Sorry --- But EXCITING News!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time. School has started. I love my Sophmore year. I'm rooming with my best girlfriend here, Jessie (yeah, we have a tally of how many people come into our room and ask "Is Jessie here?").

But my exciting news is that I GET TO GO BACK TO LESOTHO THIS SUMMER!!!! Because J-burg, South Africa (where we fly into and spend the night) is hosting the World Cup in 2008, it will be a mad house so Dr. Rosenberg has decided to go back this summer and he's officially asked me to return with him and his family and the group of students so that I can watch his two kids, Josh (who will be 4 and a half) and Diane (who will be 3 years old). And (I'm sure my mom who like me to mention) this time Wittenberg will be paying for my trip =) Of course I'm excited because I get to see Rose. If I haven't posted about her yet I will soon because she's become an important part of my life!

I have collected the photos that I'm going to post online so my goal is to do that this evening so you'll be able to see them soon (even if you've seen my slideshow this has some different photos so you should check them out.

Peace and love!!!
~jessie

I'm Back!!!

Thanks for that picture in the last post mom =)

So it's 3:30 am and after going to bed at 7 pm (1 am Lesotho time) last night, I'm awake. Thanks jetlag. We'll see how many days it lasts for...

I had a great time! It really was life altering! I loved it so much!!! I can't wait to share stories with you all (or to go back to Africa =)). Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. I love you all! I'll probably be posting pictures and some of my journal entries (I kept a personal journal everyday while I was down there) on this blog so keep checking it out. I can't wait to share stories!!!

Peace and love! ilujpj! dftba!
~jessie

Yeah! She's Home!!!

Laura and I went to pick up Jessie this afternoon. She seems happy, healthy..... and tired. As I post this, she is sound asleep upstairs. It is so great that she had this opportunity, but it is so very nice to have her home again, too. Selby is very happy to have her home, too.

This will probably be my last post -- but hopefully Jessie will post and tell you all more about her trip. (And maybe, just maybe, she can be convinced to share some pictures!)

Last Call...we're serious this time

Greetings from Africa!

Our last 24 hours in Lesotho has been quite the roller coaster ride. We are all excited to see our favorite animals from the Lion King, but will miss the people and this place terribly. These past weeks have been life changing. Though we have only been here for a short period of time, everyday we have been able to see ourselves grow through the work we have been doing. Today we completed the community center in Roma, ending with the place we started. The buildings artwork resembles a piece of everyone's personalities. The pit latrine is ready for action and the garden is in the process of blooming. Though everyone seemed very upset with our departure, we leave those we've met with memories that will last forever. Our final group meeting tied up all loose ends before our sad departure. The evening ended on a high note with a delicious 21st birthday cake for Lizzie! (chocolate with white frosting..mmm) Unfortunately we are the last two that you will be hearing from before our long awaited return to the states. Our next couple days in Kruger will be amazing...chicken fingers, grilled cheese, all you can eat ice cream and one final barbeque to say goodbye! We'll be sure to take tons of pictures of all your favorite animals. Look for our shining faces in the airport on the 11th!

Your Fearless Safari Leaders,

Andrea Berry and Kate Zane

PS:

Hey mom and dad and em! miss you and love you! see you soon! love, andrea

P.S.S:

Mom and Dad- Sorry I have yet to call or email you...I miss you veryyy much and can't wait to see you! Oh, and Sarah don't get too comfortable in my bed, I'll be home soon. Love, Kate

P.S.S.S: Amber Lough will try to call you asap Mom...she apologizes for not calling tonight!

Last Call

Hello family and friends.

Well, FIRST OF ALL we need to tell you about the ginormous amounts of rain and hail that Lesotho experienced in the past 24 hours. It stormed all night last night and all power went out around 10. This made for some interesting walks back home from the White House. We all gathered round the fire and warmed our bones as we told some chilling ghost stories around the hearth. Today we woke up to rain but trudged through to the worksite. We painted the outside in a dazzling array of colored gingerbread figured children holding hands. We think some individuals may be inspired to change their major to art after this trip. The pit latrine was filled to the knickers in rain where some of our awe-inspiring fine men who had made the wise 70 rand (10$holla) purchase of rain boots aka Dan Zeleznik bailed out the water to finish the sucker up. The children now have one fine hole to take care of business in. We also made some shelves and other things and painted more of the outside in decorative detail after our finest lunch yet. (VERY CHEESY- Mallory Miller loves cheese). Some of the crew talked x's and o's with the Lesotho b-ball coach. He was unimpressed. The cool kids went and watched the sunset by climbing a colossal mountain and saw the sun go down on ROMA. VERY ROMANTIC- especially with half the town's children accompanying us. We then ate a good dinner and tonight we are having a bonfire with s'mores. We are celebrating Lizzie Amorello's 21st birthday in true Basotho style. Tomorrow is our last full day in Lesotho. Tears are streaming down our face although the whole group talks about fast food and pizza at least once an hour. It has been a great journey with ups and downs, but we are stronger individually and have a better understanding of the world around us. Thank you all and good night! S'mores are calling.

Hugs and Kisses from Wittenbergs finest,

MALLORY A. MILLER and MATTHEW S. WIGTON

June 3rd

Hello all,

Today it rained all day so some of our plans were rearranged. We went to the University for a lecture about gender issues at 9am. After that, we got back on the busses and drove to Maseru to do some shopping. We went to two craft shops called the Basotho Hat and Basotho Shield. And if you're good, you just may get a surprise or two when we get back! Then we got a little treat....we went to lunch at a place called Nandos. It was a small chicken place that gave us a little taste of home: spicy chicken and french fries.

