Township Homestay

So last weekend was our township homestay! We started off in Mowbray meeting our tour guides and the other students going, and then taking a taxi to the village of Tambo to meet with our families that we would be staying with. Getting to these places is always kind of funny, because we bus into these villages, hella white kids with back packs and such, and walk in a big group into the village – clearly not blending into anything. We arrived at the “mama’s” house who organizes all of the homestays, and we all kind of chilled in her house, until the other mamas showed up to collect us. We got randomly paired off, I was with the other vegetarian girl, and we went to our homes for the evening. Our mama, Mama Nomge (I’m not sure about spelling?) had a 16 year old daughter, and a 26 year old daughter, and the 26 year old had an 18 month old daughter. The 26 year old was away for work, so our mama was watching her granddaughter, and this baby was SO CUTE. I told my mom that I was going to come back from Africa with an African baby, and I found the one I want to steal if possible. Her name was Mali, and she was just the most precious baby.

Precious babies aside, me and the other girl Catherine, helped our mama make us a vegetarian dinner (a rarity in the townships, so it was so nice of her to do that), and then we ate our veggie dinner with samp, which is a maize dish common in the townships. The dinner was delicious and then we just kind of hung out, asking the daughter and the mama questions about the township, and they asked us about Obama, and about knowing your neighbors in the US, haha (she was appalled that we don’t know our neighbors). I kind of wish we had gotten to walk around a little bit more, and see more of the township, but it was also nice to stay at home and get to talk. The house she lived in was actually really nice, there was a good sized living room when you walked in with a small dining table, couches, and an entertainment center where the tv was. A kitchen with all the amenities, and three bedrooms. The bathroom was probably the biggest difference, because there is just a tub, and you have to fill the tub with hot water from the kitchen to bathe. So the girl I stayed with and I were both pretty tired and went to bed around 10:15, party!! Haha, in the morning we woke up and got dressed and our mama had this whole breakfast spread for us, of tea, toast, something similar to cream of wheat or grits, and it was lovely. She wasn’t coming to church with us because her granddaughter was feverish and she needed to look after her, so we met up with all of the other students and then walked to church together. The service was Christian, and it was hotter than any place I’ve been. It was just still hot air. In the middle of the sermon I had to get up and get water because I couldn’t handle it anymore. But the service was good, the preachers were both from England, and they had someone translating into Xhosa, which is probably why the service was so long. There was a lot of singing, and it was nice. They even had all of us visitors stand up and introduce ourselves, and they had a map where we could put a pin indicating where we were from. We were very welcomed.
After the service, was time for Mzolis!! It was so hot that we were all sweating profusely, which has become a norm for me. We walked through Tambo, to Guguletu, and Mzoli’s was poppin. No other way to describe it…I don’t even have words to describe the atmosphere but I’m gonna try. So we walk in, and there is a DJ playing music, and people just sitting at tables kickin it. Here you bring your own side dishes basically, and you can bring your own alcohol or buy it there and then you order a big platter of meat, and you eat with your hands. It sounds like not that much fun, but the atmosphere is just amazing. South African’s kick it harder than anyone I know, really. So we waited for a bit because we were supposed to have tables reserved for us, but Sundays at Mzoli’s are the craziest days of the week and everyone and their grandma and their cousin is there, so we ended up having to stand in the sun, and eat there. Not ideal. It was so hot, we saw a girl pass out in the street. To be honest, it wasn’t the best Mzoli’s experience I could have had. Our roommates went before and they went on a Saturday, so it was less crowded but still poppin, they had a table so they could sit in the shade, and it wasn’t as hot the day they went, so I just need to go back. Oh, and I had my overnight bag with me so that sucked too, cuz it was heavy and I had to keep my eye on it the entire time. I just need to go back when I have no bags, and when we can get a table, but Mzoli’s was still awesome. Then we headed home in a mini bus and then straight to the shower! Haha, a cold shower of course. I have always hated cold showers, even when it is so hot outside, but here they are a necessity. But I am not complaining, I’d rather be wearing shorts and tshirts than winter boots, and jackets.