This weekend, half of the program
traveled to Ocean View for our weekend homestay to experience daily life with a
host family and, as Chantel from Volunteer Mzansi Afrika put it, feel the love
that radiates from every single member of the community. Ocean View is located
about 40 minutes away from Rondebosch on the peninsula side of Cape Town.
Tucked into the side of a mountain (and yes, with a view of the ocean from one
corner of town), Ocean View, like the communities of the Cape Flats, was created
as those classified black and coloured were forcibly removed from areas that
had been designated “White Only” under the Group Areas Act. Chantel began
coordinating homestays in response to reading about tourists who wrote that
they felt sorry for the people who had to live in such a depressed,
impoverished place. She wanted to give people an authentic experience of the
proud, hardworking, and caring community she grew up in, and after spending
almost 4 days there, I certainly got that.
When we arrived on Thursday, Bryan
and I were warmly welcomed by “Auntie” Alice, her husband David, and their
daughter Robin. Auntie Alice runs a daycare out of her house for about 50
children; David, in addition to working for the City of Cape Town for nearly 40
years, recently became a pastor; and Robin is studying at university. After a
delicious dinner of hamburgers and garlic bread, we spent most of the evening
making introductions and sharing stories. Chantel was right: I could tell that
Auntie and David were grateful for the lives they lead despite some hardships
they had to overcome. But perhaps the highlight of the night was our dancing
lesson with a teacher and other young people from Ocean View. I learned how to
cha cha, jive, and waltz, and (blisters notwithstanding) I had an absolute
blast!
On Friday, Bryan and I awoke to the
sounds of children laughing and playing (and crying) in the daycare room
adjacent to ours. Today, the UConn students would be accompanying the older
kids for a day at the Muizenberg pools. Bryan and I attempted to socialize with
them, but they were much more interested in playing with Isabel’s and Libby’s
hair. They eventually started playing with my hair too, but then it ended up
more like a drumming session on my head. Anyways, the pools at Muizenberg were
quite nice, and on such a hot day, the cool water felt refreshing. I’m not sure
if this was the first time the kids had been there, but I had a smile on my
face all day seeing how much they enjoyed splashing around, soaking up the sun,
and playing their favorite game, Duck Duck Goose. To complete their day out,
they were treated to McDonald’s. Kayla and I grew especially fond of a sweet,
quiet girl named Tylita who was under our care for the afternoon. I think she
heavily favored Kayla, but she started to warm up to me right as we were about
to leave.
Saturday we didn’t have any group
events planned, so it was up to the family what we were to do for the day.
Auntie and David treated us to breakfast at the Longbeach Mall before we went
grocery shopping. After we went shopping, Bryan and I had a brief but
interesting conversation with David. When we saw a group promoting the
Democratic Alliance, David mentioned that that was the party he supports. When
we asked why, he told us that it was because the Democratic Alliance used to be
the National Party. Curiously, we asked him to expand on that, and he told us
that although the white man took things away, he also looked out for the
Coloured people. Unfortunately, the conversation ended shortly after, but it
was a comment that I mulled over for the rest of the day.
My favorite part of Saturday, and
probably the entire weekend, was when David took us on a 90-minute walk around
Ocean View. I loved being immersed in the community; I never felt uncomfortable
or like people were giving us sideways glances. David, being a pastor, knew
about every other person we walked past. He was extremely proud when he talked
about Ocean View: he mentioned that crime isn’t a huge problem since everyone
knows each other and, when we paused at the highest point in town, he related
to us how blessed he was to be surrounded by a beautiful mountain and to live
so close to the ocean. Here are people whose ancestors were uprooted out of
their homes and forced to move here, yet they don’t act like the world owes
them anything. I am constantly reminded by how humble and modest many
Capetonians are.
 |
| A walk around Ocean View |
When it was time to depart on
Sunday, I was leaving with my heart full (and my stomach as well—Auntie Alice
is a superb cook and baker). The weekend went by quickly, but I was so glad to
meet new people who cared for me like I had known them for years. As I write
this post, my real family is 30,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean on their way
to Cape Town. I am so thrilled to welcome them to my home away from home and
show them a slice of what I have done for the past 2 months.
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