Did you know? | Peace Corps Lesotho 🇱🇸

One thing about being a Peace Corps volunteer is that people have questions.

So here are a few of the questions I get asked most often.

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“What’s the toilet situation?”

As a volunteer, you’ll have your own private pit latrine + a designated pee bucket.

And before you panic, it becomes normal faster than you’d think.

Each volunteer is provided a latrine with a lock and key, which sounds comforting until you realize the local spiders, flies, bees, and mystery insects do not respect property rights.

I’ve found the best defense is simply keeping it clean, which is sweeping and taking down webs.

Pit latrine use is a strictly sunlight-activated activity. At night, we use the pee (only) bucket, which you dump in the pit latrine the next morning.

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“Do you have electricity?”

I personally do not have electricity, though many volunteers in Lesotho actually do.

Fortunately, my school has solar power so that I can charge my devices there daily. For volunteers without electricity at home or school, solar batteries and local clinics are the answer.

An unofficial Peace Corps Lesotho superstition: everything balances out.

Meaning, if you’re lucky enough to have electricity, your tradeoff may be BIG spiders, a mouse roommate, a water pump three hills away, or living incredibly far from town.

No one gets everything here. The universe keeps us humble.

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“What’s your least favorite thing?”

THE TAXIS

The roads in rural Lesotho make Louisiana potholes look filled.

My home is in a rural area, so getting home can involve rough terrain, steep roads, and, during the rainy season, terrifying travel conditions.

If I happen to chance the taxis in the rain, for half of the time I’m deep in prayer, and the other half I’m deciding the trip wasn’t worth it.

And like many places in the world, taxis can absolutely be a space where scammers thrive if you aren’t paying attention. I’ve learned that lesson personally.

The upside? I’ve become friendly with many of the drivers in my area, and that sense of familiarity makes taxi life feel better.

Still though.

The taxis are my greatest enemy.