Janiel's experience of genuine kindness

There has to be something floating in this South African air that pushes people to be so genuinely kind. Such kindness leaves me in chills. This was my feeling throughout the entire weekend. Life felt like a daze. The last thing I wanted to do was forget how welcomed I was into a family who were previously complete strangers. No one could’ve prepared me for the experience I went through.

Janiel & Sharon with their host auntie in Ocean View.

 On the day Chantel visited our class she began by saying, imagine being told you had to pack all your things in a short time, to be uprooted from your life and be placed into an unfamiliar area… how would you feel? With those words being said, it was as if a light went off in my head. I suddenly understood the meaning and purpose of the home stay weekend. Prior to her saying that, I really only thought that going to Ocean View was to just show us another side of Cape Town. And although it opened those doors, the weekend also discreetly gave us a piece of what our host families not too long ago went through. Upon arrival into Ocean View, I noticed how identical every member of the community looked. They could’ve all been brothers, sisters, aunties and uncles to one another. Although that was the case in some circumstances, it was weird to see the strong resemblances. To me, that was the biggest difference between Ocean View and the other townships we have visited. But at the same time, such as the other townships, Ocean View had a very warm environment. Despite all the behind the scenes drama about teenage pregnancy, drugs and gun violence, theft and high school drop outs, townships give off a different sense of togetherness.

While living with my new auntie, uncle and their families, I learned that life doesn’t come easy for majority of the people we see. Whatever you own has to be protected at all times, because people around you who are struggling will take any opportunity to steal. I realized that although there are a few who steal for ‘fun,’ most do it because it’s a mechanism for survival, a way to feed the family, or a way to feed their growing drug habit. I also learned that you usually don’t allow the neighborhood kids into your house because they are often used as spies, so their parents now know the items in an individual’s house that is take-able.

In the end, the major things are family and community. If you know someone to your left has no bread for the day, there is no hesitation with going over and giving a loaf of bread. That was the most beautiful part of the weekend to me, personally. I love to see people do acts of kindness without looking for gratuity in return. I’ve been realizing within myself that experiences such as these, that are a part of my journey, only intensify my reaction to cry. Not in a sad or a pitiful way, but more in a spiritual and humbled way.