The latest news...

June 24, 2004

Hi Matt and Julia- just saw your photos of your trip to Austr/NZ- awesome!!! Your photography is great. The photos of Sydney made such an impression on me, having just been there. The ones of NZ were unusual to what Donna & I had seen in So. NZ. Thanks for the photos that I took, too. Just saw them, under April 2004.

Have you seen Donna's African Room? She sent the images to me, and she/they did such a nice job of that room. The enlargements on the wall look very good. Jessica got an A+ for the projest of the room. Got your message that you had a short visit there. Brad is evidently having some medical problems again, and recently had a CAT scan done on abdomen. He weighs 138 lbs.

I'm back in Maseru again, after going back to Mafeteng for 1 day. My friend was mugged yesterday here in Maseru. It is not safe here in Maseru anymore, so there is a change in policy. I need to shop at the supermarket today, so Peace Corps will drive us there. It is virtually across the street, but now they are taking precautions, giving us protection.

The weather continues to be nice. I left very early today, and was lucky in that some friends of mine in Mafeteng stopped to give me a ride, so that I did not have to take a taxi. A friend of mine in Mafeteng asked me to come stay over night Sat. as her son, Matthew, is leaving for the day & night. Her name is Beverly Osborne, about my age, and has lived in Mafeteng 20 years. SHe is about my age, & her husband just died. She is good company for me. I have proposed to her that the 2 of us travel to Cape Town sometime, as that is where she is from. Her husband was the man who rebuilt the 3 story flour mill in Mafeteng. You would like that mill, all run by a single-engine diesel motor, the original motor. Thot that if I go to Cape Town I will learn how to get around, for when Donna comes to visit. It is wonderful that the VW is coming along. I have told so many about you rebuilding the car- they think that it is great. Shannon, Nic, & Syd ar e having a great time in Hawaii. Lauren is going to Minn. for his 21st class reunion!!! leaving the girls for 10 days. AWESOME! They all fly back to Kansas July 24th, so that Nic can attend Band Camp, and Shannon can care for TJ while Julie goes to Ohio for training for new position. Julie e-mailed Donna that there has been vandalism to vending machines that they bought for a side business, and that they want to get out of this side business.

Saw Willi's site for photos. What a crack-up! A friend saw them also. Boy, the photos oof Tebellong that I took look so nice. I will have my friend, Agnes, go to your site to see them. I will pick up more photos today.
LOVE YA and MISS you. Mom

February 1, 2004

How are my son and daughter-in-law?? My love to both of you, and I miss you both very much.

My life here in Lesotho is rewarding and exciting - I meet new people all the time, and there are many opportunities to be of help here. Before Christmas, we organized new clothes for 271 orphans in our area. Before that, I helped with food parcel distribution, and home visits to sick ones. There are some serious Public Health issues in our town that I am addressing, such as running sewage. Today I found another running sewer cap. Just to FIND the right person who can help is virtually impossible.

I am in Maseru, to begin a one week training with Peace Corps that is required of us. It is to be held at a conf. center, but the lack of water at the center has required us to stay at the T-House in Maseru. I came here very early this morning (SUN.) so that I can use the computer without there being a crowd here in the computer room. It meant leaving my place shortly after 6 AM. The training ends on Fri. Agnes will be here for the training, and she plans on staying with me at my place in Mafeteng after the training - for how long I don't know. She and I will work on our plans to visit Durban at the end of Feb.

There is a school (English Medium) outside of Mafeteng that I will be teaching the section on HIV to the youth. Perhaps I will take Agnes with me to do this. It will be the first time for me to teach in a school. Thanks for the update on the car- too bad about all the bondo. I do not recall taking the VW to the desert - are you sure?? You have a better memory than I do! There is an extra motor in the shed, too. Thanks for doing all that work on the car.

Has there been a reply from the rear-end accident that I was in???? The court was to render a verdict. Say "Hi" to Arnold!! Sounds like he needs a head transplant! He wants to buy money???

No, the family has not moved the dog, mainly because I have not mentioned it to the family!!! I yell at the dog throughout the night, as it barks on & on. BUT, no one has paid my rent, so I am not creating any waves for now. The family is upset that there has been no rent paid to them - it is the fault of the District Secretary, and he is getting ugly with the issue. The other issue is that the landlord smokes weed every day and night, and then coughs and spits like you would not believe!! He owns most of Mafeteng!!

