YEABO!

So here I am, 1 year to the day that I left America for my Peace Corps service. 1 year living in a mud hut with grass roof, 1 year without electricity or running water, 1 year washing my laundry by hand on sunny days and 1 year never tiring of the beauty that is Lesotho.

Many of my friends and family are familiar with what I do here but for those who aren't quite sure, who don't know me or have just forgotten...

My name is Michael Kerr and I am an American serving in the US Peace Corps program. I swore in as a volunteer in 2010 and will be living here in Lesotho, Southern Africa until August 2012. The program I work for within the PC is Community Health & Economic Development. The focus of this program is to assist my community in projects to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic that is engulfing southern Africa.

I live in a community called Katse, Thaba-Tseka. It is home to the Katse Dam, Africa's 2nd largest. At 184M tall, this behemoth holds back a gorgeous 54KM reservoir home to delicious salmon and rainbow trout.a It is an astoundingly beautiful mountain community to call home and I couldn't be happier with it.

In Katse, I am known as Nyakallo Kotelo. Nyakallo roughly translates into happiness. Some of the Basotho (people of Lesotho) people will tell you that Nyakallo is a women's name while others will tell you that it is just a more respectful form of the more common "Thaboo". Regardless, I love the name!

This is just a brief hello so be sure to check back infrequently for actual stories, etc.

Thanks!