Ashlyn's three day homestay had a great impact

This past weekend the group went to a township called Ocean View and stayed with families for three days. When I signed up to go to South Africa I never imagined those three days would impact me the way they did. An insight I had was how poverty really can’t be ignored in South Africa, like it is back home in America. One of my first perceptions of Cape Town is how many sides there are. When I reach the end of a street I never know what to expect when I turn the corner. Realizing how much of the world lives in poverty is pretty difficult. Extreme poverty is tough to combat in an effective way and there are so many aspects that need correcting before one is out of poverty. It’s a bit disheartening to think about how challenging it is to challenge poverty. A part of me is mad that history has allowed the world to become this way.

Frustration was the most vibrant emotion I felt while in Ocean View. There were so many needs of the community and I felt bad leaving when I hadn’t given anything back. Hopefully I’ll get to go back and work with students for my activist project. However I don’t know if I’ll ever feel un-frustrated about the situation in Ocean View. Even if I spent every second I had here in Cape Town in Ocean View assisting the community there would still be tasks I wished I could have done. I want to clean the trash off the streets, help tutor children, and so much more for Ocean View. My frustration is because there are so many needs that aren’t easy to correct.

           

The woman hosting Taylor and I was named Heidi. She seemed to greatly enjoy having company and loved talking about her animals. The three of us went on a late night drive Saturday and Heidi gave us a tour of the local scenic oceans. As we were passing the local high school Heidi said that back when she went to Ocean View High School it was a great school. Our host mother then went on to say how lucky she was to be placed in Ocean View. That comment really hit me because I would never imagine someone believing they were lucky to be placed in a township. I wonder if Heidi felt she was lucky to be placed in Ocean View for the sense of community or because there were worse townships that her family could have been placed.

           

Heidi also took us to meet an American family living on her street. The family had been living in Ocean View for the past six years with their two small children. Currently the family was living in a house provided by their church but they were looking into buying property in 2015 (until the State of the Nation address where it was proposed foreign nationals would no longer be allowed to buy land). I thought that the family was a good representation of how much joy and love the community of Ocean View has. This family thought that Ocean View is the place to raise their children and I think that’s a pretty powerful decision. As much as I have fallen in love with Cape Town I still couldn’t imagine raising a family here, especially in a township. I have seen so much beauty in Cape Town and have experienced the amazing sense of community but I still can’t overlook the poverty and crime that takes place here.

During the three days of our homestay I got to meet so many amazing individuals and families. Every person in Ocean View has a story and as the group drove away from Ocean View Sunday I was filled with a sense of sadness that I couldn’t meet more people of the community. There is so much to do in Cape Town (and life in general) and I hate knowing I’ll never get to experience everything the city and community has to offer. For most people in the group this home stay was the only three days they will ever spend in Ocean View. I find it mind-blowing to think that my time in Ocean View despite brief can have a great impact on me.