">Happiness is a snotty-faced girl. She stalks me in the afternoons, chasing me down the road, yelling, “U mang?! U mang?!” Pointing a snotty-caked finger, zing, right at my chest. I slow down and answer, Nthabeleng. Emphasize the ending, a huff of playful frustration. I’m caught. She knows my name, but she likes the game. Nthabeleng, she repeats, as if hearing it for the first time. She raises her hand swiftly and moves it in the direction of mine, showing what she wants. I oblige and she smacks it, high-five, with the stark aggression of an orphaned child. It takes a village, they say. In her case, it must.

We did this routine every day at the training village in Ha Mofoka. I’ve moved on to my new village now and I’m waiting for my new Happiness to pop out from around a corner and chase me down.

My site is incredible. When we got our site announcements, Ntate Clement, the education volunteer director said to me, “See you in two years,” and he wasn’t kidding. I’m nestled into the mountains in the south, with nothing, literally, nothing, but luscious green, green mountains in every direction. I am about 5 hours (I think) from Maseru (the capital city), on a good day. The village I live in, Mphaki, is actually pretty big and the high school has close to 400 students (100 of which board there). There’s a woodshop, a computer lab and a science lab (no library; however…) From my house, it’s about a 25 minute walk.

I live in my own ronduvel (circular hut with a thatched roof) that is ridiculously spacious. I couldn’t ask for more. I’m going to try to post some pictures that I took of it, but I just moved in so it’s looking pretty sparse (i.e. nothing on the walls, I’m still sleeping in my sleeping bag on my bed because I don’t have a blanket/comforter yet, etc.) I don’t have electricity or running water. I fetch water when I need it at the pump that is just up the hill behind my place (luckily it’s uphill on the way up, when the bucket is empty!). I cook with a gas stove and I light the place at night with candles and a paraffin lamp (…candle-lit yoga, it’s a great thing). I take a bucket bath in the morning with a huge basin and a smaller bucket, and I have my very own pit latrine (separate from the one for my family). Come to think of it, I need to get a piece of wood for the floor of that. There are two planks of wood on the floor and one broke right before the girl before me left (so she didn’t bother to fix it). I’ve been doing a balancing act to keep from breaking anything else further, or, at worst, falling in, so I’ll have to get that fixed asap when I get back. My family lives right next to me in a more modern style house (it’s much larger and rectangular, and no thatched roof). I’m not sure who all lives there yet because there have been people in and out the three days I’ve been here. My Me is the principal of the primary school and she owns a clothing shop, a hardware shop, a general shop and a joaleng (bar), in town. She has two sons who are both college-aged. One is at university in Durban and I’m not sure what the other does, but I think they’ve just been visiting for the holidays. There are a bunch of kids running around the hills and houses here, so hopefully they can help me with my Sesotho (usually the kids are the most patient).

I am back in Maseru now (I wrote the above a day or so ago). We had a few training sessions today then we’re off for the holiday!! I baked two cakes last night for my birthday and I’m waiting to share them with everyone tonight after dinner. The kitchen staff was really nice and let me use their baking pans and oven. We’re planning some New Year’s festivities for tonight!! HAPPY EARLY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!