Vaseline, Washing Powder, and Bath Soap

Part of what makes the Peace Corps experience unique is its emphasis on cultural exchange and anti-savior rhetoric. As a volunteer, I’m not here to save the Basotho people. I’m simply working alongside willing people and communities to support whatever they need, because they know their country better than me. Duhhh.

During my first couple of weeks here, almost everyone I spoke to assumed all Americans were rich and lived well.

Sigh. I wish! Every day I shatter one more person’s stereotypical view of America (usually by explaining my student loan debt 🥲), and immediately another person spawns in their place. I’m basically playing Whac-A-Mole.

I love my home, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else; and being here I see the reality of the biggest thief of joy—comparison.

Without “buy now, pay later” or “pay in increments,” where would many people be? Would you have a car? A house? A cell phone? An iPad?

The title of this post is “Vaseline, Washing Powder, and Bath Soap.”

Have you ever thought about the three things you’d buy if you had very little money?

Before speaking with my neighbor, I never had. One night, under the moon light, we talked about some of the hardships faced in a conservative, patriarchal society grappling with corruption across the kingdom.

The topic of poverty in Lesotho came up. We spoke of what things must be paid for with money versus what can be bartered. My neighbor spoke of giving piglets as payment for several five-liter tubs of maize (a staple food in Lesotho) or flour for bread.

It was explained that for this particular neighbor money is usually divided among three main priorities before anything else is considered: enough Vaseline for everyone in the home (the air here is very dry and skin problems are common), washing powder for clothes and sheets, and bath soap.

I’m not sure why this conversation stuck with me, but days later I still think about it—and how unnecessary some of my own comforts are.

I’ve never met happier people than the Basotho. They’re so joyful that I didn’t even see the poverty until it was explained to me. Even then, I still see people making the best out of every situation.

My Sesotho family and friends are up, dressed, and working before me (and I get up at 6 a.m.) and finish long after I get home from work (around 6 p.m.). Somehow, they still have the energy to cook dinner with me—I’ll be introducing them to instant noodles soon—and they even go to bed after me!

My family has sheep, goats, a pig, a dog, and a huge garden with different crops. We have a nice home and everything we need and want.

I had an interesting talk with my Sesotho dad one night. He said, “We are poor.” But by indirect comparison, they’d be considered middle class in America.

Direct comparison is such a funny thing because it’s so much easier to find where you are lacking.

Just a few thoughts I’ve had over the last few days.

If I had to choose, my American three items would be toothpaste, lotion, and bread.

My Lesotho three items? The same as my neighbor’s, for sure.

What three items would be your nonnegotiable items be?

Kene !!

“We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share” - Maya Angelou

Learning how to hand wash clothes with a view!