So much love is in my heart
after this Home Stay weekend in Ocean View (which does NOT have a view of the
ocean). Ocean View is a township for people who were/are classified as colored.
They were moved from an area close to the ocean (with an ocean view) to an area
far from the ocean. White people took over where they used to live and still
make up the majority of the population near the ocean.
Ocean View has a bad
reputation, for poverty, gang violence, and violence in general. But this
weekend my co-educators and I got to see the side of Ocean View that many
people don't know about.
We all got placed with a
family to live with for 3 nights (I'm convinced that the family I stayed with
was the best!). Rachele and I were placed with the Simon family. At first I was
a bit nervous because I didn't know if they'd be welcoming...I now know that I
had absolutely no reason to be nervous. This family reminded me of my family
back at home; loving and wild (in the best way).
The first night my host-mom,
Sylvia, made us delicious Mac'n cheese before we went to a ballroom dancing
class. I love to dance, even though I'm not very good at it, so this night was
great for me. I worked up a sweat trying to get all of the steps down.
The next day we spent the
morning at a crèche (day care). I was so excited because I love little
children. This wasn't a typical day care though because the children come from
abusive homes. I really connected with this one little boy, Dom, who wanted to
show me all of the toys he had. At first he was shy, but he warmed up and even
wanted to cuddle/sit on my lap. I'll never forget his sweet smile and
contagious laugh.
After the day care we went
to another place that takes in children from abusive backgrounds. These kids
were 8-10 years old. We were put into teams, my team was with Kat, Shona,
Rachele, and our children Jenna V, Megan, Andre, and Cameron. We named
ourselves team Llama Sharks (I don't know how we came up with that one).
We took the kids to the
beach to build sand castles (we made a shark sand castle) and go swimming, but
it was cold and cloudy so only some of the kids went in the water. Jenna Vee
and her twin Jenna Lee sat snuggled up with me in blankets while the other kids
went in the water. Jenna Vee took a liking to me and always wanted to hug me.
Andre also always wanted to cuddle and hug me.
 |
| Ashley & Andre |
I made sure to hug these
kids as much as they wanted...I also made sure to only let go when they started
to loosen up from my arms. My Andre and Jenna Vee never wanted to let go. It
breaks my heart to know that some of these kids don't get hugged as much as they
should, so many are not shown love. I wanted to take them all home, especially
Andre and Jenna Vee. I'll always remember them.
My experience with these
kids made me think that I may want to focus on public policy related to
children and education...it upsets me to know that the likelihood of these
children making it out of the townships they come from are not very high. These
sweet little children with such vibrant souls and adorable smiles...I really
hope that their futures are bright and that drastic changes are made here in
South Africa...changes that will give these kids a chance at succeeding in
life.
After the day with the kids
Rachele and I went back home to the Simon home where we had a party. When I say
this family is wild, I mean it...this family is wild!!! But I loved it because
my family is the same. I think that's why I clicked so well with the Simons.
The night was filled with laughter, dancing (my favorite), and SO MUCH
FOOD!
Some of the family members
taught me how to dance and even added me on Facebook. Even though I just met
them I love them.
This weekend was filled with
so much food. I asked Sylvia to send me the recipes so that I can cook for my
family when I go home...bring the heart of my Ocean View family to my USA
family. I plan on meeting up with the Simons before I head back home...the people
I met this weekend have such a special place in my heart.
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