John learned so much from his loving and welcoming homestay family

Going into the home stay weekend I had no idea what to expect.  After seeing Khayelitsha, Langa and other townships I thought our home stay was going to take place in a location like that. Since our “family” wasn’t going to be home until much later than everyone else’s, we walked around and dropped off some of the other students at their homes for the weekend. After seeing a few of the houses, I figured the house I was going to stay in was going to be similar to them but I was mistaken. Not only did they have a beautiful home, but they also owned another house in ocean view, which they rented off. The Bowman’s were definitely not what I was expecting. Aside from having an amazing home – which in some ways was better than mine at home – they had two bright kids, Darren and Caitlin, whom were full of love and lots of energy.  That’s one of the many things I loved about the Ocean View community, the everlasting energy and laughter. We were fortunate enough to spend sometime at the daycare center in town. Since I was the only guy there, all of the boys at the daycare used me as their personal jungle.

John as a personal jungle gym for kids at daycare

Within moments of meeting, you could tell how loving and welcoming the whole family was. They were genuinely interested in our lives and made sure we were comfortable the whole time. We talked about politics, parenting, the economy and even about the hopes and dreams they have as a family. In the short amount of time that I spent there, I developed a bond with them that I’ll have with me all the time. Darren, their son, said he wanted me to stay with them the whole 3 months of the program. When I told him I wish I could but I had classes and an internship to attend he asked if I could put him in my suitcase and bring him with me.

During class, I remember Chantel mentioned that people from the community have begun to choose to live in Ocean View and started purchasing houses there. I couldn’t wrap my head around why anyone would choose to stay in a place that would remind them of such troubling times in their history. While speaking to the Bowman’s, I gained so much insight in the matter. They didn’t see it as a place that filled with bad memories or dark times. For them, it was their home and what they knew. That’s where their community persevered and made it through the rough times.  It brought them closer and together they can get through everything. My host family was one of the many families that are now buying their houses there and are choosing to raise their 2 beautiful kids there.  There is so much I learned from being with them for a mere 4 days and this experience is one I’ll have with me for the rest of my life. I know I have a South African family and they gained an American family.