“Open to New Experiences” By: Kate Moore

After a great adventure week to kick off our Cape Town trip, I think it is safe to say that most of us could not imagine how starting class the next Monday could possibly compare to the adventures of the previous week. As our first session came to an end, we were surprised with plans for the night that we were not expecting – we were going to be staying in the township over night. While learning that we were going to be spending the night at Sir Lowry’s Pass brought about mixed feelings, I could tell that our service week was going to be just as, if not more exciting than the week before. As our buses pulled up to Sir Lowry’s Pass, we were immediately greeted by a crowd of smiling children who were so excited to see us even though they had never met us before. The afternoon and night that I spent with my soup mother and her children proved to by far the best experience of my time here in Cape Town so far and I can’t wait to spend more time at the township next week!

My top five moments at the township so far:
1. Walking up to the house with my soup mother and her grandchildren and being greeted by her youngest granddaughter waiting at the fence with the biggest smile, wanting to be hugged immediately.
2. Reliving my childhood by playing games all afternoon and night with the children, their cousins and their friends. My personal favorites were playing “hairdresser”, “3 Sticks” and “Simon Says”!
3. Sitting around the living room spending time with their extended family, including the grandparents, grandchildren and cousins, and enjoying conversation and dinner together. It was really refreshing to see the importance at which they held the closeness of their family and the quality of the time that they spend together regardless of their circumstances that may not seem ideal to many of us.
4. Learning several new words in Afrikaans from the girls in turn being laughed at when we attempted to say them, no matter how many times we tried!
5. As we were leaving and the kids were walking to the bus stop, the girls from a neighboring house went out of her way to yell our names so that she could say bye. It was great to see that the kids enjoyed the time that we spent with them just as much as we did, and I am even more excited to get to spend more time with everyone at the Sir Lowry’s Pass next week!