As we pulled up to Mama Zulu’s where we were staying, I
had a pit in my stomach thinking maybe I really wasn’t as prepared for
this experience as I had expected. We plopped our suitcases into our
guest house, got to meet precious Mama and Papa Zulu, and settled in to
wait to meet our community partners we would be working with for the
next 10 weeks. After that first drive in, spending a whole ten weeks
here was beginning to feel like an eternity. As we were waiting to meet
up with Songo, the women from the creche, and the guys from the art
gallery we sat outside to enjoy the 70 degree South African winter.
While we were out on the patio, we noticed some other volunteers staying
at Mama Zulu’s outside playing with some neighborhood girls in the
street. They called us over, so we decided to join and any anxiety I had
about my time in Kayamandi immediately began to dissipate. I met a girl
named Elam, who told me she wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up,
just like me and I immediately began to feel a connection to these
people and to Kayamandi itself. We played lots of net ball and ever
since that first night, we are expected outside of Mama Zulu’s for net
ball and other games at 5pm sharp. If we aren’t there within 5 minutes,
we often get a nice knock on the door from 4 or 5 of the girls waiting
for us to come play.
The rest of my first week in Kayamandi was followed by more and more relief and excitement about my time spent here. We went to the creches for the first time on Monday and were greeted with a loud chant of “TEACHER, TEACHER, TEACHER”…and that has been my name ever since. Even when I pass kids I don’t know on the street, whenever they yell teacher I know they’re yelling at us, the ones who stand out like sore thumbs.
The kids here are some of the most outgoing I have ever met and within minutes will make you feel loved, wanted, and accepted in the community. The little ones really are what make the days so happy and so full of love here. We got the first few afternoons off and got to know the other volunteers staying at Mama Zulu’s super well. They’re help in figuring out what life in Kayamandi looks like has been indescribably amazing. From learning where the tea bags are in Mama Zulu’s kitchen to where the minibus taxis will pick us up to which cash store is the best for buying junk food, I really don’t know how we would have survived without all of their advice.
On Wednesday, we began our afternoon projects: Paulina and I working
with Songo to fundraise for a swimming pool in Kayamandi and Ellie and
Darby hosting drama/performing arts/art after-school classes. I never
thought I would be able to use my background in some legal writing from
my internship of the past two summers while I was here, but I have even
gotten to use those skills in working on a constitution to create a
trust for the Kayamandi Swimming Pool. This project is really
incredible. Songo learned how to swim at 40 years old and 6 months after
learning, he completed his first iron man (he is literally so
incredible, go check him out on Facebook if you have the time: Songo
Fipaza). This, along with the drownings of a few local kids who got
stuck in the dam nearby and couldn’t swim inspired Songo to create a
pool so that the people of Kayamandi could not only learn to swim, but
even participate in swimming competitions or even events like an iron
man.Overall, this past week has been incredibly inspirational. I have learned more than I ever thought possible in just a week. The people here are some of the most joyful and determined people I have ever met. Despite my initial worries, Kayamandi already feels like home after a week of dinners with other volunteers, watching Mama Zulu’s granddaughter perform at a local restaurant, net ball games with the kiddos, and lots of ice cream in Stellenbosch. Don’t get me wrong, it is never easy to see the little ones at the creche in the same outfit everyday or in worn out shoes and it is even harder to think about what home might be to them, but to live in Kayamandi is really to love it. The people here are so welcoming, they have invited us to church, to dinner at their homes, to show us around Kayamandi, and so much more…and we have only been here for a little over a week!
I don’t think I can accurately put into words what this experience has been like for me and it is only the beginning of week 2, so I’m sure there are many more hardships and happy times to come. I honestly cannot wait for more time to love on little ones and help them to become better learners and prepare for primary school and time spent with Songo and his family working on the Kayamandi Swimming Pool. My time in Kayamandi is already going by way too fast…hopefully time slows down a little for these next 9 weeks!
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Follow Sammy on her journey at https://sammyinsouthafrica.wordpress.com/
Find out more about service learning projects available through the Honors College at http://honorscollege.uark.edu/current-students/service-learning.php
