There are some things that I will never get used to…

1. strangers asking me for money, sweets, or the clothes off my back
2. my neighbors helping themselves to dig through my garbage
3. men who are unable to take hints or accept blatant remarks when I dont want to talk to them

Of course there are other things that occassionally annoy me, but for the most part I can accept this culture for what it is… different.

Now having been in Lesotho for 16 months I have learned to take compliments like, “look how fat you are.” Now I am learning to understand “old” as a compliment. I have always known these were compliments in Basotho culture, but it another thing to hear these compliments and not feel uncomfortable with them. I have one coworker who always asks, “Isn’t ‘Me Matsepang a senior citizen?” In America when someone is called old, especially a woman, it’s a bit of an insult right? Well I kept feeling uncomfortable because he would ask me this in front of her and she was just watch me and wait for an answer. It was instinct for me to say, “No. I don’t think she is old.” But then I realized that I was the one giving insults.

Wish me luck as I study for the GRE in December!