Wow. The past 24 hours have been a little crazy. Yesterday morning after our speaker for the day - the executive director of the Amy Biehl foundation - our program directors gave us quite a surprise. We were told we would be spending the night in the slums so that we could get a feel for what it would be like to live off of a dollar a day. I was a little apprehensive at first because I was afraid that the people may not be happy that we were coming but that wasn't the case at all. We were treated like royalty which felt pretty wrong. As I stepped off the bus in the township there were children with notebooks asking for my autograph - everyone, even the adults, said that they had never seen an American before. I wanted to go help them by doing chores or cooking but they refused -- they wanted to show us their very best and made sure we were comfortable. Our group of 50 was split into groups of four to room in the different soup mother's houses. Soup mothers are ladies who go to the school and prepare food for hundreds of children (typically, soup). My mom's name was Charmaine Steyn. She was very, very welcoming - I didn't feel uncomfortable once. Her daughter, Janine, her other daughter - whose name I can't remember - and their friend Jeremy walked my roommates and me around the township. It was incredible to see everyone. The streets are always full of people - everyone walks. A lot of people are without work right now so they literally sit out in front of their houses or on street corners and drink or talk to people passing by. They showed us around for a while - talking to us about the dangers of the township, politics, fun activities... I especially liked talking to Jeremy - he is a musician and plays for church and different clubs. He told me that he would be playing at a church service that night and I was really excited - I asked if we could come. Jessica, Josh, Spencer and I went to church with them and it ended up being one of the most terrifying things I've ever witnessed! Ha, not exactly but wow, it was very different... something I won't ever do again if I can help it. They were yelling in tongues, people were passing out, it was very intense and lasted about 2 and a half hours - and we left early so who knows how long it actually lasted. We walked home in the dark and passed by people dealing drugs - it was a little unnerving but I felt safe with Janine and Jeremy. It was very cold - probably in the low 50s or high 40s and none of the houses had heat so we bundled up and snuggled together. Spenser and I slept together and Josh and Jessica slept together... I was glad we were all in the same room. I was shocked at home nice the house was - I was prepared to sleep on the floor but they had beds for us. They also had running water and a toilet which is a lot more than some of the other students had. They were so grateful to have us visit - they were really incredible. The thing that shocked me the most was everyone's teeth. I know that's something that seems small in the scheme of things but... I almost started crying when I finally got the 4 year old grand daughter to laugh and realized she didn't have one tooth in her mouth - not one. All of the adults are missing at least one or two teeth in the front but usually wear denchers or some sort. It was just a huge reminder that these people don't have proper dental/health care - but more than that - they don't have tooth brushes or tooth paste... what is really confusing is that they do have tvs and cable? Ah, it was frustrating but I've seen that same problem at home. Nice cell phone, nice purse, nice shoes - rotten teeth. Anyway, I could go on for hours. I wrote the mail blog for global lead today and I'm not sure how great it was. I was pretty skeptical or critical about this whole process. People think they can spend one night in the slums and know what it's like - get real. I felt so foolish being there - like I was in a petting zoo or something. We didn't even go to work - we went to see. I understand the intention behind our visit - to try to inspire everyone to want to make change - to continue bridging the gap between race and socioeconomic divisions but ... those people aren't staying for one night... it's their life. Every day. I just wish we had brought food to make a feast for them or brought something to teach them - instead of just going to stay with them for the night. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. There are a lot of thoughts rolling through my head right now... trying to straighten them out. For 24 hours, though, I felt like I was able to half way put the shoes on of someone who lives there every day. I felt pretty vain though knowing I'd be back to my comfy apartment in just 24 hours - but, the experience is something I will never forget. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all. I love you very much. Enjoy the photos...
Two children looking into the sewer filled with trash...
Child playing in the trash-filled sewer behind the house where I was staying...
Jeremy playing bass for us - he was incredible!
This is inside the house I was staying.. The lady in the yellow was Janine - I spent the most time with her. The lady in red is her aunt and the boy in stripes is her little brother Gerald.
These metal buildings are the bathrooms for those families who don't have bathrooms in their houses. My group is walking to the left of them.
The view behind the house. This is where the little girl from above was playing..
The 4 year old grand daughter and I played together for a while -- she was full of laughter.
People of the township socializing in the afternoon.
Sunset outside of the house where I was staying.
Scary. Unfortunately in this photo you can't see all of the people passing out on the floor or actually hear the tongues.
Charmaine and me. She was incredible.
My group of roommates with our soup mom - Charmaine. We gave lots of hugs before we left.
My group of roommates with our soup mom - Charmaine. We gave lots of hugs before we left.
Children outside of the school.
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