mountains, and poop

Hey!

Still alive! And causing trouble, apparently. Luckily they like people who laugh a lot and are gregarious here. I’m not used to being in class all day, so I get all antsy and act like a hyper distracted second grader sometimes. The bo’me all know my name though, and correct my sesotho, which is good. I’m in the advanced speed language group, and we go really fast. It’s crazy, there is so much to learn, and no time to study because they keep us busy from 7am to 8 or 9 pm. Anyway I have 30 minutes to rush-blag. So here is an update:

Anyway, the language here, I told some people before that it’s not a click language, but it is! There are a few clicks. One, the “tl” is a lateral lisp side of the cheeks exhale sort of click, and that’s in a lot of words. Also the ‘q” is a tongue on the roof of the mouth behind your front teeth sort of click. This sound is associated with water, because it’s the noise a stone makes when dropped in water. How cool is that!?! Quthing, one of the districts has a lot of rivers and is “click-uting” I want to live there so I can click.

Also, the people here dress to the nines, everyday. They are so swanky!! I am wearing all my nice semi-business casual wear, and I am way underdressed everyday. People all have these great outfits, and perfect hair and everything. It’s very important to look clean and professional here, even in the very rural areas. Apparently we get to learn how to iron our clothes without electricity… woo.

It was great, the other day during cultural training or whatever, ‘me (which means mother, which here is used for any woman that is married or over 25) ‘me mamothe, our director was talking, then she grabbed her boobs and announced “these mountains… they are nothing!!” and then was shaking them around and saying, we can keep our money in here, take them out, bring them around, basotho men do not care! Well about 10% care so keep a shirt on, but mostly they are nothing!! Then she grabs her thighs and is like “but these.. oooohhhhh!!!! Oooo yeah! They are sexy! That’s why you do not wear tight pants or short skirt, you are just showing men your goods, inviting them to have sex with you”. Then she went on for a while about it. It was great. also she was telling men not to wear short shorts because they don't want their animals to fall out.

Then today Dr. J (our medical main man) was talking about knowing if you have dysentery vs. regualar diarrhea, and he said, “you all know the smell of your own poop. So if you have diarrhea, smell your poop. If it is different, you can say ‘this shit is baad!’” so, in the future I may inform you all that my shit has gone bad, and then you can all feel sorry for me and hope that it’s giardia and not amoebic dysentery.

I am also apparently wowing my co-trainees with my random science knowledge. Thank you, OMSI!

time up!!

byeeeeeeee