Vara discovering life's joy amidst the pain

ng into week two has definitely opened my eyes to amazing new experiences. Last week could be categorized as the tourist experience, but this week has really been about living in Cape Town, South Africa. Even now it is still hard to process all the events that have happened since I landed at the airport only two weeks ago. Today was our first day of actual class at the University of Cape Town and in one class taught by Professor Rose, we were given the opportunity to reflect on our experiences thus far. I had trouble expressing my emotions as they are so complex and leave questions unanswered. Questions Professor Rose asked ranged from how was your orientation experience, to how are your internships and communications with family and friends at home. I think the most difficult question for me was how to communicate with everyone back home because trying to explain my internship experience and the extreme poverty I witnessed are beyond words but more memories and images in my own head.

I am still trying to wrap my head around how the littlest things in life can make people so genuinely happy. I have spent three days so far at Place of Hope where I am currently helping out in any way I can ranging from playing with kids, to speaking with the women in casual conversation, to helping one girl with her resume. I have been helping out in the daycare, known as the “creche” for most of the time playing with children who may live in only a one room home. One of the little boys was telling me about how he is so happy to be able to go home and sleep in bed next to his mother and father and how he had a delicious meal one night for dinner which was chicken and rice and it was special. Another woman named was perfecting her resume to send to any company she could possibly work at. Not only was she on crutches, but she just learned English since her escape from Rwanda. When I first met her she  was quiet and very short with her sentences, telling me that she was just living life. I attempted to help her with her impressive resume of studies she had done up to grade 12 in Rwanda and then working at various labs there analyzing HIV tests and other disease test results. She was so intelligent when I spoke with her but it baffled me how she was looking for any job even one at Shop Rite to make ends meet. She was so worried about her future and seemed sad. When we finished discussing her resume, and I didn’t even have to edit much, she got up on her crutches walked over to me and gave me a hug, which was unexpected but heartwarming. She looked up at me and said thank you, you have made me really happy today. Just a small gesture like helping someone with their resume was not something I could have imagined as such a special moment for someone, but this country is all about the little things that make a huge difference. I am just so grateful that I was able to meet people who appreciate life’s joy despite the pain they may experience daily.