Ahh I cannot believe I have already been in Cape Town for over two weeks! This place is absolutely incredible and I am still loving every second that I am here. This past week was service week for me and the rest of the Bafana's, and I can honestly say that it was one of the most rewarding weeks of my life. My apologies in advance for how long this post is about to be...
On Monday we had a short lesson in the beach house and then we were each assigned with a group of 5-6 other students to a Soup Mother's family for the week. I was assigned to Ms. Hetta's house which I was very excited about since I had heard really great things about her and her family from students who had come on Global LEAD in the past! As a Soup Mother in the community, Ms. Hetta is donated supplies to make soup for about 60 children after school about once a week so that they are ensured at least one good meal a day. After breaking for a quick lunch we headed into the township for our first day in Sir Lowry's Pass. The kids had been waiting for us all day, and as we piled off of the buses they immediately ran up and began jumping on all of us and just wanting to touch us. Definitely the warmest welcome I think I have ever received and will receive in my entire life! We then divided up into our families, and myself, along with the rest of the Global LEADers in my family for the week made our way to Ms. Hetta's home. Her house was pretty much what I expected. They have a small kitchen/living room area and then two bedrooms that are partitioned off from the kitchen area by curtains. One thing that they had that I was not expecting to see was a large television with cable. I was even more surprised when one of Ms. Hetta's daughters began talking to me about all of the shows she enjoys watching on E, especially all about the Kardashian family and Kim's 72 day marriage. Needless to say this was not a conversation I was expecting to have in the township! We spent a good deal of time on Monday talking to our families and just getting to know one another. Mrs. Hetta is a wonderful, Christian woman and really wanted to discuss her faith with us. She went around asking us all what our favorite bible verse is, and when it got to her she said “Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want.”” I think my heart may have broken into a million pieces when she said this was her favorite bible verse. Coming from someone who has so little, it was absolutely amazing for me to hear that these were words she lived by. It really made me realize how much I take for granted in my own life. Before leaving, some girls outside Mrs. Hetta's attempted to teach me a jump-rope like game, but I think it was pretty much a lost cause. I did give it my all though! That night, Lindsay, Delsa, Kim, Taylor, and I went to dinner at Mama Africa for a belated birthday celebration for Kim! We were all pretty adventurous with our orders, and started off with the Wild-Game Kabobs, which had Springbok, Crocodile, and Kudu on it. I really liked it all! For my main course I decided to try the Ostrich steak which was absolutely delicious! I definitely will be ordering that again before heading home.
Tuesday afternoon we headed back into the township! We only got to spend about 30 minutes or so with our family this day, because the day was mainly dedicated to playing with all the children after school. We had different activities the kids could choose to participate in; such as making bracelets, learning a dance, or playing sports. Me and a little girl named Kaitlin who was in grade R (Kindergarten) learned the dance! She was absolutely adorable. Kaitlin could NOT get enough of my hair. Blond hair is definitely not something that they are accustomed to seeing, and I think that someone pretty much was playing with my hair the entire time we were there! Towards the end of the day Kaitlin's older brother, Mario, who is in the 6th grade, came to find her and we all ended up playing together. It was really hard to tell all the kids bye on this day, because we would not be returning again until Thursday, due to us spending the day at one of the Amy Biehl Foundation schools on Wednesday.
On Wednesday after class, we returned to the Amy Biehl after-school program at one of the schools in the Guglettu township we had visited the previous week. A few of us actually got the opportunity to go into the classrooms and read to the kids. It was pretty neat! After reading, I chose to go play in one of the classrooms with the younger children. I sat on the floor and played Lego's with the 3-5 year olds. They were all so precious! Although most of them could not understand any English, one thing that I am learning is a smile is something everyone understands (cheesy, I know!). Of course I spotted the little boy who had been in the brown sweater last week right when I got into the classroom and immediately picked him up! I don't think that I got a smile out of him all day (not without lack of effort, however) but he sat on my lap the entire time I was there and did not seem to want to let me out of his sight. When the kids lined up to go get a quick snack before it was time for them to go home for the night, he did not want to let go of my hand, and I basically had to pry my fingers out of his which just about broke my heart. He was such a sweet little guy! When we got back that evening, we made our way to the mall for a quick dinner and to do some grocery shopping.
Thursday after having class in the morning, we headed back into Sir Lowry's Pass for another day of service. When we got off the bus, I was immediately greeted by an adorable little girl who told me her name was Annalise! Annalise and I played together all day long. We danced, we made her a bracelet or “bangle” as she called it, and even played tag. I also got to talk to my 6th grade friend Renata before she left for her hockey game that afternoon! After playing with the kids for a few hours, my group headed to Mrs. Hetta's house for a quick visit.
Friday, sadly, was our last day of service in Sir Lowry's Pass
until we return for our final celebration the last week we are in
Cape Town. Friday was supposed to be our field day, but unfortunately
it was pouring rain. We easily adjusted, however, and were able to
hold the event in the township's community hall. The kids loved all
the games! After our field day, we walked through the mud that had
been created due to all the rain, to spend some time with Mrs. Hetta
and her family before it was time for us to head home for the night.
Mrs. Hetta's husband had built a fire for us, so we would be able to
stand around outside and talk, in spite of the cold. It was hard to tell
Mrs. Hetta, her family, and all the sweet children goodbye when it
was time for us to leave, but it made it easier knowing that we would
be back for one last visit in a few weeks! These children amazed me
every day with their hopeful attitudes and with how loving they were.
There is a quote we learned in class that says “Although darkness
surrounds you, the darkness does not have to be within you," and I
believe that these children and many of the people living in the
township really appear to embody these words. Despite the living
conditions that these people are living in, they really try to not let it affect their positive outlook on life. I think we all could take a
lesson from this!
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