Life has been very reminiscent of orientation since my
family arrived on Monday night, but I love being the “tour guide” this time
around. Although its great to visit the main tourist attractions again, I’m
having the most fun just showing them aspects of my everyday life here in Cape
Town. I brought them to Sarah Fox on Tuesday to introduce them to my favorite
kids in South Africa, then brought them back to the city on a mini bus taxi to
give them a real taste of a Capetonian workday.
Needless to say, they were a little skeptical when I told them that the
van speeding towards us with a man shouting out the window was our ride home. However,
the true highlight of my week was bringing my mom and sister to the Khayelitsha
Firefigher’s soccer practice on Thursday, after class. This was my first time
getting to attend a real practice session at Mandela Park with Bongi and his
soccer team, but I already felt so welcomed and appreciated by the boys and
their coaches. Bongi immediately trusted that Derek and I would have no problem
running a practice for the U-9 boys, while he was busy with the older ones. Our
group of kids were extremely excited to have us lead them for the night, but
the language barrier was definitely a challenge as we tried to explain the
drills in the huddle, while all fifteen faces stared back at us in puzzlement.
Regardless of their interpretations of how the drills were supposed to go,
their enthusiasm was enough to keep us from getting discouraged about our
coaching abilities. I really wish that the minibus ride to Khayelitsha was a
more reasonable voyage, just so I could go to practice everyday.
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| Mariko noticing how this experience is helping her to grow |
The rest of the weekend breezed by and I wish I could press
rewind because it truly was flawless. Some of the activities included Cape
Point, The Old Biscuit Mill and my personal favorite, wine tasting in
Franschhoek. It’s hard to believe that my family will be heading back home in a
couple of days, considering it feels like I was just waiting to surprise them
in the airport terminal the other night. One thing that I’ve noticed through my
recent time with my mom is how much I have grown as a person over the past
month and a half. I wouldn’t go as far to say that I’m a totally changed
person, but I definitely approach familiar conversations in a much different
way and have an altered outlook. As of right now, I’m having a hard time
putting the “transformation” into words, but this visit from my family has
confirmed that South Africa and its people have made a noticeable impact on me.
On that introspective note, my internship has also started
to make me question if my dream really is to become a doctor someday. I fell in
love with the idea of being a doctor at a young age because nothing seemed more
powerful and noble than having the ability to heal others. However, I am
learning that money taints medicine in every country, not just America. And
while I have the utmost respect for the nurses and the doctors at the hospital,
its becoming clear who gets paid on salary and who doesn’t, just by observing
their dedication to the patients. I’ve never considered nursing, to be quite
honest, but the nurses here are so inspiring and compassionate that I’m often
left questioning everything by the time I get off of work everyday. Hopefully,
the upcoming weeks in the trauma ward and operating theatre will put things
into perspective for me.
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