Well I am a bit embarrassed at the realization that my last blog was dated March 5th because I didn't leave Cape Town until April 3rd. I can only use the excuse that Kevin (Kevin Winge, Executive Director of Open Arms of MN, the organization I am here representing) came around that time and it seemed we were busy from the day he arrived until the day we left. I hope that is a good reason/excuse instead of actually telling you that blogging isn't really my thing! I was going to do a blog to tell you how it felt returning home after 6 months but that didn't happen either and now 6 months later I am back in Cape Town. I can tell you this, I feel like I never left. I left Minneapolis on September 27th, arrived in Cape Town the evening of the 28th and was at the centre the 29th. I was fortunate to be able to rent the same flat, rent the same model of car and I am working with the same wonderful people at the centre. I will tell you the one fear I have each time I go away and return: did anyone I know and love pass away while I was gone and there wasn't a way to let me know? One person I think about on a constant basis is Teach. I hope you remember him from one of my first blogs. Mary and Teach ran the Senior Centre in Gugs. Mary was the director for many years and Teach was a volunteer and than became a salaried employee. I am able to keep track of Mary because her daughter, Marilyn, lives in Johannesburg and has computer access so I email Marilyn on a regular basis to get a "Mary" update. Teach on the other hand has no family that I am able to contact. So upon my arrival to Gugs I immediately went to see Mary to give her a big hug and find out how she was coping (in my January blog I wrote about the death of Mary's youngest son Nandile). I also asked about Teach. Mary said that she hadn't seen him in a while and hadn't talked to him. I had his cell number but she said that his cell had been stolen so that wasn't the correct number. When I hear this kind of news I immediately start to worry so I asked Mary if we could go to where Teach was supposed to be staying. Mary's oldest son Lulu took us to the home he thought Teach was at, we knocked on the door, the window and yelled his name to no avail. Finally Lulu went to the back and was able to get in the house. There was Teach, lying in bed, very sick, he had pneumonia and was all alone. He said he had tablets for his pneumonia and had been to see the doctor. We had brought some juice and some bread with us just in case of this very situation. Teach was so happy to see us and I have to say, I was so happy to see him alive! He is 82 years old, very thin and with very poor circulation. He has trouble walking because his little feet are so swollen. I have never seen Teach without a tie on, here he was without a tie and wearing a hat and heavy clothing to stay warm. My heart broke, my fear of coming back and losing someone I love didn't come true but I felt it had been too close. The next day I went back to see Teach with a bag of food and happily found out that Teach was going to go live with his grand daughter and her family. It was such a comfort to Teach and to all of us that there was someone to love him and to take care of him. He is smiling so big in the photo that you forget he is so sick. It was so nice to see Mary and Teach together!
I have been in Cape Town almost two weeks now. I have been able to visit some of the friends that I had introduced you to last year and I will continue to update you on how they are doing and to also inform you of new things happening in the townships and in Cape Town. Hope you will stay tuned!
Bye for now...
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