One Day in the Life of Eric Pierce(ovich)

Today was in some ways a fairly typical work day, and in other ways pretty weird. Though, the weirdness is, in itself, pretty typical. So yeah, it was a fairly typical work day. I will recount today's events...

I hit snooze about 3 times and finally got out of bed at about 6:50am. I hurriedly dressed and ate, managing to barely get out on time.

(It was cold this morning, but in recent days the temperature has risen quite a bit from as midday has approached, so I left my house without a coat. Turns out today was an exception, so I was pretty cold all day. When students and teachers asked me throughout the day if I was surviving without a coat, I lied, saying "No, I did not miscalculate, I meant to be dressed like this in this weather." I feel strangely compelled to maintain my "Makhooa don't get cold like Africans" appearance).

Monday is supposed to be my most hectic day - I teach 6 periods. I spent some time lesson planning before heading to Form A Maths, where I began teaching about symmetry. Behavior was the worst it's been this semester. I nearly left the class in anger, but held it together because we are already in such horrible shape (I am guessing I'll finish 60% of the syllabus this year).  With 30 minutes left in class, my vice principal knocked on the door to say "Please stop teaching, we're having a staff meeting, it is beginning right away." To much applause, I dropped my lesson and went to the staff room... where I sat for 25 minutes waiting for the meeting to begin. Needless to say, not a great start to the day. Questions of "If the students don't want to learn, and the administration doesn't want me to teach... then why am I even here?" raced through my mind.

We had our meeting. It was a little bit productive.

[A brief background to understand the rest of today: We are hosting a big cultural festival at school on Friday, where our school will compete against 5 other schools in traditional games, dances, and other events. To create time for practice, we have decided to cancel 2 hours of class every day for the last 3 weeks running. Roughly 70% of the students are involved in 0 of the activities, so they spend this time wandering the schoolyard or playing soccer. Such use of time does not lend well to teachers finishing their syllabi.]

Following that meeting, classes were cancelled for the rest of the day to prepare for Friday (for a total of 2 hours of classes today).

With no teaching to do, I went to another meeting with a few teachers and some members of the community. These folks are trying to find ways to help local orphans (awesome), and I was invited to pitch an idea I've been developing. I am hoping to build a playground at school, which will be open to all local children outside of school hours, and will be covered in HIV/Healthy Living information. I am hoping to fund this project with a PEPFAR grant (US government money for HIV/AIDS projects). With my coworker and friend Nthabiseng translating for me, we pitched the idea, and were given a hearty ovation in response, ululations included (traditonal throat howling sound, used when something is really exciting)! People are enthusiastic about helping, which is great.

Following this meeting, I played a little frisbee (thanks everyone back home!) and wandered around the throngs of idle students. Two students handed me bottles of motoho - traditional sour porridge made from sorghum, which (to the shock and awe of my fellow PCVs) I absolutely love. I have a standing offer to them that if they bring me motoho, I will buy them lisweets (candy). I cashed in on this today. I was thrilled to skip Monday lunch - Undercooked White Rice with Gross Sauce - and chug some motoho instead.

In the afternoon, I watched 5 girls practice liketoana, which is a lot like jacks. I'm told we are gearing up to dominate in liketoana. After some time, a Form A student approached me for help with science. This was a rare treat - if only all students had the courage to admit when they need help, Lesotho would be a different place (Note, I'm not sure where the blame goes here. I might also have said, "If only teachers didn't strike such fear in the hearts of students that they are all terrified to seek the help they need and deserve." But I digress.). As students realized I was explaining concepts that they, too, were struggling with, a crowd formed. In the end I think some genuine learning took place.

The schoolday came to an end. I headed home, picking up some veggies along the way. At one shop, I got a chance to snag another Form A student, Zyphiwe (favorite name in my class, really fun to scream in a high pitched voice). I forced her to listen to me as I used the shop's fridge and freezer to explain the concept of melting point. I knew she didn't want to be learning after school, so I apologized - she laughed. But also on the way home, I encountered a particularly troublesome student doing some very loud imitations of me ("Do you think it is funny that you are failing! No one will pay your school fees next year if you fail!" Somehow she thinks this is hilarious, despite it applying to her perfectly). I told her she must now write "I will not make fun of teachers" 100 times before I let her back in my class. A sour end to the day.

So with all said and done, I can sum up today much like I would sum up most days in my American life - some really good things happened, and some really not good things happened ("...but either way, things happened" - thank you DP). And at the end, much like in my American life, I took some time to relax and reflect on it all over some hot, delicious, home-cooked dinner.

