items that we would say are a must pack item:
Solar Shower (such a nice break from bucket baths), I-pod or other mp3 musiDear New Trainees,

Greetings from the Mountain Kingdom! We would like to wish you the warmest of welcomes as you will soon be our new neighbors in the small country of Lesotho. Congratulations on getting through the arduous and sometimes monotonous application process. We know that you must be nervous now that things are finally starting to materialize into reality and you will begin selling or consolidating your possessions. Enjoy this time while you are at home. It may be for most of you the only time that you will see your favorite restaurants, television shows and most importantly friends and family for quite some time.

But that is not the purpose of why we are writing. We don’t want you to have any apprehension of coming to this lovely country. Lesotho as I am sure that you have read by now is one of the highest countries in the world. This gives us the distinct advantage over other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa of having seasonal weather. That means you will get 4 distinct and very different seasons.

As we write this letter, we are on the tale end of a very hot summer. Not to worry for those people who sweat buckets because it is a very dry heat and the summer is typically the rainy season though this one has been rather dry. The season that you will probably need to worry about most is the winter. We have heard that it can get down to below zero (in centigrade) and is commonly this way in the mountains. So pack warm clothes if you were not planning on it. However be warned because we have heard that it heats up during the day, sometimes even up to 60º so be sure to pack clothes that layer.

Other than the weather, things here are as normal as can be expected. Some volunteers have access to modern conveniences like running water, electricity and even modern super markets. This is not always the case though so it still might be a good idea to pack that solar powered i-pod charger just in case. Also if you are thinking of bringing a computer, you can, it just might only get charged every once in a while or you might have to by a solar charger and car battery (what can we say, Peace Corps Volunteers are rather industrious and we steal a lot of ideas from the Basotho).

Other “luxury” items that we would say are a must pack item:
Solar Shower (such a nice break from bucket baths), I-pod or other mp3 c device (however many of the taxis down here do have CD players and yes, even tape decks so if you want to have American music in the taxi, bring those if you want), cards, gold-bond or baby powder (if you are a moist character) ear plugs (you’ll see!), those favorite pair of jeans or t-shirt that makes you feel good just wearing it, patience (make sure you pack lots of this as many times you will want to pull your hair out because the pace of life moves much different here), some kind of sport sandal ( I recommend Chaco’s and I heard that they even give a Peace Corps discount), pictures of family (you will want them and your Basotho family and counterparts love seeing pictures of your life back home), a pack-able sleeping bag (we bought synthetic and it was good as I got rained on, on a hike, and my bag stayed warm even wet. However down is lighter and can be just as good!), coffee and a non-breakable French press (for you caffeine addicts), a sense of humor (sometimes you just gotta laugh), a small backpack or day bag for traveling, a sleeping pad (I once again recommend Therm-a-rest), perhaps a few DVD’s (the Transit House for Volunteers does have a DVD player!), maybe and this is a big maybe a GSM SIM Card ready cell phone (we do have cell phone service here and the phones are pretty cheap, in fact most volunteers have purchased a cell phone… it’s a good way to keep in touch with fellow volunteers as well as your family), anything that makes you feel good after a long day, a journal or some way to record what you are going through, lots of energy and ideas and an authentic desire to meet some of the best people you will ever meet!

Things that you should leave at home:
Bowling Ball (not really needed here, though it could be an income generating project), bad attitude or inflexibility (go with the flow man!), pets (I know we had to leave our little girl Bella at home too), too many clothes (girls and guys can buy clothes here if you really need them), too many books (there are all kinds of books here but a few more paperbacks to keep the flow going would probably be enough) and any doubt that you aren’t ready! You will be great!!

We have separate jobs here in Lesotho. Janeen is teaching English at a high school where we also live and Jason is working at 2 elementary schools as a Primary Resource Teacher. Our jobs are distinctly different primarily in the amount of structure that they have. Janeen’s job is very organized and structured as to when she will have classes and how long they are. Jason has a little bit looser makeup of how his job works. He is currently observing his schools to assess for needs and in the future will hold workshops, coaching sessions, and model teaching lessons in hopes that it will improve the overall achievement of the school. Topics that we will work on will range from classroom management to how to teach conceptualized math. This and everything in between will be the topics that he will hopefully address over the next two years.

