Home Sweet Home

We made it back to DC without the slightest problem! I must say, it is glorious to be back. As we flew back into Reagan airport, the monuments seemed more beautiful than I remembered. I went to the grocery store and was completely overwhelmed by the produce selection, so I did what any girl would do, I bought one of everything.
My month in Lesotho gave me great perspective, and a huge appreciation for all that I'm so fortunate to have here in the US. I have much to be thankful for.
Thanks everyone for following along with me on my adventure. If I have more international adventures (which I hope I will!), I'll blog about those travels as well.
Signing off for now,
Hannah
PS, an old picture, but very DC of me..don't you think?

Mokhotlong-->Maseru-->Johannesburg

On Wednesday morning we started the long voyage back to DC! We drove the same bumpy roads 6 hours back to Maseru (which somehow seemed much more bearable after being in Lesotho a month.) We stopped on the way back at the Liphofung caves halfway to Maseru, and saw a historical Basotho village and some caves where King Moshoeshoe (the first king of Lesotho) hid when he was fighting the war for Lesotho's independence. The caves were pretty impressive, and there were some ancient bushman paintings on the cave walls.
In Maseru we were glad to finally get a decent meal, and celebrated being back in a (relatively) modern town by going to the movies. We saw This Means War (with Reese Witherspoon), but strangely all the scenes from the movie were out of order, and I'm pretty sure some were skipped as well. We enjoyed it anyhow, and were really in no position to complain. The movie costed about $2/person. I was also very excited, because in Maseru I found an advertisement for the Roof of Africa Motorcycle Rally. I made a list of things I wanted to do in Lesotho based on a guidebook I read, and this was the only thing I didn't make it to. So I settled for a picture next to the sign!
On Thursday morning we had a quick flight from Maseru to Johannesburg on our favorite airline, South African Airways. It is seriously the greatest! On Thursday, we checked into our adorable guesthouse near the airport in Jo'burg, and went to explore Sandton, which is one of the newer suburbs, which is home to Nelson Mandela Square, and tons of great shopping. We took pictures next to the giant statue of Mandela, like nerdy tourists! We even got brave and took the gautrain, which is this beautiful high-speed train they built in 2010 for the world cup. It was so fancy and fast! We had dinner back at the guesthouse under this authentic african tent. Dinner was a traditional South African braai (which is basically a barbecue with tons of different meats and vegetables.) The food was delicious, and we had fun chatting up the other guests!
This morning, we organized a tour to Lion Park, which is basically a mini version of a game park outside Jo'burg where you're guaranteed to see African animals in a short period of time. We wanted to do the full-fledged safari, but didn't have time. Lion park was basically one step up from a zoo, but we had a blast! The tour we went on picked us up at our guesthouse and drove us out to the park, and right through the animal exhibits. In the herbivore section we could have the windows down and take pictures of all the animals, but you had to have them up in the carnivore section, because the animals can come right up to the car! Most of the animals seemed pretty used to the cars coming through, but they still looked pretty ferocious and huge. After the driving tour, there was an exhibit where you could pet the cubs and feed the giraffes, which we naturally had to do. (I think we were their oldest guests, but we have no shame!)
In a few hours we'll head back to the airport to catch our plane back home. It's been a remarkably smooth trip, and I have loved Africa!
See you all back in the states.
Love,
Hannah

Our Last Day in Mokhotlong

Where did the time go? Today was our last day in Mokhotlong and it was truly a great day to end on.
We began the day with rounds in the pediatric ward. One of our favorite little TTL kiddos, Tsepang (the twin I've mentioned before) got taken to the hospital overnight for a fever of 103! Yesterday he looked sick all day, and you could really see a change in his demeanor. Usually he is so smiley and playful and wants to high-five constantly. We knew something was up when he didn't give a single high five all say yesterday. After some antibiotics overnight, he was looking great this morning! Actually, he wouldn't stop giving high fives, even in the arm with the IV in, which made us all laugh a bit!
Dr Kat and I both spend the day doing procedures, which was fun! We started by reducing a dislocated elbow, then did 3 circumcisions (they do them on adults here, so that was a first for me!) I watched the first 2 and they let me do the 3rd one as the primary surgeon! Slightly intimidating because the patient is awake and can see what you're doing, but I did it myself! They even wrote my name in the procedure book as primary surgeon, which I naturally took a picture of. Super cool! After we finished operating, the doctors had a little going-away party for us at their house. They each made a little speech about how much they enjoyed having us, and how they hope we'll meet again, and want to keep in touch. It was really heart-warming, and we'll miss them very much!
When we arrived home, Julie and Rachel and Lyle had prepared us this lovely going-away feast, and we all had dinner together for our last night here. It was such a lovely way to end our time in Mokhotlong, and I am feeling so loved. I am so glad I went through with this international rotation. There were definitely moments of hesitation, but I wasn't sure I'd ever have an opportunity like this again, and am so glad I took it when I could! This trip has really ignited a curiosity about other people and cultures, and encouraged me to continue international medical volunteer opportunities! I feel like I've just scratched the surface here, and am excited to come back and see more of Africa, as well as the other continents!
Tomorrow, we begin a 4 day journey back to the US. I'm excited for the sightseeing along the way!
For the final time from Mokhotlong,
Hannah