Basotho kids are cuter than your kids (unless you're Mosotho)

Since I've realized I can post video right now, and I happen to have all my videos with me, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to share some kids being silly. I'm digging deep here...

First, we have my brothers and sisters (and 2 neighbors) from when I was living in Maqhaka for CBT back in December. Notice the little guy, Morapeli, chilling in the back, eating a sock.

Next, this is my little buddy Selebalo, who I've talked about before, struggling with another neighbor, Bonolo, who is trying to keep her still.

Felt it, it was here!

Ha ha I'm so clever.

OK so, here's what I think. My trek up to Rustenburg for the US-Ghana game was outrageously fun, and despite the tragic ending, I think I couldn't possibly have had a better trip (well, unless we won obviously. At least I like Ghana, though). But, I'm not going to write about it.

Instead, I'm copying the entry from my friend PH's blog, with whom I went to both games. I feel as though his shorter sentences and his selective use of commas really reflect the excitement that surrounded our journeys. That and I'm lazy today. But he really did sum up both World Cup trips well, and touched on a lot of stuff I might have forgotten. Only thing I'd like to mention is, when he writes about chocolate chip muffins, imagine he's saying "bacon cheese muffin," and consider how much I love bacon and cheese.

PH put a link to his picture site, which you can check out. But just in case I ever turn this blog into a book (apparently you can do that), I'll post a few at the bottom here. Maybe it's more convenient for you as well.

So, here goes. Thanks PH!

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Fuuuutbooolllll


So being in Lesotho, I had the opportunity to attend two world cup matches. I have posted pictures on my shutterfly. I once again messed up the address. It is adamlesotho.shutterfly.com. That is the correct address. Please disregard the first two.

The first game we saw was Greece versus Nigeria in Bloemfontein (shortened to Bloom). This is a small city only an hour and a half from the border of Lesotho. We took a bus from the border, but before getting on the bus we had to take a taxi from the boarder to the bus. There happened to be a few cops in a truck present when we crossed the border. They offered to give us a lift to bus! So the pics of me in the back of a police truck were of us getting a ride…I swear I didn’t do anything wrong. My favorite part of the city is the cooling towers of a coal power plant (I think it is no longer operational, but I could be wrong). The cooling towers are painted with designs. They are very pretty. That coupled with my power engineering background makes them special to me.

We arrived in Bloom the day of the game. I think Bloom has a fair amount to do, such as a zoo (but I hate zoos because the animals look really sad), but we didn’t have a lot of time so we went to two malls. Ha. The first mall was called Mimosa mall and OH BOY was it shiny. I am not used to such cleanliness and bright lights. It was a sensory overload. We perused bookstores, clothing stores, and the food court. The highlight of this mall was the muffins. I know this is quite a bold statement, but I will say that the chocolate chip muffin I consumed was the best muffin of my life. It was huge and warm and fluffy. It came with a side of butter, jelly, and cheese (yes cheese…I’m not sure why). After the bliss of muffins, we walked to the waterfront mall, which was situated close to the stadium. I figured we would be able to buy vuvuzelas (those annoying horn things you hear on tv that sound like bees) there, but apparently everyone and their mothers had sold out of them! I volunteered to run back to mall number one and bought four from guys selling them illegally on the street (we saw these same guys being chased away by the cops later, turns out you can’t sell merchandise within so many kms of the stadium). I ran back and met up with my group. They came bearing face paint! We entered the stadium two hours early, expecting security and lines to be long. It took us about 30 seconds to get in. There is tighter security at White Sox games. Sooo with our ample time, we drank Budweiser (go America!), painted our faces and practiced using the vuvuzelas (They are harder than they look…the key is to motorboat those things!). We found our seats which were on the first level and only about 12 rows up. I rooted for Greece while my friends rooted for Nigeria. The stands were not filled. I find this a bit embarrassing. This is supposed to be the biggest sporting event in the world and they can’t sell tickets? I know South Africa has been praised for how they have handled the world cup, but after the hassle we went through with tickets and the fact that there were empty seats gives me the opinion that South Africa should not hold this major of an event for a long time.

After 90 mins of excitement and much vuvuzela blowing, Greece won their first ever world cup match! I was pumped. We walked to a resturaunt where I ate the greatest burger of my time in Africa. Then, influenced by a drink or four, we thought it wise to go to McDonalds and eat yet another burger (I got the mega mac…4 patties…yes I regretted this the next day). We then returned to the hostel where I got to take a shower! It’s great to have running water. I find it interesting that the actual game part of this trip excited me less than the shiny mall and many food options.

