Why I am here

There have been some requests to detail what it is that I am doing here, so I will do my best. Right now, I am trying to take care of all the details when you move somewhere new overseas. I am still trying to secure a work permit and visa and a place to live. The photos above were taken from the house where I am staying. It is in a quiet neighborhood of Maseru called Katlehong. The sunsets, as you can see, are amazing.
As for my work here, I am doing my research for my PhD. I earned my master's degree in May finishing my coursework and taking my comprehensive exams. So now the 'only' thing left to do is to do my research and write a dissertation. I am spending my year here to get the research done. My project is looking at Lesotho in the 1950s and 60s as it transitioned from colonial rule to independence. I want to know how young people who were not necessarily involved in political parties viewed this process and what they wanted to see from their new country. I will be looking at how their views differed from their parents and where they did and did not manage to make their views heard.
What this all means on a day-to-day basis is hard to say. I will spend time in the archives around the country looking for documents and photographs. Much of my time, however, will be spent interviewing people who were involved in youth groups (church groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Young Farmer's Associations, etc) at that time. I already have a decent list of contacts that I will start getting in touch with when I get all my details nailed down.
I hope that helps give a better idea about what I will be doing here until June. Take care!

Life in the city

For the first time in my travels to Lesotho I find myself living in the capital city, Maseru. I am house sitting for a woman who is the country director of an NGO here while she is gone for two weeks. It is a quite nice place in a quiet part of town very close to where one of my good friends from my teaching days lives. It is close enough to walk to the government offices and stores that I need to get to, but there is a mountain in between so we don't have the noise and the hustle and bustle.
My life right now consists of trying to take care of a thousand and one details. I am trying to get a letter from the US Embassy to secure my visa. I am looking for a permanent place to live. I am trying to find a cheap car so that when I am going to archives and meeting people to interview I don't have to rely on the public transport which is slow and unpredictable. I am also trying to make my introductions at the various archives around the country and secure affiliation at the university. All-in-all, my days are full, although not really of research yet. That will come once some of these details are taken care of.
The house where I am staying sits on the side of a hill looking out over some of the Maseru suburbs and the gigantic stand where Pope John Paul II said his public mass when he visited Lesotho in 1988. The huge field surrounding it is still (as of right now) free of development and a wonderfully flat place to run, although like any place in Lesotho, I get more than my share of stares when I do so.
While I am house sitting I have internet access in the house so if you are looking to get in touch with me, the next few weeks would be a good time. I am hoping to have internet in the place where I eventually end up, but I need to find that first! Anyway, the peach trees are blooming a vibrant pink here so spring is on its way. Hope you are well!

Arrival

Hello all,
I just wanted to let you know that I have arrived safe and sound in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. I have had some requests to post what exactly I am doing here and why, but I will save that for a later post as I have a lot to get done here on Friday before everything closes for the weekend. It has been great so far to be back...Lesotho feels more and more familiar the more times I come. I had great luck yesterday to be on the same flight as the Prinicpal Secretary (2nd in command) at the Health Ministry and an American who works for a health NGO here called PSI. Not only did we have interesting conversation but the American woman asked me to housesit for her for two weeks starting next week so I now have time to look for permanent housing and don't have to pay for it!
Later in the afternoon I was walking down the main street in Maseru (the capital) on my way to the US Embassy and I ran into some former students of mine from St. Rodrigue. It is hard to be incognito around here! Today I bought a phone so if you want or need to call me here in Lesotho, feel free. I can also receive text messages, which is a much cheaper option for you (as it is for me...if you hear from me it will likely be via Skype or text message). The number is: 5909 5486. The country code for Lesotho is 266. I bought this particular brand because my former teaching colleague told me they have the best coverage even up in the mountains and it works in South Africa as well. I will be testing both of these claims in the coming months!
After some big rainstorms overnight which made everyone happy because they can start plowing once the rains come, today is a bright sunny day. The highs will probably be in the low 70s and the lows tonight around 50 or maybe into the upper 40s. All-in-all, pretty nice weather for late winter in the mountains. Take care and I promise I will not be posted every other day all year!

Leaving on a jet plane

Hey everyone,

My bags are (almost) packed and I am getting ready to leave in the morning (Tuesday). I fly to Johannesburg (via Atlanta and Dakar, Senegal), spend the night there and then fly to Maseru on Thursday morning. I will keep you all posted when something interesting starts to shake down in Lesotho, but the first few days will be filled with mundane tasks like finding a place to live, buying a phone (Lesotho's country code is 0266 for those who wanted the answer to that trivia question) and start figuring out what sort of work I need to be doing. It will be late winter when I arrive so it should be pretty nice with daytime temperatures in the 60s and lows around 40. I am hoping that the snow is done for this year and that spring and the pink-blooming peach trees of Lesotho will be just around the corner. Take care on this side of the world and drop me a line every now and then and I will get back to you. Be safe!

First Hello

Welcome to my blog. I am writing this from 99-degree Saint Louis, MO deep into my preparations to get ready for my Lesotho trip. I just purchased my tickets today and will be leaving on August 19th. I will be spending about 10 months in Lesotho doing my doctoral research on African History. I will, of course, be posting much more about that in the months to come. For now, it should suffice to say that I am looking at the 1950s and 60s investigating the transition from colonialism to independence. I hope that many of you will comment here or email me to keep in touch. I should have a cell phone as well once I get there if you want phone communication. More to come soon...at least once I get to Lesotho.

For those who don't know, Lesotho is an independent country completely surrounded by South Africa.