After that, we split up because it was still raining. Some went to a mental hospital in Maseru and the other went back to Roma to relax until our meeting and dinner. Tonight we're working on Lesotho-style friendship bracelets aka playground rope melted together :)

Overall, it was a rainy, but productive day.

Can't believe we only have 2 more days here before we leave for Kruger. We are all excited to see those animals up close. We may even feed Beeler to one of them!

Carrie & Elise

Shoutouts:

MK & Skippa: Can't wait to chill by the pool and listen to some Jimmy Buffett! Love KG

Toby& Linda: Can't wait to get some of that homestyle cookin mama! Love you all!

Bob & Becky: Love you, miss you! Happy Grad Kimmer...Penrod says get to work on ur vball workout!

Vball team: Love you team, see you at camp!

Enez: Looking forward to wine on the porch! Love, Nicole

Lumela

Hey guys,

Things today were pretty uneventful. This morning we visited the university for another boring lecture about the history of Lesotho. We are pretty sure we could all write our dissertations on the history of Lesotho by now. Following the lecture, our group split into two groups. Half returned to the community center work site to do some painting. The other half hung out downtown Roma around the university. We had the options of visiting the schools, shops, or the hospital. The group who took up the offer on the hospital found themselves to be surprise guests and had to tell a white lie about being American medical students in order to get a tour. This seemed like a good idea until she started asking who was in their sixth or seventh years. Someone then came up with the idea that they were all undergrad pre-med. The community center site is almost completed. At the end of the day we returned to the university for a lecture on the education system in Lesotho. They treated us with coffee, tea, and cookies which were imperative to our survival for yet another lecture. Thankfully, our third speaker was a no show and we were able to clear up some housekeeping with D-Rose. Everyone is looking forward to a fun day in Maseru tomorrow. Talk to you soon!

Lerato, Palesa, and Linero (Jillian, Liz and Lizzie)

Heyyy!

Hello everyone,

Today was an excellant break from the sometimes rigorous daily agenda of building and digging. We were able to sleep in for the first time in a while which was nice. At noon we attended a celebration for the grand opening of the community center which we funded/helped build. Dr. Rosenberg and our group were recognized by the entire village including the Chief, which was quite an honor. There was traditional song and dance, some speeches, and a delicious lunch provided for us. In hearing the many speakers thank us for how much we have done for the community, it really hit us that the little things we are doing are impacting so many lives. Several of us took some time to reflect back on our many accomplishments thus far. After the celebration, many of us went to a local all-boys high school for a basketball scrimmage with their team. Though we were stacked with Wittenberg men's and women's stars, plus some intramural legends, these students ranging from 14-20 years of age and a 5'3 average heigth gave us one hell of a game. The crowd was huge for both sides, and WittinAfrica was able to pull out a tough victory. After the heated game, both sides shook hands and bonded for a while as some of us gave our game shoes away to their team. They were very grateful for our company and as we were leaving Folta put on a dunk show which left the crowd in awe. We had mac-n-cheese for dinner which reminded us all of the food we will soon return to. All in all, today was a great day and tomorrow we return back to the community center worksite to finish what we have starte

See everyone soon!

Cheers!

Thabo and Tomello (Wick and Beeler)

ps I (wickiser) did not make that child cry yesterday, I was a celebrity at that place and am coming back to the states with three young, illegal, girlfriends.

Khotso! (Peace)

Saturday, May 31st

Dearest adoring fans whom wait with baited breath for the mass e-mail from Lesotho, South Africa,

We are happy to inform you that we have not lost any students as of yet. We understand that you may be as shocked as we are. Congratulations on getting to the last day of May without the immediate love and attention of your darling children, grandchildren, friends and foes. Today, Saturday (for those who aren't as devote fans as others aka my mother), we had our last day at Lesotho Save the Children. The majority of the children were happy to see us return with the exception of Matt Wick, who hit two kids in the face with balls while making one cry. This morning most of the group stayed at the orphanage with a Frisbee, seven over inflated soccer balls ranging from the size of a mango to the size of a watermelon, the other part of the group went and planted the last of the fruit trees around the village. We wish we could comment further on the planing of the fruit trees but we did not go either day because we are lazy and like to play with children, okay? After lunch we took a consensus of the group and found out the 72-78% of the group has diarrhea at the moment*. We returned after many heart-felt goodbyes to Thorns, after our jelly and butter sandwiches on hotdog buns, which were exquisite, as always. The group was free to then run wild in the afternoon, which lead to most people's (much needed) afternoon naps. A group of the Witt-ers went into town to mingle among the Basotho, and buy Diet Coke (Coke light). The way home lead to one group of four students adventure in a taxi which contained these four students and 19 other Bathoso natives. Please try to imagine 23 people in a van the size of your 1970 Volkswagen hippy van. As we will reiterate ALL STUDENTS ARE STILL ALIVE AND COUNTED FOR. Thank you so much for your cooperation, we will see you all (if we decide to leave) in a short number of days.

Happy June!

Your sarcastic philosophy and special education majors,
Phil & Amanda.

Shoutouts: Mommy I hope you did not go see the S&TC movie without me. love you and daddy and nick. p.s i got like 20 tattoos, you are going to love them! ~Amanda~

Mother, Father, Anna, Heidi, and Rob. I am having an absolute blast in Lesotho. It really is a life-changing experience coming on this trip. Love you and e-mail you at a later date. See you in the near future. (Hopefully you didn't forget my Bonnaroo ticket :).) -pHil

*These statistics of course were made up on the spot, but whomever you talk to will likely tell you everything you want to know about their bowl movements.

