"'My nuwe familie'= My new family" By: Samantha Carnline

Hetta and Wayne, the couple in this picture, are 45 years old. Can you believe that? I know I did not believe that these people were 45, because they looked at least like they were in their 60’s. This age difference was a realization that I had today that took place during my adventures in the township in South Africa.

Our mission as a group was to cook for our families an American dinner. My mission however was to break through and actually talk to the grandmother of our household. Her name is Hetta, and she is the 45-year-old woman in the picture. When the four of us American kids entered her home she was very skittish and did not speak a word to us. She seemed almost intimidated by us. The only members of the family that would talk to us were the younger adults and children in the house. These would be her grandchildren. All the other students on the trip kept talking about how wonderful these grandmothers were and how they were the powerhouse within the family, I did not gather this from my experience but deeply wanted to find that connection.

Hetta and I began to bond for the first time today. This bonding took place as she spoke her first words to me, which were to ask if she could take a picture with me. After taking the picture, she proceeded to want to see our recently captured memory. As I showed it to her, a picture of my family popped up on the screen by accident. The picture was of my mother and I. Hetta said: “Wow, this woman looks so young. Who is she?” This began to make me wonder how old she actually was. When I discovered that she was the same age as my mother it hit me how she really was a powerhouse. This woman was responsible for four children of her own and two grandchildren. After spending three days in the township I came to realize that everyone actually looks older than they truly are. I would assume that this would be caused by their habits, one being having children at such a young age.

As Hetta and I began to discuss our families to each other her true heart began to pour out its genuine goodness. She would do anything for her family no matter what the circumstances might be. She is typical to any American grandmother except for the fact that she is 20 years younger than most. Within the ten minutes we talked today I gained a strong respect for her. She is now a super hero in my eyes.