A few thoughts about Gugulethu

This trip has made me realize how much I judge people from first impressions. A clear example of this was the bus driver. My first impression was that he probably did not live in the township. He looked very well put together. He wore nice clothes including a leather jacket. Moreover, he had qualities that were very similar to a bus driver in the states. He was nice enough to show us his shack. It was a nicer shack, but it was still a shack. His wife was at home with their son when we got there. There was a soap opera on the television. This reminded me of being at home during the summer time with my mom. Unfortunately, the boy did not have anywhere to play. It was very clean and tidy in the shack. They seemed very proud of the little bit that they had.

During our visit in Guguletu, we went to a few schools. First, we went to Stormont Primary School. This school was built by the community members because they felt that the public schools were overcrowded. The public schools used to have 60 kids per a teacher. It was not very clear how the teachers are paid and who holds them accountable. There are fees that students pay to go to this school (and all other schools here). A community member, Johanna, said that sometimes teachers don’t show up for weeks at a time. This isn’t hard to believe since the teachers are living in the children. They have to worry about their own children, food, the rain, sickness, and much more.

We went to Stormont Primary School to help clean up the classrooms. The classrooms were in shipping containers. They were dirty and visually unappealing. When I was little, I remember thinking school was really boring. Some days, I really did not feel like going. For the children in the townships, they must not want to go at all. There was not a lunch room or a playground. The classrooms were in a square. The children played soccer in middle of the square. For a soccer ball, they used a condom filled with plastic bags. Ben bought them all a new soccer ball. They seemed to be very happy about this.

A few days of the week, we went to the Rainbow after-school program that was put on by the church. We helped the children with their homework. This reminded a lot of tutoring at Y-Tutors in Northeast Minneapolis. It was the same kind of program. The kids in this program were a lot more polite and thankful than any experience I had tutoring in Minneapolis. A seven-year-old boy spent a whole hour reading to me. When he was done, he said, “thanks for listening to me read,” with a huge smile on his face. The kids shared the books with each other and helped each other out. Their willingness to learn was incredible. I hope the best for them despite all the obstacles that they will have to face throughout their lives. We talked to a few of the kids, and they all have big dreams, just like American children do. They want to be doctors, lawyers, etc…

In our last meal, I started to get really sad that we were leaving. I knew that I would think back and wonder what was going on in Guguletu and I would have no idea. I enjoyed my stay there and I knew I would miss the people. I never felt so welcome in a stranger’s home before. I hope that someday I will come back and give something to this community.