Collette's lessons in community

This past weekend half of us went on the home stay in the township of Ocean View. For any who don’t know, a homestay is just what it sounds like; two students room together and are guests in a family’s home. Prior to going on the homestay, I wasn’t sure of what to expect. Aside from a briefing by the program director, Chantel, I had never heard of or seen Oceanview before. All I really knew was that it was considered one of the nicer, or less dangerous, townships and that’s why we could safely be placed there.

Mariko and I were roommates at Auntie Netta’s (Molly and Mary had stayed there the prior week). Upon arriving at Auntie Netta’s flat, Chantel warned us that previous students were unable to stop eating her food, which ended up sounding a lot more like a treat than a warning. Auntie Netta’s flat was part of one of the many apartment complexes in Ocean View, all of which bustling with children and adults at all hours. When we arrived in the afternoon, dozens of children were outside in the courtyard playing games. At night, it turned into what seemed like a huge party, with music blasting from all directions. Although each flat housed a different family, everyone in the complex acted like they were kin.

Auntie Netta’s flat was about the size of an average apartment in New York City. She lives with one of her children, Leslie, and they each have their own bedroom. Additionally, there was a fairly spacious living room, a bathroom and a kitchen. It was a bit of an adjustment having to take baths instead of showers, but other than that it was no less comfortable than staying at our normal house in Rondebosch. I have to admit, I was expecting our accommodations to be much less formal, and was pleasantly surprised.

On Thursday we went to ballroom dancing lessons and got to help the community children practice for their competition on Saturday. It was unbelievable to see how graceful they all were, especially at such a young age. Some of the kids looked no older than six or seven years old. I was definitely jealous of their talent, especially since I had to receive a personal lesson from the instructor on how to do the Cha Cha. By the time we left the community center, I already felt like I had known some of the kids for years.

My favorite part of the homestay was going to Fish Hoek Beach with Auntie Netta and Leslie. Despite being so close, I got the impression that they didn’t get the chance to go very often, because they were both very excited when Mariko and I chose the beach over the mall. I didn’t bring a swimsuit or a towel with me, so I spent most of the day sitting on the sand and getting to know Mariko and Leslie a little better. Since Ocean View is such a tight-knit community, Auntie Netta was preoccupied with many friends from home she had run into while we were there. I found out that both Auntie Netta and Leslie were unemployed, but that Leslie was going to be starting a job working for the city after that weekend. I had heard about these unemployment alleviation programs, but I didn’t know that they only lasted a few weeks until Leslie brought it to my attention. Though I originally didn’t see what purpose these jobs have, she told me that aside from the income, they also work to equip the temporary workers with new skills so that they may be employed in more stable positions. Though it still didn’t seem like much, it is surely a step in the right direction.

Though I was beginning to miss being back at our house with everyone, I was sad to say goodbye to Ocean View. As an outsider, I think what Chantel stated to us was true. We have a tendency to think of people in townships as “poor”, when really we should be thinking of the communities and hope that these people have. There is still a long way to go and they do not all live as comfortably as the family I stayed with, but they are not all helpless or depressed, and have built a stronger community than we know.