"Life in the Townships" By: Elyse Hart

I just spent the night in a slum in South Africa…well there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say! Cape Town is a gorgeous city with a mix of European charm, the New Orleans’ Bourbon Street scene, and the Miami South Beach style, not to mention to buzz and excitement surrounding the World Cup. Not too far away, however, are the townships (the politically correct term) and people who live on less than $1 a day. Most people, especially Americans, could come to Cape Town and only pass by the townships on their way to the beach from the airport. We, however, didn’t just see the townships- we LIVED it. When Courtney and Garrett first told us we’d be spending the night with a family in a townships, I first thought they had to be kidding. The townships? As in the tin-roofed shacks? No thank you! Well, as we rolled into the township, Sir Lowry’s Pass, the appearance was definitely what I expected. I was SO nervous! But immediately when we got off the bus, the children ran up to us and hugged us. Their genuine and open love really touched my heart, and I instantly was excited. During the day, we got to hang out and dance with the kids, and I really bonded with a 15-year-old girl named Anje. We talked about everything from school to boys to family and friends, and it turns out we actually had a lot of the same opinions and morals. After spending time with the children and with our “mother,” Miss Susan, it quickly became apparent that poverty doesn’t define these people the way poverty does in America. Despite living on just $1 a day, they prioritized family and friends over wealth and status, which is definitely much more than most Americans can say. In 3 words: Faith, Family, and Friends. Those 3 things, what are valued most by the people in the townships, are what really matter the most in life.