Bloemfontastic!

So the first half of the school year has ended and I find myself getting into all sorts of things. I’m back at my site and finishing up my basketball hoop project. The welding is finally complete and all I have to do now is paint the hoops and backboards! Take a look at the photos and let me know what you think. A lot of planning, designing and hard work has gone into them so I hope you enjoy them as much as the students will. When I got back to my site all I wanted to do was take a hot shower and go to bed. Unfortunately after waiting two hours for the water to heat up nothing came out when I turned it on. Today I grabbed my friend Ntate Makhotsa and we tore off a side panel of the house and were able to repair a pipe that came apart, gotta love the cold snowy weather in Thaba-Tseka to wreck havoc on your plumbing. So today I should be all good, we will see. Besides having to grade stacks of papers what else has been going on?
Before I went to South Africa LHDA held a big party and BBQ with the Lodge for the opening ceremonies of the World Cup. It was really a lot of fun and the food was great. It was a nice way to celebrate with all of my friends around the village since everyone had been anticipating that moment for a long time. Last week I went to Bloemfontein with a few of my friends for some FIFA World Cup action. My supervisor was able to hook us up last minute with a place to stay that was a two minute walk from the stadium! We stayed with a nun who was great as well as very accommodating. We were all able to get tickets to see Slovakia play Paraguay. The game was fun, Paraguay winning 2-0. It was fantastic to see patriots for both sides all decked out in their countries colors, wigs, and all sorts of things. Unfortunately both sides represent red, white, and blue just like the good ole US of A so I was kind of confused as to where I was for a bit. That combined with the fufuzelas (loud horn things) made for a very intense day. Did I mention that Budweiser is the sponsored beer of the 2010 world cup, which also made for a real blast. On a side note there is a McDonalds in Bloemfontein! Quarter Pounders with cheese and egg mcmuffins did well for my psychological health, but not so well for my gastrointestinal… I will leave it at that. We got back to Lesotho and were able to watch the USA beat Algeria in stoppage time to advance them to the next round of the World Cup, so cheers boys!
I am still planning the trip to Mozambique for ten days in the middle of July so if anyone has any travel suggestions I would love to hear them. As of now I am just relaxing and waiting for the next half of the school year to start in August. I am also eagerly anticipating my father and his friend Scotts visit to Lesotho in November, cant wait dad! I hope everyone back home is well and are enjoying the warm and sunny Florida sunshine. I will be snow dodging and trying to get off the mountain as much as PC will allow me so I wont get snowed in =) Sorry for the sporadic post, but my brain has been truly over stimulated after visiting SA. I will edit this as more detail come to mind. Enjoy the photos!

Africold!

And just as the second quarter of the school year ends so does any sign of warm weather. Its funny how the seasons can often reflect ones own personal emotions. When I arrived in Lesotho it was stifling, with frequent torrential downpours. In my head I was eager to begin my journey in Africa, yet somewhat cautious and fearful of the unknown. As autumn approached the heat subsided and I could feel myself getting comfortable with my surroundings. Faces became familiar and teaching became routine. Now I find myself 25% done with my teaching assignment. Physically and emotionally exhausted I find the snowfall on the last day of school comical. Is the weather telling me that its time to relax and cool down? I think the next two months will be filled with much self-reflection and eventually excitement towards the third quarter of school where things will surely be heating up as will the weather.
So much for trying to be poetic! So what am I in store for the next two months? Fortunately I have just beaten a three day bout with some sort of stomach bug, glad that’s over! They say the closest friend you make in Peace Corps is the amoeba you bring home. Well if that’s the case I should start thinking of a name for him/her, perhaps Hendrix. On a more exciting note World Cup starts tomorrow! Everyone you see is in complete jubilation, hoping the best for their team. Most Basotho are cheering for Bafana Bafana (South Africa.) As you can bet I will be rooting for good ole team USA, yeehaw! Italy, naturally will be my second team. If all goes well I will be in Bloemfontein on the 20th for a game, which will be exciting. The end of the holiday will find me in the tropical paradise of Mozambique for ten days. Yeah I know Peace Corps life can be pretty sweet sometimes. Like I always say work hard, play hard. In recent news the new CHED 10’ volunteers arrived in the mountain Kingdom on June 4th. I look forward to meeting them and wish them good luck in their CBT training.
Tomorrow there is a huge BBQ here at the lodge to celebrate the opening ceremonies and game between Bafana Bafana and Mexico. Expect many pictures of world cup action as I attempt to infiltrate the soccer hooligan lifestyle, joke. As this month comes to an end I am also eagerly anticipating the 4th of July. You can bet there will be a hog roast, American flag bandanas, Garth Brooks and a movie like Independence Day playing. Someone drink a Budweiser for me and we will be all set, thanks in advance =)
So here I sit writing this blog post. It is frigid outside and it just stopped snowing. Tonight I am having a few village friends over my house for dinner. My Italian friend is coming over later to help me prepare an Italian feast, which I am eagerly anticipating since I can now stomach and hold down food! The menu consists of homemade Italian red sauce, baked rainbow trout and potatoes and homemade garlic bread. Yes, I will take a picture of it. To all of my friends and family back home I hope you are enjoying the summer time. Please think of me every time you go to the beach, take the boat out, eat a slice of pizza, go to Carrabas, or do anything American. For now I will turn on the gas heater and start to prepare this sauce, you know it has to cook all day if you want authentic flavors! Love you guys lots!
PS: I shaved the beard, these pictures are from last week!