I am so saddened by the news about Shari- thanks for the details. Poor Shannon- she has been through too much!!

I'll close for now. My love to both of you. I love hearing from you. All My Love, Mom

January 16, 2004

Hi Again- I am at Peace Corps Office again- got here early. Just heard from Donna via e-mail that Shari has died, I guess in Hawaii. Do you have any info?? I received a letter from Julie, but it was written quite awhile ago, saying that Shari had 85% cancerous cells in her marrow. I was shocked to read that she has died! Please let me know any news.

How is winter there?? There have been a lot of thunderstorms here, with lots of rain. Gardens and fruit trees have been suffering from no rain.

I have recently traveled to 7 villages in the Mafeteng Dist. to verify that the orphans received their new clothes that I helped to get organized. It was a wild, rough, 4x4 drive where there were no roads.

Feb. 1-6th I will attend a mandatory trainig session for us. It will be at a conference center north of Mafeteng.

Peace Corps will assign a security phone to me that Amy had, for problems in the Mafeteng area. There are 3 new volunteers in Mafeteng as of today, so I will be responsible for them, in case of an emergency.

How is Arnold doing as GOvernor???v To me, that is so embarrasing!

Soon, I will mail you some negatives, rolls 9 & 10.

Must close for now, as I need to meet with the Security Adm. All My Love, Mom

January 12, 2004

Hi Matt and Julia, I am back in Maseru today, a few days after I was just here. I wanted to distribute clothing to orphans today, but the medical office at Peace Corps wants the physician from So. Africa to see my left arm. He is here today, in Maseru. It is the side of the mastectomy, and my arm has been hurting lately. When it first starting hurting, it felt like a broken arm, with shrp pains. Now, it is a dull pain.I got here a little early so that i could e-mail people. I miss you guys so much. I have been receiving CHristmas mail, still, and it makes me miss everyone. My arm hurts a lot trying to type this. There has been no damage to it, so why it is hurting is a mystery.

Thanks for the update on the VW. I never dreamed that there would be so much body work on the beetle. When does the work on the motor begin?? That is neat that you saved a lot of money by putting in the radiator on Audi.

I was so surprised to receive a package from Yumi and Paul. It was a packet of wipes. It was a wonderfuul idea, as it is usually hard to wash hands anywhere.

I am getting acquainted with the staff that I will be working with. I have been there one week now. All is well. With my backgground in Hospice, I have a new idea of applying the concepts to dying AIDS patients in their homes- there is already someone who cares for them, Home Based Care provider. They are lay people, but the concept would fit in well with their culture. If I can't find anything here on Hospice, I may ask you to contact the Hospice place there at the Credit Union building, where I received the training, at least to get an outline.

My dental work went well. The dentist patched it- I thought that I would get a crown, but as you already suspected, dentists here are few and far between. I really liked the man, an older man, who studied dentistry in Norway- he even wears wooden shoes. There are probably few labs, and for crowns, that is very important. If I do need a crown, I will request to be taken to Bloomfontein.

My new place is comfortable. The only problem is the dog that is chained right outside of my bedroom. His chain gets tangled, and he can't even get into his doghouse during storms. He cries and barks. Whenever I have tried to help it, I get injured, so I have told the family that I will not assist the dog again. The next move is to ask that the dog be moved away from my house. How is your job going? You haven't mentioned it in awhile. How will you get the VW into the garage? Do you still have the other cars?

I hope that you two are doing well, and glad to hear that you will be going to the mountain in Gledora- I think of that area quite often.

All of My LOVE to both of you. I'll close for now. Love, Mom

January 8, 2003

My Dear Family- thanks for the e-mail dated Dec.28, telling me about the visit of Julie et al. I am glad to know that they made it. Being to LAX by 5 AM must have been a real bummer!! I will look for ward to new photos of TJ and Willy! They must have been a pair.

I just saw a dentist here in Maseru, who repaired a tooth with amalgam. Some of my tooth had fallen off. He had gone to dental school in Norway a long time ago. If this repair does not work, then I'll get a crown, done here.

