I’ll start this blog post with a fast-forwarded story.
“Why are you always smiling,” the little boy said to me. John Will was his name.
“What do you mean?” I replied.
“Every time I see you,” he said, “you have a smile on your face. You’re always happy. Is that what it’s like in America? You always smile there? Will you take me there?”
I never replied. I looked at him in the eyes, and I thought about the real answer to his question. No, this isn’t what it’s like for everyone in America. Not everyone in America is happy and always has a smile on their face. There are poor people in America, too. But looking around at this kind of poverty and seeing tons of children running around smiling and laughing regardless of their living conditions, I realized that I was confused that my smile was something that caught his eye. Just look around. Almost everyone in the township of Sir Lowry’s Pass is smiling. I’m fortunate to have a lot to smile about not just in America, but wherever I go. But my time spent in Sir Lowry’s Pass…the smiles that I saw there…taught me that joy does not rest in circumstance. I never spoke; I just smiled. Then I walked away.
Sunday was the day of rest that I so desperately needed. After sleeping in for the first time since I’ve been here, I felt like I was actually back on my sleep schedule. Feeling rested is simply invaluable.
Jo, Ish, Zach and I went to a coffee shop in town to have our Sunday staff meeting. It was really relaxing and I felt like I was in better check mentally with my tasks at hand.
Sunday night I went to Woodland’s Eatery for dinner with Jo and Georgia. It’s a little hidden hipster restaurant we found last year that Jo had actually never been to! I felt so cool taking HER to a restaurant. She’s the one who’s been coming here for 7 years in a row. Delicious as always.
I went back into the school and began photographing all of the after-school stations that our students set up for the kids. I was really enjoying capturing the memories from classroom to classroom when all of a sudden – two wonderful things happened.
1. Zach said to me, “Do you remember Matthew? He’s asking for you in the next classroom over.” I barely remembered this kid, but he remembered me so much that he was asking for me by NAME! I ran into the other classroom to go help him with his craft and give him a hug. His face lit up when he saw me, and my heart was instantly so warm. These kids do not forget us.
2. We were wrapping up stations and onto the families, so I started walking towards the last classroom. It was then that I saw my girl Lee-Kayla, the student that I worked with last year! Instantly both of our jaws dropped and we ran and gave each other a hug. Everybody stopped and said “aaaaaawwwwww!”
Next it was time to meet with our families. I walked towards the houses when I saw my host sister Porcia and the twin babies. I instantly started crying! (Some background for those of you who don’t know – Porcia was pregnant with the twins when I met her last year. She sent me a picture of the babies when they were born this fall, so this was my first time meeting them). Before I could even say anything, she put both babies in my arms, and I just looked at them in AWE. I’ve never been so in love! Porcia calls me “Aunt Anna” to the babies, and I truly feel like they are my family. Before I could even process the beauty of everything that was happening, I felt a hug from behind. It was Mama E, my house Mom! I’ve never felt so happy to see my South African family and pick up right where we left off! I was lucky to visit several houses this day before it was time to pack up. I left the township feeling happier than I’d felt this entire trip, and here’s why:
It wasn’t just about seeing the people that I’d missed. It wasn’t just about giving back to the community for the day. It was about realizing that I had made an impact last year even though I was struggling to understand it.
Go Global intentionally creates service programs that build relationships and connections with locals as opposed to simply working on a tangible project and then leaving. I had never done a service trip before, so I was confused about this method. ‘How can we see what changes we’ve made in these people’s lives?’ I often thought to myself. It was this week, one year later, when I realized that the changes I made in these people’s lives were absolutely real. They remembered me. They missed me. They loved me. I instilled hope, happiness, and positivity in them while teaching them to read, play nicely with one another, make crafts, and love. This was the reinforcement that I needed to understand that I was truly making a difference in these after-school programs.
Today was the last day of service. I’m lucky that I didn’t have to say a real goodbye – I’ll be back in a few weeks with the LEAD group. I got to leave with a smile instead of a frown. After all…John Will was counting on me to be smiling…
John Will, not everyone in America is smiling. Not everyone is rich. Not everyone is happy. Not everyone understands joy, but everyone has the capability to understand it. This is not unique to America. I know this because of you.
Joy is being grateful for the good. Embracing what you’ve been given. Appreciating your surroundings. Maximizing your strengths. Realizing potential. Finding positivity. Joy is something that you can find right here in Sir Lowry’s Pass, South Africa. You don’t need to come to America with me to understand joy. You simply need to look around a little closer. You’ll see more smiles in these children and families than you will on the streets of New York. I promise.
As I finish up this blog post, I think of Kelsey, my intern from my trip as a student. Kelsey's favorite word is "joy." Not only is it a word that she loves, it's a word that she truly personifies. In my journey to do my job well as a Go Global intern, I look up to Kelsey in the example that she set for me, and I also look up to her by keeping her favorite word close to my heart. If I can exemplify joy, myself, I know that I can prove to the world that pure happiness is out there -- you just have to go get it.
I'm in a better place mentally than I was this first week. I feel more focused, more rested, and more clear about my purpose of being here in Cape Town: to serve.
The Summer Intern,
Anna