Today was the first day of school! After a week of settling in, we finally start Camp Challenge, our problem-solving camp. I had the first-day jitters as Beverly and I walked to Letsie High School, but I was very excited to teach. When we arrived, we found out that the teachers actually told the students that class starts at 9am, but we thought it was at 10am. Many of the students were already sitting and waiting for us! Still, things worked out well despite the time confusion. We originally thought there were 22 students, but as time went on, more and more trickled in until we reached a total of 30 students. Even though that is quite a few, it didn’t seem too overwhelming at any point. The students were all very talkative and rowdy. They love to cheer and dance! I think we might need to change our “punishment” for tardiness because they were all excited to sing a song as a consequence for being late.

The first lesson was mainly introductory; we went over different problems that the students have faced in the past and how they solved or did not solve them. Many of them understand their difficult situation and have the desire to learn in order to achieve their goals. I could tell that some of the things we said went over their heads, but hopefully from now on we can adjust our teaching methods in order to better accommodate them. It was a joy to see them engage with one another in their groups to come up with problems and solutions to everyday problems, and after reading some of their journal responses, I can see that they are very bright students who still have a lot of hope in life.

There was one group that had a difficult time getting along in the beginning because some of the girls thought the boys were not being serious enough about the work, but Beverly and I tried to encourage them to show respect towards each other and share more openly about their opinions. Hopefully the next couple of days we will see positive changes in this group, and they will learn to work well together.

After class ended, we took a class picture and ate lunch. Lunch was fantastic! It was my first time eating local Lesotho food, and it reminded of Chinese food back home…with a twist. The papa, which is their staple food made of corn with the consistency of cornbread, felt like the rice I have back home, and the minced meat with cabbage tasted delicious as well. I also got to eat with my fingers which made the experience even more unique! It was definitely one of the more satisfying meals I’ve had since coming here.

When we finished eating, a Form C student took us on an adventure to see the river behind Thaba Bosiu. We trekked down a very bumpy path with corn fields on both sides and walked for about half a mile until we reached the river. While standing on the bridge, I marveled at the beautiful scene before my eyes: tall mountains with lush green trees growing along the sides and patches of golden fields all running down to the calm river that winds through the mountains. Each day I continue to be amazed by the natural scenery of Lesotho. I hope to climb Thaba Bosiu Mountain this weekend so that I can see this land in its entirety.

Also, as a side note, I found out why Thaba Bosiu is called the “shrine of Lesotho.” On the top of Thaba Bosiu lies all the graves of the past kings and rulers of Lesotho including Moshoeshoe, who used the mountain as a defense against his enemies. So since then, every king of Lesotho has been buried at the top of that mountain.