Familiarity

It's funny how things sneak up on you when you least expect it.

For instance, I suddenly feel a level of comfort, like I have finally settled into the rhythm of life here in Mokhotlong -- a sort of regular mix of the irregular.

Eric, the new TTLF Fellow, just arrived and moved into Kirsten's former rondaval. So far this week I've been trying to introduce him to all things TTL. It will be great having another person here to help again.

Eric's arrival makes me think back to my own arrival here more than five months ago, and how different everything seemed to me then. Now everything is far more familiar and I feel like I fit into it all. I'm more comfortable with my role here, with colleagues, with the babies, and with the people in town. It's a nice progression to have made and a nice feeling to have.

The feeling isn't hampered by the fact that the babies continue to do well. They are growing rapidly and are getting more and more rambunctious. They are all girls except little Mpho, and interact with each other in an endearing way.

I remember not too long ago when sickness was tearing through the safe-home and all the babies seemed threatened and the world felt like it was crumbling apart. There's nothing like the death of a little baby in your care to make you lose your level of comfort with your immediate surroundings and with the world as a whole.

At the other end of the spectrum, there's also nothing like the smiles of a handful of little girls, who have gotten to know you, who trust you and who run to you with big smiles whenever they see you, to instill that same comfort back again.