As my time in South Africa is coming to an end (I leave tomorrow), I wanted to share my personal reflections on the sports clinics and my experience with being in the two different communities. I've had time to process at least some things and talk with Sharon and Calvin in depth about how we think it went and what happens next.
Going into the sports clinics, I was aware that there would be some language and cultural barriers that would challenge me. It was easy to get frustrated when I couldn’t properly communicate with the kids and even more frustrating when it was with my fellow coaches. I only really experienced this during the first sports clinic which took place in a black township called Masiphumelele. Many of the younger kids didn’t speak English so that was when I had to rely on just demonstrating. There was at least one coach at each sports station that could speak Xhosa which helped a lot. I look back at some of the situations and laugh to myself. Since I’m from America, I’m use to lots of structure and emphasis on time and efficiency. So when I think about passing out food or moving a group of kids from point A to B, I have a certain picture of how it should look in my mind. This does not mean that everyone else has that same picture in their head. Let’s just say I had a lot to learn about going with the flow.
One thing that hit me hard and has knocked me down a lot was that many of the coaches that live in these communities got their first meal of the day when we passed out breakfast sandwiches to the kids. I only learned about some of the hardships they face from Sharon after the clinics were done. It not only humbled me but convicted me of how much I had judged some of them. I got frustrated if they weren’t energetic or if they were slow to take action. All I was thinking about were the kids but neglected to realize that these coaches are living through some pretty rough stuff. I lost my patience with one of the coaches a few times and now when I look back at it, it breaks my heart. How would you change the way you treated someone if you knew that poverty and abuse knocked on their door every day and the concept of safety and comfort were not familiar? We don’t always know what people are going through. Here I was going back to a comfortable house each day and able to eat my fill of food while others went back to their shanty houses. I am grateful for what I have but I think I forget to put myself in other people’s shoes more often.
If you saw a picture of all the coaches together, you might not realize how significant it is that a multiracial group put on these clinics. For one, there is a lot of animosity towards the black community from the colored community (colored= black & white mixed heritage). After apartheid ended, the black community has in general received more aid and attention while the colored community has been often overlooked even though they were also oppressed under apartheid. And there is of course still distaste towards whites for implementing apartheid. So for there to be black, colored and white coaches all working together is a big deal. I think it was so important for it to be that way and am very thankful Sharon is involved with all the different communities.
Something that was continually emphasized by Sharon was giving back to the community and the younger generations. The coaches were mostly in their late teens and Sharon’s focus during the clinics was mentoring them to be better leaders and step up and take the initiative. There were a few girls in their early teens that helped out with making the food and whatever else was needed. Then there were the children (ages 5-12) who attended the clinics. It was really neat to see the older generations teaching the younger ones. When I spoke to Sharon last, she told us that one of the coaches, Tanya, has already expressed interest in starting a hockey afterschool program every Friday. She was inspired by the kids’ responses to the clinic and thought to herself, why can’t I continue to do this myself? I hope that the older generations will continue to invest in the younger generations like this as they will be the future.
This experience has taught me a lot and I am excited to apply it to my life back in Austin. My love for working with kids has grown significantly. They are so impressionable and full of potential and they just want to know they are loved. I still have a lot to think about once I get back to the States. I know God has shown me so much and done so much but I’ll have to write another post elaborating on that because this one is already quite long.
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