These past two weeks have included
some of the most memorable moments so far from this trip. Two weeks ago,
we had our homestay weekend where Morgan and I stayed with Auntie Alice and
Uncle David and their two kids. The first day we arrived, we were fed an
amazing meal of chicken, salad, lentils, and malva pudding. With our
bellies filled, we headed back to our host family’s house and chatted with
Auntie Alice before Morgan and I headed to bed.
The next day, all of us met at
Auntie Alice’s crèche for a Valentine’s Day walk with the kids. What
amazed me the most was that there are about 40 children that come every day and
only 3 teachers to help. Most of us were paired up with one or two kids,
and by the end of the day, we were exhausted. I remember crawling back
into bed for three hours until it was dinner time.
After our busy day at the crèche,
Morgan and I slept in and went to the beach with our family. They took us
to Fish Hoek, which had beautiful turquoise water and a gorgeous mountain
backdrop. We waded in the warm water and took it all in. Uncle
David was telling us about how Fish Hoek was an all white beach during
apartheid and how his family wasn’t allowed there until Mandela opened them
back up. It was so interesting to hear how his family was directly
affected by this period in time. For South Africans, apartheid is a piece
of history that is still fresh. Most of the natives have lived through it
and have their own individual story to tell.
After some delicious fish and chips,
we headed home and called it a night. The next morning, before we went
home, we attended a church service in our family’s garage. The minister
was kind enough to have the entire service in English because Morgan and I were
there. The service was not long, but it was filled with a lot of music,
laughter, and love. Before it was time to leave, Auntie Alice sent us off
with a loaf of banana bread and some cream puffs for the ride home. I was
so amazed with how our family took us in so quickly and how much they cared for
us. I can’t wait to return and share many more memories with our loving
family.
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