every once in awhile i'm reminded that i'm living with a woman that is almost 70.
the shower door is a delicate balance of three fogged glass panes that glide on a small ledge. Mama Shumi refers to these hanging door pieces as her babies, so that i'll remember to always slide them with care. so after the 20 seconds of gently gliding each individual piece of glass i've finally earned my shower. once in the shower, i look to my right and notice that on the little soap dish rests the lower dentures of Mama Shumi. like i said, every once in awhile i'm reminded that i'm living with a woman that is almost 70.
but i can also see it in the wisdom that Mama has to impart. last night the two of us sat in the living room area, i was eating my dinner, and Mama was cutting the webbing out of the chicken feet. (i guess here is where you realize that people can get used to almost anything.) Mama started to tell me a little bit about her past. she was part of "the struggle", which means that when this country was battling over apartheid she was out marching. she actually spent a year in prison - and gave birth to her first born son while in prison. she became a business woman in 1985 when her sister told her about how much school children in her area enjoy a good chicken foot. :)
i am always amazed by all that people have to teach - and i rarely forget how much i have to learn.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Beauty in the unexpected
the last few days have been really great. yesterday was the start of my interviews for the film project and i was really impressed with what i have seen thus far. i have another 8 students to interview this afternoon and they all have a qualifying assignment that is due next week.
each student took the interview so seriously, it was really great - and in a way i felt like i was casting again. casting this group of young people that will need to work closely these next few months, and casting different types and personalities for the documentary aspect. several were incredibly vulnerable and honest before me and the camera and helped to make my decision very clear and easy. i'm still wrestling with a few of the others - and while i thought that a group of 20 would be good - my instincts are starting to lean toward a smaller group of 15 or 16.
yesterday afternoon, i sat in front of my computer with no internet connectivity, and was a little frustrated. my young friend Gugu, one of the Kuyasa Kids, came and sat down next to me. he and i talked for thirty minutes, talked about our time in america, about the importance of school, and what it meant to be a leader. here he is, a 15-year-old guy, that desires to just sit and chat about life. there was something so profound and beautiful about our time together, and it's not something i'll soon forget.
this morning when i walked out of my room, bleary eyed with my towel in hand, Mama Shumi was doing some ironing. i gave her a side hug and said good morning, and she replied with "i love you".
i was standing on the front porch this morning, waiting for my ride. the sun was shining and the air was so clear. i turned to my left and took in the reality of this place that is now home. our neighbor has a shack that slants down hill - but beyond that is a beautiful mountain. it still strikes me that there can be such poverty with such a beautiful backdrop.
each student took the interview so seriously, it was really great - and in a way i felt like i was casting again. casting this group of young people that will need to work closely these next few months, and casting different types and personalities for the documentary aspect. several were incredibly vulnerable and honest before me and the camera and helped to make my decision very clear and easy. i'm still wrestling with a few of the others - and while i thought that a group of 20 would be good - my instincts are starting to lean toward a smaller group of 15 or 16.
yesterday afternoon, i sat in front of my computer with no internet connectivity, and was a little frustrated. my young friend Gugu, one of the Kuyasa Kids, came and sat down next to me. he and i talked for thirty minutes, talked about our time in america, about the importance of school, and what it meant to be a leader. here he is, a 15-year-old guy, that desires to just sit and chat about life. there was something so profound and beautiful about our time together, and it's not something i'll soon forget.
this morning when i walked out of my room, bleary eyed with my towel in hand, Mama Shumi was doing some ironing. i gave her a side hug and said good morning, and she replied with "i love you".
i was standing on the front porch this morning, waiting for my ride. the sun was shining and the air was so clear. i turned to my left and took in the reality of this place that is now home. our neighbor has a shack that slants down hill - but beyond that is a beautiful mountain. it still strikes me that there can be such poverty with such a beautiful backdrop.
