Girls got SKILLZ

Grassroots Soccer SKILLZ Girls 2015, "Blessed Sister"

 The sound of what I still associate with the scratchy dragging of garbage bins over sidewalk on “trash day” in America but in actually is the sledging of loaded metal carts powered by donkies headed to the well to get water-wakes me up. I think to myself: damn, its been over a year now since I arrived here and this sound still makes me think of trash day..Anywho, it is Sunday and the big anticipated graduation day for M’e Matlotliso’s and mine group of Grassroots Soccer SKILLZ girls to celebrate their two months of hard work. I decided to get my anxiety out some trails made by cattle, sheep, and goats through the deserted cornfields below my home, adjacent to the Caledon River. Feeling good and lifted after my run, I walk to Ntate Mohapo’s shop nice and early to purchase nama ea khoo khoo le pofo ea papa, meat of chicken and powder of maize meal. This is only place to get meat in Ha Khoro because they have a freezer and these girls deserve to feast of some meat after they worked so passionately about the “unspoken” things here in Lesotho-sexuality, gender norms, relationships, self worth. I got to assist these girls with gaining knowledge about their rites as young ladies, and thus I got watch them develop confidence and trust in themselves and with their peers in the group.

I arrive at the school at 8 AM when “study” begins, a time in which students are required to come to school for two hours either on Saturday or Sunday and review their notes form the week. (If they are to dodge study, they get the stick on Monday..) After study is over the girls preform their drama they have been practicing for weeks to those that wish to stay after study and watch. Me Matlotliso, some form C girls, and myself began to prepare the foods and another teacher set some speakers to make their be sound and play mino ho jaefa, music to dance. At any Basotho event, there must be music and everyone, everyone is invited to dance together. The weirder the mix the better-students, teachers, grandmas, toddlers, elected officials..no problem!

After study was finishes the girls line up in front of the school and nervously and act out their drama about two young village girls who go away to boarding school and one encounters pressures from her new peers. The girls rocked it. I feel like a overly-proud-soccer-mom. They award each other with certificates of SKILLZ completion, give one compliment about the awardee, and then gift them with a big hug in front of the school.  Together, we do our unique and final “Blessed Sisters” cheer and Limpho reads a poem, Beautiful Flower. Best verse I must share:

"I talk these words to every girl who thinks that she is not special because she does not look like a super model,

The next day the radio tells you to shake your money-maker,

Shake your head and tell them you are a leader!"

We continue the celebration by dancing to the ever-so-popular South African house music in a big circle. The male teachers are served their plates of food and us girls trot to the kitchen to nosh our papa and nama out of a big caldron pot, family style. The girls pick those bones cleeeeeean, leaving nothing behind. Happy bellies, happy girls, happy lives! Re khotse haholo, we satisfied completely.

Giving Kananelo her certificates

Chanting our final "Blessed Sisters" kilo!

Kananelo, Thotoane, and Mohapi posing with their certificates

This excitement and getting to do a science experiment with the biology kids really made the end of the school year fulfilling. Now, we are left with two weeks in which the students will write their exams and soon enough I will be zipping off to the big unknown land of Namibia with my SISTER. We plan to travel around in our rental car, probably get lost, make some friends who will help us, camp under the African moon, and just follow no plan at all. I am so elated to get to so this with no one else but my sister and best friend in life.

The hiking crew for our three day trek through Southern Lesotho

The beautiful Senqu River 

Cheesin with Ts'oani 

The lil' minions are posted