Ocean View: a community, loving
people and neighborly lifestyle with a beautiful view of the ocean. Who
wouldn’t want to live there? Well, most likely all of you if you actually knew
what “Ocean View” is like. Ocean View is a community comprised of houses,
backyard dwellers and informal settlements. Its inhabitants are second
generation of the forced removals that were done by the apartheid government.
During these removals, blacks and coloreds were forced out of certain areas to
ensure those areas would be white only. The people were given a few hours or
days notice to pack up whatever they could carry and move to designated areas
where they could not speak the language and did not know anyone around them.
This is what Ocean View really is. This is where I stayed for my valentines
day. With all the cultural history that surrounds the people, they are very
proud and happy to host us. In fact, they are proud of what they have done to
their homes, many of which have been passed down to them by their parents.
Renovations, furniture, TVs and computers (all things we take for granted) are
some of the extreme proud points of ownership. While the houses did look very
much like any house you would see in the Bronx or in Norwalk, there were some
things that were missing in the South African counterparts. I have been known
by my friends to be high-maintenance, if you will, but to me, I just need to
have a shower and sink every day and I am completely happy. Seems basic enough,
right? Not so much for people in Ocean View. Most houses only have a bath. No
sink, no shower, just a bath. There is also rarely air conditioning. The
weekend we had gone was one of the hottest by far. While Allie and I were
sweating and wishing for our rooms at Loch, our host family just has to deal
with it. They do not get to go to another place with a shower and air
conditioning. I only had to deal with it for a few days- I could never imagine
having to live like that when I get grumpy and grouchy when my feet are too hot
at night. While I am not America’s biggest fan, this was the first time I had
ever been grateful for being from the US. So many of things that are a luxury
for our Auntie Harriet and Chelsea and Celestine are standard and expected for
us at home. If a school does not have adequate air conditioning in the summer
when it gets very hot, they shut down because parents will complain about their
children being too hot for a few hours. We, as Americans, are very spoiled.
Going further, it seems that eating
correctly is also a problem in South Africa. At home, we try to give our
children healthy foods in school, encourage physical activity and water
consumption. Here, most children are given candy and ice cream and cool drinks
every day. I was shocked looking in my host family’s fridge and seeing only
soda. I thought to myself, “on a hot day like this I need so much water to stay
hydrated” but when I look around at my host family, they are all drinking soda.
Even the baby was given a popsicle to keep her cool and feed her. I could
understand a money issue if water wasn’t free from the tap but I don’t
understand why you would spend money on sodas instead of food. I have heard
that having Coke is a status symbol- maybe it is still that way despite the
health risks. Maybe they don’t know the health risks. A lot of the foods being
consumed were sugary, processed and fattening. How could children be running
around all day and only drinking cool drinks? How do they survive and perform
in school without any water? I guess it works when your body is used to it. I
was told by several of the family members that for my age, I was very
tall. I found that strange as well, considering I am average height at
home.
Despite all of these differences
that I have noticed, I had an amazing time with my host family. Auntie loves to
give hugs and kisses and for me, having a mother’s hug was something I had so
desperately missed from my own mom. The family makes do with what’s available
and perseveres despite the issues and drawbacks. What makes me most happy
though, is how happy they are. Too hot? No problem, we walk to the beach or go
to the top of the mountain because it’s windy there. No outfit to wear? Make
one. Electricity ran out? Play outside all night. The amount of happiness and
closeness and community is astounding. You help your neighbor and your neighbor
helps you. Living is communal and basic needs to should be common. Hearing one
say that they are lending money to a neighbor is not uncommon, as well as
cooking for those who are sick, watching children of working parents, etc.
There is never a sense of you are on your own. I find it to be beautiful and
comforting to the fact of struggle. Struggle makes you feel like you are alone,
the only one in the struggle. Maybe that’s why Americans have such a high
depression rate. Here, it seems nearly impossible to feel alone. Under
apartheid, the main goal was to separate, to make sure that one group would
feel alone. I guess that’s why South Africans now strive for a sense of
togetherness, a sense of ubuntu. In Ocean View, I have really come
to understand the meaning of this word and now hope to carry that with me.
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| Ava with her two little Valentines |
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