Greeting from Lesotho (5/31/08)

Hey friends and family,

So yesterday there was a lot going on; we were split into three different groups around the Maseru community. One group was at Lesotho Save the Children where they played with children. The second group went and planted fruit trees throughout the community. The last group organized a soccer camp for a range of age groups.

At Lesotho Save the Children (an orphanage for abandoned, abused, and HIV positive children) our group played with about 15 preschool age kids until after lunch when we were joined by some children from the primary school. We brought soccer balls and Frisbees with us and all the kids enjoyed tossing them around. Some of the children were content to just sit on our laps in the grass, as long as they were receiving some one on one attention. It was heartwarming to see their glowing faces, especially after knowing that the children come from such hard backgrounds. For example, one boy about 4 years old was buried alive two weeks after his birth by his parents because they were HIV positive and assumed he also was. Lesotho Save the Children found and rescued him. Knowing that we were able to brighten the children's days even for a few hours made it such a worthwhile experience.

After lunch part of the group who was working at the children's village went to a local soccer field and ran a small clinic. Around 20-25 kids between the ages of 3 and 12 participated. Our students ran some drills and showed them the ropes of soccer. We tried to teach them the fundamentals so that they can polish their skills and continue to play a game they love.

The last group went into a community of orphans and planted fruit trees. The community was a aid group who helped out orphaned children with financial and emotional support. Our fruit trees are going to help them feed themselves and also, allow them to sell the fruit. It was so interesting walking through an actual community everyone knew everyone. The sense of community is heartwarming and something I will never forget.

Then Jenny took all of us out to eat at the Maseru Sun, a hotel and one of the two nicest restaurants in Lesotho. It was a buffet filled with our favorites, and as you can imagine everyone left loosening their belts. It was a welcome change from a smaller dining room and allowed the whole group to talk and get to know each other in a relaxing setting.

Everyone is missing their family and friends, but we are enjoying our time here knowing that we are making a difference in so many individuals' lives.

See you in a few short weeks,
Amber Lough and Maranda Moore

p.s. Mrs. Bryant please call gap and tell them that Lauren will be available to go back to work when she gets home.

The Send-Off of a Lifetime

Khotso families and friends!

Today was another early and cold morning here in Lesotho. We continued and completed our projects today in Morija: the Lesotho Save the Children Farm, as well as the local preschool's playground equipment, paintings, and benches. We split up into two groups as we have done the past two days, half of us at each work site. At the farm we continued to make seedbeds and worked alongside the men and women from the youth work camp. After completing our work there, Patrick (one of our drivers) was nice enough to take us all over to the preschool to see the final product of our hard work there.

Upon the arrival of the second group, the Basotho women welcomed us in the traditional manner, with hands in the air and celebrating yells. It was amazing to see the work that we accomplished at the preschool and the equipment we built from simply wood and tires. The children were delighted, and everywhere we turned, we saw their smiles and heard their giggles. It was definitely a happy place.

As we were leaving, the children were gathered by their teachers, and they performed traditional songs and dances for us as a farewell. After doing so, we waved goodbye and thought that was it. As we walked toward the buses, all of the Basotho present from the community paraded down with us, all the while singing, dancing, and cheering happily. It was a beautiful thing to see how thankful and happy they truly were that we had not only helped their community, but also spent time getting to know them and building strong relationships. This farewell was one that we are sure neither the community members or ourselves will ever forget.

It's an overwhelming feeling to realize that we are now more than halfway done with our trip. Although we are missing everyone dearly, it is also hard to know that we will be leaving very soon.

We hope all is well with each of you and know that we are thinking of you!

Lots of Love from Lesotho,

Leah Drapkin & Suzanne Fuhrman

Red cheeks and full bellies on the farm!

Lumela friends and family!

Rise and shine today was at 745. Half of us worked at the farm turning over the land, planting seeds, and digging trenches. The other half worked at the preschool, panting murals on the exterior walls and building playground equipment. The Basotho women greeted us traditionally upon arrival at the preschool, yelling melodically and waving their hands in the air. Trust me, that is the best description we could come up with. The weather was beautiful; sunshine, blue skies, and warm weather.

Our friend Kennedy from Little Angels Daycare center joined us today at the preschool. We were also joined by the local work camp-our friends, our manpower, and our distraction! Three wonderful women who are Peace Corp volunteers here helped us paint and build the equipment.

At lunch time, many of the preschoolers' mothers performed traditional Basotho dances as well as preparing a traditional meal of papa (fluffy corn), greens, and chicken. It was so generous of them to cook chicken for the group because it was definitely expensive, but nonetheless their way of saying thank you. Also, it was a nice vacation from the standard lunch of PBandJ sandwiches...word to the wise, PBandJ is probably not something we will crave when we get home.

We left the playground with two beautiful murals; one a flower garden, the other a gigantic red AIDS ribbon. Tires were cemented into the ground and painted, as well as strung up like a climbing ladder to hang on. A few swings and large pieces of equipment were also finished, like an immobile car.

The group that worked at the farm continued the work from yesterday, turning over soil, digging trenches, and planting and watering seedlings which will serve as food to be sold upon harvest. Sammy, the director of the Lesotho Save The Children project was there to offer assistance as well as his son, George, who is actually a student in the United States (Iowa) and speaks fluent english. Sammy has offered his help, both physically and verbally, to the group every day we have been there, and George works along side the group, relating to everyone quite well. With the music provided by Mallory's I-Pod as well as that of Georges, and the assistance and good company of Sammy as well as the Work Camp volunteers, the work was hard, but fulfilling; time seemed to pass quickly.

We know that the work we are completing is beneficial not only to the kids but the community around. The gardens we are preparing will feed many hungry mouths as well as help sponsor the children from Lesotho Save The Children, and the preschools will keep the children entertained and learning.