As secondary projects (which almost everyone here does) we are planning to do many things. Youth groups that hold discussions on life skills, being responsible in an HIV/AIDS environment, and about life in general have been very popular with PCVs here. Others have done fund raising and building projects in the community as well as many more exciting things that are too numerous to mention here. Though remember, one of the best resources for projects or help in any area (travel advice, information on writing grants, etc.) are your fellow volunteers.

To summarize, we are here to help the Basotho people, who are very welcoming and friendly. You will be in good hands when you enter this community! The biggest part of your service is just by being here and having and open perspective. So come, bring that big, friendly smile and that attitude that you can change the world (a positive attitude here will take you long way), and we will see you on the ground.

All the Best,
Jason and Janeen Samuelian (2007-2009 ED PCV’s)

P.S. You can check out our website and blog if you want to find out a little bit more of the inside scoop on us and Lesotho @ www.jasonandjaneensam.com
Peace Corps OUT!!

POSTED FEBRUARY 24, 2007

February 16, 2007 (written by Janeen)
For the past two to three weeks, we have been typing some blogs and saving them to our flash drive. Unfortunately, the computer at school that we were working on had some viruses and when I put my flash drive into another computer to post the blogs, the files were deleted by the virus software on that computer. I was so bummed!

To summarize my five typed pages will not be the same, but here is what I wrote about:

I wrote about my feelings on corporal punishment. Two weeks ago I was one of the teachers on duty, which meant that I had to be on campus at 7:00 am to be sure students arrived on time and we wearing the proper uniform. That was the third week of school, and up until that point I had not seen much beating. That week I saw A LOT! Now it may not hurt too badly, as it does not leave any lasting marks (no bruises, just redness for a short time), but it makes me sick to my stomach when I see it happening. Part of the problem here is that I may not necessarily agree with WHY the student is being punished. For example, they are beaten for speaking Sesotho (in fact I had 3 of my Form A students suspended for a month merely for speaking Sesotho), not wearing the proper uniform, misbehaving in class and others. I have been coming up with alternative forms of punishment like pulling weeds after school, jumping jacks for falling asleep in class, etc. If you have any other ideas, let me know. I have also been discussing the matter with a few of my fellow teachers. I think I have convinced one teacher that beating is not necessarily effective and he is going to try another punishment, such as taking away part of their break (Which is a BIG deal because students are at school from 7-4:30 and again from 7-9 at night. They only have a 20 min. break from 10:40-11 and an hour for lunch). Technically beating students is against the law here in Lesotho, but because it has been a common practice for so long and the law is not enforced, it still occurs. I also spoke with my principal about the punishments because I wanted him to know that I would not beat the students. I asked his permission to use other forms of punishment, and he even said that he encourages his teachers to use other forms of punishment first, but he leaves the decisions up to them.

I also wrote about elections. Elections are tomorrow and we are a little nervous about the outcome of the elections. There is a lot of tension. Many people are not happy with the ruling party, but others still support them. There are about 20 political parties here, but it seems that there are 2 that it is mainly between right now. We are a bit worried because Lesotho has a history of rioting after elections. The fear is that 1) the new party will win and the governing party will not relinquish power, or 2) the new party will lose and they will riot. Like I said the tension is high and both parties have already made claims that the elections may not be fair. Here elections are not completed by the government. A third party was created to ensure fairness, but some people still do not think that they will run fairly. Peace Corps has an emergency action plan to keep us informed and safe. If there are riots we will probably evacuate to South Africa. Though it would be nice to take a trip to South Africa, I still pray for peace for Lesotho. Jason and I normally go into town on Saturdays or Sundays, but this week we are heading in on Friday and coming back to Tsa Kholo. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be safe. We have begun to build relationships here and our community will keep us informed and help take care of us! Also, when there were riots after previous elections, our town only heard of them. It was only the main cities that were affected by the riots.

