There is something truly beautiful about being welcomed at
an international airport after 24 hours of travel. And we were lucky enough to be welcomed by
two good friends at the O.R. Tambo International Airport when we landed last
night, around 10pm local time. Kristen,
a good friend of Andrew’s who lives and works in Joburg, and Mosa, Bloom board
member from Lesotho, were both waiting to welcome two tired and straggling
travelers. After a nice night of
unwinding after a long day of travel, we hit the hay.
The adventure to Lesotho than began early this morning with
the rental of our car for the week. Because
neither of us can drive a manual (we know, we know) we opted for an
automatic. But despite the easier maneuvering,
the roads in South Africa still turn you into the most attentive driver on the
planet. Driving on the left side of the
road, while sitting on the right side of the car, sure does play games on your
brain. But thankfully, we were able to
get accustomed to it quite quickly.
We stopped in Bloemfontein, where Andrew surprised his host
family from his volunteer time in South Africa.
It was such a joy to see them and catch up. After a nice meal, we headed to the Maseru
border crossing. On the way to Lesotho,
we saw large, dark and ominous clouds rolling across the koppies and grasslands. All of
a sudden, a massive rain storm hit us. This
was truthfully unlike any rain storm I had ever seen in Africa. The rain drops were hitting the roof of our
car so aggressively, that it sounded like little rocks being pelted at us. And then, it hit Andrew. His African name, given to him by his host
family, was motlalepula, or “the one
who brings the rain.” He instantly felt
like at home.
When we finally crossed the border “Team Lesotho”, or Bloom
Africa’s newest group of young adult volunteers, from Lesotho, greeted us as. The sun had already been down for an hour or
so, and they waited patiently for us to arrive.
It was so wonderful to finally meet them in person. After a short bit of hanging out, we
discussed our busy schedule for tomorrow and the rest of the week.
Our drive to Roma on the pitch black roads was exhilarating. Perhaps it was the dark turns, and not
knowing what was ahead. Or maybe it was
the twinkling of lights from homes in the distance, looking simply like stars
in the sky. We rowed the windows down
and took in deep breaths of that uniquely Lesotho air. Ahh, it’s good to be back.
As we settle in for the night, we wish to thank all of you
for your continued support. Stay tuned
for more updates soon. We can’t wait to
work with the community here, and to learn even more ways we can work together
to help plant the seeds of hope for the orphans and vulnerable children.
Salang hantle,
Andrew & William
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