Life is full

I'm busy! Finally! I'm excited that I finally have a structured schedule with my primary school. I teach there three days a week in classes 4-7. I just had them do presentations in front of the class and they did a really good job. We're learning about the concepts of identity and self-esteem right now and will be moving on to decision making skills and thinking skills next. After all that I will start sex ed. I feel like I know the students better and I think they trust me more now. Also, a few have been saying that life skills (the class I teach) is their favorite subject! To me that's fantastic.

I had a really fun birthday. It was a simple and easy day. I jogged first thing in the morning, taught at the school, made tortillas and cooked beans for lunch and topped off the day with a bottle of hard cider. It wasn't bad at all. Thank you very much to those of you who sent birthday cards. :) I have taped the first ones I received on the wall near my bed and look at them often.

The day before my birthday I attended a funeral. My host sister's baby died on the way back from the clinic the day after Easter. I believe she died while my host mother was carrying her on her back because that's how she arrived at our house. The next day we had the funeral at the house to save on expenses. A few men killed one of my host mother's sheep right outside of my house that morning and I helped prepare food for the guests. I had to cover my hair to show respect. I didn't go to the grave for the burial because I was told to stay and help sweep the house and continue preparing food for the guests. This funeral was the saddest funeral I have ever been to. Babies are not supposed to die. She wasn't even six months old. My host cousin started wailing when he saw her in the coffin. He was her older brother. Another cousin started crying and I talked to her about what was going on. I was glad to be there to help comfort the kids because no one else was. Basotho don't seem to mourn and hugs aren't given to the ones that actually cry. I let the younger ones color in my coloring books too. I don't know if it helped, but I know that I liked being busy that day. I didn't mind sweeping, cleaning and cooking. In a way that helped me mourn. I had just given the baby a toy a few days earlier. I knew she was sick, but I didn't think she was going to die.

I wish it hadn't happened, but I am grateful to have attended a funeral and to see the rituals up close. For once I was treated just like a Masotho and not a foreigner. I had to wash my hands three times after sweeping the house before the guests arrived. Five of us women used three basins placed outside the gate of our property and we dunked our hands at the same time three times. I'm not sure what that signified. The next day my host sister (the mother of the baby) shaved her head. She will do it again in exactly one month. It is a sign of mourning. Usually family members where white after the death of a child, but I haven't seen anyone do that. I often see people where a black cloth and that shows that one is mourning the death of an adult. I've seen more tents up for funerals lately and each time I do I think of the funeral that happened right outside my house.

My last workshop on HIV went really well. It was just a basic awareness workshop and people enjoyed it. One man said that he didn't know older people could get HIV which was a huge breakthrough. One woman said she thought she had HIV and was going to get tested. Next weekend a friend of mine who teaches at a high school near me and I are going to visit the homes of people who attended the workshop to ask follow up questions. Some still believed myths about HIV and I want to make sure that they know the truth and understood what we talked about. I want to know if they've gone to get tested or if they used the condoms that I handed out. I told them about female condoms and they want me to get those for the next workshop. Our next one is in July and will be on HIV and nutrition. I think that will be really beneficial for the people I work with. I need to get them to eat protein! And to eat it regularly.

That's it for now! Thanks for reading. I'll update again when I have the opportunity. Today I'm in my camptown meeting up with some of my friends for a girl's night. I cannot wait to paint my naked nails.

Be well.

Emily/Naleli

P.S. I climbed a mountain near my house on Monday with a couple friends. The view was breathtaking. I didn't make it all the way to the top (stupid asthma) but now it's a challenge. :)