Hi everyone!
Let me start by saying I’m writing this from a cozy bed in a cabin with a view I could never have imagined before stepping foot here. The view of the mountains is the kind that takes your breath away. I know pictures won’t do it justice but I feel so lucky to witness it.
Today makes a week and one day since we left for the trip, and a little under a week since we arrived in Ramabanta. How it’s only been 8 days of this journey is kind of mind blowing… I feel like it’s been so much longer. Our days start around 7 AM (for someone like me who usually takes on the day around 11 AM this is new) and we have breakfast then head to the work site.
As I’m sure you’ve been reading, we started building a home with Habitat for Humanity on Monday and today was our last day at the site. As an addition to the home itself, we decided to plant several peach trees and create some seed beds so the woman living there can provide some of her own food. Mommas, you’ll be proud to hear I did help with the planting and I’ll be ready to work when I get home. To celebrate the end of our part of the project, the Habitat for Humanity workers held a ceremony to turn over the home to its new owner. This was one of many moments that really demonstrated how this effort is so much bigger than ourselves. A few days of hard work, and a couple of blisters and sore arms along the way, provide this woman and her family with a completely new life. Through this process we learned how to communicate in creative ways, find the most efficient techniques, and work alongside the Basotho to get it done. They thanked us immensely for our help, yet we could not have completed the project without their guidance.
One of the best parts of this experience is getting to know the Basotho, young and old, and getting a glimpse of their lives. We have had the chance to meet children around our trading post and at our work sites; it’s an amazing experience to work and play with them. At our Habitat work site, I have gotten to know a girl named Mamaliehe (Ma-Mah-di-ye) and we quickly bonded when she started making fun of my American accent. The first day I met her, she deliberated with friends for a few minutes and then came up to me and said, “You are my friend.” Every day when she comes home from school she rushes up to me, grabs my hand and we stand together. We don’t say much, but I know I will remember her far beyond this trip. She is just one of the many children who have touched my heart over the past few days.
I know I’m not alone in stories like this. Before coming on this trip, I knew the Basotho had no word in their vocabulary for stranger but that is so obvious when you get to know the citizens here. Children and adults are eager to not only get to know us and learn from us, but also show us bits and pieces of their culture. Whether that comes from games with the children where we circle up and take turns dancing in the middle, or from the Basotho men showing us how to mix cement, we are learning from them daily.
Tomorrow we have a day off of work, so we’re going horseback riding and hiking during the day. I’m excited to see more of this beautiful country!
I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity. I can’t quite describe the feeling of peace here, but love is all around us and it’s clear. I can’t wait to talk about our experiences with friends and family back home!
Moms, I promise I’m safe and loving every second!! Tell the puppies I’m missing them (And you of course) and I love you more!
-Caitlin Cahoon