Update from Mohale's Hoek, Lesotho

Andrew and I are doing really well, enjoying our time in Lesotho so much that we have decided to stay for the remainder of our time in South Africa. Our host, Sister Juliana, was extremely happy with our decision to stay as she needs the help and we have a 4x4 vehicle to transport food, people and whatever else will fit into the truck up into the mountains and surrounding villages. We gave out the clothing we bought with some money sent from family and friends, and the orphans were very appreciative.  Some kids were literally wearing rags and had no shoes. The orphans are great to work with, but it is heartbreaking to know that they have no families whatsoever, many of them living alone and all under 19 the youngest being 5.  Andrew plays soccer with the boys once a day, and they LOVE him.  Over the weekend we picked up a 16 year old girl who gave birth (she delivered her own baby alone in a 8x8’ shack with a dirt floor with no water or electricity) to a baby boy and she herself is an orphan.  The baby is healthy and very cute, I get to hold him here and there.  She is now living next door to us along with another 13 year-old orphan who comes over to eat with us and play games.  Andrew and I have a nice little apartment, with electricity and water at times, otherwise we get it from a tap outside just like everyone else.  We cook for ourselves and have visitors join us when they feel like it. We are eating well, the local grocery store has a good selection of things, and we get a lot of produce from the community gardens and we even have Maluti BEER!!!   Lesotho is full of very nice people and we feel very much at home.  We are trying to learn the language, but are lucky that most people speak English and are happy to practice with us.  Sister Juliana has done an amazing job with educating and helping those that are HIV positive.  She also cares for orphans that are a result of parents dying from AIDS.  It is all very eye-opening, and we have a greater appreciation for all that we have.

West of Sani Top, Lesotho

Early Morning, Home Sweet Home

Sorting Maize in the Mountains

Sr. Juliana admires the orphans' drawings

We are way behind on the Blog.....

But we are safe and happy in South Africa.  We have driven over 4000 miles in a month and been to 4 countries. In no particular order we have: been on safaris and seen elephants, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, lions, monkeys, antelope of every kind, baboons, birds of every kind, buffalo, warthogs, zebra, crocodile, ostrich; had a night time BBQ in the bush; danced with locals in Swaziland at the Mantenga Cultural Village; drank too much popsuck with college boys in Kruger National Park; calmed down a Brazilian lady who was freaked out by a female lion sleeping in the road during a night time safari; calmed down each other; Andrew walked into the Hippo Danger Zone at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and didn't even know it; ridden a Ferris Wheel twice in one night; been to where the  Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean; been in a police station in Mozambique; went to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela and all political activists were imprisoned; went to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg; went to the top of Table Mountain; spent a night at the Hobbit Boutique Hotel; seen exposed male genitalia of both elephant and giraffe; Andrew drove on the wrong side of the road; got lost in Hlane National Park following an Australian and Mozambican who thought they knew where they were going; been startled by a baboon; cut Andrew's hair in Swaziland; got a flat tire and then got it fixed; watched a lot of football matches; did laundry in a laundromat; gambled in a casino in Port Elizabeth; went to the beach in St. Lucia and it was incredibly windy; ate lunch overlooking hippos and crocodiles; gotten lost almost once a day even though we have had maps and directions; eaten all kinds of amazing and some not so amazing foods; slept in 19 different accommodations;  and most importantly we are more in love than ever and keeping each other safe and laughing.

Our plans have changed and we are not going to Burundi (we have been advised not to go because of the political situation), so we have had more time in South Africa, and we are obviously making the most of it.  We will continue to do our best with updates, but internet is a luxury and slow when we do have access to it.  Here are some of our favorite pictures from the above adventures........

Cape Point:

Cape Point:

Cape Point:

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town:

Cable car to top of Table Mountain, Cape Town:

On top of Table Mountain:

Big Ol' Vuvuzela, Cape Town:

Halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, we stayed in Gaudyville:

Jensens will appreciate this:

Outside Port Elizabeth Stadium:

Aylie's favorite Ferris Wheel, Port Elizabeth:

Addo Elephant National Park:

England v Germany, Bloemfontein:

Aylie in her Rooney-Bafooney shirt:

Maggie salutes the paparazzi:

Laundry in Joburg:

Apartheid Museum, Joburg:

Making dinner at Hlane National Park, Swaziland:

Hlane National Park, Swaziland:

Hlane National Park, Swaziland:

 Hlane National Park, Swaziland:

Hlane National Park, Swaziland:

 Haircut for Andrew, round 1 (while listening to the Uruguay v. Ghana match on the car radio)

Hlane National Park, Swaziland:

 "Puncture" in Hlane National Park, Swaziland:

Mantenga Cultural Village, Swaziland:

Aylie busts a move at Mantenga Cultural Village, Swaziland:

Cape Town: England vs. Algeria 6/18/10

 

On our way into Greenpoint Stadium in 

Cape Town to watch the England vs. Algeria match.

