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A Walk to Town

After the concert at the elementary school, we returned to the St. Camillus Center. The 4 older students took us on an excursion in to town. On our mile walk, we saw a funeral procession, and got a great sense of our surroundings. Kids in their school uniforms waved as we went by. Everyone we passed looked at us. It was obvious that we were a novelty. Very few white people live in or visit Lesotho. In fact, white people are not allowed to own any land in this country. So far the only other white person we have seen is Stephanie, the Peace Corp volunteer.

In town, we stopped at the grocery store. Will, in his generosity bought each of the children a soda. Then we went to the Viacom shop to try to get Niko and Sam set up with Sim Cards.

While we waited for them, I looked at Besotho blankets. This is the souvenir that we each want to purchase to take home as a reminder of our time in Lesotho. The blankets are THE traditional item of the Besotho People. They are made of wool and they have beautiful designs and colors that represent the various regions of Lesotho. It is very common to see the Besotho wearing their blankets, especially the shepherds.

After NIko and Sam were finished we went to a small restaurant for lunch. The building was made out of tin and had about 4 tables and a dirt floor. We had a delicious meal of papa, which is made of corn meal and is the staple food of Lesotho, chicken which was cooked outside on the barbecue and morejo , which are greens. The portions were so large. I could not finish mine. Sam seemed to inhale his and he cannot wait to go back to go back for more.

The St. Camillus Center

This afternoon we arrived at the St. Camillus Center. The center was just completed and the children moved in last December. The building and property are beautiful. There is much more land then I expected. Besides the building that is home to 20 children, there is also a structure that can hold 200 chickens and a large portion of land that is being prepared to grow vegetables that will not only feed the children, but also provide income for the center.

The building of the Center was funded by the Lesotho Connection (TLC). TLC was started in Tacoma, WA about 7 years ago when Theresa Power-Druitus was working on her doctorate in Lesotho, Theresa had heard about the work of Sister Julianna and she set out to meet her. As she shared her experiences with her husband, Joe, back in Tacoma and their dear friend Fr. Bill Bischel, SJ (better known as Bix), Joe and Bix set out to establish The Lesotho Connection to support the work of Sr. Julianna.

I was on the original board of TLC for 3 years. The building project seemed like such a huge undertaking. In those early years, the progress towards the building seemed so slow. Now I see that there was a foundation being built. As the board has changed and grown it has drawn to it many people who have a lived experience of Lesotho and their passion for this place has fueled its growth. I am moved to see this dream fulfilled and I feel a spark of passion for this place being fanned within me.

Gifts Multiplied

In the months leading up to our trip, I found myself purging our house of things we did not need. If it was in very good shape, and I believed it could be useful in Lesotho, it went into our Lesotho pile. If not, it was given to St. Vincent De Paul.

I spent one afternoon purging, pens, pencils and markers. How did we ever accumulate so many? I swear they must multiply like rabbits when we are not looking! I filled 2 – 1 gallon size zip lock bags with our excess, and put them in our Lesotho pile. I told my friend Eileen about this and her eyes lit up. She works in the school system and has a closet of school supplies she has accumulated from every good sale she has ever come across. She promised to go through her closet and bring me some things. She brought me over 4 grocery size bags filled to the top with school supplies.

When I wrote to Stephanie, the Peace Corp volunteer at the St. Camillus Center and told her we had school supplies to bring, she responded, “The children will be so excited. These items are not available in Lesotho, and if even if they were, most Besotho children would not be able to afford them.” Not even available? Pencils, pens, glue, lined paper are not even available?!!!

I separated the supplies into 2 piles, one for the St. Camillus Center and one for Mary’s school. When we arrived at Mary’s home and were preparing for our visit to her school, I took out the supplies we had to share. Mary quickly made 4 piles: a pile for her school, one for Sammy”s preschool, one for her Church and one for another school. She wanted to be sure that as many children and teachers benefited from this gift as possible. When I brought out our gifts for the St. Camillus Center, the same thing happened. Rathabile created 3 piles: one for the Center, one for the preschool and one for the elementary school.

