A pair of Fairfield Athletics staffers reflect on their final days in South Africa

Dear Stag Fans,
 
We are sitting in the airport getting ready to come back from an incredible trip abroad.  We are all a little more than tired and I think for the most part regret leaving but also cannot wait to climb into our own beds. I am having a hard time finding words to describe the experiences, but here goes nothing!  Before I give you all a snapshot into this last day, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this trip possible; I am so lucky to be a part of the Women's Lacrosse Family. 
 
BANG. BANG. BANG.  It's 5:45 AM and our wakeup call is at the door and it is SO cold and windy outside.  Before we go to tour the Langa Township we are scheduled for a sunrise safari - lions, rhinos, and ostrich oh my!!  Seeing the animals up close and personal is something else.  You go to a zoo and they're behind a gate but out here they bring you into their habitat to "quietly" observe.  Of course anyone that knows this group of girls knows being quiet when we are trying to contain our excitement is next to impossible.  Not to worry though, there were plenty of animals around! We observed springbok, ostrich, rhinos, lions, hippos, (unfortunately) a dead giraffe carcass, and wildebeest.  What a start to the day, yes that was just the start, can you believe it?!  Me neither.  Off we go to eat breakfast, pack ourselves up, and move to our next destination. 
 
It's a long ride to the Langa Township and I tried to stay awake to see what is going on outside the bus, but it is just impossible.  In between cat naps I saw no less than 5 rainbows today!  They were enormous and beautiful.  They are a stark contrast to some of the ramshackle buildings they stand guard over.  This is what I have been thinking about all week: the contradictions we keep coming across.  The township tour is no exception. 
 
My first thought on seeing the townships sprawling across the landscape is "Oh wow, that is so unfortunate.  How can people live in conditions like that?"  There are some people who are LITERALLY living in shipping crates you see on the back of 18 wheelers with no electricity, no/minimal running water, and trash and pieces of glass everywhere.  The kindergarten we visited was one large room for the 30ish children that attend, and they range in age from 6 months to around 6 years old.  There's barbed wire and gates everywhere.  We were told that these are for insurance purposes, but it still looks scary to those of us not from the area.  Stores and services, like barber shops, all have handmade and frankly sketchy looking signs.  Then we walk through town and end up in the "Beverly Hills" section of the township and it's like a whole different world.  There are pretty nice houses, some cars, and even little yards.  Our tour guide informs us that people from this section of the township and the areas I previously described are all a part of one big community.  Everyone helps each other out as much as possible.  Need yard work done? Ask your neighbor from across town to do it for some cash.  If you need something to cook dinner go to your neighbor and ask, if they have it to share they will.  As they say, it takes a village.
 
The tour really changed my perspective: there is so much music and dancing and they have such an incredible sense of community that you can't help but be happy around these people in some ways.  Don't get me wrong, it is absolutely unacceptable that some people live and work in such dilapidated buildings.  Things need to change.  However, I have never experienced such a hopeful feeling in the face of such adversity.  Children ran up to us and gave us hugs, the tour guides were greeting basically every single person we passed, we heard music everywhere, got to watch children dancing and playing, people were happily chatting with us whenever we stopped, and we saw some amazing art done by people in the community.  These people are experiencing such an impoverished lifestyle, and yet I question who are truly the impoverished ones? Us or them?  As I continue to reflect on this and all the other experiences I have had this week I hope that I will be able to work on creating even a tenth of the feeling of community I saw and felt. 

Thank you again Stag Family: this experience was life changing.  I got to see some of the most heart wrenching, scary, and sad but also the most beautiful, inspiring, and peaceful moments in my life.  What a Lekka time. 

Best regards,
Kaila Harpin, Assistant Athletic Trainer

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Today marks our last day in South Africa and it's a bittersweet feeling. Although we are ready to get back to our friends and family in the States after many days away, this has been such an amazing experience that part of us wishes it would never end! All of our days have been full of adventure from the time we wake up to the time our exhausted heads hit the pillow. We have surfed South Africa's perfect waves and zip-lined down its picturesque mountains. We have experienced it's troubled history on Robben Island and gotten up close and personal with its fiercest animals while on safari.

As we drove up and down the highways taking in all the beauty that South Africa has to offer, there remained a stark reminder that all was not as perfect and beautiful as our excursions would lead us to believe. This reminder came in the form of the rudimentary settlements on the sides of the highways. These settlements were littered with trash and all of the visible homes, most of which were just small metal shacks, seemed uninhabitable to us. These basic settlements called "Townships" served as an uncomfortable symbol of our privilege.

Today we were able to end our South African experience with a walking guided tour of an actual Township named Lange, right outside of downtown Cape Town. We learned what day to day life was like and we were able to talk with its inhabitants both young and old.

What we found was a great sense of community, a great deal of frustration with the current situation, and an inspiring sense of hope.

After arriving at the township's center, we were all greeted with hugs from several local children as we exited our bus (a scene we would grow used to during our time there).  Next we meet up with our tour guide who assured us we were in for an educational experience. He also assured us that we were safe, explaining that police rarely come into the area because the community policed itself.

Next, we were taken to a local preschool where we gave gifts to the young students. In exchange they sang us some songs. Immediately upon leaving the school we found ourselves surrounded by older kids who welcomed us with an impromptu dance display. Their dance moves dazzled our group and their positive energy put a smile on all of our faces. 

Our tour guide explained to us that the joy expressed by the children was genuine. He also explained that the older generation who lived in this area of shacks and debris were generally frustrated. These homes were meant to be temporary (6 months at the most), yet over a decade later they remained. 

Next, he took us a few steps away to reveal beautiful homes and clean streets. These were homes of those who were thriving financially. Most of the home owners were former residents of the shacks we had just seen. He pointed out the lack of security around the homes despite their immediate proximity to the poorest section of the area. He professed that this was because those in the community saw these homes as hope for a better life and respected those who had made it out. 

Our tour guide then pointed to the highway in the distance and told us that it acted as a point of segregation even now. All those who resided in the township we were touring were Black Africans. All those on the other side were White or of other heritage. A fact he relayed with some sadness, but a fact he followed up with a hope that one day soon things would change. 

We explored the township further, receiving warm greetings from every resident we encountered. When we finally got back on our bus to make our way to the airport, we did so with a newfound sense of enlightenment, hope, and respect. The perfect way to end our South African journey.

Justin Bell, Associate Athletic Director, Compliance & Recruitment