One thing we've come to learn here is that while our work is needed, what is sometimes even more important is showing the kids affection. It is very apparent that it is something they long for--these kids love to be held, tickled, and hugged. The kids literally run up, wrap their arms around our upper legs, and just linger, loving being near someone who cares. It's heart wrenching when we have to pull away to finish work or to leave for the day. We are working to spread the love, not only with gifts, but with laughter and touch.

We love and miss you! Best of wishes from Lesotho!

Katie Nemeth
Amanda Peebels
April Condell

Diggin' Up Dreams

Today we split into two groups. In the morning, half of us went to work at a farm which benefits Lesotho Save the Children. We tilled the fields and created seed beds so that, in the short term, there will be fresh vegetables for the orphans at the Lesotho Save the Children orphanage and in the long term the gardens will be sustained by the older orphans in order to teach them agricultural skills.

The other half went to work at a preschool run by a current Peace Corp volunteer, Carly. At the preschool we used tires to create platforms for the children to play on and run across. Carly told us that she had seen children at her other preschools, playing on the tires, using them as horses. We also started to build another play area from scratch using the tires. Furthermore at the worksite there were two sets of playground equipment that were waiting to be installed. One of the pieces was a jungle gym equipped with a slide and several swings. The other piece of equipment was a car that had a steering wheel and a net to climb on. Other students taught the teacher American based songs such as: BINGO, the Skinamarinky Dinky Do- I love you song, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Hokey Pokey, and many other medleys. The local families and children were very welcoming and are already enjoying the progress we have made on the playground. The teachers and local mothers were so ecstatic with our hard work that they are preparing us a traditional Lesotho lunch tomorrow.

Tomorrow our groups will switch sites.

In the afternoon we went to a Lesotho textile factory which employs about 60,000 Basotho women, though it is run almost solely by Taiwanese businessmen. The factory makes jeans which are then sold in the United States under such popular labels as Gap, Levis, Walmart and Old Navy, among others. While past trips have seen more sweatshop conditions, we were not allowed into the stitching room which Dr. Rosenberg told us was where most of the atrocities happen. We did however get a tour of the processes for how the cotton is cleaned, dyed and spun into giant spools. Dr. Rosenberg will work on getting us a tour of the stitching room in another factory at some point before we leave Africa.

Everyone is well here and healthy.

~Kristin, Heather and Jessie

PS (from Jessie) – Mom L., sorry I couldn’t call you on your birthday but I hope you had a great one! I love everyone reading this! I miss you all but I’m having a good time. I’ll be ready to come home when the time comes and I’ll be excited to share stories and my plethora of pictures. JP – I love you to pieces! And change your answering machine message so I know you’re still alive =) I love you!!!

PS (from Kristin) – Mom, please forward this on to Jessica. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I’m sorry that I’m not there to help you celebrate, but I send all my love across the pond. I will try to get you an awesome gift in Africa. I love you and I hope you have a fabulous birthday, even though you are getting old! Give Joshua a kiss for me. I miss you both. I’m sure he is getting so big. I’ll see you in a few weeks. Oh and I love you too, very, very much, mom!!

PS (from Heather) – Mom, I hope your stay in Texas was amazing! I hope you found it very relaxing and rejuvenating, you deserve it J. I miss you and am very excited to share my Africa experience with you! I expect some good quality time when I get home. Corbin- Remember to wear sunscreen... I miss you…Ich liebe dich!

Ramabanta

Hello parents and friends!

Shawn Hils and Emily Murray here.

Don't fret, we are back from our weekend excursion at Ramabanta. I'll have the worried parents know that we embarked on numerous ill-advised and dangerous activities, but we're all safe. I kid.

I'll just relate a quick story. On rainy and cold sunday afternoon, Matt Mcdonald, Brad Folta, Matt Wigton and I went on an unplanned hike. We were on our way to see some cave paintings and I became separated from the group. Four young boys from the village near the lodge came up behind me and pointed me in the right direction. One of them, Manuel (his English name, since none of us can ever pronounce their Sasotho names), was one of the dancers that had performed for us on Saturday night. I sheepishly followed his finger to the path back towards the group. After fantasizing about being an anthropologist and studying the paintings on the wall, the four of us split from the big group and went upwards to gain a better view. In our shadows, the four young boys followed us with admiration and smiles. After taking in the view, we all simultaneously looked up and saw the wet green mountain behind us. Looked at eachother. Looked at the kids. Suddenly we had summit fever and we all said "I wonder what the view is like from up there."

We hiked through wet branches and over slippery rocks, trying not to appear to clumsy in our exspensive hiking boots while the kids skampered up the mountain in what appeared to be very holy socks and shiny tuxedo dress shoes. When we reached near the top, we harnessed that summit fever, took account of the dimming light and decided to stop. We all took a picture together and made our way back down. We laughed and made what conversation we could, four 20-something Americans and four Basotho, ages 7, 8, 10, and 13. It was a common experience between two very different groups of friends.

-Shawn

PS- Tim Mcdonald: Matt went fly fishing for trout in Africa.

Because the house is closing for the night I will make my part short. There is so much to say about this weekend. It was absolutely beautiful and a great mini vacation. A group of people got to go horseback riding through the mountains and hearing the stories I am very jealous. The rest of us were supposed to go on Sunday but because the weather was so bad we were not able to go. Instead, most of us slept all day in between meals. On Saturday a group of girls went on our own little hiking adventure and reached the top of a few mountains and of course took millions on pictures so we can all brag when we come home. I am getting kicked out of the house right now (10pm) or else I would make it longer but to say the least this weekend was more than amazing and you will hear lots of stories when we get back!