My visit to Agnes was so good. It was beautiful there in Tebellon/Qacha's Nek area. She lives at the hospital there. The whole area was quaint with huts, dirt roads, fields, steep hills. The weather changed a lot, but it was refreshingly cool. Right now, I have 2 rolls of film in the shop for developing into negs. so I will mail them to you. The day is passing too quickly, so I am going to close this soon. Thanks for the beautiful card that I just received here in Peace Corps Office. It is a great photo!! Did you receive mine?

My new job and new place is great, so I am happy. My friend Amy was raped at knifepoint while on vacation in Mozambique, so she is receiving counseling in US. We don't know if she will be coming back here. I miss her so much! There will be three new volunteers in my area, but all guys. Julia, I hope that your schedule is better now, after the holidays. I'm glad that you had a visit with Julie & kids. I wish that I could have been there. There's more that I want to share, but no time for now. ALL MY LOVE TO BOTH OF YOU! Love, Mom

December 17, 2003

Hi to the TWO of you. I am leaving today for Christmas vacation. I will visit Agnes for the holidays. She lives far away, and she found me a ride, but I havenot been able to call him today. He knows that I will go with him, and will come thru town today. It is a long trip. All is well here. I did not rerceive your cartd as yet, and it is all right. I will get it later from Peace Corps.

I wish you a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year. Thanks for the messages, and I will keep this one short for now, under the circumstances of needing to phone the driver (the Director of the hospital where I will be staying! Tebellong Hospital. Call Peace Corps if there are any problems and need to get ahold of me. This ride came up suddenly, so I have been very busy getting everything ready in 1 day! I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, AND MISS YOU TERRIBLY. I am much happier now with the changes, and have done some very heart-warming things with orphans and people youner than you dying from AIDS!!! All My Love, and please tell Dierks that the wonderful candy is much appreciated. MOM

December 8, 2003

My Dear Julia & Matt,

I am at Peace Corps waiting for a ride back to my new house. It is a very nice house. My new job will start soon, and in the meantime, I am helping Red Cross make home visits to people dying from AIDS and TB. Their stories are heartbreaking. They are often in their 20's and look 70! Little kids are being orphaned. Thanks for the update on VW! You are doing a great job. Sorry that I do not have time right now to go to sites to see VW info. I need to make a call before leaving, and have not read all the e-mail.
Love, Mom

July 6, 2003

My Dear Julia & Matt,
Today, just now, I am using the lovely coffee press!! It has not been possible to find ground coffee, but when we were in town Friday I found some. It is very fine(ly) - ground, but it works. It is menat to be used with a press.

I am so sorry that I did not have time to talk to both of you. I was given the phone card - with it being a Friday our rate was not that good. I called Shannon before calling you, knowing that she was leaving for Hawaii the next day. She answered so I had a good chance to talk to her. Not much time was left when I called you.

Shannon has an address there - 2256 Blain Dr., Kailua, HI 96734. She will use the same email address for now. Rob may be thru with his training by this day, as Julie's email said that he had 1 more week. I am not sure of his work schedule or leaves. TJ is cutting teeth and making talking noises!!

The coffee that I just made is so good! I'm trying to decide whether I will stay home from church today and just enjoy the coffee, study, write letters. We seldom have time to get much done, as we are kept busy 6 days/week.

Peace Corps takes very good care of us during "training". If we are sworn in, then the umbilical cord is cut. They are provising us with toilet paper, propane for heat and cooking, fresh fruit, tea every morning.

I've been enjoying eating rusks - do you know them? They are great for dunking into coffee, or tea.

Each day is bright and beautiful here, but the air is smoke polluted. I have taken 3 rolls of film, but have not left them for developing as yet. I'll take the one roll that I have with me (the others are back in Outward Bound with my luggage) this week - we are going to visit an actual site of a volunteer, stay for severals days (don't know where) then travel on our own to Maseru on Saturday afternoon, staying over at a Peace Corps motel, shopping in Ladybrand, Soouth Africa on Sunday, and then back to Mahobong Sunday evening. Peace Corps provides all of our transportation, except for getting back to Maseru on Saturday. The drivers are good drivers and helpful. The Basotho continue to display that they are good to us.

Matt, you'll recognize this name. I listen to Chuck Swindoll every night on an AM station! IT is coming out to South Africa The program is "Insight for Living". He is reknown around the world.