Monday, April 21, 2008
the weekend
it's funny how much a weekend can change when you're in a new place. at home, i can't wait for the weekend! for the time away from work and time with friends. of course here, i work with all my friends and time at home is when i'm most prone to loneliness.
this last weekend was actually pretty successful - and was much more fun than i had anticipated at the end of the week. friday evening, my friends Cindy and Neal invited me over to watch some movies - so we enjoyed watching "13 going on 30" and "the holiday" on Neal's computer. Neal cooked dinner and then later drove me home. the next day i slept in and spent some time alone in my room reading, listening to music, and even working out if you can believe that! Then Neal and Cindy picked me up again to join them at the home of a friend where we watched a movie and again, Neal made dinner. good news is - he's a very good cook. :) sunday was another relaxing day and i went to church in the evening with Cindy and Neal.
back at the office today, and i received the first sign-ups for interviews that will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. for the most part it looks like the interest is mostly among young men that are recently out of high school. this could actually work out well for me time wise, cause we might get to work during the morning time and not just the afternoon. the afternoon time here is usually filled with tutoring for all different age groups - so if we can meet another time it will allow for more options with regard to rooms where we can meet.
well, my love to all - i miss you so much but you can rest in the fact that i'm doing well.
this last weekend was actually pretty successful - and was much more fun than i had anticipated at the end of the week. friday evening, my friends Cindy and Neal invited me over to watch some movies - so we enjoyed watching "13 going on 30" and "the holiday" on Neal's computer. Neal cooked dinner and then later drove me home. the next day i slept in and spent some time alone in my room reading, listening to music, and even working out if you can believe that! Then Neal and Cindy picked me up again to join them at the home of a friend where we watched a movie and again, Neal made dinner. good news is - he's a very good cook. :) sunday was another relaxing day and i went to church in the evening with Cindy and Neal.
back at the office today, and i received the first sign-ups for interviews that will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. for the most part it looks like the interest is mostly among young men that are recently out of high school. this could actually work out well for me time wise, cause we might get to work during the morning time and not just the afternoon. the afternoon time here is usually filled with tutoring for all different age groups - so if we can meet another time it will allow for more options with regard to rooms where we can meet.
well, my love to all - i miss you so much but you can rest in the fact that i'm doing well.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
i think i'm gonna need more zone bars...
well, the good news is - i wasn't served chicken feet! turns out that Mama Shumi sells her chicken feet at the school, which is good news for me. :)
the first night was interesting. Mama Shumi served me dinner which consisted of chicken, rice, and a sort of carrot/potato sauce. the salad was not a typical american salad, it was more like a salsa - lots of chopped tomatoes with onion, peppers and some sort of sauce that looked like soy. so that took some choking down, but i considered myself lucky that it wasn't chicken feet. when i prayed before my meal, Mama Shumi said that i was the first visitor she's had that prayed before dinner.
my room is nice and big, and i even have carpet on the floor of my room, which will help when it gets really cold. the house is much bigger than the home i stayed in while in Costa Rica - and outside is nice and loud so that you remember you're part of a community. i woke up this morning bright and early when the roosters decided it was time for me to wake up. i did my best to get back to sleep, but since my room is right off the kitchen the sound of chicken feet prep continued to wake me up.
i took my first shower in lukewarm water - and i kind of think that's the best it's going to get. it could certainly be worse - in Poland the showers were freezing. breakfast was unique... Mama Shumi left everything for cereal out so that i could help myself. i was lucky enough to see a fly do a swan dive into the milk carton - and when i looked closer i could see that he was just joining his friend. so i grabbed a zone bar, covered my tracks so that it looks like i ate, and headed off to the office.
one of the girls my age that is working with the center is also living in Kayamandi. her name is heather and she's living with pumla in her new shack. she's really roughing it, sleeping in pumla's bed and peeing in a bucket. so things are pretty good all things considered. yesterday heather mentioned to me that on tuesday evenings you can go to the movies for 7 rand (1$) - i think she and i are going to get along just fine.
the first night was interesting. Mama Shumi served me dinner which consisted of chicken, rice, and a sort of carrot/potato sauce. the salad was not a typical american salad, it was more like a salsa - lots of chopped tomatoes with onion, peppers and some sort of sauce that looked like soy. so that took some choking down, but i considered myself lucky that it wasn't chicken feet. when i prayed before my meal, Mama Shumi said that i was the first visitor she's had that prayed before dinner.
my room is nice and big, and i even have carpet on the floor of my room, which will help when it gets really cold. the house is much bigger than the home i stayed in while in Costa Rica - and outside is nice and loud so that you remember you're part of a community. i woke up this morning bright and early when the roosters decided it was time for me to wake up. i did my best to get back to sleep, but since my room is right off the kitchen the sound of chicken feet prep continued to wake me up.
