The weather is getting really nice. I would say it’s in the 80s during the day. I no longer have to use my heater at night, which is lucky since I have already run out of gas after only one month.

 This is my third week of teaching, and I think it is going well. The students all seem very interested in learning about business, and some are already very knowledgeable about the subject.  It can be a little frustrating when I ask a question and they all just stare at me due to their shyness. Also, some of the students don’t speak English so the other instructors are present during my class and will explain in Sesotho if needed, so sometimes I feel as if I’m not really teaching. But I do love how a lot of the students have a good sense of humor. When I asked how they could find start-up capital for their business, one said they were going to rob a bank, obviously kidding.

 I have a picture of my family in my office now that all the teachers and students love to look at, especially because my grandparents are in the picture. I don’t think a lot of people who are my age in Lesotho still have living grandparents, even people younger than me I think. The life expectancy in Lesotho is not high at all; half of what it is in the U.S.

 I’m not sure about what ideas people hold about what other people are like in Africa, but the Basotho are clean people. Painfully clean. They sweep every day and like to keep things very tidy in the places that they belong. I had a pair of shoes that get dirty from watering my vegetable plots, so I kept them in my living room on the foot of the fireplace so that I wouldn’t get dirt everywhere. My counterpart walks in and says, “Why can’t you keep these in another bedroom, you want people to come in and see how tidy you are.” The teachers insist that the students sweep my classroom everyday. But don’t misunderstand me, I don’t mean to complain. It’s easier for me to adjust to a clean culture than a messy one. Other volunteers think that I am OCD. I don’t think that I’m OCD… so what if I make you eat over my sink so you don’t get crumbs all over my floor because you can’t keep all the food in your mouth (you know who you are). I am only crazy about keeping my house clean here because I don’t like bugs and I don’t want them in my house.

 Speaking of bugs… you should see what happens when it rains here. Seriously, 20 spiders crawled in my house through the tiny cracks in my windows, presumably to seek refuge from the rain. I was horrified when I saw them trickle down from the ceiling over my head. I went so crazy that I had some students tape my windows shut, therefore preventing bugs from sneaking in. My supervisor was laughing at me for being scared of spiders. So I hit him back by reminding him that he is scared of cats. I told me a story once about how he came home to find 11 cats in his yard so he ran away.

 I don’t know if I’ve already mentioned this epiphany that I have had, but I’ve realized that you have to keep things light and have a sense of humor when you are talking to Basotho. If you don’t, you will drive yourself crazy with all their questions. For example: a student asked me “when will you start teaching.” “next week I think.” “how?” ugh what does how mean? How am I going to teach? I realize this is a language thing, but I can’t even begin to think how to answer that, so I walked away.

 So when they ask really frustrating questions like “Ausi, I am hungry, invite me over to your place.” I just laugh and say that I don’t have any food and when they ask why I say it’s because white people don’t eat. What else can I say to that? I know she ate lunch, and that she will eat dinner, because the school provides that for them. Even if this wasn’t the case, I can’t just give her food because I neither have the funds for that nor do I want to be known for giving out hand outs. They told us in training about this, when you start to make friends all of sudden they may start asking for things from you. I didn’t really understand the big deal until now. This girl who asked me to invite her to my place, I was starting to like her, we were having conversations. So it does hurt a little when they ask for things like that when you think they are your friend, or at least an acquaintance. So I think you just have to brush these things off and bullshit with them.

 I realize that I am supposed to be setting a good example about American culture, but I also need to keep my sanity.