“Open your Eyes” By: Sally Anne Harrell

Have you ever been thrown a curve ball in life that gets you excited about the day ahead? Well this morning I had one of those experiences, and it was probably the greatest news I have received all week long! Garrett told us that we had one hour to pack a bag of extra clothes and a tooth brush because we were going to go to Sir Lowry’s Pass, a shantytown an hour outside of Cape Town, and spend one day living in the shoes of the families we were staying with. “One Dollar a Day”

Three other students and I were assigned to Ms. Anna’s home to stay with. Anna, a 61-year-old woman with 5 children and 10 grandchildren lived in a two-room house with 6 other family members. The second we walked into her house, Anna’s home smelled like my grandmothers house – warm, with the smell of fresh cooked food. She had just pulled out a loaf of bread and offered me some, which could have quite possibly been the best tasting bread I have ever put in my house.

But it was Anna’s daughter who I really connected with. She is 22-years-old, with two little girls (ages 3 and 2). Anna’s daughter is someone that is wise beyond her years with a quiet personality. Every time she needed to go somewhere within the shantytown she would not ask, but tell me, “Come With Me!” and off we would go to do another errand for her mother. She took me in the dark of the night to go pay their power bill. It was in a small building that looked like a convenient store with bars separating the cashier and the customer. I asked her how often they had to pay their power bill and she said at least once or twice a week, depending on if they could pay for more power.

I think Anna’s Daughter struck me so much was because she is only 1 year older then me and has already figured out what she is doing in life and has her head on her shoulders. Not that she had much of a choice in any areas, because she was born in her situation, but she has used her faith and her personality to make the best out of what they were given. It makes me think, I only having one more year of undergrad left, yet why is it so hard for an American student my age to understand where my life is headed and not taking more ownership of my future.