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Claire Goodrich

01-16-2013

The Delft Township

 

Today was our third day working in the Delft Township and I just wanted to give a recap of what we've done and my thoughts so far in the township.

 

Day 1:

-Orientation:

The staff at Afrika Takkun is truly inspiring, and they provide so many services to the people of the township. 

-Playing with the kids of Delft:

                They are living in very tough situations but they seem to be so happy.  They loved playing with us even though we were complete strangers.  Their joy and laughter are so contagious and I was the happiest I have been this trip playing soccer and nickie ball with the kids.

 

Day 2:

-Kitchen Duty:

Two wonderful ladies run the kitchen at Afrika Takkun.  Every day, the two of them make one meal that feeds 400 people! I cut onions, peppers, and cabbage for at least two hours.  My hands were so sore but I'm okay with it because I would rather have my hands hurt for one day and have the hands of the two women not hurt for one day.  With the amount of food that they have to prepare, their hands but get so sore every day! I feel as if the kitchen gets overlooked but they are truly providing so much for the Delft community.

 

Day 3:

-Visit to the health care facility:

This was very eye-opening, but also not what I was expecting.  The waiting rooms are overcrowded and it was very warm and smelly.  We only got to see the waiting rooms of the buildings, so I wish that we would have been able to see more of how the facility was run.  In the trauma unit, they see 36,000 patients in one month.  I cannot imagine the chaotic nature of this facility and the stamina of the five doctors who have to see roughly 1,000 patients per day. 

-Home Visits:

We went on one home visit after the health care facility.  The "house" had one bedroom with a small kitchen and an even smaller sitting room.  The house is home to a grandmother, grandfather, 2 daughters, and 8 grandchildren.  Before Afrika Takkun intervened, the two daughters were addicted to meth, the family did not communicate, and the grandmother, who has a heart condition, had to run the whole house.  Since Afrka Takkun intervened, the daughters went to rehab and are now looking for a job. The family also communicates daily by sitting down during the evening to talk about their day.  The house is still very messy with flies everywhere but it is in much better condition.  Afrika Takkun is truly doing God's work and I am so thankful that I am having the opportunity to learn from this program.

 

I cannot wait to see what Day 4 and Day 5 have in store!

Claire Goodrich

01-09-2013

Robben Island

 

Today, we went to the V&A Waterfront and then headed to Robben Island.  The V&A Waterfront is very touristy full of shops with beautiful jewelry, clothing, and artwork.  We then had to go to the Nelson Mandela Gateway in order to get onto a ferry to take us to Robben Island.  Robben Island is 7.5 miles from the coast of Cape Town and was a place of banishment, exile, isolation, and imprisonment for political trouble makers, those opposed to apartheid, and society's outcasts.  The ferry ride was an hour long and quite rocky but was quite fun to experience.  Once on Robben Island, we took coach buses around the island to visit the major aspects of the Island: the four prisons, the houses where current staff work, graveyards, the limestone quarry, and a church.  I was not expecting Robben Island to be so big.  I thought that it was a small island with one prison on the island.  On the tour we learned that the political prisoners had to work in the limestone quarry for 8 hours a day with no gloves or sunglasses.  In fact, Nelson Mandela's tear ducts were damaged from the reflection off the limestone that he can no longer produce tears.  For me, crying is a part of my reaction to being hurt or seeing horrific things.  I cannot imagine not being able to cry and Nelson Mandela has experienced so much pain and hardship first hand.  In the limestone quarry, there was a small cave.  While they worked, the political prisoners would go one at a time into the cave and write one piece of information in the sand.  Therefore, they taught and learned from each other.  As a future teacher, it is important for me to remember that although I may be the teacher, I have so much to learn from my students.  Also, the students are able to learn from each other if given the opportunity.  After the coach bus tour, we were led through one of the prisons by an ex-political prisoner named Sparks.  We walked into a small room that held 60 prisoners at one time.  They had to sleep on the floor with one blanket and the windows only had bars so the rain would come.  All 60 of the prisoners had to take a shower three times a week so they had to start getting up at 4am in order for everyone to shower.  If they did not shower on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, they were put into solitary confinement.  It was so heartbreaking to hear about the awful conditions and the mistreatments that the political prisoners faced.  I thought that all prisoners at Robben Island would be treated the same.  However, the blacks were separated from the coloured, Asians, and the whites.  All prisoners, except the blacks had shoes and long sleeved shirts.  The blacks had no shoes and short sleeved shirts.  Therefore, for the 17 years that Nelson Mandela was on Robben Island, he didn't have a single pair of shoes.  Sparks also took us past Mandela's cell which contained three blankets, on bucket for a toilet, a small end table, a tin plate, and a tin cup.  There was barely enough place for him to lie down.  Sparks concluded the tour by saying that he has forgiven the whites who hurt him.  Sparks, to me, is so brave and courageous.  He is living on the island today as a free man but still must confront his past every day.  If I experienced what Sparks went through, I would want to forget my past on Robben Island.  He lives in peace with both whites and blacks and has forgiven all who hurt him.  It makes me think about how easily I can hold a grudge and yet Sparks was able to forgive people who treated him with such disrespect.  I applaud him for his strength and God truly does bring about personal healing!