The second game was slotted to be the winner of the US/England group to play the runner up of the Ghana/Germany group. I watched the US/Algeria game with great excitement. I was pretty distraught, thinking there might be a chance we see Slovenia, but thanks to Landon Donavon in stoppage time, we were off to see the US!

We took a similar trip to Bloom (minus the police escort) where we had a rental car waiting for us. We drove from Bloom to Rustenburg in a few hours. We stopped for food and bathroom breaks (turns out gas stations are just as exciting as malls). Along the way we listened to music, played car games, decorated ties and vuvuzelas, and shared in the general excitement of getting to see the US. We got to Johannesburg and promptly got lost. The signage was terrible! We got through some of the city and my friend (the only one who knows how to drive stick) was feeling sick. I had expressed interest in learning so she put me behind the wheel. What a scary experience. I stalled the car at least a dozen times and three times pulling out of the gas station where we switched. I did have a few good accelerations and once I got going it was easy. Stop signs have never been so scary. We did make it however and now I have a new desire to learn stick! We got dinner that night at yet another shiny mall then rested for the big game the next day.

We woke up the next morning nice and warm (it’s really cold in Lesotho at the moment) and proceeded again to the shiny mall where we found the same place with the muffins (I guess it’s a chain). After stuffing ourselves with muffins, we went in search for America decorations for the game. My friend really wanted to wear a flag. There was one store that sold flags, but they were out of US ones. I spied a US flag in the window of a bakery. I smoothly greeted the owner and said, “I have a bit of a weird question, is there any way you could sell us your flag?” I think she thought I was a bit nuts, but agreed to swap for a different flag if we were willing to take the US flag down and put the other one up. So we bought an Argentina flag and switched them, earning us a cape! We also bought a fair amount of paint…

We then returned to the hostel and commenced decorating ourselves. It took several hours that is all I will say. It is a bit of a travesty that we did not wind up on tv. If you check shutterfly, you will understand. We drove to the game, parked, and took the shuttle to the stadium. There were a few England fans on the shuttle who gave us grief. I would have gotten mad, but I was too excited about the game.

I imagine our walk to the stadium is how celebrities feel walking down the red carpet. Everyone gaped at us and took dozens of pictures. Everyone wanted their pictures with us! I think part of it was amazement at how we looked and part of it was amazement that I wasn’t wearing a shirt in pretty dang cold weather. It was nice talking to other Americans as well. The game was one of the most invested I have ever been at a live sporting event (save maybe Stagg bball games haha). I lost my voice during the first half. When Ghana scored the first goal only a few minutes in, I felt like I had been punched in the chest. I was stressed the entire game. When Donavon scored his PK, I felt like I could never be happier. Waiting for the start of overtime was like waiting for the results of an HIV test (maybe that’s a bad analogy). When the final whistle blew, I was devastated, not to mention freezing and a bit intoxicated after a few beers to help keep me warm. We drove to find dinner. We stopped at a place that had chicken and I got a whole chicken, four dinner rolls, fries, and a 2 liter of coke. My rationale was that I could eat some the next day, which I did. The next day, we woke up way too early, hit the road, and made it back to Lesotho. I learned something from this trip. And that is that I really like America. It took being away from it to really appreciate how awesome it is. I think my extreme disappointment at our loss is really telling to my newfound pride in my country.

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Some banana getting pumped up for the Greece-Nigeria game. (Banana is Sesotho for girls, which makes me laugh a lot. I love walking up to groups of my students and shouting "Hi banana!")

Goofing around after the Greece-Nigeria game ended. Somehow I sensed what game I would be seeing next, and dressed accordingly (much to the confusion of those around me).

ROAD TRIP TO RUSTENBURG! Driving in a car, even in the cramped backseat of this little compact Chevy, was truly transplendent.

All dolled up for the big game.

Feeling like a C-list celebrity walking to the stadium, still not sure why.

In true Peace Corps form, we wrote this in tape, which was quite inexpensive.

Since I'm at the Peace Corps office today, it occurred to me that I can upload video for free. This is Landon Donovan scoring on a game-tying PK in the 2nd half - the US' lone goal. Enjoy!

Here I come, America!

OK that title is a little deceptive, I'm not coming home anytime soon. But I've just learned I'm going to see the US play in the World Cup on Saturday! This all became official an hour ago, when the US beat Algeria in stoppage time, and England beat Slovenia, but not by enough to overtake the US in total goals scored, thereby leaving US as the top team in their group! For some time now, I've had tickets to go see the Round of 16 game between the Group C winner and the Group D runner-up. It was a longshot, but in the end, we won Group C.

Look how happy my next door neighbor is for me!

