Lately...

So let’s see, a lot to talk about since my last blog…

Last weekend was the annual Valentine’s Day bash. They hired a DJ who played through the night…these people sure know how to party! It’s obvious how much music and movement is a part of their culture. The kids just have a natural rhythm that really captivates you. It was so much fun to watch them dance and perform. They also held a beauty contest for the girls. Leslie and I were invited to join the judges panel…I don’t think I’m the best judge though. I couldn’t bear not to give all the girls perfect scores. I guess I’m like Paula, the lenient one who just lets anyone through! But the girls did such a good job. They all had a confident walk and their smiles never faded.  In the end we crowned a Queen and her first and second Princesses, but I still wanted every girl to win. The day before the bash Leslie and I slaved all day in the kitchen making 300 heart shaped sugar cookies! I couldn’t feel my feet by the end of the day, but somehow we still managed to get it all done. The kids were grateful for their “biscuits”. They even got sneaky, trying to convince us why they should get just one more.

Before all the excitement of Valentine’s began, we were invited to join Marion on a home visit. A girl that goes to school here approached Marion about her ailing mother. She had been caring for her on her own, and had reached a point of concern and exhaustion. We arrived at her house and I was instantly struck by the smell. Not a bad smell, more unsettling really. It was stale and sad. She tried to enter the house, but the door was locked. Apparently this had happened often, she would leave for school and come home to find her mother locked in the house. She went to find her sister to see where she’d hidden the key. As we waited among the sad smell, all I could do was wonder about this woman inside, locked away and forgotten about. Her daughter returned with the key and we removed our shoes and entered the house as a rush of heat engulfed me. My clothes got sticky and it was hard to breath, and I was actually standing by an open door. But this woman, she was locked in with no air, no light, and even worse she had fallen off the bed and was lying helpless on the floor. I watched as Marion and her daughter lifted her back on the bed and all I could notice was the shear emptiness of this woman. Her legs were the size of my wrists, her ribs visible through her skin, and her eyes glazed over with pain and fear.  Marion assessed the whole situation, asking what she could to figure out how this woman had gotten to this point. We learned that she could no longer walk, talk or keep food down and that even though she’d recently been to the hospital, no ARV’s (anti-retro virals) were prescribed. Apparently this happens often and many people are denied the drug, a fact that’s hard to swallow when you consider the depth of Africa’s AIDS pandemic. We continued to watch as Marion opened her heart to this woman and her daughter. She eventually invited the daughter to move with her mother and child to Botshabelo. Marion explained that things didn’t look good and that she didn’t expect her mother to make it much longer, but that she would help in any way she could. I looked on as Marion basically told this girl her mother was going to die. That she needed to start the process of letting her mother go. I could see the grief in this young girls eyes, and the sadness of it all started to consume me…

A few days later, there was a knock at our door. Marion had sent for us because the woman we’d visited days before was struggling to make it. The paramedics were on their way and a group of teachers had gone to pray over her. We joined the teachers in prayer and watched as the paramedics tried to put in an IV, but so many of her veins had collapsed. We sat with her daughter for a while, just trying to support her through the ordeal. Eventually the ambulance arrived and the two headed to the hospital…

I haven’t heard about her progress yet, but I think of her often…

Something interesting happened this week…they gave us each a baby! That means that we take care of them while their mothers are in school. That includes changing diapers, making bottles, rocking them to sleep, and generally just keeping them happy. We talked to Tammy about how to incorporate our Social Work skills into our new duties and she suggested assessing their development and creating activities to help further their progress. I’ll let you know how that turns out…

Today we had another visit from the homeopathic doctors. Leslie and I organized medications, marked each child’s results for their files, and helped make mixtures. After the clinic, we met with Marion, Con and the girls to discuss our plans for Mardi Gras! I’ve collected beads and other throws from my family and friends so we can have our very own parade, Botshabelo style! We’re going to make a PowerPoint with history, facts, and pictures and come Fat Tuesday we’ll present it to the whole village on the projector. We decided to actually celebrate the holiday next Tuesday so we have extra time to prepare. I’ll keep you all posted…

Miss everyone mucho lots!

Love,
Alexis