writing, traveling, history, politics, trees, flowers, HIV, nutrition, Peace Corps
Immigration Info
Immigration Status
K-1 Visa
Place benefits filed at
California Service Center
Country
Lesotho
Our Story
Moeketsi, whose nickname is Max, and I met while I was serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho. He was a friend of my neighbors and she wanted us to find a project to work on together to help orphans around her home village. We began discussing ideas for the project around November of 2007. As soon as we started having meetings, I was impressed with Max's work ethic. Most people are on "Africa time" as they say, but Max would show up for every meeting early. Even I was late more often than he was. I was still a little cautious though, because I had a year's worth of experience with local men at this time, and found them to be a little bit insensitive.
Max started courting me slowly though, not like most of the other men in Lesotho. He didn't rush to tell me he was in love with me or that he wanted to "visit" me. When I tried to scare him off by talking about things most of the men there considered boring, like politics and history, he was right on the same page. He was serious. I found that I really enjoyed his company and didn't really want to scare him off anymore. By Christmas I was excited to spend time with him and I looked forward to the long conversations we would have after our meetings were over.
I went on a Christmas trip and the night before I left was the first time I let Max visit me at my house. He called from a Christmas party and said he was bored and he didn't want to be with any one but me. I told him he could come over but that he had to leave early, it was getting dark and I didn't want rumors going around the village about having a Masotho man at my house late at night. He came over with two Heineken's and we shared one. We talked for a long time and he said he was so thankful that I let him come. I told him I would miss him when I was gone.
As soon as I got back in January we had our workshop that we had been planning. We were facilitating a youth workshop to teach vulnerable children leadership skills and how to form youth groups as well as how to avoid HIV and unwanted pregnancies. It was three days and the kids all spent the nights with us at a school. Max helped so much in finishing the workshop successfully, it never would have gone so smoothly if he hadn't been there.
After the workshop Max and I became inseparable. I took him to all my Peace Corps get-togethers and he had me at his office whenever I had free time to help with projects. He came to my Close of Service Party. I went to his families weddings and funerals.
The month before I left Lesotho, I started living with his family at their house. I helped his mother and sister with housework and stayed up with him while he finished writing reports and proposals. Two weeks after I moved in, he brought me my sheep, my official welcome to the family. We had a ceremony that constitutes the customary marriage; they presented me with the sheep, his mom had made a traditional dress for me and she gave me a new name (the custom is to get a new first name and surname) and I ate the ribs of my sheep. After that, I was officially known as a "M'e," instead of an "aussie," a Mrs. instead of a Miss.
We are planning to have an American wedding once he gets here.