Last Lesotho Weekend

Well, the diamond mine was a bust. We drove out there on Saturday, and the man who was supposed to give us a tour was "in a meeting," and never showed up. After 2.5 hours, we decided to leave and drive to the nearby ski lodge, Afriski to see if we could find a restaurant. We found this cozy ski lodge with delicious food! We sat and had a really leisurely lunch, and real coffee (the only stuff you can buy here is instant.) That alone turned out to be worth the drive. Afriski is supposedly the largest ski slope in Africa, which is hilarious because it is a bunny hill at best. There's this whole ski village and lodge built around it, and there's just the one slope...I guess they're hard pressed for good skiing here! I wish I would be here when it snows, it would be cool to say I skied in Africa. On the drive home we saw 3 rainbows!
Sunday was a really beautiful day, and we went on this long hike way up the mountain behind TTL. We brought a picnic to the top and had the most incredible view of Mokhotlong from up there. On our way up, one of the locals spotted us and proceeded to follow us for at least 30 minutes. Initially he just stated at us, but then started asking us for money, food, Julie's watch, anything he could think of. And even after we said no, he kept asking. He asked us to buy meat, to pay him to ride his horse...I've gotta give him credit, he was persistent. I considered paying him just to leave us alone! It's very funny how Basotho (people d Lesotho) have a different sense of personal space and privacy than we do. If they see you, they'll walk over next to you and just follow you, or stand and stare at you. Everyone asks where you're going, what you're doing..I'm still not used to so much interaction with strangers, but Lyle has told us its just part of the culture here. I am grateful that people are friendly and pretty harmless here. But walking the streets gets exhausting when everyone tries to talk to you!
Today and Tuesday are our last days at TTL. We leave Weds to drive to Maseru, and Thursday we begin our journey back home. It's been a really incredible experience being here, I'm so thankful to have had this opportunity. I'm already thinking about where I want to visit next! Any suggestions?
Ps the pic below is a far away shot of the diamond mine. It looked like the emerald city in the wizard of oz!

TTL Reaches a New Village

Yesterday was a particularly productive outreach trip! We went on a coordinated visit with some of the outreach workers from the hospital to a new village to spread the word about TTL, and do some health and nutrition education. (The outreach workers from the hospital are called Health Riders, and they ride these fancy red motor bikes way out into ritual areas where cars can't go... Like paramedics but with way cooler wheels.)
The whole day was kind of like a health fair. All the people of the village gathered around, and people from TTL and the hospital took turns talking and answering questions, mainly about HIV transmission, treatment medications, and nutrition. Overall, people were really receptive to what was said, and asked lots of great questions. After the teaching season, patients were offered free HIV testing and counseling, and we assessed all the kids for nutritional status. We had an incredible turnout, and assessed 99 kids! 2 became TTL clients, so we will start following them weekly. I didn't get lots of pics of the kids because I was busy on the front lines, but I know Julie took a bunch do I'll try to get a few of those. Below are pics of us before the fair started, and all the families that turned out.
We are going on a tour of the Lentseng Diamond mine this morning, so I'm up early and heading out!
H

A Good Luck Wish from Lesotho!

Today and tomorrow are very big days for one special engineer. Steve is taking his PE (professional engineer) exams, which he has studied tirelessly for! Once he passes, he can officially approve buildings and other structures for construction (and say that in his professional judgment the building shouldn't fall down).
Good luck today to Steve from Mokhotlong and the TTL babies! (ok, they can't speak English, but I know they would wish him luck if they did.)

Life As Usual in Mokhotlong...

