Tonight is our last night in Canada. We leave at 5:15 pm Eastern (although we are flying Air Canada so it will be more likely 5:45). We survived our packing and moving pretty unscathed; we've certainly have had worse experiences moving. Although, we forgot a load of laundry and a spare bicycle tire at the apartment. Not just any load of laundry, the only clothes left unpacked that we have for our trip. Fortunately, we were able to retrieve them the next day. ...

Tonight is my last shift before we leave. I am really going to appreciate the break from this place. It's been a good nearly 3 years, but the politics of this place are starting to get to me although it will certainly be an interesting session of Parliament. It will fun to be out of the Ottawa loop for awhile. Honestly, the government could fall or Harper could be annointed Emperor I wouldn't hear about it for months. Quite the contrast from living the news f...

THE TICKETS HAVE BEEN BOUGHT! Well, we think. There's a huge debt owing on our credit card, so we're assuming that our wonderful travel agent, Leah, has booked our tickets and not a fancy spa get-away for herself... It's a huge relief for the both of us! We leave three weeks from Saturday-it's coming so soon! In the meantime, I'm headed home to Nova Scotia to see family and hang out for a bit. The break is a welcome one, especially since it means ...

An update we received from a Mosotho (person from Lesotho, singular) who is working with Help Lesotho. It will give yuo a better idea of what we're up against, in terms of HIV infection rates. Heart-wrenching, to say the least...Joel and I will be living working with the people in Mahlekefane. *** "A lot has happened on this trip, more than I can say yet I'll do my best to describe it to you. Peter and Peggy [Help Lesotho volunteers] went ahead of me...

We're starting to get a few more details about our living arrangements in Lesotho. We'll be renting a mud hut (the traditional houses of the Basotho people) in Mahlekefane for a whopping $25 a month. We may have to share it with another volunteer, Shauna, for a few weeks as our time in Mahlekefane begins as hers will be ending. Luckily, she seems to be a lot of fun and it'll be great to only have to pay 2/3 of that crazy rent bill :) Apparently the hut is q...