It’s been an interesting first few days in Lesotho, not quite the experience my fellow interns and I were expecting. After talking to previous interns throughout the semester, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I would encounter during my time here. Yet, it just comes to show how true the sayings of Forrest Gump can be: Life is a box of chocolates; you never really know what you’re going to get.

We are living in the rural township of Thaba Bosiu, approximately 1-2 hours away from the capital city of Maseru. Thaba Bosiu is unbelievably beautiful, with vast open plains and high mountains, blanketed either with a bright blue sky or large, speckled stars. (Susan and I are excited to go mountain climbing and star-gazing soon!) Our accommodations here are also very nice, with electric blankets and full bathrooms, with the occasional visit of sugar ants and big, black, unidentifiable bugs. The only major inconvenience we are facing is the difficulty of getting into Maseru for communication/internet and groceries. Our lodging does not have a kitchen or refrigeration, thus, leaving our creative minds to concoct delicious meals through the use of a single water heater. We’ve taken pictures of every dinner, so be on the look out for a food blog segment!

We had a chance to visit the school we will be working at, Letsie High School, and meet with the principal and staff. The community here seems to be close-knit, warm, and friendly. We even had a chance to meet the Form E students, a cheerful, bright-eyed bunch. Compared to my previous trip to the Qwa Qwa village in Harrismith, South Africa, these teenagers seemed much more optimistic and healthy. I was incredibly encouraged by the teacher who introduced us, as she told the students how much they could learn if they put in the effort and took advantage of this opportunity.
As we walked around the school, we noticed a grade sheet that was posted for the Form E students. Most of the students had poor or failing marks in every subject; only 1 or 2 A’s and B’s dotted the entire page. We intend to focus more of our problem solving camp to help them with their academics.

All in all, it has been an adventurous five days here (refer to the blogs of Susan Su, Brittany Trentadue, and Beth England). We are excited to get our camps going and to develop friendships with our students!

Cheers,
Beverly