Not much new to report in Mokhotlong, we've been going to the hospital and hanging out with the kiddos as usual. The little twin, Tsepang, who we picked up last week does have TB and is about to start treatment, but is otherwise doing well. I got to see the triplets (who were brought in last week after their 17 year old mom gave birth to them at home--she was quite surprised to see 3 babies!). They're all great and gaining weight appropriately. They'll be going home with their mom soon and we will follow them weekly and provide formula and other nutritional support as needed.
On Monday, we picked up another volunteer, Kat, who is a doctor from the UK. She is fantastic and we are enjoying getting to know her and hearing all the charming Brit phrases she uses. Today, she asked if I would "fancy a walk," and also told me about eating "eggy toast," which is what they call French toast. I have asked her loads of questions about the royal family, and havent used any charming american phrases. I must seem terribly dull, I'll have to step things up. I am starting to feel very worldly here, I have a friend who lives in India but is here for a year and speaks Sesotho (Lyle), a Canadian friend (Rachel), and a British friend (Kat), and some very exciting American friends (I found out today Julie is practically a world class sugar cookie baker, and professionally decorates and sells them and gives the money to charity). Seriously. Cool. People. So glad I came and had a chance to meet them all.
I haven't taken many pics lately, so I'll leave you with a few of the cute kids we see everyday. I'm hoping to get some better ones..they are totally adorable and have these priceless facial expressions, but the moment I take out the camera they become little animals lunging for the camera. I'll have to get sneaky to get more candid shots soon.
Miss everyone at home! Looking forward to seeing most of you in at least the next few months.
Hannah
Ps Julie made a great video to celebrate our 1000th TTL baby, that I think is really great (quick) summary of what we do at TTL. If you'd like to see it, or read the TTL blog (which also features a picture of Tiana and myself on a recent post), here is the link: http://touchingtinylives.blogspot.com/2012/04/as-we-continue-to-celebrate-1000.html?m=1

Sani Top

Today was a vacation day for us because of Easter, and we took full advantage of the day off. We went to Sani Top, which is at the border of Lesotho and South Africa. Apparently Sani Top/Sani Pass are THE attraction to see in Lesotho! Sani Pass is the road that connects the 2 countries and it's a really treacherous mountain road that you can only drive if you're in a 4x4. The fellows and Lyle were going to pick up another volunteer at the bottom of Sani Pass, but kindly let us stay at Sani Top to enjoy the beautiful scenery, pony trekking, and Sani Lodge.
Sani Lodge is a charming, rustic little inn with the most incredible view. It also boasts the highest pub in Africa! We spent most of the day in the great room of the lodge in front of a roaring fireplace enjoying delicious warm Gluhwein (which is a fruity warm red wine, which basically tastes like grape juice), and hot chocolate. We had an incredible view overlooking the cliffs on either side of Sani Pass. The food at the lodge was the best we've had since arriving in Lesotho, probably because it resembled American food. The lodge is owned by a South African couple who were so lovely and hospitable, and we chatted with them about our time in Lesotho and working with TTL. It was such a treat being at the lodge, it really felt like a mini vacation!
It is incredibly cold and windy at Sani Top, but we did venture outside the lodge briefly to take a few pictures. The views were breathtaking, but we kept our distance from the steep cliffs. Sani Lodge is so high that we were at the same level as the clouds, which made for some fun photo ops.
We also rented ponies and went on a short pony trek. Unfortunately, our ponies weren't very well behaved, and after about 20 minutes we had had enough. After a bumpy car ride home, we are settled back at TTL with full bellies and smiles on our faces. So glad I got to experience Sani Top, and I highly recommend it to anyone planning to visit southern Africa.

The waterfall

We made it to the waterfall! That was one serious hike. The waterfall was really lovely and peaceful. We climbed down, and Julie and Rachel waded into the water and onto this little sandbar. I was too afraid, there are little crabs that live in the water. On the way back, we had to walk through this herd of bulls with big horns, which was slightly terrifying. I am learning that you just need a good poker face and they'll just ignore you and keep grazing. I guess if the 5 year old herd boys arent afraid of them, I shouldn't be either, right? On the journey back, we stopped and tasted the local beer at a shop on the side of the road. It is made from sorghum, and in my opinion tastes like metal and dust. But I'm not a beer person...
I'm up early this Easter morning making yummy banana chocolate chip pancakes for everyone. Happy Easter to everyone back home. I hope you're spending today surrounded by those you love!
Missing you all from Lesotho,
Hannah
Love,
Hannah