It is hard to believe we’ve been here a week already. Some of the delegates have already been away from home for two weeks. It seems like each day I feel like this was the best day ever.
Today was a totally free day. Many of us went on a walking tour of one of the black provinces. We stopped in to watch a rousing church service in a Baptist church. Those people can sure sing and are very passionate and expressive.
We then walked around Langa (the name of the province). We stopped at a school that is helping educate children in a craft. We saw boys learning to play the drums. We also had a tour of their pottery shop. I think they only teach 24 students at a time. It is a sponsored school trying to help impoverished kids learn a craft to help support themselves. We all had a chance to shop and buy items made by the students.
We toured as hostel area and went inside one of the units. The were block construction, cement floor, and either one, two, or three bedrooms. The three bedrooms houses three families. They were originally built to accommodate migrant workers and they would house 16 men in one unit.
There was one small sink in the kitchen and one bathroom for all families to share.
We also drove by several areas where there were wooden shacks put together with scraps of wood and corrugated metal roofs. They had no running water and no electricity. The shacks may be 8 x 8 feet. Our guide explained that some people would rather live in those conditions and have some privacy than to share a very small area with three families. It was really sad to see the living conditions. We were asked not to give the children anything because if we gave to one, we’d have to give to them all and that was impossible.
Most of the delegates had signed up to go see Robben Island. This is where Nelson Mandella was imprisoned for many years. Six of us had signed up to go on a wine tasting tour. The wind has been so terrible that they cancelled the trip to Robin Island because the ocean was too dangerous. Eight of us ended up on the winery tour. It was great. We saw beautiful countryside, tasted some very good wine, and had a nice sunny afternoon. Of course when we got back down to Cape Town it was extremely windy. My room is on the 26th floor and I saw a bird blow by my window. I am sure he didn’t mean to be there.
Tonight we visited Dan and Linda Dixon’s home for dinner. I think many of us were a little apprehensive as to the type of experience we would have. When we asked about the attire for dinner, Conroy told us to wear “smart casual” because we were just going to a middle-class colored family’s home.
Dan is in his 70s and Linda is probably 10 years younger. We pulled up to the curb in our bus and were surprised when even the neighbors came out of their door to greet us. It was like going to any one of our grandparents’ home. It was so comfortable. The house wasn’t large, but large enough to seat 22 people for dinner. Friends and family helped serve our large meal consisting of vegetable soup, salad, butternut squash, cabbage, roast beef, roasted potatoes, rice, a traditional African dish with minced meat and vegetables, wine, and a type of African donut and coffee for desert. Once again, the food was delicious, and we ate too much. Today is Mary Barry’s birthday. Dan and Linda led a toast and the birthday song for Marry.
All of us marveled over how comfortable we felt with them. There were hugs all around when we left. One delegate was moved to tears when saying goodbye to these warm and generous people.
What a great day it was!