The District Conference in Lesotho Part One
Friday September 21 and Saturday the 22nd.
.
We’ve had sporadic internet access so I’m preparing these blog entries on the laptop and plan on uploading them at some point. So you’ll be reading many days at once. I’ll include dates to help keep things straight.
.
Bryan and Yvette Church arrived at the Kwaggashoek Game Farm Friday morning while we were down visiting the rebuilding of the main lodge. The original lodge was destroyed by fire and is being rebuilt minus the lapa type thatch roof that probably enabled the place to burn like a beetle-kill pine back home. The new metal roofed and brick structure is going up quite nicely. The lodge will have views of the mountains. Monte and Nadine will soon be managing an eleven-room lodge plus the chalet and the mobile home in which Mark & Emil stayed. They will be busy and probably won’t be joining the guests for breakfast and dinner as they did us.
.
The Harrismith Rotary club arranged for the use of a school van. Aside from all else they have done for us, Bryan and his family (son Henry included) drove us to Clarens - the up and coming arts village. In Clarens we admired the fine art and did the required “divide by 7” in our heads to determine the prices in dollars.
.
Then we moved on to Lesotho. The eight of us rode in a van for three plus hours, no air conditioning, on a two-lane road (on the wrong side) through landscape that was strikingly similar to our southwest. From horizon to horizon, we saw magnificent buttes, weathered by the sands of time, devoid of greenery. We did see some verdant areas, as when we passed through Golden Gate Park, a lush canyon. There we were treated to baboons galloping across the road and peering at us over the guardrails.
.
At the Lesotho border we met our Rotarian hosts from Maseru. We stood in line to get a form, filled it out and then stood in line to turn it in. We chuckled at the fact we could pick out the Rotarians on their way to the District Conference. Not that Rotarians are as obvious as Shriners in their fez hats, but our shirts bearing the Rotary symbol was a dead giveaway. Well, I’ll be frank. It was really that fact that we were the only white faces in a sea of black ones that made us stand out.
.
Maseru is the capital city of Lesotho “The Kingdom in the Sky”. The country has about 1.8 million inhabitants. The population is down from 2.4 million due to deaths from AIDS related diseases and emigration. There are few jobs and the poverty is obvious everywhere.
.
Trash and broken pavement line the streets. Some walk wearing the traditional blanket of the Basotho people. Some wear gumboots and knit hats - in the heat. We learned quickly that when the winds whipped up the ever-present dust, a blanket and hat would be welcome. Occasionally we would spot an apparition, a man would appear walking in the street, blanketed, dusty, dark gray from head to bare feet. Truly those who lived out-of-doors.
.
During the presentation of the South African GSE team that traveled to India, we heard the story an American traveler in that country. She remarked that she was must return home to the U.S. the day she stepped over dead person and was not concerned about it. I understood. I was snapping photos and couldn’t look away. But I suspect that there may come a time when one would just accept what is and not give it too much thought. Is this the time to leave, or for action?
.
The country has a King, His Majesty King Letsie III. He serves as the head of state. The prime Minister is the head of government. Lesotho has a parliamentary form of government.
.
The Rotary District Conference was held at the Manthabiseng Convention Center, a silver and glass modern structure built by the Chinese government. I suspect that this is it for the country. We didn’t have the opportunity to go into any of the schools or churches we passed during our drives, but we didn’t spot any building in the country that could accommodate several hundred people. It stands in stark contrast to the herd of sheep complete with blanketed shepherd in the dusty field next door. At dusk children approach the cars at the traffic signal begging for coins.
.
The Rotary Clubs of Maseru and Maluti have gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable and provide an enlightening experience for us. Geoff Moekoa of the Maluti club and the Rotaract club members arranged a trip to the Highlands Water Project. We joined the GSE team from South Carolina and all plied into a van. We felt like those we’ve seen crammed into the omnipresent beeping taxi vans. The ride to and from the water project, a mammoth dam, with the tour was over five hours. We were hungry, tired and frustrated. Our hosts did their best to anticipate an educational experience. We on the other hand wanted to eat and be back our hosts’ homes in time to shower and dress in our “flight attendant” suits with colorful matching ties and scarves.
