Audrey with many more questions than answers

“Okay, miss. Nice, miss. Sure, miss. Yes, miss.”

 Who knew a child could sound so respectful when they were being so sassy? Throughout the past three days I have interacted with the most polite, well-behaved children I have ever met. Even when I tell the students, or better known as learners, to not do something or do something he or she may completely disagree with, the learners will always respond to me with the respectful term “miss”. At this point it seems like my name is ‘miss’, no longer Audrey just ‘miss’.

How do I even complain about this? I can’t, I love it. But how are these children more respectful to me than any other student I have ever worked with in my life? Many of these children come from unstable social and economic environments, many without the access of a private bathroom even five minutes away from his or her home. Yet these children are better dressed and better mannered then many learners I have volunteered with in the past.

There is no possible way for me to make a conclusion or even attempt to make a conclusion on the reasons for this. Everyday I have been at Christel House I am amazed by the place and the opportunities presented to these students, but everyday I come home with more and more questions beginning with ‘why.’  Maybe some people can answer these questions for me now, but I am looking forward to my pursuit of finding the answers to these questions. Hopefully by the end of my journey through South Africa I will come closer to the answers. I do not expect to find these answers even within the next few years of my life, maybe not even my entire life but I am hoping with time and more experience throughout my life I become one step closer to answering these uncertainties.

~ The more I see, the less I know for sure ~ John Lennon