I also wrote about our packages! We were visited by our supervisor from the Peace Corps and he brought packages! The day we got them felt like Christmas!!! J So that the senders can have peace of mind that the packages arrived, here is who we received packages from: Mom & Dad L-2 packages, Mom & Dad Sam- 2 packages, the Valvos and our life group, the Allens, Bari- 2 packages, Dan, Fiona, and Tracee. Yep, that’s right 11 packages! We were so excited! Thank you all, a thousand times! We appreciate all of you so much and we definitely feel loved. I finally got to remove the stickers on our pots and pans with the goo-gone. We were so thankful and so excited about these gifts! We send our hugs and kisses as thanks. I know that there are a couple packages still on their way (we hope that they will arrive safely). Jason talked to another volunteer whose longest package took 6 months. So we may be waiting a while for the others. We appreciate you too! We got so much stuff that we will have to update our wish list. I’m pretty sure we have at least a 2 year supply of deodorant. Jason has 7 and I have 9! I know we asked for it, but do we smell that bad??? We have updated the wish list of items that can be sent. We removed some items that we no longer need and added a few other items. We got a lot of jerky and gum, but those things can keep coming! I didn’t add this to the wish list, but if you feel like sending candy here are some that we miss: Red vines, Milk Duds (must be wrapped separately in case of melting), Junior Mints (same as Milk Duds), and Reeses Pieces. I didn’t add them to the wish list because we really don’t need that much candy! We have both lost a few pounds (we are still healthy) and both feel good about that. On another note, we appreciate receiving packages, but please don’t feel like you must send one. We know they are expensive to send. Correspondence through letters will keep us happy because we miss you all so much and want to hear about you!

So I have been keeping busy with school. I have about 200 students and I have to learn their names, teach them, and grade their papers. Today all students wrote an English exam, so I will be busy grading those now (they call it marking here). I have also been designated the school librarian. The library was a mess when I got here, so I’ve been cleaning and organizing with the help of some students and of course Jason. He has helped me set up some procedures to keep the library books in the library (apparently some students like to steal books) and keep the library neat. Unfortunately it has taken me 4 weeks to complete this project, but I am happy to say that the library will be open for student use next week (provided that elections go well and I am not in South Africa)

Please lift Lesotho up in prayer tomorrow and the following days. I think the results can be announced as early as Monday, but it could be later.
We hope everyone had a happy Valentine’s Day! We miss you and love you AND can’t say it enough!

OK so elections will be over by the time this actually posts because we are staying away from town until the results are announced, but I guess its still important to let you know about what’s been going on! –Feb. 17, 2006

February 17, 2006 (by Janeen)
Today is Election Day in Lesotho! So far everything is running smoothly. I am told we could start getting partial results as early as tonight. We had about 5 guests sleep over last night. Some were trying to avoid being in town for elections and some were just visiting. We had a great time. I think about 3 people are planning to stay tonight & tomorrow as well. We are not anticipating anything to happen, but we’ll see! So I did not save my portion of the blog correctly so here is what I wrote (some is now outdated… the joys of inconsistent computers and a mistake by the operator).

February 19, 2007 (by Janeen)
So far we have heard no news of any violence. As of now, the current ruling party (LCD) is in the lead, though ABC, the new party has won some constituencies, which is a new thing for Lesotho. Even if ABC does not win the power, they will still be able to affect change in Lesotho. We’ll keep you update.

February 22, 2007 (by Jason)
Well things here have been pretty quiet. Falling into a routine is sometimes the easiest thing to do around here. An average day for us begins around 5:30 a.m. with the alarm clock going off. That’s right no more roosters or donkeys to wake us up in the morning now that we are on a school compound. It is at this time that one of us, usually Janeen (not that I don’t offer) gets up and begins boiling water for our shower. We brought a solar shower (think we mentioned this) and we have a tub in the house. Man is it nice compared to bucket bathing.

After our showers, we prepare a breakfast of 1 of 3 things. Cereal with milk or yogurt, Eggs in multiple forms or Oatmeal. Lack of variety is something that we are definitely feeling here so if you have any ideas for quick and easy breakfast foods (sorry no pop-tarts here) let us know.

Then Janeen heads to class and I head to one of my 2 schools. Still biking as that is the most reliable (although both wheels on my bike right now are busted) form of transport other than walking that takes 2 to 3 times as long. Then at around noon to 2 o clock, depending on whether or not the school is doing something or there is a meeting, I will head home. This is the hottest part of the day mind you and not usually much fun but I have been seeing my endurance steadily increase so that is kind of cool.

Upon returning home, we usually make a quick lunch consisting of a sandwich or tuna and crackers and then a myriad of activities can take place. Some days I just veg-out playing Gameboy or reading. Other days I go to the library and type blogs or do work for school. Most days that is what happens. There is the occasional day where I have to head to town after work for something or another and this usually kills the rest of my day.

