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Bryan

Today we spent the morning with a school for little kids at one of the townships here in Cape Town. We read them books, played games with them, and did activities such as coloring, puzzles, etc. It was awesome to play with all of them. They were all very friendly and many had very distinct personalities that made it fun to interact with them. It was great to see how similar the kids were compared to where I grew up, and back in the US in general. Despite the drastic differences in lifestyles and incomes, the families seemed to have a fantastic sense of community and comradery that proved that money itself is not all that matters. Wealth extends far beyond the monetary realm. They may have been very poor, but they still had more wealth than I’d say most Americans can fathom. It was truly touching to speak a little bit of their language and see their eyes and smiles light up to have them play with my help and call me Triple H and to experience the joy that a stranger could bring them. It was truly fantastic and very rewarding.

 

Leni

Today we were able to work with children from the Red Hill township and the Masiphumelele township. I felt overjoyed being able to work with and teach the children because they are brutally honest and are also our future. Upon arriving to the Red Hill township, I could tell right away that these children were no different than the children from the U.S. The way they laughed, the way they played, and the way they learned was all the same. The only differences that I saw there were the resources that they had access to. They barely had any. Sure, they had simple US picture books, some broken desks, and a bucket to wash their hands in, but they could use so much more. From this experience, I believe that childcare should be paid for and standardized by the government because every child deserves an equal opportunity to an equal education. None of us get to decide the lifestyle or economic status that we are born into, so why should children who have no choice suffer?

 

As we did the bicycle tour of Masiphumelele township today, I thought of how communal the people were. Everybody know everybody. Everybody called you friend. The people there were extremely happy despite what little they had. After seeing the townships today, it made me think about how privileged we are in America. We have so much already, yet we take it all for granted. The people here barely have anything, yet they are so happy and grateful for everything they have.

 

Poverty, to me, means that you are lacking the basic necessities for quality of life. After my experiences today, I think that Americans are impoverished in gratitude and joy. We often take for granted the things we have and complain about the things we don’t.

 

Nick

The service project at the Red Hill township was very eye-opening. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences of the functions within the preschool. I felt surprisingly comfortable with the children, there is some kind of non-verbal communication that is inherent in any child of any language. The goals of the childcare were very similar in the township to those in the USA. They were trying to teach the kids and prepare them for the basics of the rest of their lives. Although the facilities may have been inside storage containers, the insides were very similar to American classrooms, with the alphabet and numbers on the wall in paintings.

I think the experiences with the kids in the two townships really gave me a new perspective on how important childcare really is. I realized the habits that were being passed down in the townships were not entirely conducive to a brighter future. Trash was not always picked up, and not all kids were given hygiene supplies.

 

During the bicycle tour through the second township, it was very obvious that there was a large sense of family. The area was very dirty, there was trash littering every road and alleyway, there was only public toilets and water sources instead of private ones. But the people were very happy and friendly with each other, as well as with us on the bikes.

I think poverty is just living without things or something important that other people do have.

 

We are impoverished in ways much different than those in the townships here. I think we are impoverished in terms of family bonds between people. We are so distant in our society; a closer sense of belonging would be nice.

 

Justin

Today we got to focus more on the township and doing a service project. At first, I was a bit apprehensive because I didn’t know how to communicate with the kids or I wasn’t really sure how the kids would react. As we drove to the driveway, we started seeing the shocks and houses made up of roofs and wood. To me, this was a familiar sight coming from the Philippines and it was worse because in the Philippines we did not have an Apartheid.

 

Once we started meeting the kids and playing with them, I was able to put my guard down. The funniest thig was that I was shy and the kids were more outgoing. But as time progressed, I was able to really enjoy my time with the kids playing games like soccer, balloons or glow-light bracelets. Also, what I was really impressed with the kids is how mature they were and actually took care of their stuff and listen to the teachers. When they were asked to clean up, they did it in command and they actually had a song for it. In many cases, they even shared and the older kids helped the younger ones – it was quite sweet. In many cases I felt that the kids in America are a lot harder because they do not have the same maturity as the kids that I worked with in the Township. I think it’s because of their living situation and how these kids have so little. The childcare center was housed in containers. In many cases, it was unsafe and unsanitary, yet they make it work and still have those bright smiles. In the U.S., everything is given on a silver spoon. Even in worst situations in America, they still have bathrooms, running water and better facilities. What set these children apart is their living situation and the environment and tools that are available to them.