i took my first shower in lukewarm water - and i kind of think that's the best it's going to get. it could certainly be worse - in Poland the showers were freezing. breakfast was unique... Mama Shumi left everything for cereal out so that i could help myself. i was lucky enough to see a fly do a swan dive into the milk carton - and when i looked closer i could see that he was just joining his friend. so i grabbed a zone bar, covered my tracks so that it looks like i ate, and headed off to the office.
one of the girls my age that is working with the center is also living in Kayamandi. her name is heather and she's living with pumla in her new shack. she's really roughing it, sleeping in pumla's bed and peeing in a bucket. so things are pretty good all things considered. yesterday heather mentioned to me that on tuesday evenings you can go to the movies for 7 rand (1$) - i think she and i are going to get along just fine.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Safe and Sound
i've arrived! the flight easier and believe it or not shorter than usual. due to a nice tail wind we managed to bypass stopping in Dakar and cut 2/3 hours off the trip. so all in all, the flight was good. i spent last night at Cindy and Jenn's apartment and this morning dropped off half of my things at Mama Shumi's place in Kayamandi.
the bonus about the location is that i can walk to/from work and i'm also close to the high school. so if any of the kids wanted to come over it's pretty close. we've been able to identify 3 students that would likely be interested in the film program. i'm sure there are many more out there, but we also need to be sure that we're getting students that can be trusted with the equipment. so the process will be selective. i'll likely get some flyers printed up in the next few days and will hope to start interviews sometime next week.
the bonus about the location is that i can walk to/from work and i'm also close to the high school. so if any of the kids wanted to come over it's pretty close. we've been able to identify 3 students that would likely be interested in the film program. i'm sure there are many more out there, but we also need to be sure that we're getting students that can be trusted with the equipment. so the process will be selective. i'll likely get some flyers printed up in the next few days and will hope to start interviews sometime next week.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
a big sister
There are few things on this earth that I cherish more than my relationship with my big sister. We have such a wonderful bond and I'm truly grateful for the role that she has played in my life.
Among the Kuyasa Kids, the word sister (sisi) flies fast and furious, and is used in reference to any of the girls. My name is SisKatie, it's a sign of respect that the kids show me. And while I often forget the Sis before their names, they never forget to call me sister.
I was thinking about how many sister's I've actually gained in this process. While none will ever be able to replace or fill the role of my own sister - growing up I always longed to be a big sister. I like to think it's because my sister was so good at it, that I wanted to pass on all that I had learned along the way.
This idea of sisterhood really hit home the other night. Cindy and I were staying with two of the youngest girls in the group, Koko (10) and Kholisa (12). It was our second night with our host family and Cindy had gone to bed about 20 minutes before the rest of us. Cindy and I were each blessed to have our own queen size beds and our own rooms, an arrangement that is certainly not common on tour. The two girls were together on a queen air mattress in another room. Once I turned out the light in my room and settled into bed I heard a small knock. The two little ones opened the door and uttered, "SisKatie, we're scared".
There was a time when I was younger, that I would creep out of bed and down the hall to my sister's room. I would open the door slowly and say, "Kari, can I sleep in your bed?" The response always came consistently and with almost no complaint, "get in".
As I looked at these two new young sisters of mine - the words formed without hesitation, "get in". In a flash both little ones had jumped over me and began to scurry under the covers.
So this is what it looks like to be a big sister.
Among the Kuyasa Kids, the word sister (sisi) flies fast and furious, and is used in reference to any of the girls. My name is SisKatie, it's a sign of respect that the kids show me. And while I often forget the Sis before their names, they never forget to call me sister.
I was thinking about how many sister's I've actually gained in this process. While none will ever be able to replace or fill the role of my own sister - growing up I always longed to be a big sister. I like to think it's because my sister was so good at it, that I wanted to pass on all that I had learned along the way.
This idea of sisterhood really hit home the other night. Cindy and I were staying with two of the youngest girls in the group, Koko (10) and Kholisa (12). It was our second night with our host family and Cindy had gone to bed about 20 minutes before the rest of us. Cindy and I were each blessed to have our own queen size beds and our own rooms, an arrangement that is certainly not common on tour. The two girls were together on a queen air mattress in another room. Once I turned out the light in my room and settled into bed I heard a small knock. The two little ones opened the door and uttered, "SisKatie, we're scared".