Claire Goodrich

12-31-2012

My First Township Experience

 

Today has been a very busy day and there is definitely a lot to process.  We hit the road in three buses and drove to Hout Bay.  The roads were so windy with trees on either side and the mountains were so close! We first went to the township where we were met by a young man who went through the Educo Africa program as a teenager.  One portion of the Educo Africa program takes at risk teens from the townships up into the mountains for a month of rehabilitation/rediscovering themselves.  After the month, they return to the township where they become positive role models and help out the township.  We walked around the township and I really had no idea what to expect.  The houses were shacks and there was an elderly woman with only one leg walking up the road with crutches.  Everyone seems very content, well fed, and happy.  The township seemed to "flourish" because they had simple grocery stores, barber shops, and even a shoe repair place.  It seems to be a very functioning community.  As a walked through the streets I realized that there was so much work to be done.  However, I have no idea where to start.  The people of the townships are the experts of their own living community, so I would have to listen to what they need.  I began to feel slightly inadequate and unprepared. 

 

The children in this township are wonderful! They are so happy and waved at us as we walked past.  As a future elementary teacher, I was very curious as to how the children receive an education.  Do they have to walk to school? Are they known for missing school because of the lack of money?  I realized that I need to be more extroverted in terms of asking questions.

 

As we were walking back down the hill to leave the township, we heard glorious church music.  A congregation was walking up the hill singing in Zulu and clapping.  They were dressed in bright colors and very joyous.  I was smiling and clapping along when I saw the truck following the congregation of singers.  It contained a coffin.  This was a funeral procession.  This change in emotion hit me very hard.  At many funerals that I have experienced, people say that it should be a time of celebration, but the mood is still very sorrowful with many tears.  Why can't our funerals be this genuinely joyous?  Why doesn't an entire community come together to celebrate the life of the deceased? 

 

After experiencing my first township, I have a lot to process and don't really know where to begin.  I look forward to visiting more townships and gaining more knowledge to help me understand my experiences better.

Claire Goodrich
12/08/12
Can I be a Change Agent?

Wow!  I cannot believe that I will be in South Africa in a little over two weeks!  This semester has been so busy with lesson plans, exams, and other extra curriculars that I really haven't had the time to sit and realize that I will be traveling to Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA!  

I have always wanted to study abroad as part of the college experience; I finally got around to planning and applying last summer.  However, for some reason, I did not make it into the program that I applied to last summer.  Therefore, as soon as the fall semester began, I made sure to apply early to make it into this program.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to be going on this study abroad experience.  What drew me to this program was the social justice and change agent aspects.  As a future elementary school teacher, it is important to discuss social justice issues in the classroom and think of ways to be change agents in our community and world today.  Therefore, this study abroad experience will immerse me in social justice and empower me to discuss social justice issues with my students. 

I do have expectations for this trip to South Africa.  I expect to feel nervous, excited, empowered, lonely, upset, and joyous.  Besides this mix of emotions, I do expect to be immersed in the South African culture and learn from the locals there.  I also expect to make new friends and learn how to travel in a country outside of the United States. However, instead of focusing on expectations, I want to focus on my hopes for myself throughout this study abroad experience.  I hope to be present throughout the experience and truly apply myself, especially during the service learning portion.  So much of what we remember is based on what we do with our hands.  Therefore, I want to gain tools to be a change agent and and what better way than by participating in a service project.  Also, I hope that I take a look at myself and how I am living in the United States.  Can I be a change agent back in Morris, MN? Can I be a change agent in my future classroom?  I want to embrace the many different perspectives I will be exposed to in South Africa and bring what I learn back to my blessed life and bring about change in the United States.

I am so excited to be traveling to South Africa, and I am ready to push myself out of my comfort zone in order to be a change agent.