.
Most of Lesotho is mountainous. We passed home sites where the small circular homes, called rondavels, usually with thatch roof and outhouse. Shepherds tended their flocks of sheep, goats and cattle. Some homes have small stone corrals. Occasionally we’d spot a donkey tied to a stake grazing by the side of the road.
. At times children waited by the side of the road and ran out towards the van holding quartz crystals the size of small fists. We did not stop. As I look back at the photos one particular boy has a pleading almost desperate expression on his face. Where could it end, we stop empty our change purses and for what? If we were to relieve his burden for a day, what of tomorrow? Would this act of mercy encourage him and also others to try their hand at selling rocks at the side of the road? There has to be a better way to help.
.
Our team gave its presentation before the attendees at the conference. By this time we knew a fair number of the Rotarians because of our stays. Club members from Queenstown and East London took the initiative and introduced themselves as well. We spoke well. The Rotary clubs have all given us warm receptions and this large gathering was no exception. Our photos were computer projected onto the huge screen suspended over the stage in the auditorium. They appeared impressively huge.
.
The theme for Saturday evening was “Cultural Night”. All were encouraged to wear traditional clothing. We were treated to a feast of color, as women appeared dressed in long skirts and head wraps. The traditional Lesotho dinner included the sheep’s jaw (complete with teeth); sheep tripe; sheep’s feet (kind of skimpy on the meat), pap (corn meal), spinach and cornbread. Only mark and Emil were game enough to cut the meat off the bone with the teeth on the plate.
.
After dinner a local poet recited a tribute to Rotary in Sesotho and then in English and traditional dances of the Basotho and Zulu. Okay, to clear up some confusion, we learned the country is Lesotho, the people are the Basotho and the language is the Sesotho.
Friday September 21 and Saturday the 22nd.
.
We’ve had sporadic internet access so I’m preparing these blog entries on the laptop and plan on uploading them at some point. So you’ll be reading many days at once. I’ll include dates to help keep things straight.
.
Bryan and Yvette Church arrived at the Kwaggashoek Game Farm Friday morning while we were down visiting the rebuilding of the main lodge. The original lodge was destroyed by fire and is being rebuilt minus the lapa type thatch roof that probably enabled the place to burn like a beetle-kill pine back home. The new metal roofed and brick structure is going up quite nicely. The lodge will have views of the mountains. Monte and Nadine will soon be managing an eleven-room lodge plus the chalet and the mobile home in which Mark & Emil stayed. They will be busy and probably won’t be joining the guests for breakfast and dinner as they did us.
.
The Harrismith Rotary club arranged for the use of a school van. Aside from all else they have done for us, Bryan and his family (son Henry included) drove us to Clarens - the up and coming arts village. In Clarens we admired the fine art and did the required “divide by 7” in our heads to determine the prices in dollars.
.
Then we moved on to Lesotho. The eight of us rode in a van for three plus hours, no air conditioning, on a two-lane road (on the wrong side) through landscape that was strikingly similar to our southwest. From horizon to horizon, we saw magnificent buttes, weathered by the sands of time, devoid of greenery. We did see some verdant areas, as when we passed through Golden Gate Park, a lush canyon. There we were treated to baboons galloping across the road and peering at us over the guardrails.
.
At the Lesotho border we met our Rotarian hosts from Maseru. We stood in line to get a form, filled it out and then stood in line to turn it in. We chuckled at the fact we could pick out the Rotarians on their way to the District Conference. Not that Rotarians are as obvious as Shriners in their fez hats, but our shirts bearing the Rotary symbol was a dead giveaway. Well, I’ll be frank. It was really that fact that we were the only white faces in a sea of black ones that made us stand out.
