It
has been a week since our homestay in Ocean View and I still find myself
thinking about my time there and the family I stayed with. Chantel, the
homestay coordinator, visited us in class prior to our visit and the most
important thing she told us was not to expect a lot of ‘things’. Ocean View was
one of places that families were forced to move to during the time of apartheid
and is considered a township. She told us that people were proud of
the few things that they owned and that while there would be an indoor
bathroom, showers were not necessarily in all the homes. Because of this talk
beforehand, I painted a picture of what I thought my stay would be like: dirt
floors, no showering all weekend, and a family who I was unable to connect much
to.
My
expectations were very much proven wrong. The second I stepped into the home, I
stepped on tiled floor and saw bright painted walls with a flat screen TV
hanging in the center of one. I saw pictures of the family decorating the walls
and plants full of life resting on the tables. I was greeted by our host mom
Tracey and her two daughters Leah (age 8) and Chelsea (age 16). It was just
after dinner time and we had already eaten so we sat on the couch and talked
for the rest of the time before we headed to bed. Leah was shy the first day
and tired from school so she didn't talk much but it was incredibly easy to
have a conversation with Chelsea. She told us how much she wants to live in
America when she’s older and to be honest, she probably knows more about
American politics than I do (how sad!). She started talking about her favorite
kinds of music and movies and as she kept naming ones I think my mouth kept
dropping more and more. I had NO idea that they watch American films here and
listen to American artists so it was awesome to be able to talk about movies
like Pitch Perfect, shows like Pretty Little Liars, and artists like Katy
Perry. Fun fact about Chelsea: she does the perfect
American accent!
 |
| Chelsea, Snigdha, Leah, Jenna, Tracey |
 |
| Manuela, Sarah, Jenna, Emily K, and David with children in Ocean View |
On Friday we volunteered for a Valentine themed day with 40 children from the different crèches in the Ocean View area. It was extremely exhausting but by far one of my favorite days since I’ve been here. The kids were absolutely adorable and so full of life. Something so simple as going to see some farm animals or running around an open area of grass made them so happy it made me wish I could be that young again but made me think about how it is going to be for them to grow up versus how it was for me to grow up and again I found myself reflecting.
On
Saturday we went to the Fish Hoek beach which was so much fun because it was
extremely hot that day so it was a nice way to cool off by the water. Later
that night we watched a couple movies (Justin Bieber anyone?) but shut off the
TV shortly after dinner so that we could actually have a conversation without
being distracted. It was then that I learned more about the family. Tracey
divorced her husband a few years prior because he was addicted to different
drugs and she felt it was no longer safe for him to be around their children.
Looking around the house, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that the
family was doing well at supporting themselves. While they are, there are
certain things that they struggle with. Tracey had to apply for exemption when
enrolling her children in schools. No matter how hard their life can get, they
are some of the most positive people I have ever met and the entire family
genuinely cared about us and wanted to hear about our story.
Sunday
at church was definitely my favorite day in Ocean View. During the first half
of the service they played Christian songs and projected the lyrics on the wall
so that the church could join in. When I was in high school I traveled on
mission trips with my church and we would sing all of the same songs so it made
me so extremely happy and it was just another piece of home that I saw in this
community.
In
my previous post I said I was terribly excited for the homestay weekend because
I knew it would be life changing. And it was. I realized that no matter where
we come from, no matter how much we have in our bank account, we share much
more important things. They say the universal language is love and I believe in
that whole-heartedly. That weekend I felt loved and it was hard to say goodbye
to Tracey, Chelsea, and Leah. I am so incredibly thankful for the time that I
had with them and I know that I will be back to visit.
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