Speechless

   Wow. There are no words to describe the day I had on Friday. We traveled to Khayelitsha, a township in South Africa. It was one of the best expereinces I've ever had. There are two million people living in Khayelitsha and the majority of them live in shacks or small government built houses. When I say shacks I literally mean four pieces of tin sheets for walls with a tin roof on top.
    We met Elise Elsing, the most amazing woman who moved here from Germany to spend her life building schools in the townships for the underprivledged. As we drove through the township on our big bus people all throughout the streets were waving at us, smiling, little kids were chasing the bus. Someone asked Elise why all of the people were so happy when they had almost nothing, and her reply was so simple, yet so powerful. She said that these people just take the best out of the moment are happy with it. They do not dwell on the past and they don't focus on the future and worry, they just focus on the here and the now so that they only have time to be happy in the present. I wish more Americans were like this. These people living in shacks were happier than most Americans I see on a daily basis.
    Our first visit was to one of the pre-schools Elise had built. There are really no words to describe the way those little children ran to us with hugs and excitement the moment we stepped off the bus. The group of 25 or so little black kids sprinted out of their school and immediately threw their tiny arms around us. They were so excited we were there and I was so overwhelmed by their excitement. It was a feeling I, in 20 years, have never felt before, and it instantly brought me to tears. They sang songs for us and we got to see their school. It was just unreal how happy (and cute) they were.
    The second school we visited was over 100 pre-schoolers and kindergarteners. We were greeted by them chanting "Hi Mamma!" to Elise. She said she didn't need to have her own children because she ha thounsands of kids calling her mamma at all these schools. The kids got in a big circle and started singing and dancing for us, I had so much fun with them. They were so polite too. When we held out candy for them to take, their teachers told us we had to hand the candy to them because they were taught to wait until something is given to them.

    The last stop was this after school center Elise built for kindergarten to age 18 year olds. They served us a great lunch and then all the kids put on a performance for us. They were SO good! They sang for us, danced, ballroom danced, and then invited us to dance with them. The smiles on these kids that were dancing were so huge, you could tell they were so happy performing for us. Dancing and chanting African songs with them was one of the best moments on this trip so far. Those kids were truly amazing people.

The kids gave us a tour of their township and then gave us huge goodbye hugs. None of us wanted to leave. We drove to Vickys Bed & Breakfast where we would be staying for the night. It was right in the middle of the township, surrounded by shacks and run by one of the woman in the community. Their hospitality was great and we got to experience first hand what it’s like to live in a township. Vickys cousins took us on a tour of the whole district and as we were walking all around everytime we saw kids they would run at us and chant something in their language. When we asked one of her cousins what they were saying he told us they were chanting at us “white people” but they were so excited to see us.

 We got to go into a shack and all sit around by candle light and try the African beer they brew right inside the shack. It was very interesting, and we all had to drink it out of a big bucket to symbolize us sharing and coming together. When we walked out of the shack a few little kids were outside wanting to play with us. A friend and I started singing old camp songs, and even though they couldn’t understand our language they sang with us and had so much fun. By the time we finished there were almost 15 kids that had gathered because they had heard the singing and wanted to join. They were so adorable.

We got to experience first hand a township “pub”, which really was a big shack that had a pool table in it and sold beer. It was very interesting to see how these people have fun and socialize in their conditions and to be honest we all had a great time at the pub. We went back to Vicky’s for dinner where we got a traditional South African dinner and then sat around and danced and played games with her five children. By the end of the night everyone was full, tired, and their minds had been open to a whole new world.

The next morning Vicky made us a quick breakfast and we thanked her for her hospitality. I am so grateful I got the chance to stay overnight in the township and really see what it’s like for them to live. I am so thankful for everything I have. It was seeing things like a woman barefoot in the street washing out a pot with a cup of water in the dark that made me realize I will never again complain about washing the dishes or unloading the dishwasher. The day and night really opened my eyes and my mind and I am truly amazed by these incredible people.