Thaba-Bosiu

We scrambled up a the rocky slope through a chink in the century old brick wall. Thaba-Bosiu is where the Lesotho's founder is buried and is named "Mountain at Night" because it allegedly grew during the night to ward off enemy attackers. It was good to get some fresh air and shake off all the classroom time we've been putting in. Not only are we learning the language, but we've also had many discussions about gender roles, diversity and HIV. These can be very heavy topic because HIV is rampant and women play a definitively different role than they do in the US. I will comment more on this when I feel more confident about my observations. While walking across a dry field full of deep dongas where top soil is being munched away by erosion I cannot help but reflect on balance. Here, it is such a struggle for existence, it is cold and the conditions harsh. There are few places with electricity and I don't happen to live in one. Every night I study via candlelight and huddle next to my propane heater. Most families don't have the luxury of propane, a wood fire is made in the common room, but the country is so deforested that even wood heat is hard to come by.

Then, there's America. We don't think twice about flipping a switch, hopping in the shower and throwing a load of laundry into the machine. Where is the balance between so much and so little I'd like to know. I imagine I'll keep coming back to this question over the next few years.