-Emily

Paint Fumes and Witch Doctors

Good Day Loyal Readers,

Today is the last installment of the Little Angels adventure (sans Monday when a few will return to tie up loose ends). We are excited to announce that the preschool is entirely painted and suits the standards of even the most finicky school teacher… we are all very proud of the work we did, which includes a mural of a village scene, the alphabet, numbers, and shapes. The kids appear to be receptive to the changes as well – a young boy walked into the room and became overwrought with emotion at the sight (at least we hope it was our work and not the lingering paint fumes). Additionally, ceilings are nearly installed, gardens have been plowed, and construction on a fence has begun. Dr. Rosenberg almost cried at our amazing work.

Over the last three days our group has made substantial progress building relationships with the children on site and have continued to strengthen our bonds with the Lesotho volunteers. Several addresses have been exchanged, and as we write this, some of our comrades are off to a bonfire/drumming extravaganza at the request of said volunteers. Be prepared: they may come home with CDs.

Our day closed with a speaker from the local university, Reverend Moshoeshoe (his great-great grandfather was the founder of Lesotho, Moshoeshoe I). He captured his audience with tales of witch doctors, folklore, and how Christianity is balanced with traditional African beliefs. He was one of the most entertaining speakers we have had thus far.

We end with this thought from the Rev: “A person is only a person because of other persons.” And so, other persons, we hope you are enjoying reading these emails, because if it weren’t for you we wouldn’t get to experience it first-hand.

Khotso,

Kari Phelan and Alison Gaughenbaugh

PLEASE NOTE: Because we will be going to Ramabanta (location of much needed R & R) this weekend, there will not be any emails sent until Monday!

May 22nd

Hey Fams,

Today we spent our second day at Little Angels, continuing our projects we started on yesterday. We built a sandbox, insulated a roof, and painted a preschool room. Everyone is safe and had a great overall day. It was awesome to see the immense progress we have achieved at this particular site. We love and miss all of you.

Brad and Des,

Happy Bday Mrs. Folta aka Mom

Little Angels

Hello family!!

It’s Matt McDonald and Erin Berger… and its 7:50 pm here in Lesotho. Today was another great day. We drove to ‘Little Angels’ Orphanage about 30 minutes away from the trading post. We were greeted by Kennedy, the man who runs the orphanage. He is an HIV-positive individual who after finding out his diagnosis, decided he wanted to do something positive for the community and for those who have been plagued with the disease. Little Angels is a sort of extended day-care program, rather than our typical American orphanage. All of the children have had parents that have passed away from HIV/AIDS and are left under the care of their extended families. Often, these families cannot support the children, so Little Angels is a place where the children spend all day, receive all of their meals and at the end of the day they go back to sleep with their extended families. The orphanage is not only Kennedy’s career, his passion, but it is also his home.

We will be at Little Angels for 2 more days, working on numerous projects. Today, we were divided into different groups: gardening, painting, cubby building, and ceiling work. Everyone floated among the different jobs and whoever wasn’t doing a specific job was playing with all of the orphans. It was a very enjoyable day because everyone kept busy at all times. We’re really looking forward to being there the next two days!

SHOUT OUTS:

Jessie says: I love you guys and I am having a good time. I love you, JP- nomnomnomnom!

Matt Wigton: What is the date of the sisters graduation?

Betty and Dave: I’m alive and I’ve eaten baked beans for breakfast everyday.

McDonald Clan: I’m going flying tomorrow with the missionaries! :)

CHEERS!!!!

-Erin Berger, Matt McDonald

Message from Lesotho -- CARNIVAL TIME! (5/20/08)

Lumela! (Hello in Sesotho)

Today we went Maseru to visit the Baylor College of Medicine Bristol-Myer's Squibb Children's Clinical Centre of Lesotho. This is the only pediatric AIDS hospital in all of Lesotho. It is a one of a kind building funded by Baylor and Bristol-Myer's.

There were around 180 children at the hospital, the majority of the HIV positive. Some of the children came from a near by orphanage and a primary school as well. The children were mainly of kindergarten age and younger. After a tour of the hospital, the children from the orphanage did a few tribal dances and performances for everyone there! Of course, we joined in and gave our own performances as well! ( Don't worry, we have it on video for your entertainment when we return!) We had many different activities. Including: jump rope, soccer, temporary tattoos, parachute, beach balls, bracelet making, etc. We played with the children and some of their family members for a few hours then had lunch. We ordered 100 pizzas, apples and sweets for everyone! Apples and sweets were the highlight of the meal and considered a luxary for them. We were also able to give each child a small stuffed animal or beanie baby and bubbles thanks to all of your generous donations!

The weather here is still beautiful and we continue to grow closer as a group and enjoy our experience.

Lindsey Penrod, Kara Guss, Desmond Braziel

Shout out to LeBron!....and...Chipotle, Panera, Ice Cream!!!

Tiger VBall- Love you all- Keep up the workouts!!!!

Laura Jackson- the parachute was amazing! can't wait to show you pics and video! thanks so much!

Message from Lesotho -- May 19

Hello all,

Today we started off our day with a guest speaker who came to Thornes. She's a resident of Lesotho. She discussed her journey through dealing with HIV/AIDS. It was very interesting, but emotional. She is one of the few that is able to openly talk about living with the disease and was very comfortable answering any questions we had.

