Allie surrounded by kindness, joy and generosity

This past weekend, we traded in our familiar home in Rondebosch for something completely different: homestays in Ocean View. Ocean View was formerly a township for classified Coloured people who had been forcibly removed from their homes under the Group Areas Act of 1950. Although this policy ended with the fall of Apartheid, the community is still made up of almost exclusively coloured people and is still struggling with issues such as poverty and unemployment.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect at first; we had been assured that we would be welcomed, overfed and loved by our host families, but I found the prospect of staying with strangers in an unfamiliar area daunting. What if they didn’t like us, or I accidentally offended them in some way? I was nervous, but our wonderful host Chantel was quick to calm my concerns. As we carried our bags from the bus to our new homes, she told us the story of a German family that she once had volunteering in Cape Town. Apparently they were pretty well off, and the night after they worked in the community, Chantel got a call from the son saying that his father couldn’t sleep and she had to go talk to him. Being the amazing host that she is, Chantel went to see him and found him distraught. He had been up all night, tossing and turning, because he simply could not understand how there could be so much happiness in a community that had so little. They didn’t have any of the luxuries that he had always valued, and yet they were living with more joy and love than he or most people in his culture would ever feel. I’m not sure if he ever figured out his personal crisis, but his story did reassure me. If Ocean View could pack enough happiness to totally overwhelm this German guy, then I figured I shouldn’t worry about the welcome we would receive.

           

This idea was quickly confirmed as one of the host families opened up their home to all thirty of us for dinner. The food was incredible- I can’t remember the last time I felt that full, but I just had to try everything! We were then taken to our host family’s houses, and Ainsley and I were placed at Gary and Geraldine Rossouws. From the moment I saw the sign that read “Smile and Come In!” on their front gate, I knew we were going to be with some special people. They were so overwhelmingly generous to us from the very beginning; their teenage daughter Tina gave up her bedroom for us, and when I woke up on Friday morning they had already set up muffins, cereal, and juice into a beautiful breakfast spread. The day just got better from there; I spent the morning and afternoon volunteering in the Little Footsteps crèche (daycare) with Kelsey and Morgan. The kids were adorable, and the two women in charge were so kind to us. That night, some of our group put on a talent show with the local kids from the Open Door Youth Center. The show was a complete success; there was everything from Michael Jackson dance routines to some crazy breakdancing, and even a Shakespeare monologue courtesy of Ethan! It was such a fun night, and all the money raised went to benefit Open Door.

           

Over the next few days, Ainsley and I were made honorary members of the Rossouw family. We went to breakfast Saturday morning, and they took up for a drive up the gorgeous coastline. Unfortunately it was too rainy to get out and walk around, but could still see the turquoise water and mountains rising up from the misty clouds…just amazing. That night we were invited to a braai (barbeque) at their daughter Bianca’s house, and as we sat down amongst their uncles, aunts and cousins, it really felt like we were part of the family. I just could not get over how these people who had never met us could just take us in like that- and they didn’t just take us in, they pampered us! It was like we were their guests of honor, and they went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and happy. It was almost overwhelming, and I can now understand what prompted that German guy’s breakdown. The sheer extent of the generosity of our family and the Ocean View community was incredible, and I really can’t put down in words how grateful I am.

Also, Chantel’s program is called Volunteer Mzansi AFRIKA, and they are doing some great work in Ocean View and other communities. The link to the website is: http://www.volunteermzansiafrika.com/.