My homestay experience.

This weekend I had the opportunity to spend the night with a family in a Capetonian township known as Gugulethu (A township is equivalent to "the hood" and is where most blacks live). I would love to say that I enjoyed my experience and can't wait to go back, but I was actually ready to leave the entire time. I'm not sure if that is the "Spoiled American Girl" in me talking; nonetheless, it was a very a humbling experience.

Saturday afternoon we arrived in Gugulethu at Mama Knox's house, the HMIC (Head Mama In Charge), and she introduced each of us to our mama's for the night.

Here's the breakdown..

My family: My mama was a cute, nice, little ol' lady. She has 2 daughters (18 and 26) and one granddaughter (4).

The house: The house I stayed in was nice. It made me feel at home. It was a small, pink, one-story house. It had a cozy vibe, but none of the houses in South Africa have insulation or heating so it was a little chilly.

Dinner: As soon as we got to the house we began to help Mama prepare the meal. Dinner for the night was ((mngoushue)). It consisted of samp (a type of maize), carrots, and a onion glaze sauce over it. The sides were butternut and cabbage. Unfortunately, I got stuck with 2 vegetarian girls sooo no meat for dinner. Grr! I didn't really enjoy the meal that much, but the 2 girls I was with loved it. For dessert we had some type of shortcake mixed with jello and topped with whipped cream. It sounds weird, but it was actually yummy!

The evening activities: After dinner, our mama went to sleep around 8:00 pm, so we were left in the living room with her 18 year old daughter. The biggest soccer game of South African was on so we had to watch that. I'm not really a soccer fan, so I was bored out of my mind. After the game went off we went to bed.

The next morning: We woke up around 8:30 to get ready for breakfast and church. BATHING was an issue for me because there was no hot water and no shower. Instead our mama made us a bucket of hot water to bathe in.

Church: Church service was held at Khanyisa Community Church and was walking distance from the house, and at this time we reunited with the other members of the group and said goodbye to our family. Church service consisted of singing (in English & Xhosa) dancing, and they even broke out in a variation of the electric slide at one point. Definitely not what I was expecting, but it was very excited.

After church festivities: After church we went to a well known restaurant/outdoor barbecue venue known as Mizoli's. They specialize in MEATS and they were so delicious! We had sausages, chicken, and steaks, and bread. I was more than full.

Overall, I probably wouldn't do another homestay in a township, but I am definitely thankful for the opportunity. It was intriguing to see how other people live, and made me realize how blessed I am for little things (heat and warm water) that I often take for granted.