arriving in mokhotlong

TTL has unfortunately been experiencing internet difficulties over the last month so sorry for the lack of updates! A lot has been happening including the arrival of TTL’s newest Fellow Julie Wheaton.

Hello! My name is Julie and I’m the newest Fellow here at Touching Tiny Lives. Upon learning that I would have the privilege to work with Touching Tiny Lives, I hit the internet to see what I could find out about the little mountain town of Mokhotlong. Throughout my research, one sentence stood out like a flashing neon sign: “The bleakness of Mokhotlong will either charm or scare you.” From the introduction I received from the previous fellows, I knew I would fall into the “charmed” category, but this sentence peaked my interest, nonetheless. While I drove into Mokhotlong in the darkness of night, I was greeted the next morning by the sun illuminating the stunning mountains that surround TTL and Mokhotlong. Charmed, I was! I come to TTL from Seattle, Washington, one of my favorite things about this city being the mountains that cradled it – the Olympics to the West and the Cascades to the East. As I adjust to life in Mokhotlong, I am thankful for this similarity between my past and current home.

In the short time since that first impression of Mokhotlong, I have come to learn many things about Lesotho and the people who live here. I have seen the strength and determination of the Basotho people as they stand in opposition to the HIV/AIDS epidemic – a direct reflection of the strength of the mountains that surround them.

In the weeks and months to come, I look forward to learning more from each experience I have here at Touching Tiny Lives and I look forward to sharing these experiences with you.

-Julie

TTLF Fellow

The TTLF Fellow is a representative of the North American organisation The Tiny Lives Foundation. Based for one year in Mokhotlong, Lesotho, the TTLF Fellow serves in an administrative support capacity for the Basotho charity TTL.

www.touchingtinylives.org