Spring - National Peace Corps Association

A Bit of Life in Lesotho: Tupa Trouble
By Zoé Schroeder, Current Education PCV in Lesotho (2012-14) zoeschroeder@gmail.com
As I wait for school to start (originally
opening on Jan. 14 th and now
Jan. 28 th ), I am encountering the many
“ups and downs” that Peace Corps has
prepared me for. This has to do with
the 3 month time period when you first
arrive at site and you might experience
loneliness, missing home, too much
attention from your community, not
enough attention from your community
and daily frustrations at mundane tasks
that suddenly become difficult. For your
reading pleasure, I will break down one
of my daily frustrations.
Enter ‘tupa’. It is not a person, but
one heck of an annoying piece of wood.
That is right. Piece. Of. Wood. Here’s the
scene: My community relies on a well to
get all of their water. It is located close
to my house so I consider myself lucky.
But, of course, it is broken. There is a
part missing that applies pressure when
you pump so that water is pushed up.
It broke off about 2 years ago (or so my
neighbors tell me) and has never been
fixed. Therefore, the people of Tabola
have replaced it with a large piece of
wood that you place beneath the lever so
that it can apply the necessary pressure.
Everyone calls it “tupa” of “the stick” in
Sesotho.
Up until about a week ago, the
tupa and I had no problems. I pumped
my water and carried it home like a
good Masotho. Yet, one day I arrived
and discovered no tupa. No tupa, no
water. I stared blankly at the pump for
a couple minutes and I am sure people
were watching and laughing, as they
always do. I eventually made my way
to the nearest house to ask where it was,
and saw another tupa on the ground. In
broken Sesotho, some English and a lot
of hand gestures, I got the impression
that most people have their own tupa.
She let me borrow hers and I successfully
pumped my water for the day. I
was suddenly worried about where I
was going to find my own tupa. You
might say “find the nearest tree,” but
that would not be helpful because I
cannot see a single tree in my site for
miles.
Luckily, my host family has their
own tupa which they usually leave at
the pump for others to use if need be.
But as of late, the tupa has been used
too much and has worn out. The wood
has smoothened out so that it does not
grip the lever well and slips easily. Also,
there is less water now that we are in
mid-summer so you have to pump a lot
harder and faster than usual. After about
10 minutes of heavy pumping, putting
the tupa back 30 times already and I
have yet to see a trickle of water fill my
20 liter bucket, I am ready to throw the
tupa into the bush in South Africa.
Although I struggle with the tupa to
this day, this story has a happy ending.
I get so angry at the pump I have to tell
myself to calm down. I knew I would
not have the modern conveniences here
that I am used to in the US. So why be
mad The past 3 or 4 times I have been at
the pump, something truly remarkable
has happened. Someone has come out
to help me. The other day, it was a boy
who could not have been much older
than 8. While I am ready to burst into
tears at the situation, my neighbors take
on the tupa with such patience. When
it falls, they calmly put it back. They
might laugh at me and my crazy American
ways every day, but they see me as
part of their community. The fact that I
actually go to the tap myself and pump
my own water is a sign that I really am
serious about living here, with them. So
they help me out just like they would
help out anyone in Tabola. It is a very
generous act and I am always touched
when it happens. I can only hope that
after my Peace Corps service I will have
the patience of an African.
Photo taken by Zoé Schroeder on Jan 14 th
2013 in Tabola, Lesotho.
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6 Global Education News, Spring 2013 www.peacecorpsconnect.org