June Pen Pal Letter

Dear Mr. Diersen and students,

It's great to hear from you! I'm glad the weather is warm and you are looking forward to summer break. It is indeed approaching winter here and is now quite cold at night and in the morning. It usually gets down to the 30's. I am thankful that, during the day, it warms up into the 50's and 60's but am still surprised by how quickly the temperature drops once the sun goes down.

A trip home in the middle of Lesotho's winter will be very nice. I'm looking forward to both the summer weather and seeing family and friends again!

I am glad you have been able to continue reading my blog. The Flat Stanley Project was fun and I'm flattered Kayla thought of me. The third goal of Peace Corps is to promote awareness of my country of service among Americans, and this is probably my favorite goal. I really enjoy participating in exchange projects like Flat Stanley and pen pals with you.

The map project was also a lot of fun. That was the first map I've helped paint in Lesotho, though it's something I've wanted to do since I arrived and hope to do again. It is a very popular project with PCVs and maps have been painted at primary (elementary), secondary (junior high) and high schools all across the country. That map took us two full days to complete with about 10 PCVs working the first day and six the second day.

The map was created by first taking a paper wall map of the world and drawing a grid on it. Then, a section of the wall was painted blue and, after it dried, an enlarged grid was drawn on the wall with chalk. After that, each of us took a section of the map and drew freehand (it would be much easier with an overhead and projector, but those aren't available in Lesotho) the appropriate country boundaries in each square being sure to check that our boundaries met up with those of the person drawing next to us. Some sections (Europe, for example) take more artistic ability and time to draw than others.

On the second day we began painting. First, we marked each country with the color it was supposed to be painted. Then each of us selected a different color to be responsible for and painted all our corresponding countries. We continuously checked our work against the paper wall map to be sure the boundaries were correct and that we didn't accidentally leave any countries out.

The finished map you see on my blog is still missing labels for each country, which the PCV who is working at Tsa Kholo High School finished the next day. Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay and assist with that part.

It has been several months since I have seen Anna, however, when I last visited her I told her that many people from my home, including school students her age, had heard about her story and were asking about her. She smiled her huge smile at that. I can tell you she very much appreciates your caring about her! She lives in a village about an hour outside of Mafeteng camptown where Anne Marie, a PCV friend of mine, also lives so I get regular updates through her. Anna's finger has completely healed and she is going to school. Anne Marie tells me she often sees Anna on her way to the village shop or when she comes over to read some of the children's books Anne Marie keeps at her house.

The books for the hospital library actually arrived in Mafeteng yesterday! They have been in Maseru for about two weeks now, but it took some time to arrange for the hospital to send a vehicle to collect them. I have many pictures of us picking up the books and bringing them to the hospital which I hope to post on my blog in the next few weeks. This Saturday some of the hospital staff and I will sort the books into categories (by topic and reading level) and then catalog them. We're hoping to have the library up and running by August. I can't thank you enough for all your help with this project. The hospital staff and I are so grateful for your generosity, and I know the patients who will benefit from this will also be very thankful!

The playground equipment is now fully installed at three of the four ECCD schools (preschools) that were set to receive them. The equipment was ordered through a company in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and a shop in Mafeteng collected the equipment and delivered it here. Since it did not arrive until the end of January, the PCV who started the project (she finished her service in December 2008) asked me to oversee installation of the equipment. On my first trip to each school we dropped off the equipment and explained to the teachers that the larger pieces needed to be secured by cement or stakes. I then re-visited each school to be sure they had completed their obligation. Most of the schools chose to secure the swings and slide with cement but leave the other pieces free-standing so they can store them inside the locked school building at night. The schools don't have much money so cementing each piece would be difficult for them. Also, many of the teachers felt that storing the equipment inside would mitigate the risk of theft.

Every school was incredibly grateful for receiving the equipment. Very few schools here have playgrounds so it was exciting for me to see the children get a chance to play in a way we Americans take for granted. You are right, the safety regulations here are very different than those in the States. Here, there are really no laws, oversight or building codes in regard to things like playgrounds. People generally use good common sense, though.

I have really enjoyed hearing from you this year! I will miss writing to you too and wish you all the best next year. Have a wonderful summer and, hopefully, I will see some of you around Manning while I'm home visiting.

Khotso! Pula! Nala! (Peace! Rain! Prosperity! – a traditional Basotho salutation)
Kelly