update

It’s been a week since I’ve been here, and I haven’t really done much. So far, this is a summary of what I have done:

: Got started watching the show “Lost” It’s cheesy, but it’s something to do.
: Have finished one of three books that are supposed to last me for these 2 ½ months.
: Started watching Ali G clips on Greg’s computer, but I finished them all last night.
: Uhhh?

I didn’t realize there was going to be so much downtime here, otherwise I might not have decided to stay here for so long. But it is only the beginning, I can’t really say much yet. So why all of the downtime?

Well, I’m living in the capital city, Maseru, of Lesotho. It’s not really that it’s dangerous here, but it’s also not entirely safe. The house I’m occupying is enclosed by a fence and a gate that you can open for the driveway. Topping the gate are sharp barbs and running atop the fence is barbed wire. We also have a guard that works from 6 pm to 6 am. The windows all have a sort of barricade on the inside of the house. Is all this needed? Well, nothing really happens, but there’s always the possibility. The thing is, there are a lot of poor people here mixed in with more wealthy people. The average salary here is about 400 rand a month, which would be around $60. When you see a white person here, you automatically assume that they’re wealthy. ATM’s are not safe to be around, there’s sometimes a guard stationed at one. The other day Greg and I stopped at a gas station and there was a man with a gun slung over his shoulder. It’s to protect the people shopping there. The problem here is really just theft.

That’s not what bothers me though. What it is is that I feel like I’m the only white person here sometimes. When I’m out, I definitely get stared at and though no one has really said anything to me yet, it still feels weird; I just don’t feel very confident when I’m out. Kim, my brother’s wife, doesn’t like to go out because of comments she’s received from people. Though she’s Korean, people assume she’s Chinese and they do not like the Chinese here. (It’s a bit of a story, has to do with the Chinese setting up businesses here and shutting down local ones.) So she won’t leave the house, and I’m told I shouldn’t go anywhere unless I know where I’m going. Well, how am I supposed to know where I’m going if no one will venture out with me.
Greg works Monday through Friday until around 6 pm. I wake up and just roam around the house dying for something to do. Boredom sucks. It’s not until the weekends that we’ll really get a chance to do anything. But…it looks as though things might be looking up for me. There’s a little mountain town about 5 hours from here. I’m going there on Thursday. In the town is an after school program set up by an American woman and a British woman who live out on this little farm house in the town. It looks like I may move out there for awhile and live in the farmhouse and help out with the after school program. The farm house has no electricity, but there is warm water so at least I can bathe. The town is very safe; you can walk anywhere and not worry and I heard someone today say that it’s one of the most beautiful places he’s seen.

It looks as though I will not be able to upload pictures until late February as the dial-up here is painfully slow. But, I do have some good shots of the mountains! Starting February 16th, we’re going to head down to Cape Town and then come back on a really scenic route, hitting spots like Port Elizabeth.

I miss my cat.

Updates

I have updated my picture page with my pictures from my trip out to San Francisco with Tony and his uncle Mark.

http://public.fotki.com/jellofat

I'm leaving for Africa in just a little over a week and am planning to keep everyone updated with this blog and with my picture site. Hopefully I'll update more often than Greg. : )

So onto Africa now...I feel ready. I guess that not really knowing what to expect has kept me from feeling nervous about going. People have made comments like "I'm not brave enough to do that" and have expected me to say that I'm nervous. Maybe it's because I'm still a bit naive about things. Who knows. My only fears come about when I think of trying to figure out everything at the airports; from switching planes, going through customs, getting my visa, and hopefully not losing my luggage.

God, I'm going to have to spend a whole day with just myself and my thoughts.

This is going to be difficult.

According to my itinerary, I've got about 22 hours worth of layovers and flying. Oh boy, how am I going to entertain myself for that long??