I was amazed. Instead of hoarding these supplies that were so hard to come by in their country, they each wanted to share them so that many children would benefit. I stood in awe, humbled by their generosity.

Sr. Julianna

Sr. Julianna is the soul of the St. Camillus Center. For many years, she has been the person that the community turns to, to care for children who have nobody else. Regularly, the police show up at her doorstep with a child in their hands asking her to take them in. Before this new center opened, Sr. Julianna had a much smaller building where all 20 children slept on the floor of one small room. And still she said yes and welcomed each child.

Sister Julianna not only cares for these children, but many others in the community whose parent’s have died or whose parent’s are sick or do not have work and therefore they do not have money for their children’s school fees or food. Stephanie, the Peace Corp volunteer exclaimed, “Every time I think I have a handle on all the different things Sr. Julianna does, I learn of something else that I had no idea that she was doing.

Sr. Julianna lives by faith. She believes that God will provide and she is consistently proven right. When no one else has any idea where the money or resources will come from, Sr. Julianna is grounded in trust and somehow the all that they need arrives. As we work with her, I am moved by Sr. Julianna’s gentle way. I watch as she gets out of her truck at the center and see the children run to her, to be held, to be patted, to be loved. Niko, got it right when he said, “She is a saint. You know that feeling you get when you are in the presence of the Holy? That is the feeling I get around her.”

The Children of St. Camillus

The children are beautiful. There are 20 children who live at the St. Camillus Center. Almost all of them have been orphaned by the Aids pandemic. About a third of them are HIV positive. 15 of them are between 6 months and 6 years old.

The older children seem a bit unsure of us. The little ones just want to be snuggled. Sam and Will are reaching out so tenderly. They are both friendly and gentle. I was so proud of their kindness as I watched them find ways to interact with each child.

Niko is a toddler magnet. The kids just want to be near him. They can sense his loving spirit.

A precious little boy named Rathahile snuggled into my lap. He is about 2 years old, bare bottomed with green stuff flowing out of his nose. He clearly does not feel well and just wants to be held. So that was my job this afternoon, to hold him and rock him in my arms. A very blessed way to spend my time.

Feeling Like the Beatles

Feeling like the Beatles

During the lunch break at Mary’s school, Sam and Will grabbed their guitars and went out and sat in the school yard and started to play. Within moments, hundreds of young people surrounded them. They played for about 30 minutes, when I began to hear music coming from the classroom next to where they were playing. I followed the voices and discovered the school choir singing. There were only about 15 students and yet it sounded like there were 100. The strength and tone of their voices was amazing and I immediately had goose bumps covering my arms. It was beautiful!

As soon as they finished the song they were singing, I ran out and got Niko’s attention. I told him about the music and encouraged him to come listen and to ask Sam and Will to come in as soon as they finished the song they were singing. Niko came in shortly. Together we took in the next song, but still no Sam or Will. When this song ended, I asked Niko where they were. He told me that they had stopped playing, but that there were some students that wanted to talk with them. I ran out to encourage them to come in. I knew the choir would only be singing 1 or 2 more songs because the lunch break was almost over. I did not want the boys to miss it.

I ran out and did not see them. I walked down past the next building and there they were. They were standing up against the wall getting their pictures taken with 3 girls and there was a line of more than 35 students waiting patiently for their turn. Sam and Will were getting a small taste of what it was like to have groupies. As we ran to hear the last song of the choir, Sam beamed with delight and said, “I fell like I’m one of the Beatles!”

Sam and Will Teach at Mary’s School

As soon as we were settled in Mary’s home, the first thing she asked Sam and Will was “Are you ready to teach my class tomorrow?” She then gave them her teacher’s manual and told them to go and prepare their lesson plan.

Mary is a high school science teacher. The students in her classroom are between 13 and 18 years of age. Sam and Will took on her challenge with amazing grace and determination.