Next, we went to the National University of Lesotho and listened to a lecture from a college professor. It was about the culture of Lesotho. We learned a lot about many new topics dealing with religion, political issues, and traditions of the Basotho (the people of Lesotho). After the lecture, we went to the bookstore and saw that it was nothing like Wittenberg's bookstore. Since we had a craving of American fried food, we decided to go to the only place we could find on campus. We bought "fat rolls" (simliar to elephant ears without powdered sugar)!

From 2 to 4, we went to our work site and began digging 2 gardens and added more on to our previous projects. As usual, the kids followed us to the site and stayed by our sides while we worked. This time they all wanted our addresses and phone numbers.

We walked back with the kids and went inside to talk about our past few days as a group. It was emotional and heated at times because there are many different perspectives within the group and what we are experiencing is a lot to handle at times. Dinner, shower, movie night to top off another amazing day in Africa!!

Yours truly,

Elise, Carrie, & Emily

Message from Lesotho -- May 18th

Lumela!

Today was another fun workout! We went to the town of Morija which was about a forty minute drive from Roma. We came to a culture museum where we were told about the Culture Fest held every year in hopes of unifying the country. We also learned a little background history of Lesotho and about the town of Morija as well. Here are some interesting facts we learned today: the average income is 80 US dollars a month, most women work in textile factories and are grossly underpaid (we should be visiting a textile factory later this month), and AIDS affects 30% of the Lesotho population. We also met a woman named Carly who is currently serving in the Peace Corp stationed in Morija. She told us about the difficulties of being a white woman in a mainly patriarchal society.

We took a nice break for lunch and took in the beautiful scenery around us. After lunch, the fun began. We were told we were on our way to see dinosaur foot prints, but little did we know a nice little mountain climb was involved. We started up the road when a rogue dog appeared out of no where and continued to follow us to the top of the mountain. What began as a leisurely hike in the woods turned out to be a skilled hiker’s dream.

In a half an hour we reached the prints of the Lesothosaurus (and yes, this is a real dinosaur, native to Lesotho). After taking in the beautiful view, we made the journey back down with our new four legged friend. Although it was a rigorous climb, it was well worth it. We ventured back to Roma and returned safe and sound and ate another scrumptious dinner.

Khotso,

Amber Edler and Katy Levy

P.S. Love you lots mom-- love amber :) Levy family I hope you got my other e-mail about finally receiving my long lost luggage! Love you lots! Heather also wishes her uncle well and kindly requests an e-mail update from her mother.

Fun info about Thaba Bosiu

This is what Thabu Bosiu looks like. You can find this and other great pictures as well as a visitor's travelog at the blog, Geoff's Travel Scrapbook.

From Wikipedia, here's some general information about Thaba Bosiu:

Thaba Bosiu or Thaba Bosigo is a sandstone plateau with an area of approximately 2 km² and a height of 1,804 meters above sea level. It is located between the Orange and Caledon Rivers in the Maseru District of Lesotho, 24 km east of the country's capital Maseru.^[1]

In the early 19th century, the Basotho chief Moshoeshoe I established a stronghold on the plateau to act as a refuge for his people during a war with the Ndebele people.^[2] At an elevation of nearly 120 metres above the surrounding area, the plateau formed a natural fortress to gather the Basotho people in times of danger.^[1] The plateau's large area meant it could hold enough livestock and provisions to support the people during a lengthy siege.^[3]

The word Thaba means mountain in the Sesotho language and Bosiu means 'at night'. The name mountain of the night echoed the local belief that the mountain grew during the night and shrunk during day, leaving enemies who tried scaling it during the night still stranded on the cliffs and vulnerable for attack next morning.^[4]

Thaba Bosiu also acted as Moshoeshoe's headquarters during the various Basuto Wars. During the first Free State-Basotho War against the Orange Free State in 1858, the Free State's commandoes tried assaulting the stronghold, but met with little success.^[5] During the third war against the Free State in 1868, Thaba Bosiu was the only stronghold in Basutoland that wasn't stormed by the Free State forces.^[6] In the time the stronghold remained manned, it was never taken by the enemy.^[4] When Moshoeshoe died in 1870, he was buried on Thaba Bosiu.^[7]

The settlement on Thaba Bosiu has since been abandoned, and only ruins and the graves of various Basotho chiefs remain.^[1] The plateau is currently a national monument and often visited by tourists.^[4]

More tomorrow!

Message from Lesotho -- May 17, 2008

lumela!

today we got an unexpected break from working as there was a funeral in the village and therefore all work must stop for the day. luckily for us, that "work" included our brick laying, pick-axing, mixing cement, and playing games with the children, so we got a day off! well, sort of.

instead, we climbed THABU BASIOU, which is also referred to as the birthplace of Lesotho. it means "mountain at night" and the myth says that invaders who tried to climb this mountain were convinced it grew during the night because they could never get to the top. even if they got close, king moshoeshoe (the first king of Lesotho) and his men pelted their troops with rocks and no one could claim the mountain from moshoeshoe.

let me tell you it was definitely a rough climb. seemingly vertical, the small rocks we climbed on didn't exactly stay put, so there was a little trouble. but we all made it safely to the top to an incredible view!! we saw moshoeshoe's home, the tree under which he made important decisions and judgment, and the graveyard of all the past kings and important chiefs and political figures in Lesotho's history. in the midst of this historical landmark, the roaming horses left their mark too...gross.

after the hike down the mountain, we returned for a lunch outside and heard a local man speak about his experiences in education, paid for by our fundraising in the past. because the funeral was still going on, we got the afternoon to ourselves! we were able to sign out (don't worry, we had to tell dr. rosenberg where we were heading) and head off to wherever we chose! some of us explored the village to see dinosaur footprints, others took a run, and the rest of us walked into Roma to see the town and the university. dinner was great (as usual) and that brings us to now! tomorrow brings more hiking and dino footprints, and another speaker too...but that's for another crew to report.

khotso,
(you know what that means, right??)

love,

~andrea lauer and lauren bryant

ps--i love you mommy and daddy lauer! dad- dr. rosenberg said to just send the letter when i get home...it'll get there quicker. but ill still send it so you can have the cancelation. see you soon!!

bets and gar-bear--hope all is well at home! dad--you'd for sure love the scenery, and mom--you'd love the people!! love you both! **HI JIM!!** miss you all :)

Fun Info about Jessie's new (temporary) home

As you can imagine, we (Jessie's moms) are very interested in Lesotho and what kinds of things Jessie is experiencing. As we find fun information, we'll try to post it here. We invite you to join us as we live vicariously.

