Tsepiso (see Extras)

Backblip.

Saturday was a lost day. Migraine and nausea all day. The photo is one I made in the pharmacy where I got my first-ever blood pressure meds. Made me laugh because I admit I have consulted WebMD on a number of health issues. But that's not what Saturday was about. I wanted to upload a photo of Tsepiso, but the resolution is too low, so she's in Extras. 

I spent some of Saturday, when my eyes could focus, communicating with this remarkable young woman via Facebook Messsenger. She sent me a selfie made with a friend's phone, and I worked on it, and it truly is the only thing I can say for Saturday (first extra).

I met Tsepiso in Lesotho when she was about 8 years old (second extra). She was the smartest kid in her class, spoke English when none of the others could, although hers was the most impoverished environment. She had a bright energy that stood out, as if she were surrounded by light. In 2010, the last time I was able to return to Lesotho, she was grown, recently divorced with two children (third extra). Now she is 41, a single mother of three, and chronically unemployed, as is just about everyone in the country. Occasionally she gets work as an office manager or administrative assistant, and she is always very good at what she does (I know from other reports). She wrote to me via Facebook Messenger to tell me of the slow, horrible death from cancer of another person there who I cared about, and we shared our grief and had a detailed catch-up. 

Her mother is mentally ill, as mine was. She was reared by her grandmother, as I was. (Her grandmother is still alive, in the background here.) Tsepiso is more intelligent than I have ever been, hungry for education, curious about everything. I connected deeply with her. She has had far fewer opportunities than I, fewer privileges, and that has left my heart in a knot for years. 

Today we landed on a possible improvement in her circumstances. I asked about a woman I know who was a top administrator at the National University of Lesotho but has now retired. I wondered if she is still alive, and indeed, not only is she still alive but she has financed a pre-school and is active in the community where Tsepiso lives. I asked Tsepiso to go visit her and see if she has an email address so I can write to her. If that happens, I can ask her to please help find work for Tsepiso. If it is possible, maybe I can send a little money to her for Tsepiso from time to time. (Tsepiso has no bank account.) 

I am hopeful. Life in Lesotho is still very hard. Going beyond survival (which isn’t ever guaranteed or easy) depends on knowing someone who knows someone with a little power or privilege, who can reach in and pull the other one up. I hope with all my heart that my old friend can help pull Tsepiso up just enough that Tsepiso can make her own way.