In the evening, usually around 5:30 or 6:00 we begin preparing dinner. After dinner we wash the dishes that we have used the whole day and then just chill out. The days have been so hot, the nights have been some reprieve. Last week we actually watched a movie (once again, think I told you that already)! That was a nice change of pace. We still have no way to watch our DVD’s being that the DVD player our friend has is Region 2 and all our disks are Region 1 (what is the deal with that anyway??). That is fine though as I just finished my 29th book since being in country and am already half way through number 30. I will probably at this rate have read between 100 and 150 by the end of the year but who knows.

We still miss all of you and thanks again to all those who so graciously sent in ideas for grants. Also be thinking about doing small community things like a book-drive or bake sale. Maybe you will only raise a few hundred bucks but here that is a whole bunch of money! Love you all
Jason

February 23, 2007 (by Janeen)
Yippee! Office Live (the server that our website is posted on) has changed the format for editing our website. So, it seems that the process will be easier and there are not as many pages to load before we can post what we need! Hopefully everything will still go smoothly when we try to post tomorrow. Though, please don’t worry about us if we miss a week of posting. The internet is really expensive for us. We are going to try a new place tomorrow that is about ½ the price. Hopefully it will work just as well. Well, it is Friday and normally I am thankful that the weekend has come. I am only half excited today because I still have about 150 compositions to mark. And, Oh! how I love to grade essays! (Can you sense the sarcasm???) I procrastinated last weekend because we had visitors, but just didn’t get them done throughout the week. : ( We also have a busy weekend ahead of us. A Peace Corps volunteer is having a BBQ Saturday afternoon and one of Jason’s schools is having a mokete (Sesotho word for party) on Sunday because the Bishop of the neighboring district is coming to visit.

One of the things that I thoroughly enjoy is morning assembly. Because the school I teach at was begun by a Catholic church, we meet every morning to recite the Lord’s prayer (which I now know by heart… never did before), sing a few songs, and hear a bible verse. Most of the time I cannot hear what verse is being read because the students do not speak loudly enough, but I still enjoy it. I already have some favorite songs though I do not know any of them because they sing in Sesotho. My favorite is about the story of Jesus and Zachias. I only figured that out because I knew the Sesotho word for tree- sefate! Singing in the morning lifts my spirit, especially when it is a fun song. The teachers are in the back dancing while the students sing and sometimes dance themselves. By the way, they can SING here! On Thursday and Friday mornings we are blessed with selections from the school choir, and they are amazing. I wish you all could hear them!

Boy this is getting long, but I have to share one final story (or two). The topic of HIV and AIDs has come up a lot this week. We think we have just about convinced a fellow teacher to go and get tested for HIV. We had a long discussion about why he should know his status. He kept saying, “But what if I’m positive?” They are really afraid here. I know that it is a terrible disease, but we told him that if he does not get tested, he could spread the disease. AND, if he is positive than he needs to get on ARVS (which by the way are provided by the government here) so that he can live a longer, healthier life.

The sad thing is that most people don’t go to get tested until it is too late and ARVs are not an option for them. Also, today I began the discussion with one of my classes about HIV and AIDS. We mostly just discussed because I wanted to see what they knew about the disease. I asked students, “What should you do if you find out that you are HIV positive?” The response I got was outrageous. A student stands up and says that he would kill himself and other students supported his response! I could not believe it. They said that they would rather die than go through the pain. I also got a student who said he would go to the bar and drink so that he would not have to think about being positive. So then we had to discuss healthy choices verses irresponsible choices! Well, it’s a start and this beginning conversation has only convinced me that we need to continue discussing the issue. I know that my specific job title is “English Teacher” but Peace Corps has also made it apparent that we need to also deal with the crisis that is hitting this nation.

Two more things (I promise!): 1)I have a student who is struggling with his eyes. Today he went home early because he could not see out of one of his eyes. He has also been having headaches. I do not know what the doctors have said, or even if he has been to see a doctor, but if you could pray for him I’m sure he could use it! 2)There is another volunteer in our district whose friends and family pay for several students’ school fees. If that is something you are interested in, let us know. So far, I do not know of any students who have dropped out of this school because they could not pay their school fees, but I am told that it is common for students to leave in the middle of the year for that reason. Just so you know: for the entire year, the fees for my school are about 1800 Rand (divide that by 7 and you get US dollars—somewhere between $200-300).

