Sooner or later everyone I meet here asks if I have children. (Unfortunately the question isn't "Are you married?" but "Do you have children?" even from people in the church.) I always explain that actually I have 17 in Canada (nieces, nephews, first cousins of similar ages) and everywhere I go I adopt all the local kids anyways! So, with no further ado, let me introduce just a few of my newest kids!
Nuna
My first two weeks in the Northwest province ere spent in the village of Maskiet. I stayed with a family who had a young seven-year-old boy named, Nuna. Aftersome hesitation, we became good friends. He was just beginning to learn English at school, but he quickly learned what he thought was important: "Come play!" "Come children!" (Translation: the children have arrived—come and play or tell us a story) "You, me—Generations!" (Translation: Will you watch the TV show Generations with me?).Otsile
After leaving Maskiet, I stayed in the village of Lesung with what became my African family: the Letlape's. (My Tswana name is now officially Neo Letlape.) The grandson of the family, Otsile, is three years old. The day I arrived we played together: made frogs and boats and generally had a good time! The next morning I was already gone to the school where I was volunteering when he woke up. His grandmother, Irene, told me that he got up, looked in the room I was staying in, looked in the living room, and then with increasing panic started running through the house saying, "Grandma! Where's my white lady?! Where did she go? WHERE IS MY WHITE LADY!!!???" He was very relieved when I did actually come home that evening as his grandmother promised.Tsbang
Ikageng is an informal settlement near Lesung. I spent about a week and a half in Ikageng. Tsbang is the twelve-year-old daughter of the lady I stayed with. Tsbang loves to organize! She organized kids to come to Sunday School, she organized kids to come play games, she even organizes things at church. She decided one week that the Bishop wasn't getting an accurate view of the church there because when he came people always attended, but if he wasn't there they didn't attend. Now she's decided to take attendance! She told the Bishop, "I'll be honest too! If my mother isn't in church, I'll mark her absent! The you'll know what really happens here!" (She's the one sitting down in the white shirt.)Vuvu
Vuvu is the five-year-old daughter of one of the church members in Simunye. Simunye is in the Gauteng province and I stayed there for over two weeks because it was central to several congregations. Vuvu heard I was finally coming back to Simunye (I stayed there for a few days when I first arrived in South Africa)and she rushed to her Sunday school teacher and said, "Ma, you made special dresses for the Sunday school. I need one for Sunday because Leona is back!" She loves to sing and play—but like many four-year-olds she can be a handful! She has a young friend named Jasmine who is also in Sunday school. Whenever I arrive the two of them fight to see who gets to sit on my lap—usually I end up with both of them there!There are many more, but only so much room. Besides, proud parents always make the mistake of talking about their kids too much, so I think I'll stop before someone accuses me of that!
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