Niko and I stood in the back of the room as Sam and Will stood before 50 Besotho young people and taught them about heat conduction. As I watched them, I was full of awe and I wondered, how is this experience going to impact their life? How will standing before 5 different classrooms of students today and teaching, impact the way they see their own teachers, or the way they see themselves? Will this plant a seed for them to pursue teaching one day? How does it feel to them to be the minority? There was not another white face in the school, nor had we seen another white person since arriving in Lesotho. This was the first time in their life that they experienced being the minority. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be 16 or 17 and to have such an experience. I was filled with awe at how well they were prepared and at their incredible willingness and spirit of adventure in taking this on.

Mary’s Home

Mary and Paul live in amiddle class home in Maputsoe. It is made of cinder block and has 4 rooms: A living room, kitchen and 2 bedrooms. There is an outhouse outside and a covered bucket in each bedroom for toilet use. There is no running water. All the water is carried in from their well. They do have electricity and surprisingly to us, they even have a flat screen tv.

It is evident to us, that Paul and Mary have gone to great sacrifice to make our visit comfortable and to meet our every need. Niko and I have our own bedroom. Beautiful bedspreads are on our beds. A baby bathtub sits in the corner for our washing needs. Luxurious body wash, lotions and toothpaste have been set by our beds. Sam and Will will sleep on the couches in the living room that fold down. Food has been cooked, special foods purchased and Mary and Paul are eager to make us feel at home. We have been welcomed like royalty.

We spent the day in Johannesburg with our wonderful guide, Agnes, from Feleng Tours. We visited the Apartheid Museum, Nelson Mandela’s Home in Soweto and the Kliptown Youth Program.

Kliptown is one of the oldest residential districts of Soweto. It is the home of over 44,000 people and lacks the most basic needs of schools, sanitation, and electricity. It is Will and Sam’s first experience of witnessing how the world’s poor live. 44,000 people living in small houses made of tin crammed together in a small space, without running water, with electricity stolen from the grid and with sewage and garbage visible on the side of the roads. In the midst of the squalor is an amazing project called the Kliptown Youth Project. KYP’s mission is to “KYP enables children to harness their potential and grow into dynamic and skilled individuals who can give back to society.” They provide tutoring, tuition assistance, Food programs as well as training in cooking, employment networking and technology.

We were each given a ticket which determined whether we went through the museum as a white or as a non-white person.

Zulu Dancers entertained us as we ate lunch.

Will umped in to embrace the culture.

Kliptown: Homes made of tin, one right next to the other

Kliptown

Kliptown Youth Program Computer Lab

Roasted Chicken Feet for Sale

We are in Dubai! We had an amazing flight. I felt like I was back in time 30 years ago to how flying used to be. The flight was long…14 hours, but Emerates is an amazing airlines and they treated us so well that our flight was a lot of fun. As soon as we took off, a flight attendant came around with hot, moist, lemon scented towels for each of us. At our seats we found a little travel case with socks, eye covers for sleeping and a toothbrush.

The food was delicious. They fed us lunch as if we were already on Dubai time to help us restart our inner clocks. It included an appetizer of crackers and dips, a salad of black eyed beans and corn, a main dish of lamb or chicken a delicious dessert of toffee pudding, followed by a cup,of tea and a piece of chocolate. We were also fed a snack of an individual pizza and a breakfast of eggs with various side dishes.

Niko and I watched 3 movies together that we missed seeing at the Grand Cinema: the 2nd Best Grand Budapest Hotel, Woman in Gold and Still Alice. Will learned some Arabic on the plane from a boy, sitting across the aisle form him. He and Sam are having a blast!

>We have a 3 hour layover in the Dubai airport. Sam and Will are off exploring the mall in the airport while Niko and I sit with the bags. Then we will fly another 8 hours on Emerates and arrive in Johannesburg at 9pm, ready to rest at the Blue Mango Lodge.

Body Sacred

Celebrating the Sacred In Ourselves, In Our Relationships and In Our World.