Today it is raining! YEAH! The temperature will cool down for a day or so!

Khotso! Pula! Nala! (That is Sesotho for Peace, Rain, and Prosperity… most speeches end with these words, and it is a part of the national anthem. It is the country’s motto)

Love you all sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!

February 23, 2007 (written by Jason)
So let me tell you how nice little luxuries are again! We have a friend here at school, Lebaka, already mentioned him in a prior blog, has so graciously given us space in his refrigerator which we quickly filled with water bottles. These water bottles will then freeze and we will have a few hours of cool refreshment before we have to start all over again and have luke-warm to warm water! Blech!!
Also I am reading “Reaching for the Invisible God” by Phillip Yancey. If you want to see almost to the “t”, where I am at spiritually, read this book. I am being humbled again, by how someone I don’t know can look directly into my soul and yank out huge chunks to be examined like that. It is such a good feeling. Well I promised to keep this short (per Janeen’s Orders). Love again
Jason

February 16, 2007(written by Jason)

Well what a week, what a week! As many of you probably read, we had previously typed long blogs that were in depth about what is going on with us and how we are coping with everything. But I think the computer gods did not want us to send that one out because; the files got the flu (virus) and had to go bye-bye. But such is life here in Lesotho. We are just very grateful to have a computer on which we can type frequently and use to play free cell and solitaire (we get very bored sometimes.).
The week it self went really well. I returned home after a weekend in the mountains hiking and camping. It really is so gorgeous here. The beauty just continues to take my breath away every time I see one of the gargantuan mountains. I also saw the most wildlife, I have seen since I have been here. It was not a lot but I saw 3 bearded vultures, 3 spring bok (deer like creatures), 2 snakes, and numerous other wildlife in various shapes and sizes. The hike itself was tiring and just as we were about to end day 1, the skies decided to pour rain on us.
In case you have never slept in a thunder storm on the side of a mountain, I don’t really recommend it for a deep nights sleep as water will most likely come through your tent and drench you, your companions, and everything that you brought with you. The weather did clear up though for the rest of our journey and it was a real delight to see this beautiful country in more detail.
Work this week went rather well as well. I was able to coach a few teachers on some simple practices and although I know it will take time, we are going to move ahead. The funny part is, is that I am writing this the morning before I am going to go to school. My schools are very far apart from each other and I have been riding my bike back and forth from them 3-4 days a week. Needless to say I am getting in pretty good shape. By the end of the two years, many of you will probably not recognize me.
Otherwise, we also had a nice treat, watching a movie last night at a friend’s house here at school. Trying to explain certain euphemisms from “Sweet Home Alabama” was a fun cultural experience. It is also bonding us together with one of my closest friends at site. We talk about everything, including politics and religion and he is a really good guy! His name is Lebaka and I am thinking about giving him the nickname Chewbaca! We will have to wait and see though.
Thanks to all of those who have been sending ideas for foundation grants and the like. It really does mean a lot to me that you are being so active in trying to help this little country! Thanks again, but don’t stop. I still need fresh ideas from all of you. To date we have had something close to 3000 visits to our site but I have only had a few responses with ideas! Lets keep them rolling in! And pass this site along if you think someone would enjoy it or wants to know what Peace Corps life is kind of like! All the love in the World!
Jason

Frustration!

So Jason and I had both typed some long blogs to post, but apparently the files had viruses and have been deleted. Sorry to say, no updates this week. We'll try to revive our things soon. Miss you all.

Love,
Janeen

Frustration!

So Jason and I had both typed some long blogs to post, but apparently the files had viruses and have been deleted. Sorry to say, no updates this week. We'll try to revive our things soon. Miss you all.