There was a time when I was younger, that I would creep out of bed and down the hall to my sister's room. I would open the door slowly and say, "Kari, can I sleep in your bed?" The response always came consistently and with almost no complaint, "get in".
As I looked at these two new young sisters of mine - the words formed without hesitation, "get in". In a flash both little ones had jumped over me and began to scurry under the covers.
So this is what it looks like to be a big sister.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Typical?
They seem like a bunch of American teenagers.
As I travel around the country with these Kuyasa Kids, I'm amazed by how much they seem to have all the same issues as American kids. They love "High School Musical", they give hugs to their friends, and teen boys wrestle each other to the ground. Most of the time, they seem like an average teen.
But when given the opportunity to dig a little deeper, I'm faced with the reality of these young African children. We simply ask for prayer requests and the response hits me square in the face when one of our youngest asks us to pray that her mom won't die. But it's not that simple, she asks that we will pray that her mother will live until her 18th birthday, so that she will be able to financially take care of herself when her mom is gone. When we finished our prayer, pouring out God our requests for health and life, this 11-year-old girl crawled onto my lap and just cried.
The reality that these kids face in a township where roughly 1 in 3 people are HIV infected is sobering. They all have several friends that have lost parents, so the prayer of an 11 year old, is that their mother will live 7 more years. While I know I thought about death as a young child, it was a fleeting thought, not a reality that scared me to tears.
As I travel around the country with these Kuyasa Kids, I'm amazed by how much they seem to have all the same issues as American kids. They love "High School Musical", they give hugs to their friends, and teen boys wrestle each other to the ground. Most of the time, they seem like an average teen.
But when given the opportunity to dig a little deeper, I'm faced with the reality of these young African children. We simply ask for prayer requests and the response hits me square in the face when one of our youngest asks us to pray that her mom won't die. But it's not that simple, she asks that we will pray that her mother will live until her 18th birthday, so that she will be able to financially take care of herself when her mom is gone. When we finished our prayer, pouring out God our requests for health and life, this 11-year-old girl crawled onto my lap and just cried.
The reality that these kids face in a township where roughly 1 in 3 people are HIV infected is sobering. They all have several friends that have lost parents, so the prayer of an 11 year old, is that their mother will live 7 more years. While I know I thought about death as a young child, it was a fleeting thought, not a reality that scared me to tears.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
a trip to the dentist
When I told three of the Kuyasa Kids that a trip to the dentist was "no trip to Disneyland", I had no idea that I would be proven wrong.
These three children were selected to travel with me to my parents house in Canton, OH because they each had specific dental needs that required attention. Puti, shown in the picture on the right, had crack one of his mollers in half. Nopro, was experiencing pain on one side of her mouth. And my sponsor child Kholisa had two holes of decay that had started to rot away the teeth to either side of the two that were front and center.
My mother had contacted close family friends Dr. Henry and Dr. Brent Van Hala, and they graciously agreed to see these three children and address their needs. The children were nervous! In Kayamandi, South Africa dental care is too expensive for people that are living in the township. So the alternative when one has a toothache is to go to the free clinic, and with no pain killer of any kind, have the tooth yanked out of your mouth.
The children received a rather different welcome when they entered the door of the Van Hala practice. Every detail was addressed and no expense was spared. Full dental x-rays were taken of each child, if there was any indication of pain more Novocaine was administered, and the children were treated like they were the most important patient in the office.
Puti cracked tooth was given a crown - a process that can take several visits and cost $800. Nopro's hurting tooth was experiencing decay from a major cavity, so the cavity was removed and the tooth rebuilt. My little Kholisa was a real champ - she was in the chair for close to two hours while Dr. Brent removed the decay from her front teeth. They then cosmetically filled the holes making her smile beautiful as new. I sat there holding her hand and providing encouraging words. Dr. Brent then shared with me that if Kholisa had not come into the dentist that day, that within a year she would have lost all four of her front teeth. I began to cry. Crying over the blessing that we had been given. Crying that we had noticed the holes in her beautiful smile. Crying that I got to be a part of connecting these kids that I love with talented Christians that were willing to sacrifice so much.
And it didn't stop there! A few key appointments canceled that day, and we were able to get more kids in for exams and cleanings. Going to the dentist had now become the cool thing to do and 6 more Kuyasa Kids came to the dentist. Every one of them had at least one cavity, and several had four! The Novocaine just kept coming! :)
Never have I so enjoyed a trip to the dentist.
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