It’s impossible to describe to
other people how much an experience like spending a month in Lesotho, Africa
can change you. It was one of the most
remarkable experiences I have ever had.
I like to think that it changed my outlook on life and helped me figure
out where my priorities really lie. There
are four words that truly describe my experience: Sunglasses, Cement, Photography
and Thabo.
Sunglasses. Every morning we
would walk to breakfast and there were about twenty children who would be there
to greet us. They would wait at the gate
to the Trading Post where we stayed.
Sometimes they had notes for their “friend”, other times they would just
call out our names (mine was Savaaaaannah).
Towards the end of our trip, we gave small gifts to our friends, so that
they would have something to remember us by.
One of the things that we brought to share with them was sunglasses. The happiest I saw the kids that stood
outside of the gate was the day that we handed out those sunglasses. As sad as
it was to leave them, we learned a very important lesson that day: that
sometimes the littlest things can bring others immense joy.
Cement. The work that we did in Lesotho had a purpose. We wanted the Basotho to be able to use what
we built in the future so that they would have food and hopefully make a profit
off of some of our projects. Some of the things we built included: chicken coops,
green houses, a wedding garden, a piggery, a rabbit hutch, planted fruit trees,
built raised gardens, just to name a few things. A lot of the projects involved cement. Since I had made cement prior to the trip, I
was the “cement girl”. If there needed
to be cement made, I was on the team to do it.
I wouldn’t change a thing about it, we worked incredibly hard to get
everything done in a timely manner, and every time we exceeded what Dr.
Rosenberg expected of us.
Photography. In Lesotho, there is beauty in everything: not only the breath taking landscape, but in
every person that we encountered, especially in the children. Photography is the
way that I share what I learned and how I felt with other people. I did not have a problem finding beauty to take
photos of. I ended up taking around
5,000 pictures. But each photo evokes a
different memory. At this point, my only
regret is not taking MORE photos. I
truly believe you can never take too many photos.
Thabo. The first place we worked was called LCCU, Lesotho Child
Counseling Unit. The first day there, I
met a 5-year-old Basotho boy who did not speak any English. Even through the
language barrier, we managed to get to know each other through a game we would
play with each other. First, I would blow in his ear and he would giggle. After a few days, he would start to do it to
me too and like any child, it never got old to him. We continued to do it every day. We ended up having to go back to LCCU later
in the month and when I saw him, he knew exactly who I was. How incredible is it to have a bond with a
person that you can barely communicate with? I’ll never forget Thabo, my little
joy.
When the opportunity arose to
intern at Bloom, I realized I needed to do more and get involved again. Life
gets busy, it’s hard to be involved when the cause is millions of miles away.
But when I realize what is really important and what I will remember ten years
from now, it will be that I helped an organization with amazing people and all
for a greater purpose. I’ve only been working
for Bloom for a month and I already know that I want to go back to Lesotho and
I’ll do whatever it takes to get me there.
-Savannah Guyer
Savannah is currently an intern with Bloom Africa and a student at Wittenberg University.
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