The third day of work, I got to come out with the Gardening team. It was just like Jim said amazing!!! I loved being out swinging the pickax, getting sweaty, and feeling the poverty. You are out there making a difference, seeing the people, making them smile, giving them hope, I could go on and on!!
I connected with a girl that I called Mababezza (little sister in Sutu). Most kids have not seen many white people and we are scary to them. I would have picked up many more kids and cuddled but they sometimes ran!! Lucky would come around when he found the team. The Extension is a maze of shacks fenced off from one another for "safety", so the kids would not be able to find us sometimes.
In the gardens, we would plant kale, spinach, and lettuce. The ground was rock hard and there was trash everywhere. Jim was the hardest worker, he was a natural leader who guided the group in difficult times. He kept tempers calm, was available for any need, and my true hero. He helped me when things got tough to swallow and was a strong rock whose real character shone brightly whenever I glanced at him. It was amazing to see your husband you love with all your heart, and find a way to love him more!!
Jim, the Gardening Leader and another team member went into a two story (which was very odd in fields of shacks) casino in the heart of the Extension. He said it was just like our bars with drinking, games, and men. Charles forbade me to go in, although I was tempted. The men were curious about the building next to a garden that we were planting.
I learned the hard way that you just can't give out things to others in SA. I was walking to our bus and had some water (with the powdered flavoring) that looked like juice. I knew I would be eating a hot meal in an hour, so I passed off my drink and food to the boy who politely asked in group of boys hanging around the campus. They immediately began beating each other up and fighting over the drink. From then on we were either prepared for a bum rush when passing out things, or we discreetly gave to just a single family.
I gave a bunch of clothes I gathered to Constance (in the middle of Jim and Amanda in the picture above) in Extension 6. She had this shanty that was loved. Her house number was handpainted and her yard (if you can call it that) was immaculately cleaned, she had plants and flowers and took care of them diligently. AND she had her garden tilled to 6 inches. We were used to breaking through hard ground and her garden was the easiest to plant!!
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