After arriving in Roma we celebrated New Year's Eve starting with a delicious grill out on a beautiful patio. Once the clock struck midnight we became surrounded on all sides by fireworks and joyous music from the town, needless to say it will be a night well remembered. We then kicked off the New Year in the best way possible by climbing the sacred mountain, Thaba Bosiu, which is known as the birthplace of Lesotho. The trek upwards was extremely steep, but we stopped every five minutes or so to catch our breath and listen as Dr. Rosenberg told us story after story of the history behind the sacred mountain. It was an amazing adventure and once at the top we were walking on a huge plateau with breathtaking views in all directions. Something that really stuck out to me, as well as many others, was a huge fallen tree. Rosenberg informed us the tree was planted in 1830 by a missionary and used by Moshoeshoe, the founder of Lesotho, as a place for shade when discussing government affairs with his people. The tree had been struck by lightning 20 some years ago, but had managed to survive. We noticed the fallen tree's once high reaching branches had been transformed into thick roots and it was these new-formed roots that kept the tree alive and well. Annie came to the realization about how when you're knocked down you simply have to find new roots and we all agreed when she said, "Somehow, you can always find your way." I do not know if it was the magic atmosphere of the mountain air or having just been told all the stories behind the significance and spiritual elements behind the Thaba Bosiu, but the tree gave many of us a strong, powerful sense of hope we now carry with us.
Sending all my love to the fam back home,
Becky