Homestay in Guguleto

Sharon and Mama Noks

We spent the last three nights with our home stay Mamas in the Township of Guguleto. Each pair of students was greeted by their Mama when we arrived at Mama Noks's house on Friday night. We were all nervous about our time in the home stay, which was obvious by the polite smiles but otherwise quiet room. We took a few minutes for introductions around the room and then the Mamas escorted their guests to their homes. Joddie and Quynh Anh stayed on my block, but the rest were one or two blocks away. After the other students left we settled into dinner preparation and getting aquatinted with Mama Noks. Nora, Elizabeth and I all stayed together with her. I guess you can say that these two had it easy because they had me around to do all the talking on that first night.

The girls played BananaGrams with Mama Noks

 Mama Noks explained to us that she welcomes us into her home as members of her family, not just as guests. I sat with her in the kitchen while she made spicy cooked cabbage, pop (a stiff corn meal that has the texture of overcooked cream of wheat) with a beef gravy, and cooked pumpkin. We ate with our hands in the traditional South African style. Mama Noks believes that a spoon blocks the flavors of African cooking. She said, "You must place the food directly in your mouth to really taste it." And that is exactly what we did; without any utensils, we had no other option. It was very nice to share her meal while eating it her way. The food was tasty, not spicy.

While we ate, we learned more about how Mama Noks came to live in this house. She told us that she fought for this land and for the government house that she lives in. Mama was the first person in Guguleto to bring guests into her home, and now she is the coordinator for visits with up to 17 Mamas in the Township. She purchased bricks that she plans to use to build a bed and breakfast on the side of her house.

 On the last night of our home stay Mama Noks took me and the girls on a walk through the Township to visit the other homes and to see her church. She and Mike (the tour guide from 2-Way Travel) belong to an interfaith church in the neighborhood. The church is an important part of her life, and her connection with Mike. Together they created the home stay opportunity in Guguleto. They both believe that bringing more people into the Townships will help promote understanding and healing as the nation continues to recover from apartheid. As we walked through the neighborhood we were greeted by everyone we passed. Mama knows everyone here and took time to introduce us to her friends and neighbors. The Pomfret students looked right at home with their host families on the third night. Keven and Keith were playing legos with the children in their family; they were so engrossed in building that they wouldn't stop to chat with us on our visit. An was singing a song in Xhosa that his host Mama taught him (Philip doesn't sing, but he enjoyed the concert). Jodi and Quyn Anh were having teenage-girl conversation with the 17-year old daughter in their house. And Peta and Elise were lounging in their pajamas with their family, watching a movie together. We all felt that we made a connection with these kind women during our stay.