So this last week we stayed in homestays in a township in Gugulethu. Let me say that we are all very fortunate back home in some ways. One main way is the living conditions we have. My host mom, who hosted Aaron and I, had a shanty about the size of apartment. She lived by herself so she had plenty of room for herself but some families of about 4 or 5 or even 12 live is the same size places. The outside of the place looked like a shack but on the inside it was nicer than I expected by the outside of the place. I was fortunate to have a place that had running hot water so I could shower but we had to make sure the geyser (hot water heater) was on for the water to be hot. The next thing about the living conditions that sticks out to me is the fact that we have to lock ourselves into the house. Not just the front door but a gate that was in front of the door. Every shanty had this same setup. It was interesting at first but after they explained to us that there is a lot of crime, we realized that it needed to happen. That is something we definitely don't have to do back at home. At home we can leave our cars running at the gas station and leave our doors unlocked even when we aren't home. I feel like that locking yourself in your place is tough to grasp because I am so safe at home but we needed to do it since there is quite a bit of crime. They don't even stop at stop signs at night because a carjacking could happen. It was definitely an interesting situation. Also, if we stepped outside someone would have to be with us just in case someone came over to talk to us. The security in the township and in the homestay was interesting to say the least. We did have the basic necessities to survive for the 3 nights but it did cold at night but it wasn't that bad since I am use to winters in Minnesota. Ok so enough with the living situation since it is kind of hard to explain in words.
On to my host mom and the other host families. I met my host mom on Sunday when we went to church at the JLZwane Center. She came over to me and hi and knew who I was. It was crazy because she just knew who I was. I was kind of freaked out at first but then she explained that she was my host mom and we talked a little. Then on Tuesday we met at another host families house for supper. It was amazing. They cooked this amazing meal for us. It was so much food. There was so much different types of food. It was great. After the meal, they started a dance party in the house and they started singing and just having a grand ol time. It was so much fun. I danced with a couple of host moms and got some of them up to dance. Everyone just loves music and having fun. It is great because they were so welcoming with all this. They took care of us with a meal and then had a fun time afterwards. The were so inviting and crazy. They really made us feel at home. After the dinner and dance party we went home with our host mom and her friend Unathi. We got home and started listening to music and talking. Also, she showed us around the place and told us not to answer the door to anyone except the person that was suppose to come pick us up. She showed us were all the food was and how to use everything. She was so warm and welcoming. I was really nervous when I heard we were doing homestays but I felt very comfortable the first night in her home. She was really excited to have us. We eventually ended up drinking some Milo, which the best explanation of it is a hot chocolate but coffee and good for you. It was really good and made me tried and ready for bed. Every night we were at the home stay we basically started opening up to each other and by the last night we heard a lot about one another. I talked with Unathi the last night and listened to her story and she was so open and honest with me. It was amazing. I don't feel like I should put it online but it was great to get to know her and my host mom Nelly. They were both amazing. Nelly even gave up her bed for me and Aaron. She actually slept on a mattress in her spare room. It was so generous. I felt bad for taking her bed but that is just one example of her making her house our house and welcoming us into it. Also, we drank Milo every night and had a music/dance party. It was so much fun. I will definitely miss both of them and I am glad that they were brought into my life. The really touched my life and showed me that even though don't have as much as we do back home they love life and are really happy. Also, they are both really involved with church that at night we would watch some African Gospel Choir stuff and it really impressed me and made me take a look at my faith and strengthen it. It was a lot of fun and I really miss them. It was hard to leave because they were so nice and so much fun. Also, it was tough coming back into Mowbry because we have so much stuff at the places we are living at and they live in a small shanty. Also, it is weird to go out and spend a lot of money out on the town and look back at where we just came from. I mean they don't have a lot of money and I have so much. I wish there was so much more we could do for them. This going to be the first of many blogs about the week because I also have to talk about the speakers and the service project. Also, I really want to have a picture blog so I will try and do that tonight as well since I have been trying to for a while.
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1 comment:
Can't wait to see your new dance moves!!!!
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