So it's been about a week and a half since I've been back from vacation. Time moves quick over here.
My first day back I discovered that someone had moved in while I was away. I laid down on my bed after arriving back and saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked over, and lo and behold, there was a Black Widow spider (red hourglass and all) sitting within inches of my head. I have pictures (just not with me) that will get posted of my now-former housemate.
My girlfriend's coming to visit in June! I'm real excited about that.

also, I've added an rss feed option to my blog which you can find on the bar on the right side all the way at the bottom

so long for now.

Attempted assassination of Prime Minister

Local media are reporting the attempted assassination of Prime Minister
Pakalitha Mosisili on April 22. Following this incident, sustained
gunfire was heard in Maseru West, and gunshots were also exchanged in
the areas surrounding Ratjomose Military Barracks, Makoanyane Military
Barracks and the National Abattoir between 3:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Following the incident, three assailants fleeing the Prime Minister's
residence carjacked a combi-bus/taxi in Thetsane Extension. Reports
indicate some of the assailants were killed and others apprehended by
police, who are still actively seeking other suspects. There is no
indication of Americans being targeted, and all gunfire appears to have
ceased at this time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/8013432.stm

I can't imagine anything higher than this:

That's exactly where I sat for a large part of my vacation.

Camera broke so no pictures of my own, but I'll cross post my friends when they put them up, however Rebecca has put up a few:
http://rebeccagoestoafrica.blogspot.com/

Went with Jack, Rebecca and Madeline
We tripped to Port St. John's in South Africa.
It took us 14 hours of a combination of hitches and a lot of public transport to get there. In total we drove in 9 different vehicles that day. Shortly after hopping the border, we watched a man in a full prison jumpsuit run out of jail screaming "woooohooo" and then ten minutes later saw him down the block sitting on the corner. Have I mentioned that Lesotho has a national prisoners day that involves lots of dancing and singing? Because they do.
It sits right on the coast less than a 5 minute walk from the hostel to the beach. Unfortunately the beach we were right next to was shark infested (there'd been a few attacks recently) so we weren't really allowed to swim, or at least night right near the life guards.
We saw monkeys all over the place, including just a few feet outside of the hostel. The hostel itself was gorgeous and had fires every night and a pretty decent bar (still only quarts of castle and black label, but the ambiance was cool)
Learned a little Xhosa while I was out there and taught some Sesotho.
I fell really hard off a rope swing, maybe 5 feet, but fortunately I landed in a soft patch of brush and only have a few bruises as a result. Shortly after that, Jack and I hiked to a waterfall over moss covered super slippery boards that sat 15 feet up at points, with a sharp dropoff shortly thereafter. The waterfall was gorgeous and I jumped off a few times and had a lot of fun.
Rebecca, Jack and Madeline all ate badfish and got food poisoning, so I branched off on my own for a day, fortunately they recovered the next day (PC makes you strong).
Lots and lots of other adventures were involved, but I don't feel comfortable talking about everything here. You, reader, will have lots to hear about this trip from me if you so wish!
We rented a private car on the way back, which was so worth it. We stopped at a rest stop (!!!) and got pulled over a million times because they were cracking down for easter (no tickets or laws broken, pulled over feela)
Went to a mall in Bloemfontein on the way back. There were teenagers dressed like American teenagers and goths and emo kids and the whole thing totally blew Jack and my mind, whereas Rebecca and Madeline had been out of the country quite a few times since coming.
We also watched "He's just not that into you" which was kinda terrible but it was so amazing to sit in a movie theatre. I also watched cable TV and saw this video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A_ma2h0idk
Overall, lots of exploring and lots of hanging out HARD, which felt SO good. Back to school and Basotho Life tomorrow.

Met the king last night

We sang the national anthem (terribly) as he left Lancers, the restaraunt my fellow pcvs and he were at. He was wearing shorts and a track jacket.
Also, I'm taking a vacation to somewhere on the wild coast (All I know is that there are hammocks, monkeys, and the ocean) next week, so I'll have no cell service for a while


also, feel free to check out the stuff over here ---->
for ideas of what to send me

also, beautiful Ha Stirling, where I reside:

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