SEE: Boys chasing our bus. Over 1000 houses no more than five feet apart. Cigarette butts covering the ground. Children in school uniforms, others in dirty clothing. Bare feet. Grimy fingernails. Blank faces. Stares. Clotheslines. A drunk father. Powerful women working. A man with dreadlocks down to the ground. Chipped paint. Bones protruding from bodies. Pink gums. Rotting teeth. Wounds. Gravel. Smiles. Waving. Glassy eyes. Brown. Pigtails.
HEAR: Dogs barking. Roosters cockle-doodle-dooing. Children laughing. Children crying. Silence. Pleads to be hugged and picked up. Afrikaans. Attempts at speaking English. Yells. Sniffles from a runny nose. Singing. Hand games. Hitting. Wheels of a bike. Grumbling stomachs. Whispering.
SMELL: Mildew. Marijuana. Alcohol. Stale breath. Grass. A dirty stench. Body odor. Outhouse. Gasoline.
FEEL: Strong wind. Rough skin. Dirt. Unwashed hair. A slap on the back. A little girls hands embraced with mine. Tension. Cold. Love. Hate. Excitement.
TASTE: Dirt particles in the back of my throat. Home-cooked pasta by my host mother. Dry, dirty air.
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