Moea O Mongata!

Moea O Mongata (It is too windy)

This is the phrase that I have been hearing basically every day since I’ve been back from consolidation and even before I left for consolidation. And it is completely true – it is too windy.

One of the cultural norms that we learned about during our training is that cleanliness is very important to Basotho. They sweep every day. They bathe every day at least once per day. They dust constantly. Tidiness in appearance is also very important. As Peace Corps Volunteers, we came joined thinking that we could “rough it” and that things like cleanliness and appearance are not high on our priority list, thus we are probably the worst representatives of America in this aspect.

Laundry: The dust just blows back on the laundry while it’s drying

I am not the cleanest person, but being here, I have realized that I have been sweeping every day. I am constantly dusting. And cleaning has become something I think about all of the time. Not because I have become a cleaner person, but because there is always dust – everywhere. Every day when I come home from school, there is a thin layer of dust over everything. The wind blows right through the cracks in my doors and windows. And small pieces of dust and straw from my thatched roof fall from the ceiling.

And while the wind is not my favorite thing about Lesotho, it is something that has bonded me with the people here. We are all trying to be clean. We are all trying to get away from the dust. And we are all complaining.

Walking home from School