Home is Where You Make It

With two weeks past, and another three to come I have been living the life of a South African. Roughly two weeks ago I (again) moved from a beachfront condominium to a township residence. Within this township I have been staying with a loving family in their three-bedroom house.

With this family I live with my ‘gogo’ or grandmother along with my beautiful sister and two very handsome brothers. Each and every one of my family members is incredibly intelligent and very hard working. Although it is quite rare for township citizens to attend tertiary academics, my two older brothers have both obtained university degrees. With their brilliant minds, one has completed his masters in law and the other, architecture. My younger sister has just begun high school… but I can already see that she will be making significant impacts in the near future.

Now that I have been living in the township for quite sometime, I have determined that life is much different than how I had been living previously. To begin, all citizens of this area live closely as they know each of their neighbors and many others of the community. Children often run free, leaving early in the day and returning late at night while parents trust that the surrounding community watches over their youngsters. I also find it comforting that when an individual is in need of money or other resources, the community lends a helping hand despite the lack of resources they themselves obtain.

Personal challenges that I have faced include the routines of everyday living. Although my house is provided running water and electricity, our house remains to have limited supplies than what I am used to having. For instance, because our home has only access to a bathtub and cold running water, I have yet to take a shower. Rather I bathe every morning as my gogo prepares me with kettle-warmed water that she then places in a red bucket for me to wash myself with. Through this living experience I have also learned to hand wash my clothing. Despite the house having electricity for lighting, a refrigerator, stove, microwave and TV, there is no washing machine. As a result I wash my items by hand and allow them to hang-dry with the remaining family’s belongings. I have also overcome the challenge of transport. In South Africa people use transport taxis called ‘Mini Buses’. These mini buses are often run-down, 9-seated, large vans. There is no apparent organization for bus stops or designated destinations, although when an individual sees a bus, they simply wave the bus over and then the bus will pick them up and bring them to wherever desired. Most of the time the buses are cramped with 12-15 people as the drive quickly through the streets, all the while playing base-loud music and nearly breaking the eardrums of each and every passenger.

Along with the routines of everyday living, I have also faced challenges of cultural norms. As I greet a variety of community members, each has their own handshake. Some perform this with 1-2 firm grasps of the hand as they reach down to the wrist then again to grasp at the palm. Other handshakes may entitle a firm grip of the palm, then a cupped hand as the opposing fingers are held, and finally to what reminds me of a ‘thumb war,’ each hand snaps their thumbs together and finally releases their hold. There are various forms of handshaking and the problem is, upon greeting, how do I know which one to perform? I still don’t know!

Surprisingly, I love living this simple life. I have grown quite used to not showering but bathing and hand washing my clothing. Although I remain timid when approaching absolutely crazy mini buses, I enjoy their transport. I also enjoy the close-knit ambiance of the community. I have actually grown so comfortable with the locals that I have joined a women’s Netball Team (similar to Basketball but less contact) who practices every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And most of all, I have become too attached to my family as it worries me when I consider leaving them. I have grown attached to the nightly gatherings of our family and neighboring friends as we sit in our over-crowded living room and talk about everything and anything. The late nights compact of laughter, smiles, discussions and downright silliness is what I will miss most. They say that home is where you make it, and with all seriousness I can assure you that this home has been made.