I have liked the special undershirts that you got for me (make sure that you are reimbursed) I wear them a lot.

The long underwear is well used. My 2 skirts get a lot of use, as we can't wear pants here in the village. I also have my denim jumper. The fleece jacket is perfect for here. My hat from Australia has been important to wear here, also. All of my underwear is the fast-drying type, so I am happy with what I packed. Clothes are available, western-style, and nice looking. Our Basotho trainers wear beautiful clothing and look very sharp.

We will be in Mahobong until July 26th, I believe, and then back to Outward Bound for several more weeks, until induction into Peace Corps, August 6th. That will take place in Maseru.

What we have learned so far about HIV/AIDS is terribly discouraging. This country is the least developed of all of the countries with this high or a rate. Their practices and beliefs are almost unacceptable in this day and age. It is up to non-governmental org. to assit this country with all of its problems - the Gov. just talks about it! World Vision, Save the Children, Ireland, are some that are doing great things, but people are dying at a rapid rate - they die without disclosing that they have had AIDS. The die from pneumonia, or TB, and that is all that is said. There is a rumor that HIV may be as high as 50% in Lesotho! The people are string and proud, but lifestyle puts everyone at risk.

I can hardly wait to receive your project letter! I am waiting, to see how your new digital camera works! Are you getting used to it? Is it the one that you wanted? Did you reimburse yourselves, as I don't remember paying for it.

My nursing license can be paid this month, and the materials are ready to be mailed (in the new file/folders that I organized under July) when the renewal comes in the mail. The original study certificate doe not get mailed, but is kept for 4 years. The title of the home study course is to be written onto the renewal certificate, along with the provider # which is on the home-study certificate of completion. The home-study certificate should show the California provider #. A check for $80 gets sent with the renewal, to Board of Reg. Nurses. It is not due until end of Oct. so please let me know if you have questions.

I'll email you soon. I love you very much. I hope that your lives are going well. Hugs and kisses to you! I miss you! Thanks for keeping the web site updated!!
Love, Mom

June 9, 2003

Greetings Everyone,
We are doing fine here in Lesotho, but 2 people have had to drop out!

We are at the Outward Bound camp for Lesotho. It is nestled in a rather deep valley, with tall colorful sheer cliffs above us in orange brown tones.

We are starting to learn a little of the language. The Lesotho teachers are many in number and are very pleasant people, male & female. They dress very nicely, and speak English very well, but some have a strong dialect. Today they sang many songs for us kind of like Lady Smith Black Mombasa. They all sang very well, singing harmony. I’ll have to make recordings!

While we are here this week, there is a kitchen staff who cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We have mid-morning and mid-afternoon tea.

Yesterday, another woman volunteer and I decided to go to church. We had no idea how to find it. It ended up being rather far away in a town high on a hill. It was a Catholic church with no priest. IT started one hour late – thank heavens because it took us about one hour of hiking on trails to find it! The small church was packed. WE sat on benches. The congregation sang like a choir – no music, or instruments! It was absolutely spine tingling to hear them sing!! There was a young man with a bass voice who led a lot of the songs, and he sounded like an opera singer!!

The group of volunteers are all getting along with each other. Most of them are young, but we have a guy in his 40’s and several of us about my age (39 of course!!)

The food is usually the same for lunch and dinner: chicken, rice, cooked greens, and cooked carrots. It is tasty. I’ve been a little sick today with the runs, but not quite diarrhea.

After this week, we will be each living with a Basotho family – they will cook for us on week. Then we continue living with them, cooking by ourselves in our own space. After those 2 weeks, we will visit with a Peace Corps volunteer for one week, then we return to the family’s home for 2 more weeks. During all that time we have class work each day.

It is not as cold here as expected. The air is calm, with clear skies, and warm sunshine, until the sun goes down! There is no snow here, but the trees have autumn leaves & fallen leaves. The view from here is so nice & there is a reservoir below us which makes for nice photo ops! All the cliffs are steep and high.

Tuesday, June 10

Learning the language has been a challenge. Today was our second day of language lessons. We are to practice it a lot, but there is little free time.

