In the Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock,
there’s a scene where she’s out to lunch with her friends. While discussing
what she’s doing with Michael Oher her friend says, “You’re changing that boy’s
life.” Leanne Tuohy replies, “No, he’s changing mine.”
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| Joe Schaffers at District 6 Museum |
Joe Schaffers at the District Six Museum was
able to share what it was like to be moved from his home and community to a new
area miles away. There are personal family pictures in the museum of his
parents and the memories he shared brought the changes of the apartheid to
life. Because freedom and democracy are so young in South Africa, the people,
no matter their age, are not far removed from the situation.
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| Lucy Campbell of Transcending History |
Lucy Campbell’s
discussion and tour opened my eyes to a whole new form of slavery and the
lasting effects on the Western Cape. She also pointed out the differences
between the trans-Indian and transatlantic slave trades. In a way, Lucy taught
me more about slavery in the US than any of the history course I’ve taken in
the past.
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| Joseph at Sithembele Matiso High School |
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| Ceramics being made |
The people at the community center in Langa were
completely inspirational. They teach women to make various ceramics and then
allow them to use the oven to fire the piece before it’s fully painted. There
are also community drum lessons which teach kids a skill and give them
somewhere to go after school.
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| Students getting drumming less at Langa Community Center |
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| Former political prisoner at Robben Island |
On Robben Island,
an ex-political prisoner gave us a tour of the cell blocks where the
high-profile political prisoners were held. He detailed how apartheid ruled in
prison with different treatment for the different classified races. The ‘A’
group thought they were better than the other groups when they were all there
for the same thing. He said that he truly believes they are a better country
today which was nice to hear even if they still have a long way to go.
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| Sivuyile National Baptist Church in Gugulethu |
We were also taken
to a beautiful religious service in Guguletu which renewed my faith in God. The
majority of the service was in Xhosa and yet I felt the spirit of God more in
that church than I ever have in any place I’ve been before. Their passion for
Christ was tangible and I was so grateful that they allowed us to participate,
especially when they pulled me into one of their dances. I might have been able
to make a lovely donation but that doesn’t compare to the gift they gave me: a
renewed love for Jesus Christ.
The people who had some
of the greatest effect on my life were those at our placements. The people who
work day in and day out to better the lives of those around them at Tafelsig
Clinic, Christel House, Treatment Action Campaign, Beautiful Gate, and City
Mission Educational Services. They are the ones who are truly changing lives down there and they
offered us a brief glimpse into their world.
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| Sisters (nurses) from Tafelsig Clinic |
The sisters at Tafelsig work
nonstop, except for tea time and lunch breaks, to see hundreds of patients a
day. They are not only trying to solve physical ailments but they fully explain
what can happen if they don’t change diet and exercise and what a specific
medication will do. They also have full HIV and TB counseling where they sit
and give a thorough talk about what the disease is, how it spreads, what the
medication will be like and what they can do to help themselves become
healthier overall in the process. My time at Tafelsig reinforced my desire to
work in the medical field and I hope to go back some day when I am certified so
I can work alongside the doctors and sisters to continue making a difference.
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