The view from our seats.

Our favorite fan of the tournament, he was especially cute when he ordered an ice cream.

As consolation for the dismal 0-0 result, there was an awesome marching 

band escorting fans back to the city center from the stadium:

Lesotho to Beaufort West, SA - June 17th, 2010

After a few busy days in Lesotho, we had to make our way to Cape Town for a match on the 18th, and we stopped for a night in Beaufort West on the way.  We spent a long time looking at the map, trying to pick the safest and most efficient way out of Lesotho and onto a major highway.  Luckily, Sister Isidora and sister Julianna decided to escort us to the border crossing (there are no road signs, and this makes giving  instructions almost impossible).  When we arrived, Sister Isidora came into the passport control office with us, and we handed over our passports to get a stamp out of Lesotho.  The woman behind the counter kept looking through our passport pages, and finally asked us how we entered Lesotho.  We explained that we drove across the border and got a stamp from South Africa and were never told to get an "entering" stamp.  Thankfully, Sister Isidora was with us, and she spoke in her native Sesotho language and we received an exit stamp "as a favor".  We then were able to cross the border into South Africa, where we were sure to get an "entering" stamp.

The first 50 kilometers into South Africa were a little slow because of the gravel road, it was bumpy but beautiful.

After driving seven hours we stopped in Beaufort West, where we were able to find a place to stay rather quickly at Matoppo Inn.  After a good night's rest, we headed for Cape Town.

Mohale's Hoek, Lesotho: 6/15-6/17/10

Sisters Isidora and Juliana showed us to their dormitories where we stayed for 2 nights as their guests. Despite the bitter cold, we were lucky to have such comfortable accommodation, complete with thoughtful, personal touches.

While planning our time in Africa before we left, we were introduced to the Tacoma Lesotho Connection (TLC) by Aylie's parents. TLC is a group that works to support efforts to relieve poverty, aids, and orphaned children in Mohale's Hoek, Lesotho. After contacting TLC and getting involved,  we made it part of our purpose in Africa to aid in their relief efforts, specifically focusing on facilitating the permitting and construction of the new St. Camillus Home-Based Care Center. St. Camillus is Sr. Juliana's primary project in Mohale's Hoek, which she founded a few years ago to educate the community about the reality and not the myth of aids, as well as empower others with the skills and knowledge to prevent and treat it safely.

We met with Sister Juliana and Motheane George, a builder from Mohale's Hoek who's worked with Habitat for Humanity and World Vision, to discuss the plans and permitting process.

We also got to check out the site of the new building as well as some of the projects linked to St. Camillus which are already taking place near the building site. Some of the orphaned children were working on the community garden, and they took a break to try on some t-shirts from the upcoming Booking-It Run in Tacoma, WA which will help raise money for their education. For those of you in Tacoma this August, mark your calendars for the 21st, and help raise money for this great cause!

Lunch, the only meal the orphans receive, was being made outside in a kettle, while eggs they sell in the community were being carefully cleaned.

Here's a look at a hut that's used to cultivate mushrooms.

Sr. Juliana also showed us around the area, taking us to visit Father Alexis who has a new cathedral under construction to replace the old one which is bursting at the seams on Sundays.

Current church building

New cathedral under construction

Father Alexis explains the bell tower

We also made an attempt to deliver some maize meal to a child who was lacking good care due to a drunken HIV+ grandfather as her sole guardian, but unfortunately we missed her when we went to where she lives.

This is but one example of the harsh conditions in which scores of children find themselves in Lesotho. You can just tell that the back "wall" of this structure is merely torn plastic sheeting, hanging limp in the wind. Temperatures in Lesotho this time of year drop to the mid-twenties (F) overnight.


We also visited Sister Georgina at the St. Clare Clinic where HIV testing and other medical services are provided to the community.

Sister Georgina

The clinic pharmacy

A patient receives a consultation

There is much need and desperation in Mohale's Hoek, but we are lucky to be able to help alleviate it in some small ways, and are enthusiastic about the progress we hope to achieve with getting the new St. Camillus Center project off the ground.