An amazing camp experience

Four volunteers remained after the trucks of supplies had left.
We left after them and took a private car/taxi the one hour drive to another town, scenery very different than anything I have seen, a bit like parts of Ecuador grassy mountains, crevices, sheep herders, block houses scattered here and there randomly and a few older rondavel type houses with thatched roofs. Oxen ploughing, a few people walking on the side of the road and randomly through the hill paths and a few horses.
The town of Pitseng where we were dropped off was not so nice, lots of young men loafing and staring at us and an assortment of dirty booths and stores, lots of garbage and the local bus drop off. That was all fine (we were waiting for Dean the volunteer in charge of teaching performing arts and circus, to pick us up. He was 45 min late as they were so busy setting up at the High School 5 km away. But we 4 whites drew the attention of a Zulu warrior type who obviously was not happy with us being there. This tall very thin man, in rags with a burlap sack of scrap metal shaped a lot like machetes started chanting and yelling and dancing around us, He was definitely not impressed with us, and hundreds of other people were watching. Phil, one of the other volunteers told me to avoid eye contact and we all casually as we could, backed up and made our way into a store and bought stuff. When we came out he had departed. THAT was interesting!
Shortly after we were picked up and taken to the school and neighboring convent grounds where the 10 female staff/volunteers are staying for the 5-day leadership camp.
From there on, it has been a steady whirlwind of work and sensory input, the overview being that there are 150 teenagers and 40 adults including teachers from many towns and Youth Leaders, lots of music and dirt and absolute essential different ness to Canada.
We have a block bungalow for the female staff, started with no water but got some after a day. There is no refrigeration anywhere, so we all have boxes of sterilized milk that goes bad. Three of us get up at 6, and get 5 dozen loaves of bread and take them to the kitchen. …there are 6 village women and they feed 500 students and the nun’s daily . Now they have us on top of that. They cook in three huge blackened drums bigger than oil drums with fires under them and boil everything. Rice and Papa (rather like dry corn cream of wheat in there and get stirred with sticks. They cook the eggs outside over an open fire and gather the twigs…. that’s 14 dozen eggs. The kitchen walls are black from smoke and there is no refrigerator. They cut everything on the same table and we serve 200 people 3 times daily, with the youth leaders, by placing food assembly line style on battered enamel plates you would not feed your pet on, and passing them up black stairs to a black window. The kids eat on metal tables that are bent and broken that we dug out of a garage…the plates and tin mugs are washed (so to speak) in a bucket outside the door and then placed in a big tin tub to use again…The 6 ladies work all day 12 hrs, in the smoke. If you are wondering if I am exaggerating, this doesn't even come close to describing it all.
The classes are over at the school, 500 ft away from the hall where we eat and do circus activities. We have classes in the morning and the teachers rotate. Kids and local teachers are in 8 groups and we have 2 lectures on our subject daily. Mine is conflict resolution. I do it with a wonderful Help Lesotho lady, very regal…Me Mapoloko, meaning mother of Poloko, each woman being named after her oldest son. She wears Basotho native dress and I have been teaching her to use the digital camera. She does most of the lecture in Sesotho as the students English are weak and I relax and enjoy being her assistant and watch the kids. The desks are broken and the floor is dirty and there are no brooms, garbage cans or anything else to clean in sight. So you get used to it and give up. This may be teaching me not to clean…!!! We are teaching conflict resolution to many age groups and we have 8 sessions to do. The emphasis is on defining conflict, its causes, the feelings it creates in the children and group discussion re solutions. Beating is the norm here for disciplining students and I have witnessed much resistance already in the few short days I have been here to changing that in the schools. In fact, many times the first solution to conflict that is offered are fighting or beating and the parents seem to wish that to continue. Imagine the reception Basotho men give us white ladies form Canada when we suggest dropping corporal punishment!.
In the afternoon, there is exercise, circus training and special sessions, such as HIV and AIDS education. Lots of the students play soccer. They also write letters to their sponsors. Today it rained and the Hall was full of red mud. We had a talent show tonight and they all sang and danced – so much talent. After that some of us mopped the gym, which will have to be done each night. The kids hung in there with staff and they each got a marshmallow. With three small buckets and 3 mops it took over one hour. We sang This Land is Your Land as our Canadian song and it was terrible…. but had a chance to laugh at ourselves and they had a chance to laugh at us.
Tomorrow night is the Circus Showcase, and some of the kids are going to do stilts.
As well, there are jugglers, Yo Yo-ers, Gymnasts and Plate spinners, of which I am one and have two little girls to perform with. We practiced our routine including bows and costumes and it was an amazing experience for me to work with these children, Molorane and Sebongile.
I gave two lectures on Animal Husbandry and they were well received by the teachers and nuns. Two beautiful ladies in full African dress, both school principles, sat and asked me questions in great English. I could hardly believe what I was doing and where I was. They decided I knew something and we got into discussion re cow breeds etc. The biggest laugh was when I told them dogs in Canada have beds and coats. It was even strange for me to say it…I networked (surprised?) and now have an invitation to visit
one woman and see her school and village and she says her friend will gladly take me riding in the mountains…. so now I have an amazing trip lined up.
Sometimes I have just sit and experience it from a point of view of sensations…smell, heat, sounds- I hope pictures tell the tale. I don't usually eat with the staff, but sit alone and watch the kids or talk to them. They have given me a Basotho name, Maletsatse, which means "Mother of the Sun” I asked a staff member if it might mean horses ass, but I'm good!. We leave here Thursday, but I will write more after the circus.