Saturday, March 13, 2004

Buck is gone. :-(

  Friday, March 12, 2004

Yesterday was Moshoeshoe Day (a National Holiday here). Buck and I were BEAT, so we decided not to go to the festivities, but since they were right behind Lancer’s and they were mostly musical, we got to enjoy them anyway.

Around 3:00, Ntate Mokhutu picked us up to take us to Maluti Hospital. He also picked up Neil Patel, a really great medical resident from Boston University who is doing a one-month rotation at Maluti Hospital.

This time, we were staying with Dr. Hurlow (the Director of the hospital) and his wife, Lynn, who have the most beautiful home. She cooked the most AMAZING dinner and we enjoyed it with Dr. Hurlow and Lynn, Mokhutu and his wife (Esther), Pam and Dick, and Neil.

The next morning, Buck got to see a good bit of the hospital and then we eventually headed out for the schools to pay some more school fees. We met with Nthabiseng from Dohane High School again. My Aunt Carol decided to sponsor her with the remaining school fees. This actually turned out to be more God’s work than I had even realized. About a week ago, the school administration told Nthabiseng that she could not return to school since she had not paid her school fees. Ntate Mokhutu was then able to show the administration the e-mail I sent him specifically naming Nthabiseng, the remaining amount to be paid and the name of her sponsor. They allowed her to stay in school only with the promise that the school fees would be paid this week. Thank you Aunt Carol!

We then headed over to Fobane since we had some things for the kids. We stopped at one of the houses which has 9 orphans being taken care of by their grandmother and grandfather. The hospital was delivering a bag of maize to the house and we gave a bag of toothbrushes, band-aids, pencils, and toys galore to the kids (thanks to Shelley’s tennis team and St. John’s church!). The grandmother especially seemed to like the Etch-a-Sketch.


The older children were in school, but the three youngest were running around.


There’s a funny little story about the two little boys. They are actually twins even though one is much bigger than the other. But when you ask them how old they are, the bigger boy says three and the smaller boy says two. They are both three. :o)

We went to the primary school and Buck got to experience the amazing welcome. All the kids were jumping up and down around the car. The principal organized them into a group and had them sing. We were able to meet with the three girls again in addition to a little boy who has actually received government funding for his school fees. As we arrived, it started to POUR and the principal said that we were “bringers of rain,” which is a good thing here.

Our last stop was Cana High School, which had already let out for the day and then we were dropped off in TY. Buck finally got to experience the joys of public transport, but we got pretty lucky and didn’t really have to wait at all. By the time we got back, we just wanted to collapse and relax.

Thanks again to everybody who contributed for the school fees. Shelley recently got some very large donations and between the two of us, we have now received enough money to pay for the school fees of all 21 kids! Shelley and I are both overwhelmed by all the generosity!

It’s been a VERY full week!

  Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Sunday and Monday I gave Buck the complete tour of Maseru (doesn’t really take all that long) and I made him eat out at all the places I eat at.

We were up bright and early on Tuesday morning heading for Malealea. We arrived by 8:30, and we were on our horses by 9:30. My horse was a somewhat lazy female who always wanted to be in the lead (Selina) and Buck’s was a very stubborn, very gassy male (Brown Sugar).


The novelty of riding on a horse is over about the same time as when the saddle sore sets in, and we really would have preferred to be walking after the first two hours or so, but the scenery was INCREDIBLE. This picture shows one of the rougher spots. We are standing at the top of what had been a very steep climb after having gone down the other and crossing the river (without ever getting wet!).


After riding a little over 6 hours, we arrived at our hut in Ribaneng Village.


The view from our front door was pretty amazing.


We had less than fifteen minutes resting time until we headed out hiking for Ribaneng Falls. It was close to an hour and a half each way, so if we were going to make it back before sunset, we would have to hurry. This was just not happening, so after we got about halfway to where we could see the falls, we decided to turn back. It really was beautiful and we were able to enjoy the scenery on the way back a bit more. :o)


When we got back, we asked our guide where the bathroom was. He pointed to the pot he had left for us. We refused to believe this, so I asked in Sesotho. He knew very well that we wanted a bathroom, but he was under the impression that we wanted a bathroom in which to WASH. So we tried a dozen words for bodily functions before we finally gave up. He left and Buck and I discussed this dilemma further. When our guide came back a few minutes later we asked, “Where’s the toilet?” His response was quick, “It’s just down that hill.” So “toilet” turned out to be a good word, and I had never been so happy in my life to see an outhouse.

Buck and I sat outside until the sun had set, and then it was time for dinner! We had a little gas stove (camping-style), so we were able to boil water while we ate our bread, salami, and cheese. We washed in the pot we feared to be a toilet for those few moments, and we were sound asleep by 9:00.

Roosters are really stupid here, and they start crowing at 5 am, even though the sun doesn’t rise until 6:30, but we sort of slept until 6 or so (and I refused to move until 6:30). This picture was taken minutes before we got back on our horses. Can you tell how sore we are? :o)


We were on our way before 7:30. I actually think I enjoyed the riding today even more. I stayed sore, but I never really got sorer, and the horses were moving a bit faster (although galloping did hurt a bit). It was a much cooler day, so it was actually quite comfortable, and it took less than 5 hours to get back to the lodge.

Just as we finished washing up and eating our lunch, a van pulled up and out jumped the well-known Lesotho band, famous for their homemade instruments. They had just arrived back from touring Australia. As it happens, the guys that picked them up from the airport were heading back to Johannesburg through Maseru, so we were able to hitch a ride back with them.

When we got back, we went out to dinner with Qachile and her son (whom I had never met before) at the Maseru Sun. The Maseru Sun is one of the three better hotels in Maseru and is famous for its DELICIOUS stir-fry. As we were eating, we were given vouchers for the casino, so we decided to head over and play for a little while. We paid R20 and got R40 in coins (with the voucher). We (really just I) blew about R20 in the slot machines, but then we played some poker and won it back plus R3, so we made about R23. I REALLY wanted to keep on going, but it was getting late and Qachile had to work in the morning, so we called it a night.

It’s been a pretty full week so far!

  Sunday, March 07, 2004

BUCK IS HERE!!! :o)