If you are one of her many friends who only want to hear directly from Jessie and her colleagues, feel free to skip these brief informational interludes and go straight to the "Message from Lesotho" posts. I promise we won't be offended!




Thanks to the wonderful world of Wikipedia, here's a picture of the village of Roma where Jessie is staying.

And here's a map to give you a better idea of where Jessie is at in the country of Lesotho. This image is from The Commonwealth website.

Here are some key facts from that same source:

Joined Commonwealth:1966
Capital:Maseru
Population:1,798,000 (2004)
GDP p c growth:2.3% p.a. 1990–2004
Official language:Sesotho, English
Time:GMT plus 2hr
Currency:loti, plural maloti (M)

More tomorrow...

Message Two from Lesotho

Dumela!!!

We woke up this morning to find that Roma is absolutely GORGEOUS! We are completely surrounded by high mountains and it's clear skies all day. After breakfast we took a daytime tour of the area before heading down the road to our worksite--a community center/club house for the 47 orphans residing in Roma. It is across the street from the local elementary school, where we were greeted with tons of smiles and hugs by the kids. We got to work mixing cement, laying cinderblock, and digging a pit latrine, each of us jumping in where we could and getting our hands nice and dirty.

After a short lunch break, we headed back to the worksite. The kids were out school and joined us; playing games, taking pictures, and having a great time. Many of them were fascinated by the digital cameras and sunglasses, getting their hands on as many as possible to play with. They had some of us try orange berries, which, while apprehensive at first, some of us tried. They weren't half-bad, but don't anticipate too many making it back for all of you to try also.

The sense of community in Roma is amazing. Everyone knows each other and looks after one another. The phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" is very applicable, when children as young as 1 were out walking with the other children and playing with complete strangers (us). The Basotho are very open, loving and welcoming, and do not worry about harm coming to their child in their absence because, as it was said, they look after each other. I'm sure you will all have plenty of pictures and stories from us of our first REAL day, and we can't wait to share them with you. We know that our cameras have about 5 pictures for every 1 that we actually took (like we said, the cameras were a BIG hit with the children) and there will be plenty more to come.

Because of a funeral in the village tomorrow, we are unsure whether or not we will be at the worksite again. In the Basotho culture, a day of respect is demanded for the departed where there will be no noise or building occuring in the area. Dr. Rosenberg has some back-up plans, though, so don't worry about us sitting around. Every moment in Lesotho is precious and we are already becoming quite attached; but don't worry, we're coming home as planned and can't wait to see you when we do!

Khotso (peace),

Betty Cheney and Dan Zeleznik

PS - Dr. Maus almost fell off a horse today. But no worries! She's just fine. It was great to see her getting as involved in the experience as we are. We're in safe hands.

First Message from Lesotho

Hello Friends and Families!

We hope no one has been worrying too much! We are here safe and sound (and are halfway through our first day of work)! Unfortunately, we were having technical difficulties (we warned you:) and this is the first message we are able to get through. Following is the first message from the students...

Until later,
Crystal

Dumela :)

(hello in Sesotho)

ALL 60 of us made it to our destination ROMA LESOTHO!!! we arrived in Jo-Burg at 3:30 and made it through passport check, customs, money exchange to our hotel around 6:30... We enjoyed a nice meal at a restaurant across the street from the hotel and called it a night. We woke up and left for Lesotho around 9:30 after Adam Beeler successfully lost and found his passport... We arrived at the trading post (thorns) which is where we are staying in Roma around 6:30pm, after a long day of travel. The scenery change from the city to the more rural areas was very distinct. The farther away from the city we got, the more townships there were alongside the road, which consisted of houses made of tin and tents. We knew we were getting close as the mountains starting appearing, Matt McDonald, our geographer on the trip, pointed out the Witteberge mountains as we passed. We stopped in Bethlehem for lunch next to KFC, but it was too crowded to eat there so we stopped at a nearby restaurant and ate hamburgers that tasted like cinnamon, chicken burgers, and grilled cheese. By the time we got to Roma it was dark so we will have to wait until tomorrow to get a real idea of our surroundings, but so far we like what we see!! Thorns is nicer than we could have expected. Rooming conditions consist of one man rondavals with bathrooms outside, to 8 girls living in one house with 2 bathrooms.

We start our first day of work tomorrow at a Pre school in the village where we are staying. We think we will start on the community center, but we'll have to see when we get there!! Its an early start at 8 am!! We will be in touch tomorrow!! Hope all is well over there...

Love, Amy, Mo, Lo

ps. BETS- 3 credits is ok :) love you (and dad and beam of course)!!!

pps. mamma and father- mo loves you the mountains are wonderful and you would love them!! :)

That's one big plane!

Jessie has a window seat for the next leg of the trip. Seat 69K. And, she tells me, she's not even in the last row! She's flying South African Airways. Safe flight, Jess!

... and she's off!

