After adventure week, I found myself engulfed in the energy of the experience on the garden route and my mind was led astray from the eye-opening experience I had in Sir Lowry’s pass the week before. I had been away from the Township for a week and a half when it was time to go back for the final time to see my new friends. On the 45 minute bus ride to Sun City where Sir Lowry’s Pass is located, we passed dozens of townships. I couldn’t wrap my head around the number of kids just like me that go to sleep in tiny shacks every night and wake up to the smell of fecal matter and charred wood from the fire that boils their water. At first, I thought the poverty in South Africa was bad beyond return. It seemed hopeless. There seemed to be a scrappy shack for every grain of sand in this country and about 5 people living in each one. How do you recover from that? What I came to realize is that it isn’t about repairing their shacks or giving them materialistic gifts. Our job here is to give the kids hope and love. Having this mission, I felt like on my final return to the township, I would make an big impact on one kid in hopes that he remembers me forever and has a sense of purpose for the rest of his life.
On the first day in Sir Lowry’s Pass, I was overwhelmed by how many kids used me as a makeshift jungle gym or an Everlast punching bag. I could not single out one kid and I felt almost worthless because I was not serving as a loving figure for any of the kids. I was merely a playmate. On the second day I stepped off the bus and saw one boy separated from the commotion of rowdy kids. He had a shy smile and a timid way he went about reacting with the Global LEAD students. I decided to reach out to this kid because I felt he needed me more than the outgoing, mini martial artists and boxers that had bruised me black the day before. I put him on my shoulders and attempted to talk to this kid. The only things I could find out about him is that his name was Leton and he was 5 years old. I figured he didn’t understand me well because his response to all my questions was just a big smile. After hanging out with him for about 30 minutes, I left him to go play rugby with a few kids. I turned around a few minutes later and there was Leton standing behind me smiling. I have never felt more fulfilled in my life because I knew I had already made a small difference in this kid. I taught him how to swing a bat and I pitched to him. Due to my passion for baseball, I was excited to see his engagement in my favorite sport. He hit every ball I threw to him and he took note of everything I told him about how to hit. I soon realized he could comprehend everything I said. I would do anything to give him the opportunities I had growing up because seeing how quick he learned and how grateful he was to have me pitch to him, he could be a great player. The next three days he greeted me with a smile as I stepped off the bus. He would say, “Jake...shoulders please!” I would put him on my shoulders and I walked him to the “cresh” which is the after school recess area. There was one instance outside the cresh that I accidentally ran him over playing tag and sent him rolling into a fence with rusty barbed wire. I was frozen in fear as he laid on the ground still with his eyes closed. I approached him, terrified of what could be wrong with him. As I shook him, he kept his eyes closed and then smiled and laughed in my face. His toughness was inspiring and his sense of humor even at age five made me laugh with him. On my final return, I spent my entire day with him. At this point, we were constantly talking about school, baseball, and his friends. It seemed like I was talking to a 12 year old in a 5 year olds body. It started to rain hard and the wind was so strong it was shaking trees and rocking the dozens of Coca-Cola signs. It is a miracle the shacks stayed upright. Even in the severely frigid weather, Leton stood wearing sandals, sweatpants and a thin t-shirt without a single complaint. I gave him my mens XL rain jacket to wear and when he walked it seemed as if he was floating like a ghost because the bottom of the jacket was dragging on the muddy street. I felt like a father to him which was a good feeling. When we sat on the floor to watch the talent show on the last night, 9 Rand worth of coins fell out of my pocket without me knowing. He picked them up and put them back in my pocket when he could have easily pocketed them. He shattered my stereotype of the township and really made me step back and realize that these people have such huge hearts.
The picture I drew for him stayed tucked into his pants except for when he was showing it off to his friends. Towards the end of the talent show, a toothless man approached me and said “hello Jake.” The man shared the same smile with me that Leton had on the first day at Sir Lowry’s. His hair was the same thin hair that Leton had. I didn’t have to ask to know that it was Leton’s father. He took Leton off my shoulders and said “it is time for Leton to bathe and then go to bed.” He never took that contagious smile off his face despite his unfortunate dental situation. I told the man that I was honored to have made friends with Leton and that I loved him. As he walked away with Leton on his shoulders like I had done so many times, he said “He loves you too. Bye Jake.” That was the last time I will ever see my new friend. I was actually happy his leave was so abrupt because I did not want to experience an emotional departure mostly for his sake. I am confident that he will remember me forever and there is no doubt he will remain in my heart for the rest of my life. I hope he hangs on to the picture I drew for him but I especially hope he hangs on to the time we spent together. Despite the severe poverty Leton and every other child in the township lives through, I feel that they will live happily through the strong ties they hold with each other. I wish I could value friends and family to the extent that these people do. I wish that I had friends that wore such a genuine smile at all times like my friend Leton. He has taught me that in order to live a fulfilling life, you must stick to your relationships with others and never let go. He has pushed me to never take anything for granted. Money might buy me nice things but it will never buy me the feeling I experienced with Leton in the township. I feel I have accomplished my goal and I hope Leton knows how much he changed my perspective on things. Hopefully I can get a hold of his address so I can keep in touch with him in the future because I will always wonder who he is going to grow to be.
-Jake Taylor
No comments:
Post a Comment