Operation Hunger 10.8.09
Mackenzie and I woke up to get to the bus for Operation hunger. Rosario was in the room and we for the details about her finger. It turns out that there was a piece of glass stuck to the bottom her shoe. She thought it was a pebble or something so she went to brush it off and it cut her. She went to get stitches, but it would have taken forever and Dr. Dave told her that it was her call about whether or not to get stitches and she opted for glue rather than stitches.
Anyway, Mackenzie, Jennifer and I all went. We started out in a township about 30 minutes outside of Cape Town at a local day care. We were helping Operation Hunger collect data to help decide if they were going to set up a program within that community. Our jobs were to weigh the children and measure their arm and their height. There was a little confusion as to who was supposed to be doing what at the beginning. Mackenzie, Jennifer, and I took over taking the children’s heights. We had to come up with a way to mark the kids who had already gotten the heights taken, so I brought stickers with me so I would put a sticker on their hand with a smiley face. Mackenzie was our line wrangler because the kids got really excited about the stickers. After everything was done, we just played with the kids. One guy was getting mauled. They almost broke his glasses. They were just so excited. Their teacher got them together and they did a singing performance for us. This one little boy was so passionate. He was too cute. Everytime a song ended he would start another one. We then sang them “Wheels on the Bus.” We also tried to teach them “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” At first, we thought that they didn’t understand it, but it turns out that they just knew it in a different language… go figure.
After singing, we played some more. A little girl named Kimmy attached herself to Mackenzie and I. She was adorable. She braided our hair and was like “You’re looking good!” She wore my sunglasses and we taught her to make the kissey face to the camera. Mackenzie also found another little girl, who she ended up giving her earrings. It really amazes me how happy these kids are. They are living in the worst poverty that I have ever seen, but yet they are laughing. It was not the little kids with the swollen bellies of the infomercials, but smiling kids. Yes they had dirty clothes and lived in shacks, but they had smiles. Ntutu (the woman who ran the day care center) was so thankful and appreciative of us being there. She said the interaction was good because it is hard for her to teach without desks or basic supplies without pencils. Just seeing the kids made me wanted to give everything I had. I left all my stickers and Mack left some bouncy balls and stencils. I just wish I could do more.
We had a break for lunch next.  SAS had packed us boxed lunches. They asked us not to eat the Oreos because they give those to the kids on their birthdays as a treat. So we collected all the Oreo packages and the rest of the uneaten food, which was a lot of hard-boiled eggs, apples, brownies, and pieces of chicken. We were all getting our trash together when this jerks at the table next to us just left all of their trash on the table. It’s people like that who piss me off. One person even left their half eaten sandwich out on the table. Really? You are college students – pick up after yourself. They are so inconsiderate and from what I understand all of them were hung-over from the night before. Go have another beer and drink yourselves into a coma. They also ate the Oreos.
We got to hear from the operator of Operation Hunger. It was hard to ask him questions because I feel like even he didn’t know the answer to them. Operation Hunger does not seem like it is the best run non-profit.
After lunch, we went to another township to help with a soup kitchen. It was literally out of this woman’s house. All the kids lined up and peacefully waited their turn. It’s amazing because in the US the kids would be pushing and shoving and yelling. They were so well behaved and appreciative. They were so excited to have the different things besides bread and soup they normally get like the apples that came from our boxed lunches. There were way too many of us and we all felt a little helpless. I just walked around and tried to find a place to help. I gave up and sat next to a little girl and boy while they were eating. I just watched them for a little bit. We couldn’t really talk, but he looked at me and then he offered me his bread. I said no, but that small gesture just blew me away. Here is this little boy who has nothing and this is his one hot meal a week and he is offering me food. It just amazes me. Then I was walking around and a group of teenage girls wanted me to take their picture. I did and the woman next to them had the cutest baby ever and I asked if I could take her picture. She said no because she was still young. I thought that that was an interesting response, but I didn’t push it. Then one of the girls told me that she was afraid I was going to sell pictures of her baby back in the states. I was shocked because clearly she has had heard some story of that happening because surely someone doesn’t just think that? The other big experience that I had was when I was walking to get back on the bus to go back to the ship. I was walking and an older man called out to me. He asked if I was from the US and I said yes. He then starts talking about the beautiful homes and the beautiful people there. He wants me to send his best regards to the beautiful people in the US. He said that he knows that he will never be able to set foot there, but he wanted me to make sure that the US knew he sent his best regards. He was so sincere. I wanted to give him a hug and I told him I would.
Operation Hunger is something I am so glad that I experienced. It was a little awkward at first because we roll up in this huge tour bus and basically tour these people’s homes, but it really put my life into perspective. How they live is real life – my life is like a fairy tale. They are so appreciative and happy. They barely have food and roof over their heads and they don’t ask for anything. They want you to play with them or take their picture. I wish everyone could see that. We could all learn something from this community. It made me realize that there is a lot in this world that I can do to help that doesn’t cost a ton of money. I also learned that I need to be more appreciative of what I have and realize that I don’t really need all the things that I think I need. I will never be able to put into words what I experienced in the townships. Nor will I be able to forget the faces of the people I interacted with. It was incredible and really made me take a step back and really look at my own life.
Mackenzie and I didn’t really speak the entire was back to the ship. Each of us were just kind of lost in our own thoughts about what we had just seen and experienced. It seemed like neither of us could stop crying. It seemed rather ironic that on the way back to the ship we passed an Aston Martin dealership. It just goes to show that South Africa is a country that has a strict divide between rich and poor.
Once we got back to the waterfront. Jennifer Mackenzie and I ran and did some quick last minute shopping. We ended up getting back around 1530 rather than 1800. We also grabbed a slice of pizza and some last minute gelato. It was delicious.
We got back on the ship and I tried to find Rosario because she had my receipts for VAT. (VAT is value added tax and since we are foreign tourists, we get to get that money back. VAT is 14% on every purchase. We can redeem the money for everything we purchase that has a receipt and is not a food item.) The pursers desk told me she was on the ship, but she really wasn’t. After running around we eventually found each other. We filled out the VAT paperwork and then went back to the cabin and hung out. We cleaned and got our laundry ready and passed out early.
We left South Africa that night and I don’t want to leave. This has been my favorite port by far. The water was super rough and drawers kept opening and slamming closed so I eventually had to tape them shut.