Sanibona Syracuse!

Sanibona Syracuse!

Just wanted to update on how our fall semester in South Africa is going! Last Wednesday we moved in with our host families in a township called Cato Manor. As we learned in class, prior to the apartheid Cato Manor was very different from how it is today. Formerly it was a community full of diversity, a popular refugee site, an immigrant community, and a place where interracial relationships were accepted. During the apartheid it was decided that different races cannot coexist with one another which forced many people out of Cato Manor. Today, Cato Manor is primarily a black community and is much smaller than it was prior to apartheid.

Kristen and I live just a few kilometers from each other on the same road. Cato Manor sits on a large hill with slums near the bottom with houses made out of scrap metal and cardboard; as you go up the hill the homes are mostly made out of cinderblock and even have electricity (which is where we are staying). I live in a three bedroom home with a Zulu family that consists of my Mama, my three sisters (Sithembile 25 yrs, Slindile 21 yrs, and Nono 15 yrs). Sithembile has two children Luthando, 8 yrs and Moo, 2yrs. Also my Mama’s nephew lives with us because both of his parents have passed away from HIV/AIDS. This makes a grand total of 8 people living in our little home. There is a lot of chaos but I have been having a really great time living here and being treated as one of the family members. My family primarily speaks Zulu but the children are pretty fluent in English since that is the language spoken in schools. (The picture at the top is my baby sister Moo outside of our house in Cato Manor)

Classes have begun and they are going to be a lot of work, our school day is from 7am until 4pm Monday through Friday. Zulu has been really challenging! But we are also spending a lot of time in our Field Study Seminar and our Community Health course. I’ve spent most of my weekend catching up on work, practicing Zulu, and getting to know my family. Next weekend our class will be spending the weekend together at the beach in Durban which should be a really relaxing break…the Indian Ocean is really beautiful.

I’m sure we will have an update after another full week of classes…until then

Hambani kahle!