Expats, dinasours and things...

Hello Dear Reader,

As promised, and then un-promised, and then promised again, I'm back to give you one expat's perspective on living abroad...

Come November 2011, I'll be able to say that I've lived in Lesotho for 3 years. THREE YEARS?!!! Yes, three, whole years! Aside from the foreigners who moved to Lesotho, fell in love with the place and people, and have committed to building a life here, I'm one of the few expats who've been here for so long. You see, the every-day-expat tends to take assignments (job contracts) either with the same organization or a different one for six months up to two years. Three years?...well that's just crazy talk! At least in the Lesotho context, I'm damn near a dinosaur!

At every expat party, you're always either meeting someone new, saying goodbye to a friend, but usually both at the same time. Let me quickly take you to an expat party (in Lesotho). And since I love the highly acclaimed cult classic, The Golden Girls, I'll do it Sophia Patrillo (RIP) style:

Picture it- Maseru, winter 2011. That year was one of the rainiest winters on record. There was so much rain that we had to canoe to work and the village idiot (so not politically correct) tried to build an ark with his blanket as the sail...but I digress.

The young, extraordinarily beautiful Expat Dani (hey, I'm telling this story here) went to yet another expat party to bid farewell to Leena, who was leaving Lesotho after a year of living in the hut on top of Thaba Bisiou (the final resting place of the first king of Lesotho- Moshoeshoe). Dani had been to parties like this- ones where she barely recognized all who were there. Walking through the crowd of new people/same conversation was like dodging a Starbucks in Seattle...you can't! But she was prepared, she brought her handy dictaphone with a pre-recorded responses:

Newbie: Hello, my name is Newbie!

Me: [Turns on pre-recorded message] Nice to meet you Newbie.

Newbie: I work for HIV Kick It. Where do you work?

Me: Oh, you work with Mark and Anna.

Newbie: Oh, no. I'm the new Anna and my friend over there is the new Mark. So how long is your contract?

Me: I don't really have a contract. It's really based on the availability of funding. And you?

Newbie: I have a six month contract. I'm from San Fransisco. I'm trying to plan a road trip to Zambia, Mozambique, Cape Town, Namibia, and Swaziland. I want to go pony trekking and mountain climbing and learn Sesotho and learn how to drive a manual car...and and and...

Me: Oh, that's nice...I see my friend over there. Nice to meet you and if I don't see you again, goodbye.

Me: [Turns off tape player]

The moral of the story: keep extra batteries for your recorder.

Yes, I know that was a very weak attempt at a Sophia Patrillo a la Golden Girls story, but you get the point.

So as I fast approach my 3rd year in Lesotho, I have earnestly started the process of asking the question, "What next?" Should I stay and become a permanent fixture in Lesotho? Should I strike out and start the next, new adventure in another country, or should I go back to the US and finally stop putting off furthering my studies in a Ph.D. program (and move back abroad after wards)? Hmm... I mean the whole point of accepting this expat life was to explore myself and the world (hopefully at the same time). Even now, I'm not ready to settle down in one place for too long...and most lifetime expats will say the same...they don't want to go home for long and don't want to settle in one place long enough for it to start looking/feeling like home.

Again: Hmmm.....lots to think about!

And on a completely different note, but will perhaps be followed up with another post about Love & Life Abroad (a series even), next Thursday, I'm headed back to Ethiopia to spend some much needed time with my awesome boyfriend. Think eleven days of the bright lights of Addis Ababa...hot springs...tibs and injera...Ethio-jazz...schistosomiasis-free lakes...Oh My!

So until next time, Dear Reader, if you have any specific topics you'd like for me to address, feel free to post as many questions as you'd like. I'll do my best to address them.

Oh, and yet another note, my friend who watched me go through the final, frustrating stages of my Peace Corps application process just contacted me after some time. And guess what: She just completed her Pre-Service Training (PST) in Peace Corps Belize. Furthermore, her cousin will soon be entering PC- Cape Verde. ...And Peace Corps still lives on in my heart!

Can't wait to hear from you! Yes, I mean YOU!

Dani