Four Items

Here are some random but noteworthy events that have taken place in 2011 (can't believe I'm so backed up here...):

1. Sometime mid-January, I was walking to my school with friends. As we reached the mountaintop, clouds suddenly turned dark and it started to rain. In an instant, I heard the loudest sound/saw the brightest light I've ever seen. Though, I didn't process it right away. The first thing I noticed, before registering the sound or light, was that I was on my hands and knees. Turns out, lightning had struck a few yards away, and the force had thrown me to the ground. We ran into the nearest building, and after collecting ourselves, realized we were totally fine. Lesson learned: Don't walk on the summit of a mountain in a storm.

Then, one night a week later, I was sitting in my house watching Lost on my computer (watching entire TV series that you missed while in America, on your laptop alone in the dark, is a favorite PCV pasttime). The computer battery was running low so I plugged into my solar panel (which sits on my roof) through a car battery (which sits in my house). As I continued watching, it started to rain, which was so noisy on my tin roof that I couldn't hear the show. I plugged in headphones. The second I touched the headphones to my ears, I am not exactly sure but I think lightning struck my roof. It was very loud. And I think the electric current flowed through the panel, through the car battery, through the computer, and out the headphones, because a massive spark flew out from my ear, big enough that I could see it with my peripheral vision. My heart pounded and my head ached for about 30 minutes. My nerves were all the more racked after the events of the week before.

I'll confess I've been a little scared of lightning since that day. But I don't totally understand how this is possible, because I think if it really happened this way, my computer should have been fried (it's not) and/or I should be dead (I'm not). I welcome any phsyics/electrical engineering/meteorology experts who can make sense of it. Lesson learned: don't plug your head into your tin roof during a storm.

2. My mother's friend/neighbor, Ellen, donated enough money to sponsor a bunch of my best and most needy students! So far, the money has been used to keep 6 of my brightest students in school. There is enough still for a few more. Thank you, Ellen! Their thank you letters are on the way to Baltimore.

3. One day I gave a maths test in Form A (8th grade) which ended early. I gave kids the option to pass the extra time by telling them to "Write a funny story." Here's a very revealing but seriously disturbing one from a young boy named Moteri:

"Funny Story

Now we are happy because we have parents. My parents buy me anything that I like and the love me and also I love them because is my parents. All day they meet me also I meet because is my parents they shy me whe a make noti in somewhere.

My parents die because they burn at night and a cry for them because the died now we are lonnly We are funny."

On a lighter note, here's another one from a very smart young girl named Mokhantso:

"A man without senses

there was a man without head some boy dicided to found his head they touch him under the armpits they heard his head laughing under the rock and he was been stuck by a rock and run away them left his head!!!!"

4. My mom visited in April! She loved Lesotho, and Lesotho loved her. We had a great time touring the country, and especially visiting my school. There she received a very warm welcome from my coworkers and especially my students. They were in awe. Makhooa have parents, too. Thanks, mom!

We also went to Cape Town, which is a truly amazing city. Even better than advertised. Aside from a lot of really good quality mother-son bonding (aw), the highlight was probably my successful running of the Two Oceans Half Marathon. I finished in around 2:10 (the website says 2:15 but it lies!). Considering I never ran much before, it felt pretty good. And I was stunned to find that the race itself was actually a blast.

OK, more soon! Actually, I already wrote what will become the next post. I'll post it separately so it looks like I'm working harder (JM I hope you're happy :D).