Still troubled but thriving.

During the last part of our trip in South Africa, I unfortunately had my laptop stolen in Manenberg. At first, I felt the typical anger, resentment... To a degree I felt violated by the idea that my personal identity was in the hands of a total stranger. I was told that the laptop would most likely be pushed for a week's supply of drugs. We spent the first half of the trip providing IT training to individuals who lacked the most basic knowledge of how to use computers. It made me wonder whether someone in the township would at least benefit from it, or whether it would be resold far away in the black market to a foreigner like me.

Although my experience the rest of the summer before coming back to the United States mid August changed substantially without the laptop, I felt that it was good to be a little more disconnected from the world and connected to the present real-time.

At times during our stay in Cape Town, especially during the later weeks when the fatigue appeared chronic, it felt hard to really be present. My learner, Mikyle, I was glad, had the academic drive to make me enthusiastic when my energy was draining. I learned never to underestimate how contagious another person's optimism and thirst for knowledge can be. I admired my peers and observed their styles of learning. Having gone to a German elementary school, I wondered if my teaching style was too strict, considering some of the softer, more forgiving approaches I saw people using. It was like a mini cultural experience just seeing the different math techniques each of us had and were forwarding on to our learners.

The last day with the kids was hard. Part of me really hoped I could see them all again soon, and part of me was stunned at how "ok" some of the kids were. It seemed routine to them to say goodbye to the foreign volunteers. I had to remind myself that people had been here before us and people would come after us, too. The projects are sustainable in the supply of volunteers. I know that many individual volunteers probably never return, but others keep coming.

I haven't quite decided whether it's a good or just a realistic notion. With conviction I can only reminisce at what the community taught me, and what the nation inspired in me. Never had I immersed myself in a city so diverse, so unique, so complex--still troubled but thriving. It was an experience of a lifetime, of that I am certain.