.
Maseru is the capital city of Lesotho “The Kingdom in the Sky”. The country has about 1.8 million inhabitants. The population is down from 2.4 million due to deaths from AIDS related diseases and emigration. There are few jobs and the poverty is obvious everywhere.
.
Trash and broken pavement line the streets. Some walk wearing the traditional blanket of the Basotho people. Some wear gumboots and knit hats - in the heat. We learned quickly that when the winds whipped up the ever-present dust, a blanket and hat would be welcome. Occasionally we would spot an apparition, a man would appear walking in the street, blanketed, dusty, dark gray from head to bare feet. Truly those who lived out-of-doors.
.
During the presentation of the South African GSE team that traveled to India, we heard the story an American traveler in that country. She remarked that she was must return home to the U.S. the day she stepped over dead person and was not concerned about it. I understood. I was snapping photos and couldn’t look away. But I suspect that there may come a time when one would just accept what is and not give it too much thought. Is this the time to leave, or for action?
.
The country has a King, His Majesty King Letsie III. He serves as the head of state. The prime Minister is the head of government. Lesotho has a parliamentary form of government.
.
The Rotary District Conference was held at the Manthabiseng Convention Center, a silver and glass modern structure built by the Chinese government. I suspect that this is it for the country. We didn’t have the opportunity to go into any of the schools or churches we passed during our drives, but we didn’t spot any building in the country that could accommodate several hundred people. It stands in stark contrast to the herd of sheep complete with blanketed shepherd in the dusty field next door. At dusk children approach the cars at the traffic signal begging for coins.
.
The Rotary Clubs of Maseru and Maluti have gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable and provide an enlightening experience for us. Geoff Moekoa of the Maluti club and the Rotaract club members arranged a trip to the Highlands Water Project. We joined the GSE team from South Carolina and all plied into a van. We felt like those we’ve seen crammed into the omnipresent beeping taxi vans. The ride to and from the water project, a mammoth dam, with the tour was over five hours. We were hungry, tired and frustrated. Our hosts did their best to anticipate an educational experience. We on the other hand wanted to eat and be back our hosts’ homes in time to shower and dress in our “flight attendant” suits with colorful matching ties and scarves.
.
Most of Lesotho is mountainous. We passed home sites where the small circular homes, called rondavels, usually with thatch roof and outhouse. Shepherds tended their flocks of sheep, goats and cattle. Some homes have small stone corrals. Occasionally we’d spot a donkey tied to a stake grazing by the side of the road.
. At times children waited by the side of the road and ran out towards the van holding quartz crystals the size of small fists. We did not stop. As I look back at the photos one particular boy has a pleading almost desperate expression on his face. Where could it end, we stop empty our change purses and for what? If we were to relieve his burden for a day, what of tomorrow? Would this act of mercy encourage him and also others to try their hand at selling rocks at the side of the road? There has to be a better way to help.
.
Our team gave its presentation before the attendees at the conference. By this time we knew a fair number of the Rotarians because of our stays. Club members from Queenstown and East London took the initiative and introduced themselves as well. We spoke well. The Rotary clubs have all given us warm receptions and this large gathering was no exception. Our photos were computer projected onto the huge screen suspended over the stage in the auditorium. They appeared impressively huge.
.
The theme for Saturday evening was “Cultural Night”. All were encouraged to wear traditional clothing. We were treated to a feast of color, as women appeared dressed in long skirts and head wraps. The traditional Lesotho dinner included the sheep’s jaw (complete with teeth); sheep tripe; sheep’s feet (kind of skimpy on the meat), pap (corn meal), spinach and cornbread. Only mark and Emil were game enough to cut the meat off the bone with the teeth on the plate.
.
After dinner a local poet recited a tribute to Rotary in Sesotho and then in English and traditional dances of the Basotho and Zulu. Okay, to clear up some confusion, we learned the country is Lesotho, the people are the Basotho and the language is the Sesotho.
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