Dumela!
I have arrived at Besutiful Gate Lesotho! First of all I know a lot of people wanted to know an address to send me letters, the address is to somewhere in ladybrand (South Africa) and someone from BG will go there once a week to collect mail. It takes about 1-3 weeks for mail to be delivered but it all depends on what size the parcel/letter is and how fast the post from England gets here.
Beautiful Gate
c/o Emily Piper
P.O box 339
Ladybrand 9745
South Africa
Anyway, my flight to joberg was long! 11 hours and I was definitely struggling at the end but I made it! Then navigating the joberg airport was tricky- it took me an hour and a half to check out, find my bag, find where to check in and then check in my bag. I nearly got my boarding pass nicked by this guy but lucky I realised what he was doing before it was too late! That was definitely a wake up call, it made me realise that I was now alone in Africa and not all people are going to be kind to me.
After waiting a couple of hours, I finally boarded the plane to Maseru. The scenery on the way in was beautiful- so mountainous! I was met at the airport by Anita, operations manager at BG, who then drove me to the campus.
Over the last few days I've been settling in, I've bought groceries and a new sim card(which doesn't seem to be working at the moment!) and I've also met my roommates. They are all so lovely and really easy to get on with.
Friday was my first day helping my house mother. I'll give you a brief idea of how things work at BG. They have 64 kids mostly aged 0-5 with some exceptions, they are split into houses. BG has 5 houses, I'm in Nala house which means prosperity in English. Each house has 4 house mothers; 1 and 2 share shifts and are the main house mothers, 3 and 4 so night shifts and weekends. My role is to help the house mothers to try and make their work easier. I will give you a rough idea of how my day works when I know it a little better!
Today was a Saturday so that meant we had time off. A group of us went up to semonkong which is a beautiful mountainous area with a very popular waterfall. The drive there was amazing, we got to see what Lesotho is really like and how people really live. I saw lots of donkeys and Basotho blankets and huts! (Pictures to come). Before going to the waterfall we visited another orphanage that we're hoping to develop a connection with. The orphanage is for older children aged 4-19. BG only really takes infants in so this orphanage could take on some of BGs kids if they're not adopted. We took a tour of the place and it made me realise how lucky we are to have BG! Then we gave some toys and clothes donations before heading off to the waterfall.
I'm still adjusting to my new life here which has its highs and lows but I am really enjoying myself! Thank you for all your support and prayers
E x
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