Today, those of us dealing with HIV/AIDS as our assignment, met – there are 6 of us. We don’t know where they will place us yet. They are interested in my doing research & health education. Tomorrow (June 11) I will have my interview with the director of HIV/AIDS for Peace Corps, and I will tell her that I am interested in researching what is being done on Uganda, which is having great results with HIV/AIDS.

The Basotho people are really a neat bunch of people – joyous singing, nice clothes (!), friendly, attractive, clean.

Tuesday, June 11

I just had my interview with the Director that oversees HIV/AIDS sector. IT sounds like they intend on placing me in a village, and not a city. I asked that I not be placed far away, like some of them are (6 hr. bus ride!!)

There are 7 of us women in a dormitory. There is 1 light bulb that provides our light at night until the generator for the camp is turned off. Yesterday we never had power, as the generator broke down the night before. All of us in that particular dorm are older than the other women, so we are known as the Sr. Citizens! One woman in our group seems to be having trouble sleeping and she went many nights without sleep. Hopefully she’ll be ok.

Today we had the first rabies vaccination in a series of 3. If we get bitten, etc. then we’ll need 2 more shots. There is a lot of rabies here.

Next week is intimidating in that we are going to live, each by ourselves, with a Basotho family (pronounced Ba-su-tu). We’ll be taken into a town for shopping before then mainly to buy utensils for cooking. These we’ll keep for the 2 years.

The volunteers who have been here for one year have come to Outward Bound to help educate us, and to tell us what life is like here. They look healthy. Today the Dr. and nurse for Peace Corps talked to us about how to stay healthy, and they interviewed each of us in privacy about our medical history (they had pages of documentation on our medical history, compiled probably in Wash., D.C.) I’m still having the runs, but no pains or illness.

We are kept busy from 8 am to way after dark. It is hard to study with lack of lights. (I am writing this [in] one of our main buildings which has several lights burning.) We have no free time, and when we do, we need to take showers, wash clothes by hand, etc.

The sanitation here is questionable. They do supply toilet paper, but there is no soap anywhere in the camp. We have warm showers in a common bath/toilet house. Today when the nurse and doctor were here, we voiced our concerns about the lack of soap for washing hands (no towels, either) The water for us to drink is boiled.

It is much fun eatching the herds of cows that go past our camp along the dirt road. (There are also some vehicles, too) Also, there are carts full of things being pulled by yoked oxen.

People have dogs here, but they are always kept outside, never allowed in the house for health reasons. When we love in the village, we will have a pee pot under the bed, so that we don’t have to walk to the latrine at night – the dogs in the yard are for protection and they bite!

Today, the Basotho teachers (natives) gave a skit demonstrating life and health rules within their homes. They are very clean and particular: beds are made immediately, floors swept daily, and do not hang their body towels next to kitchen towels on the line! They never hang their underwear outside!

For my health interview, the nurse wants me to ask you if you can mail me a supply of St. John’s Wort and Ginko Biloba (Trader Joe’s) She definitely wants me to be taking St. John’s Wort. I have a supply that will last several months!

June 5, 2003

President Hotel
1 Union Avenue
Bloemfontein 9300
South Africa

June 5, 2003

Hi Everyone,
We arrived in Johannesburg around 6pm, and then on to Bloemfontein, South Africa arriving after dark. We were met at the airport by the Peace Corps staff from Maseru, Lesotho. They were warm and welcoming, all black Africans except for 2 whites. A luxury bus took us to the President Hotel in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After a short meeting we were treated to a restaurant located in basement level of hotel. It was colorful, almost Southwest in décor, with “Tex-Mex” on the menu!

The trip here was almost uneventful, but when we landed in Dakar, Senegal (it was not non-stop) we were grounded for 1 hour while a computer component of the 747 was repaired. The 747 trip was not very comfortable, but we all had headsets & individual entertainment units on the back of the seat we faced. Then, when we arrived in Johannesburg we had to transfer to a small plane. Two of our group had to stay behind because there was not enough luggage space on the smaller plane for them. They will fly into Bloemfontein in the morning.

Tomorrow morning, after a 7 am breakfast, we will be bused to Maseru, Lesotho for more shots (meningitis and typhoid) then on to Outward Bound complex which will be our “training center.” It is cold tonight, so we expect it to be cold tomorrow in Lesotho!

So far it does not feel that we are anywhere very different, not yet!! All my love to all of you!