That's Relebohile Mpopo and her daddy, Tumelo. He's another Maths/Science teacher at my school. She was born the week after I moved into my house. Many Basotho toddlers reach a stage where they cry when they see a lekhooa (white person). I pride myself on helping to raise Relebohile with a familiarity with makhooa, such that this might never happen to her.

But I digress. Point is, a couple friends and I are heading up to Rustenberg, a small city outside Johannesburg, on Friday, to go to this game, and I really can't wait.

I actually was able to visit Bloemfontein to see the Greece-Nigeria match last week, as well. It was an awesome experience, though surely not nearly as exciting as the next one will be. We all supported Nigeria (Africa pride, I guess). Validating our pro-Nigeria sentiments, the Nigerians we met were joyful, friendly, and really pleasant to be around. They added a lot to the experience. The Greeks, on the other hand... well, I don't want to say anything. It's best not to make any rash judgments based on a first impression, right? Or on a second, or a third, or a fourth impression, right? In any case, the game was really something to remember (sadly, Nigeria lost 2-1). 

In other World Cup related news, World Cup fever in Lesotho is raging strong. The official slogan, which you hear on TV/radio commercials as well as on sports shows, is "Feel it. It is here." But it's said with a really thick accent, and it's REALLY drawn out for effect, so it sounds more like "Feeeel EEEET! Eet ees HEEYEHHHHHH!" It's become such a household phrase that I frequently see one person say "Feel eet," and everyone else in the room will gleefully yell, "Eet ees heyehhhhh!" I love it. Once, a PCV friend and I were watching a game, but evidently weren't enthusiastic enough. Our Mosotho friend told us, "It is here, but you are not feeling it." A good laugh was had.

Also, let me just put it on the record, vuvuzelas at the World Cup are awful. I hate them. People in my village blow them regularly, at times waking me up in the morning, and they drown out all other sound both on TV and at the games live. Made of materials that range from plastic to cheap flimsy plastic, they play a single, highly grating tone. And to those who say its a meaningful part of the culture, that's a pretty big stretch. Animal horns by the same name were once used in village life, but we're dealing with neither animal horns nor village life. Not to mention, it demeans the richness of the culture that South Africa doesn't find something less abrasive to trumpet (no pun intended) as a cultural icon, like, I don't know, singing. Or face painting.

So, what else? I haven't posted much recently, because, frankly, not too much has been going on. We finished up classes for the semester. My class of 118 Form A's is on pace to have 10 students pass to Form B (and if it were based on Maths/Science alone, that number would be 5).  I am on break until late July, at which point, our new buildings will be complete. Then, my class of 118 will turn into 2 classes of 59. I can't wait for that.

With all that said, here are two anecdotes, one sad, one comical.

- There's a really nice kid in my Form A named Paseka. He's 13, I think, but looks like he's 9. He lives alone with his younger brother, up a mountain about 40 minutes walking from school. He tries harder than almost everyone in the class, and though he isn't passing yet, I'm optimistic he will pass when finals come around in November. But he's got it pretty rough. One day I found him cutting school, walking home by himself. I was shocked, because he's such a well mannered kid. I asked him what he was doing, and he explained that he was too hungry to stay in school, and he was going home to eat. My heart broke a little bit. Surely I couldn't punish him. I told him I'll keep it a secret, but he can't do it again.

The point of the story is, last night he knocks on my door after dark (again, very out of character). He tells me he has no light in his house, and he is asking for a candle. Now, I make it very clear to everyone that I have a firm policy of not giving money, food, or anything else to students, regardless of their story. I've never broken this policy. But somehow, I know how sincere Paseka is, and when I picture him and his little brother in the dark, in the freezing cold, I can't help myself. I can't send him back outside with nothing. So I give him the candle and tell him I can't do this again.

It was an awkward, sad situation, one that I only hope doesn't come up again.

- Everyday, I bring a Nalgene to school, full of filtered water. There's a tap where everyone else gets water, but us makhooa are better off with filtered (think Montezuma's revenge). But there's this one teacher who, for some reason, frequently asks to drink some of my water. I begrudgingly agree every time, hoping she won't take too much. Well, the other day, we're standing outside when this happens. She takes a hefty swig. Then she stops, and deliberately pours about half the water onto the ground. I stare at her in confusion. She looks back at the bottle, and pours nearly all of the remaining water on the ground, handing me back about an inch of water. I ask her, as politely as possible, "Why did you dump it?" To which she casually responds, "I like dumping." Then she turns and walks away. We're still friends though.

OK that's all for now. By the way, I love reading your comments, so keep em coming!