 

To me, it made me a bit emotional and also guilty, but it also awakened a newfound spirit and the importance of support for the children and giving them a sustainable learning environment. I think for me, it plays a major role when it comes to being able to work for the parents and having a childcare so that they can work.

 

The township, again, was familiar because we also have something like it in the Philippines. It reminded me of all the privileges that I have in my life after coming to America. The people are so welcoming, they say hi, and are apologetic. They are so welcoming and willing to say hi or give a fist bump. Learning about the Townships taught me a lot about the community within those townships – how they depend on each other to take care of their children and to help each other in the community.

 

Poverty, to me, means to never forget where I came from and that in a different country, I was also in the shoes. To remember and also to be thankful of what we have and be indifferent to those who come from poverty. As Americans, we are impoverished of community and love with each other. The fact that we live in a ‘mine’ kind of word and as individuals, we often forget our culture and how we can make a difference and affect others with our attention.

 

Kristin

Interacting with the children was very fun! They were all so excited to see you and spend time with you. I enjoyed their energy and talking to them. The lessons were somewhat difficult as they got distracted and antsy easily. Not being able to speak Xhosa was a challenge when they were doing things they should not have been doing. But it was really humbling to be a part of the service project and spending time in the township. There were a lot of similarities in the way the childcare was run in Red Hill and the US. Both have teachers, similar activities and lessons displayed in the classroom. The children’s schedule seemed similar as well. The only difference really being the facility, the township daycare was in a large shipping container rather than an active building. This makes me recognize that in the U.S. we seem to be a little strict with the children, rather than letting them do their own thing, in my opinion.

 

The township was extremely enlightening. The sense of community there was very apparent and really cool to see how everyone interacted with one another. The lifestyle seems very different than the U.S. The homes are packed together and the buildings they are living in are very small. But aside from the poverty in that area, everyone seems to be very happy. Poverty, to me, means living without efficient funds. Not so much a lack of quality of life, but more so the funds, because the people seem to be happy. I think as Americans we are impoverished due to the lack of a focus on happiness – but more so on money and working to build riches, rather than living minimal and recognizing the value of being alive.

 

Jackson

My experience started off with feeling uncomfortable doming into a full classroom of students. We stood out very much and everyone was looking at us. I was not able to get comfortable until after we read 3 stories. The next thing I noticed was the language barrier. This barrier made me focus more on using hand gestures. The best part was “recess”, hanging out with all of the kids in a fun environment.

 

The U.S. has many similarities with the South African classroom that we visited. Reading books, recess, eating, snack time, and the overall look of the room was similar. The differences that I noticed were the themes that they had set for the week. I know there is not much control of kids at this age, however, I feel as though they had less control of their students than the U.S. My thought on childcare is that you have to let children be children. I think South Africa does a really good job at that, but I would put some stricter restrictions. The restrictions I would add is not allowing the hitting of each other and it is crazy to me how openly the kids could walk from place to place.

 

The community aspect to me was very fulfilling. I could not, however, believe that kids were able to walk around so freely. I like the idea of their ancestor ceremony. I cannot believe that they do the ceremony for three days. Poverty is not having sufficient life necessities. For the United States, we do not see many cases of this. I at least have not been around it much.

 

Javier

When we arrived to the first school, right away, I saw that it was a bunch of shipping containers that was transformed into classrooms. When we walked inside the classroom, it felt like a classroom since there were alphabets on the wall, toys, and some tools for education. But the environment was not very safe – not one bit. There was glass on the dirt and it’s not very safe. These kids could get hurt pretty easily, but they’re managing. Some of these kids were very bright and catch o so quickly. The one thing that was hard for me was not being able to communicate with them, trying to prevent kids from hurting one another. I’ve tried to tell them to stop, but they didn’t understand, so that make me feel like I wanted to learn the language even more. From the second school, I was surprised that they knew so much English that I felt I had a closer connection with the kids, which every kid was not scared to interact with us. This showed the kids were not scared to interact with us, which shows the kids don’t know the difference between good people and bad people.

 

Compared to the U.S., it’s completely different since we care for every single thing if something bad happened and go through a system. Compared to South Africa, it’s not. I think it went well with the bike tour. I was able to bike through the community and they welcomed us to go through the community and go through people’s homes which I was able to experience more on how the way they live. Trying to survive and the community trying to teach the kids learning to use their hands to sell their own beads and other forms of art work to make money.

 

To me, poverty is no running water in their homes or some form of heat and electricity. And just trying to survive.