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| Andrea & Erica in Ocean View with Auntie Magdelena and family |
I was extremely uncertain about
what to expect from the home stay in Ocean View. I was actually somewhat
nervous, as I didn’t know if the family would be open, what the accommodations
would be like, or how the food would taste. This apprehension quickly faded as
we entered the community and saw how friendly the people were. As we waited for
dinner outside one of the host families’ homes, we made friends with a bunch of
children from the neighborhood who quickly warmed our hearts. This initial interaction with members of
the community helped to ease any anticipation and got me excited for the
weekend to begin.
After
we played with the local kids, the entire group was invited to enjoy a
delicious meal made by one of the host families. The dinner consisted of minced
meat rooti, sliced wedge potatoes, fried chicken, roasted vegetables, a pasta
medley, and a fresh salad followed by a mint pudding with vanilla ice cream.
Needless to say, the meal was exceptional. What was more amazing was the fact
that all thirty of us were so kindly welcomed into someone’s home. This kind of
generosity and hospitality would be undoubtedly evident as the weekend
progressed.
After
dinner, Chantle brought us all to our respective homes. Andrea and I would be
staying with Auntie Magdelena, her two daughters, and her grandchildren. The
family welcomed us with open arms, as we spent the night getting to know each
other. We learned that the community is rather large, but that they don’t
associate with many people besides their family. They explained that Ocean View
has a lot of issues with drugs and that they do not want their young kids being
exposed to that. Despite that, the kids have many cousins and family friends
that they are able to play with. We found that we would be meeting the extended
family on Saturday night for a big braai. After talking for a bit, we all
decided we were tired and would get some rest.
The
next morning Andrea had gone to her creche early so I was able to spend some
time with Auntie Magdelena and her daughter. My host mom was watching her
niece's twin girls who were six months old. She had told me that she has raised
fifteen children. She explained that she had her first child at age 19 and has
thus been responsible for bringing up many children. This astounded me, as I
struggle to see myself being responsible for kids in a few years. It was
unclear if she had ever worked outside her home, but raising children is an absolute full-time
job. It made me realize that there are so many women, especially in this
community, whose job is to raise children. These women are rarely compensated,
unless they work in childcare. Raising children takes a tremendous amount of
time, energy, and patience, and is something that so many people undervalue. I
was extremely impressed to hear Auntie Magdelena’s story, as she has had such
an impact on nurturing so many people’s lives.
After
hanging out at the house for a few hours, it was time for me to begin helping
with the talent show. I was really looking forward to this, as the performing
arts have been a huge part of my upbringing. Before we actually met with the
kids we’d be working with, the group of the ten UConn kids and I discussed what
we would do. After a long deliberation, we decided that we would do an A
Capella version of Lean On Me. After working with the kids all afternoon, the
time had come for the performance- where all of our friends and host families
would be. It was a little nerve wrecking, but I was excited! Even though I
forgot the words to my solo, I had a great time working with the kids and
bonding with the other UConn students.
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| UConn group at Ocean View Talent Show: Brianna, Lindsay, Ethan, Morgan, Erica, Melis, Tekawa, Andrew, Ainsley Vara |
The
next day was a bit more relaxed. Andrea and I ended up going to the local mall
and spending the day there with Auntie Magdelena and her two grand-daughters.
When we got home later that night, we were invited to a braai with our host
families’ extended family. It was really nice to spend the evening with the
entire family together, as it showed how truly important their relationships
are with one another. The next morning, Andrea and I attended church with our
host mom. The venue was small but the service was powerful. Though I don’t
consider myself to be very religious, I am always open to different faiths. I
really enjoyed this service, as there were many themes that I could definitely
relate with. After church, we had a delicious lunch and were then on our way to
depart. It was sad to be leaving the family, but I couldn’t be happier with the
relationships we formed. I truly enjoyed this experience, as it took me
somewhat out of my comfort zone but was still an incredibly open and nurturing
environment.
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