The Wana Sisterhood

Last Sunday was my sister Mabela's 24th birthday. It wasn't much different than most Sundays. Except for the cakes we baked and the amount of wine we drank. but most sundays are the same.

Every sunday, after church, all the local girls come over. the little ones. we play games with them. this sunday it was jumprope. last sunday it was hopscotch. we play until it gets dark and all the little banana(girls) go home.

then we crank up the stereo and bust out the wine. this is how every sunday goes down. the older girls keep my wine glass filled. and then the younger girls steal it from me and take illegal sips. then when they get drunk its a mystery to everyone but me. but they are so adorable i just let them take it. plus i dont need the amount of wine they give me. and they are actually of legal age. which is 16 here. so soon enough 10+ girls are dancing wildly around me. and grabbing me by the hands to dance with. i get so happy here that i sometimes wish my old life didnt exist.

i have a sisterhood here that i never had in the U.S. i dont even remember even having girl friends. maybe one or two. but mostly my friends were gay guys. or lesbians.

but here i have so many sisters.

there is Mpoi who is 30. everyone says she is my favorite. buts its only because she is always in my house. eating my food. complaining that i dont clean enough. but she talks to me about serious things that the others dont. like what her life is coming to. how she never wants to get married. how the basotho feel about me. she keeps me informed. and i love talking to her. she will literally say anything. shes a very blunt thing.

then Mabela. who is my same age. she is beautiful. looks very american and trendy. she has this kick-ass attitude that reminds me of my cousin pheobe. like shes never had a day of her life where she didnt think she was the bomb. i love her for that. she mostly talks to me about boys. like i hate that boy. and that boy should die. and do you have any exboyfriends? well i will kill them for you. those are our conversations.

then there is little mpoka. my youngest sister. she is also really cute. so small and skinny. but i hang out with her probably the most. she is a student at my school. and secretly enough she is my favorite.

there are also the girls that board at my house. they are like sisters as well. there is shoeshoe(shiwayshiway) who is like the girl i wish i could have been in high school. shes actually 22. but she is in my 11th grade class. she has the prettiest smile. shes kinda roundish. which makes me think of myself at her age. i love this girl.

there is matabiso. she is 19. quiet. and adorable. she never says anything to me. the others pick on her and i try to give her my attention and tell her how much i like her dress and so on. shes probably my second favorite.

last but not least is the infamous mamachoka. shes tall. skinny. and loud. she always wears the priciest clothes. while the rest of us are in dirty sweats. she talks down to me. which used to infuriate me but now i just know "thats just mamachoka". she is the girl you would hate in high school. pretty and poplular. and if we had cheerleading in this country she would be head cheerleader. i used to dislike her but now i find myself gravitating to her.

then there is my M'e'. my mother. she is hilarious. i caught her trying to hullahoop the other day. she is always there if i need to borrow something. or ask her something. she is also the chief of our village. so shes pretty vip. she calls me "darling" and everytime i feel so warm inside. i love her.

these are the women who make up my family. and i swear to god i couldnt have asked for a better one. ive never lived in an all-woman household but its something that feels so right. like snow during christmas. or coffee in the morning.

and when boys do show up. which they do occasionally. like during mabela's birthday. they are just turned away. like shoo boys shoo. this is an all-girl thing.