Sam's great homestay experience

I took more kids to the dentist today! Like I said, the kids get dental and health care through going to school at Christel House so today I took 5 kids to get teeth pulled. They were all so nervous :( two young boys made me hold their hands the entire time and after they kept hugging me, it was really sweet and made me feel like i was able to help them even if i was just being there for them at the dentist. i seriously fall more in love with these kids everyday because of how sweet they are and how willing to open up to me they are. yesterday there was a group of first graders that came to see me three times during the day just to draw with me. i ALSO got to do a somewhat counseling thing because one of the older boys who came in to draw drew something related to a gang, so i had to talk to him about why he drew it and through the issue. later on when i was talking about it with the other social worker she told me that this boy’s father is in a gang and is currently on trial for murder and then obviously it made sense why he was drawing it but i was just so sad about it. gangsterism is so real here. 

The homestay this past weekend was definitely an amazing experience.  Right away I could feel the sense of community in Ocean View.  It was also so amazing to see how passionate Chantel was about sharing her home with us and the history of the area and people. 

Sam & Bernie on homestay in OceanView

I stayed with Bernie in Auntie Sylvia’s house.  The family was so kind and welcoming and we loved getting to know them. Auntie Sylvia and Uncle Russell stressed how important it was to them that they treat us like their own children and they definitely did so.  They have two sons, Chad (19) and Charlton (16) and they were very shy but eventually we broke Chad out of his shell.  Charlton probably said six words to us the entire weekend, but they told us that he is that shy with all of their house guests so we didn’t take it too personally.  Chad hung out with us in the house and on Saturday took us to the mall. On Saturday we also had a braai with the family which was delicious! I love lamb so much!  Sunday we went to church with them which honestly wasn’t even that bad because the vibe of the church was so relaxed and upbeat. The pastor was only 30 years old and the service lasted only an hour! I usually feel very out of place in church services but this wasn’t so bad. After church Bernie and I decided that we wanted to treat them to lunch on the farm because they were so great to us. They were definitely very appreciative, especially because we included those delicious dessert options in our treat!  The parents were so loving to us and opened up their homes and hearts to us right away.

Their home was definitely nicer than others and it was special because they bought it with nothing in it and completely have arranged everything themselves and showed a lot of pride in this.  However it was definitely an experience to have to take a bath instead of a shower! 

On Friday we all helped out at the kindergarten which was a lot of fun because we got to meet such adorable kids and walk around the area of Ocean View and learn more about it.  It is also inspiring that Auntie Alice made this kindergarten out of the goodness of her heart and we could tell that she is as kind and loving as they say she is. 

Overall it was a great experience because we got to see how people live with so much less than what we have yet it is totally enough.  It was also good to get to know these people who have been through so much and have such a dense history with racism.  It makes it that much more frustrating though, when we get to know these people because we see how amazing and kind and hard working they are, and for WHAT reason were they forcibly removed out of their homes?! I really enjoyed talking to uncle Russell because he has his own business and talked about how supporting his family is so important to him, and that is exactly what my dad does as well, except my dad was never forcibly removed from his home and faced with hardships and discrimination. It just makes you realize how unfair it is when you meet these amazing people who had to go through such hard times.