Meredith on yet another lesson from Christel House

This past Friday I had one of the most eye-opening experience of my life.  For the past four months, I’ve had a chance to work with five and six year olds in grade R at Christel House School.  Throughout my time at Christel House, my relationship with the children has slowly developed.  The first few weeks at Christel House I had a chance to meet the kids, learn their names, figure out how to deal with the language barrier, and to find out what makes them tick.  As the internship quickly changed from another notch in the belt of my resume to the best reason in the world for waking up at 7 am, I absolutely fell in love with these amazing little people.  My relationship with the kids has grown to be far more personal then I ever would have imagined it could be.  When I get home every Wednesday from yet another incredible week of the kids, I genuinely miss them.  A lot.  During those four days without them, I constantly find myself thinking about funny things that they do that make my heart melt.  Then it’s Monday again and it’s time for Christel House! Yessss.  Knowing that I only have one more day working with the kids is the hardest thing I have to swallow about leaving South Africa.  I’m trying not to think about it too much because I’ve already cried in a few different places making situations awkward to say the least. 

For the past month, I feel like the relationship I have with these kids has butterflied into something so beautiful.  The only problem is, it was in the school environment.  When I became involved with Christel House South Africa I knew that everything involving the school was geared towards there vision of, “transforming lives by providing impoverished children with education, nutrition, health care and a nurturing environment, and by empowering their families and communities through outreach services.”  I obviously knew that the families that these children came from were considered below the poverty line, but for some reason I could not process the actual state that these families were living in.  I mean, I have been to the townships and seen the unpleasant conditions where a great deal of families in South Africa do reside but was that truly the state that these beautiful children were living in?

Then on Friday I had the most amazing opportunity to have all of my questions answered.  The social work at Christel House offered to take me into the townships and into the homes of the children I have been working with for the past three and a half months.  I was so excited because this was the connection that I had been longing for.  As we headed off to the first home, I was picturing the little girl in my head and couldn’t help but smile.  She is definitely one of the cutest little girls I’ve ever seen.  She is the cuddliest child in grade R by far with two tiny braids in her hair and her thumb always in her mouth.  As the car came to a stop and I looked at her home, it felt like someone punched my heart.  What I saw before me was a shack, no bigger than maybe fifteen by maybe twenty feet made completely out of old scraps of tin and wood, the roof no higher than my head, and incredibly dirty looking.  I felt numb, how could I possibly enter the home of this child whom I knew personally.  I took a deep breath, held back the tears, and entered the house.  I honestly don’t think I could have even moved if the mother wasn’t so warm and welcoming to us.  I looked around the township house.  The floor was made out of black garbage bags, the ceiling was insulated with clear garbage bags, a few old pots and pans were around, a bed that looked beaten with so much use, maybe running water, maybe electricity.  Whoa. It was a lot to soak in.  The mother brought us seats and we listened to her talk about her life.  Abusive ex-husband who still hangs around breaking windows, five children living in this single shack sharing one bed, the government trying to kick them out of there home and move them to an even worse off part of South Africa with gang violence and absolutely no electricity or running water.  Whoa.  Still soaking it in.  One of the daughters was home that day.  When we asked her why she wasn’t in school, she explained that she couldn’t afford transportation to school that day which is thirteen Rand.  Thirteen Rand.  Whoa.  For those in America reading this, that is $1.75.  That’s it.  After the visit was over, we went to two more houses and experienced similar situations in different areas.  I felt overwhelming sadness about what I saw that day.  For the first time in my life I actually understand how completely privileged I truly am.  What have I done to deserve what I have?  It made me incredibly sad knowing how well off I am and how much other people have to struggle for $1.75.  I’m pretty sure a coffee at Starbuck’s is more expensive. 

Though my mind was swirling with all of these hard thoughts, I yet again realized that the lining is truly silver.   Walking into these homes was a hard thing to take in, but after talking to the family members, the love and warmth in the households shines through proving how much more powerful love is than material possessions.  The positive lens that the families look through life with is absolutely indescribable.  One mother who lived in a one-room home with her family of five described how she is so incredibly grateful for everything she has.  She explained how there are people in the world that have much less than she has.  Some cannot even afford to feed their children anything at all so she has absolutely nothing to complain about.  She lives for her family and for her family alone.  There is nothing else in the world that matters.  I cannot seem to get this woman’s words out of my head.  She loves so selflessly and is so thankful for everything she has without any complaints.  When meanwhile I am sitting with the comfort of a blanket and green tea in a spacious room listening to the cold rainy wind press against the window.  Just as I’ve done every night since this experience, I stare out into the abyss of the night and think about the most amazing kids in the World living outside in this.  I cannot shake this feeling.  I don’t want to shake this feeling.  I need to help this.