This weekend I had my homestay in Ocean View. My host family was Chantel Daniels, our
homestay coordinator’s family. She stays with her mom, Sylvia and dad Louis.
Per South African tradition, I addressed her parents as Auntie Sylvia and Uncle
Louis and Chantel as my sister. I didn’t know what to expect walking in to this
weekend and we didn’t get any detail about the homestay until the day before so
I was a bit apprehensive but it turned out that my anxiety was unwarranted. The
folks of Ocean View were very welcoming and kind. Auntie Sylvia made sure that
Elizabeth (one of my fellow co-educators who also stayed in the same house) and
I were well fed and Chantel made sure that we were kept occupied the whole
weekend. Thursday night after we arrived we ate dinner and then attended a
ballroom dance class in the community center of Ocean View. The children in
attendance were all really good dancers and prepping for an upcoming
competition. Keeping up with them was
hard work. My ballroom dance is rusty! Friday we spent the day at the pool with
a pre-school class. We each had a child to attend to and hang out with the
entire day. My child’s name was Hope. Yes, Charity and Hope hung out for the
day. Let the Biblical jokes commence.
All we were missing was Faith. Hope was shy and quiet at first and in
the middle of the day had complained of a headache but once she’d had a snack
and her McDonald’s lunch she became very talkative. She, like a lot of the
other children really enjoyed the pool. For some of them it was their first
time visiting the pool so I was grateful that I was able to be a part of that
experience for them. On Saturday, we slept in and had a late breakfast courtesy
of omelet maker extraordinaire Elizabeth and then drove around to some of the
local beaches, Simon’s Town and a local mall. We ended our evening at Gadija’s
(one of the other host mom’s and good friend of Chantel) home for a delicious
braai. I really connected with Gadija as a woman of faith and I was blessed that
she felt comfortable enough to share her testimony with me. God has a way of
putting folks in our lives who address whatever problem, fear, anxiety etc.
that we are facing. I am grateful that He chose Gadija as my person that night.
Sunday morning we went to church. I was surprised that we were having church in
a school classroom, but apparently that’s common for the area since there are
many different churches/congregations but only so many formal churches,
synagogues and mosques that are erected in the community. After church we
checked out the charity bike race that was going on for a bit and then headed
back to the house for lunch before it was time to go. Overall, I had an awesome
weekend. My host family was willing to engage with me on conversations of God
and faith, apartheid, current politics, the Coloured and Black divide, the
history of Ocean View and why the born frees stayed in Ocean View. I am always
so appreciative of all of the people that I have met that are willing to help
me understand all of the beauty and complexity that I see around me in Cape
Town. I wish the best for that community and my host family. I intend to visit
them again before I leave Cape Town!
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| Chantel, Charity, Elizabeth, Aunty Sylvia & Uncle Louie |
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