Love,
Janeen

February 2, 2007
(Written by Jason)
Hello all once again! It has been a really long week here in Lesotho! We have had intermittent rainstorms all week but still not enough for the crops that are fed only by the rain. The people here are very scared to talk about it as you can probably imagine. It is a not a great situation as things here may get really bad if there is not enough food this next years harvest. However it is not that bleak as there is still 2 months left in the rainy season. Yet if you think about it throw a shout up to the big man and tell him to let it pour here in little ol’ Lesotho!
We had a friend come stay with us the last few days. Nichol, who is from Colorado, came to hang out with us and bring us our mail that she got from a volunteer who went to Maseru (Yeah it is that confusing right now for us to get our mail. Sorry if you wrote a while ago and we haven’t responded. We really will write you!). That is not the only reason she came though. She is a Resource Teacher like me, but she is working with the ECCD (Early Childhood Care and Development) sector of education. This is a very new program here in Lesotho and needs constant care and support. The ECCD teachers are all volunteers that get paid like M 400 a month. That is less than 100 dollars (to be exact it is close to $50) a month! The pay is so low that these teachers really do it for the love of the students and to see them develop into good students. I will tell you too that in my observations, you can see the difference in those that have been to the schools and those who have not!
My job is going well if not very fast. I have so many ideas for improving the schools and the teaching practices but I know that patient diligence is the only way that I will be able to make a sustainable impact. I know that I have harped on the point that I need ideas from you all out there in cyberspace to look for ideas and possibilities for grants and cooperatives that I can apply for. I have yet to really receive any ideas. I know that you out there are busy, but you have easy access to the internet and that you could spend 10 to 15 minutes surfing for technology or education grants. Some of the places I was thinking that might have them are the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Kellogg Foundation, The Ford Foundation, etc. IF you could do some small bits of research for technology or education grants and send me a link or info. to jason.samuelian@gmail.com that would help me out so much.
I want to leave you with one story on why this is so important for the country and its many students. This morning as I was walking home from taking Nichol to the taxi stand, a woman I have talked to before invited me to her house for peaches. On the way to her house, she told me about her husband who died in 2003 and how she now has no way to make an income or even to plow her plot of land and grow food for her self. She showed me the dry and grown over fields that at one time provided enough food for her, her husband and her 4 children.
She then took me to her house that was barren except for a small wood burning stove and a table. There were no chairs or visible food in the room. In the small bedroom off to the side, there were 2 bags of WFP (World Food Program) maize meal that had been given to her by the chief so that she would not starve. However in order to cook this she had to spend all day collecting enough fuel for her stove in order to boil water so that she can make Papa (corn maize mush). That is basically all she will eat other than the few peaches that she has on her trees.
Her story is all too common. She had no training on anything so that after the death of her husband she was left with no skills except those to get by with. She has no way of advancing her self or moving beyond her desolate situation. This is why I need your help out there. We must train the next generation with the tools and skills that will make them able to compete in the modern world.
So off my soap box again. I love and miss you all! I desperately wish I could see all of you and just hug you for a few minutes. With all my heart,
Jason

January 26, 2007
Exciting News!! WE have our pictures posted online thanks to Andy! I can’t really explain them but they are super cool check them out!!
http://thelansfords.com/ftp_photos/jason/cd1/

(Written by Jason)
Ok so I know the last blog that I wrote was pretty negative. It is tough sometimes to fight off the birds of negativity that land on your shoulder and leave the remnants of despair and anguish. But things are not bad here. In fact more and more it is feeling like home.
Turning on the gas to light the oven seems more and more like a normal practice everyday. Seeing cars that zoom by as you wait for the bus feels normal. Sweating out of every pore from sunup to sundown is becoming comfortably familiar. Riding my bike long distances is to get somewhere not just for fun or exercise (which we get plenty of so we can eat most all the carbs we want!). Seeing cows, donkeys, chickens, goats, sheep and having them watch us, feels practically like they expect us to be there.
I mean not everything is like this. The classrooms here are a mess. Some are missing bricks, they have cracks, no electricity or windows that open for the breeze, chalkboards with more holes in it that if it were shot with a shotgun and none of the chairs have backs on them (this will most likely be the reason that Janeen and I look like old people when we return. Well that and the wrinkled skin on our arms, faces, pretty much anywhere that the sun touches…). But the children and the teachers are generally happy. Their happy energy is contagious and becomes difficult to be negative or sad. I love to ride into my little school, having 10 or so kids trailing after me, to see the smiling faces of my colleagues and quickly forming friends.
The strange parts is, is that I am making mostly female friends here as the men are typically very secretive and keep to themselves. I wonder quite often how they view us strange white people in their land. Do they see us only as white land lords like the Boers of South Africa? Or are they generally guarded as a people? These questions haunt me as I search for Basotho male companionship.
So in conclusion, things are not as bleak as I led on. We are good and although there will be many more blogs where I am confounded and confused by life here, we know again that this is the reason we have come. All our love to you!


