We have a lot to catch to tell everyone about our weekend away!
Friday--We finished the Greenhouse Project and painting at the Thaba-Bosiu Sports Talent Search Organization community center. The center had a small grand opening to welcome community members to the new space. It was great to see a lot of members from the community join us in celebrating the new space for kids to be in Thaba-Bosiu. It was also really awesome to see the kids' excitement about their new soccer uniforms and equipment that were some of the donations we brought over. We left the center around lunch time to head back to Thorns to prepare for our weekend at Ramabanta.
Around 3 o'clock, we left Thorns to make the 45 minute drive up the mountains. When we arrived at the compound, we were in awe of the beautiful views of the mountains. Crystal had told us she thought it was the most beautiful place in the world and we were glad to see she was right. The rest of the night was spent relaxing and socializing as a group. It was a great way to unwind after the many laborious hours we have thus put into our work in Lesotho.
Saturday--Everyone was able to participate in some of the available activities surrounding our compound in Ramabanta. Around 8:30am, twelve of us left for an all day hike. The hike took us four hours up a mountain and three hours down. The hike was not necessarily an easy one because of the lack of man made trails, but the group enjoyed the exercise and hard work. It made having lunch at the top very rewarding. When we arrived back to the compound around 4pm, we were all very tired and sore, but feeling very accomplished. It was a great way to spend our free day at Ramabanta. Eleven of us (who did not go on the all day hike) spent the morning pony trekking. We headed down near the stables, were assigned ponies, and headed off! It was a blast. The ponies knew the route, but we also had 3 guides with us. We traveled around the scenic landscape and across a river, then back. Most of us wished it could have lasted all day. The rest of the day was spent completing shorter hikes and relaxing. Some members of the group decided to sleep under the stars which they thought was chilly and a great experience. The stars were so bright because of the lack of electricity after 11pm and the scenery surrounding us.
Sunday--This morning the other half of the group went pony trekking. The path was very similar to the previous day's trek. Some members of the group were able to gallop or trot if they desired and it seemed like almost everyone really enjoyed the trip and site of the beautiful mountains. Ten of us decided to attend church at 11am. On our way over we met some people who were also on their way, so they showed us the route. They traveled up the rocky hill and we followed, trying not to trip in our nice dresses. We arrived, looked around for a bit, then headed inside. The men, women, children, and choir all had assigned sections in which to sit. We did not understand anything that was said (it was all in Sesotho) but we all had a great time. There was a lot of wonderful music, dancing, and spirit. When it was time to present the gospel and the gifts, the whole congregation got up and circled around the inside perimeter while singing. We stayed for almost 2 hours and wanted to stay longer but had to return for lunch. After lunch, everyone packed up, and we headed back to Thorns. After returning to the compound, we had time to get ready for a nice dinner out, courtesy of Jenny. We arrived at the restaurant, which was in Maseru, and filled our bellies to our heart's content. The restaurant was so fancy that it was hard to believe we were still in Lesotho. We all returned home stuffed and sleepy, so headed off to bed.
Monday--This morning we made the drive to our new worksite. There are three projects going on at the same location, which is a school. Some of us started building a playground, and others started paining the classrooms. Today it was mostly covering the walls in white paint, but tomorrow other designs will be added. Everyone stayed busy and we got a lot accomplished. We also got to meet a peace corps volunteer that was working in the area. She is from Florida and has been here for 2 years, so she heads home in about 3 weeks. Around 4:15, we headed back. By the time we arrived back in Roma, we were all pretty hungry so headed straight to dinner.
That's all for now! We all hope to enjoy our last work week here before heading to Kruger.
- Jordyn, Rebecca, and Jamila