Arriving in Lesotho has been quite a journey. London was fun, even though we continually falling asleep in the subway (not the brightest of ideas), and Karthik at one point jolted out of his sleep with a rather emphatic body motion when I sneezed, prompting the people across from us to chuckle just a bit. In Maseru, getting off the airplane into 70 degree weather was a surprise since we had expected colder weather, and I myself may have appeared the most ridiculous since I wore a ski jacket during our traveling since it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase. Then, I was met with the pleasant surprise of my luggage not arriving to Maseru. All I could think was that I said a few months ago at orientation that I would be that guy. Optimistically, I thought this would be an opportunity to spend some time shopping in Maseru for clothing, an experience I may not have had otherwise. Sadly, the baggage arrived on the next flight and I didn’t get to go on my adventure.
We have had essentially no trouble getting around so far, and this past day was bascially spent moving in, buying grocieries, phones, minutes, and doing bank errands. We bought bubble gum and cream soda flavored milk, sliced a loaf of bread into triangles because it got jammed in the slicing machine, and had a security guard come to the house who I thought was named “Justice”. We made two bags of pasta for dinner because I apparently cannot eyeball portions, so now we have enough for at least 2 more days. I love Lesotho.
Mike, the man who drove us from the airport, seemed immensely popular among the people of Lesotho, as he honked and waved to oncoming drivers or people on the side of the road whom he knew. What I love about it here so much is the sense of community since Maseru is a rather small capital city and the friendliness of the general public.
Lastly, in terms of the country itself, looking around has been an experience. We passed by the government hospital, a facility that I hope to have the opportunity to visit while I am here. It is being replaced by a new facility that is being built in the coming years, but I was told that the hospital has a 50% mortality rate for children admitted, keeping in mind that most admitted are in the later stages of a disease or condition, making it more difficult to treat.
Work at Baylor with Danielle starts tomorrow, bright and early at 8 🙂 I must say I’m excited to see what it is we will be doing and meet all of the staff who work there. I’m most definitely thinking good things, but I’ll let you know what goes on soon.
Crazily Excited,
Amit