January 23, 2007
(Written by Jason)
This is our second day of school for the both of us. Janeen if you all did not remember is teaching at the High School and I am working with 2 primary schools to improve teaching and learning techniques. Janeen’s assignment for this term is 3 form A classes (8th Grade) and 1 form B classes (9th Grade). She is also responsible for the library this year which will most likely be a huge project, getting the books and materials organized and making sure that everything is in order. The one great part is, that there is a computer so that we will be able to blog and create spreadsheets and what not for work. We will also be able to print from the computer in office which is really nice!
I can not speak for Janeen, she does that rather well for herself, but I am finding things tiring and wearing at this point. I know that it is only the second week but with the constant heat during the day, the intensity of the sun and the lack of a social network, things can get pretty tense and tiring at home. This is not to say that Janeen and I have not been doing exceptionally. WE are doing great! I am super excited about that. It is that we have a short fuse for each other and other things around us. Needless to say we need your prayers for patience (one that I have been praying repeatedly today) and temperance.
Let me tell you why I am typing this. The first day at my schools was yesterday. The night before happened to be the first big rain storm we have had in some time and so the ground was very muddy and sloppy. Therefore, when I arrived at my school about 5 minutes late, my legs and shoes were covered in poop smelling mud (as most of the mud mixes with cow, sheep, goat, chicken and other animal fecal matter.). I rushed because I thought that I would miss assembly which is supposed to start at 7:45. Silly me, that on the first day of school the principal/head teacher would not show up and all of the teachers stood around until 8:30 waiting for her to unlock the office. Once we did actually start school, we did not actually start school. The kids milled around cleaning out the classes and making sure that there were desks in the rooms. The teachers meanwhile, kind of supervised, yet I noticed more than one kick, hit, spit fight, play at the tap, etc.
Then finally at 10:00 we started our meeting. The whole purpose of the meeting was to meet me. And me, being the long winded person that I am, spent all of 15 minutes talking about what we are going to do together. This put us at 10:15 when the teachers said that they were going to let the kids go home early and teach tomorrow and that I could leave.
This was fine with me as I had to get to my other school for a meeting that was taking place. However after waiting for the bus which was supposed to come at 10:30 for an hour, I decided to start walking. I was finally picked up and taken to my site right around noon.
At the important meeting that I was supposed to attend, there was a large group of parents and students. This got me really excited and I thought we would be doing something really important. Over the next 3 hours of sitting in the burning sun (yes I do get sunburned), listening to a meeting in Sesotho, of which I understood maybe 3%, I was finally introduced to the crowd. My introduction however got me very nervous because the principal introduced me as the newest teacher to their school. I am not a teacher! Let me repeat that! I am not teaching these next 2 years. I am here to be a means of support and resource not a classroom teacher (come to find out that my supervisor had not talked to him and she promised me that she would write a letter to correct this misunderstanding. We will see!). This took a total of 10 minutes to do mind you and I spent 3 hours baking like a biscuit for that!!
All of this to say that it is only Tuesday and I am already fried. I do hope that you find all of this as funny as I do because what else can you do but laugh, right??

January 11, 2006

Well we have finally arrived here, swearing in day! It has been two months to the day that we arrived in country and we are swearing in about the time that we first arrived at the training center where we have lived off and on during that time. An exciting piece of news is that my fellow volunteers asked me to give the speech today at our swearing in ceremony. I will post the speech possibly some other day. But today we just want to say hello, give our NEW ADDRESS and let you know that we are good and that we love you all!! This will also be the last time for a while that we get to use the internet for the next few months. This however does not mean that we don't want those ideas for grants and stuff to stop rolling in. IN fact, this will give you all plenty of time to do your homework and find the really juicy ones that will provide long lasting sustainable aid. Ok no pressure, but really keep the ideas coming.

So our NEW ADDRESS is:

Jason and Janeen Samuelian
Tsa-Kholo High School
BOX 7
Tsa-Kholo 960 Lesotho

Keep those snail mail letters and stuff coming! They seriously do mean the world to us and we really enjoy writting back! We will see you later Jason and Janeen