Passing through the Security Gates at the Dayton airport, Jessie is "officially" off on her journey to Lesotho.

She is now sitting in Dulles Airport, waiting (patiently?) through a 10 hour lay-over.

Her flight leaves tonite at 5:40 and arrives at 3:05 pm Wednesday in Johannesburg.

I know she appreciates your continued thoughts and prayers.

The Last Post Before I Leave (Probably)

Hey guys,

So the suitcases have been packed (one is 49.5 lb, coming in just under the 50 pound limit! And the other one is much more under. Score!) The shots have been administered. The plans have been made. Now is the time for me and my moms to drive to Dayton where we'll spend the night so I can be to the airport at 4:30am to board my flight to DC at 5 something am (aka too early for the world to even know what time matters) and then I'll fly to J-Burg. It can definitely be said that I'm stressing. Ok, I'm totally freaked out. J.P. keeps asking me why. Uh, duh! I'm leaving the country and going to Africa! And I won't be able to talk to him or my other friends or my family for a month! It's a scary thing! But I'm trying to remind myself that I'll be doing a lot of good.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me get to this point in going to Africa!

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

Peace and Love!!!

~jessie

Jessie packs for Africa

This is Jessie's Mom Mary for the (soon-to-be) world traveler, Jessie. She has given me admin rights on this blog so I can keep all her fans updated on what she's up to.

This is what Jessie looks like as she packs. The smiling presence on the phone is J.P. lending packing support.

Jessie leaves early tomorrow morning from Dayton. She'll fly to Washington D.C. and then fly on to Johannesburg. From there, it's only a many hour bus ride to Lesotho.

8 Days

I'm officially done with my finals (though I still have a paper to write) and my typhoid pills. No real adverse affects of them even though everything that was wrong with me I blamed on them. Stomach hurts? Typhoid pills. Stuffy nose? Typhoid pills. Nothing on TV? Typhoid pills.

Today is Monday and I leave a week from tomorrow! I could use your positive thoughts because I'm starting(/started pretty much as soon as I found out I was going to get to go half way across the world) to stress about leaving Witt and then leaving the country.

Peace and love guys and dolls!
~jessie

Itinerary

Hey guys, I thought you might be interested in what major projects we'll be working on and the major places we'll be working with each day...


May 13 - Fly out of Dayton at 6:04am!

May 14 - Arrive in South Africa / Spend the night in Johannesburg

May 15 - Drive to Lesotho

May 16 and 17 - Work on Roma orphan center

May 18 - Morija: Culture lecture and dinosaur footprints

May 19 - Guest lectures from National University of Lesotho (NUL) professors at Thorns

May 20 - Carnival at pediatric AIDS clinic

May 21-23 - Work at the Little Angels orphanage at Thaba Bosiu

May 24 and 25 - Ramabanta (pony trekking, cave paintings, traditional music)

May 26 - Tour of a textile factory (aka a sweat shop) and Thaba Bosiu

May 27-29 - Building a playground at a pre-school and LSC farm projects in Morija

May 30 and 31 - Working at the Children's Vilalge and Phomolong support group in Maseru

June 1 -Roma Mokete

June 2-5 - Roma orphan center / NUL lectures

June 6 - Leave for Kruger National Park for Safari

June 7-9 - Kruger

June 10 - Return Home

June 11 - Arrive back in Dayton


Peace and Love!
~jessie



PS - Kruger is home to "the big five" - Lions, African Elephants, African Buffalos, Black Rhinoceros, and Leopards. I would LOVE to be able to see a leopard!!! Though that's one of the hardest to see because even if you're lucky enough to spot one it will probably see you too and slip back into the brush.

2 Weeks!!!

I cannot believe everything is happening so fast! I have to start taking typhoid pills today... Wish me luck with that because Scott (our trip leader) has warned us that some/many of us will get sick. Really sick. But it should only lat for about a day or two so we're supposed to keep taking the pills. I think I'll treat myself to a good dinner tonight before I take my first dose, sort of a last meal of a condemned woman...

Peace and love!

Exactly 4 Weeks!

There are 3 weeks until I leave college for the summer and 4 until I fly into the wild blue yonder and land in Africa. Can you say "overwhelmed"? My goodness! Is it bad though that I'm more stressed out about leaving college for the summer? I love my friends here and I'm going to miss them like crazy! One particularly but there are so many people I'm going to miss over the summer. It's only three months away though and then I'll come back to Witt with experiences of a lifetime and will be living in the J Squared House of Dolce =)





Peace and love guys and dolls!



P.S. - This is a picture of Lesotho, while it is beautiful, it's beauty comes from devastating soil erosion due to extreme over farming. The soil in Lesotho, chemically, very closely resembles the soil taken in samples from the moon and so, like the moon, very little can grow anymore. While some families can grow enough to supplement their own diets, they can no longer farm as their main source of income, as most Basotho did historically.

What On Earth Is This Blog?

Hello guys and dolls! I just thought I'd fill you in on what exactly this blog is. Almost everyday while I'm in Lesotho (from May 13-June 11) a couple people from the group of about 30 students who are going, will send out a mass email to our parents etc. I'd love to be able to directly email all of you but we can only choose one or two email addresses so what is going to happen is that I will email my moms who will, in turn post the email onto this blog. Feel free to leave comments on the blogs (it will make me happy to know that you're here reading about what I'm doing) but know that I won't be able to read them until after I get home.

By the way - In Africa class yesterday (where we are taught what to expect when we get to Africa in terms of customs, history and language etc) Scott (our trip leader and a professor at Wittenberg) reminded us that exactly two months from yesterday will be our first day on the worksite. Wow! It's coming up so quickly!

~jessie