Cape Town: Thursday, Dec. 3

Day 4: From one end to the other

What number are you?

Started the day with a two-hour drive to a juvenile prison/education center. The "learners" (aka prisoners) are sentenced here to serve time and continue their education. They are 14 to 18 years old and have committed crimes from robbery to multiple murders. Most of them are affiliated with the "number gangs." They must commit certain acts and go to prison and once in prison, they get a tattoo of a number that corresponds with their act. For example, a tattoo of a 26 means you raped, a 28 means you murdered, etc. (Side note: I later met a young man who committed murder and served six years in jail, which is a typical sentence term. Only six years for taking someone's life. Wow.)

All these boys had tattoos.

Because it's "holiday" (read more about that below), only 14 learners were at the center, as opposed to the usual 100+. These are the boys who aren't deemed ready to spend the Christmas holiday with their families because they are likely to reoffend. It was a blessing that only those boys were there. It gave us a magnificent opportunity to spend quality time with them and get to know them a bit.

I met Rodney who could not have been older than 15 and was transferred from another prison just three days before. I asked him how long he will be at the center and he simply said, "I do not know."

We toured the facility and saw their classrooms, many of which consisted of teaching trade skills like welding, woodworking, etc. They had an arts room that was filled with beautiful pieces of art made from scrap pieces. We were allowed to purchase a few things, with the funds going back into the center. I got a neat coat hanger thing and a pretty bracelet. We also saw their living conditions, which was a little rough. They have beds made of cement, not because the center is trying to be harsh, but because when they had bunk beds, they tore them apart and used the wood as weapons to fight with each other. I understand the reasoning, but it's still difficult to see cement and cinderblocks as a bed for a child.

Finally after touring, we met the kids. There was one white kid, the rest were black or colored (the term "colored" is uniquely South African and it means of mixed blood, usually referring to biracial children and Indians). We challenged them to a game of football (better known in the US as soccer ;)), which was amazing. We played for maybe 30 minutes and it was the highlight of our day, as well as theirs. They were polite, apologetic when they knocked us over, passionate, hard-working, playful/joyful, and just overall pleasant. I would have neverk known they were criminals. It turned out to be the highlight of the trip thus far.

After the soccer game, Susan asked them some questions and then discussed how having a common ground like soccer helped us all work together. We had trust in each other and our team that we were all working toward scoring a goal, and we played within certain rules that made it beneficial for everyone. She did a great job.

Finally, we took some photos with them, which they loved, and gave them some T-shirts. It was a great experience. I felt a sense of hope in that center and truly believe at least one of those boys will do something great in his lifetime.

Enjoying the view

After that emotional and fun visit, we went down the road to a winery, as the Center was located in the middle of wine country. Who knew South Africa had a gorgeous wine country? Several people in our group said it resembled Napa Valley. Anyways, we enjoyed a wine tasting (my first ever) and had a delicious lunch at the winery. The owners and staff were fantastic. The view of the vineyards was stunning. However, it did feel strange to leave the boys whose lives are so challenging, and enjoy good wine and good food. I certainly did not take the wine and lunch for granted. I appreciated every bit of it.

Holiday

In South Africa, Christmas is a big deal. A really big deal. For 20 days surrounding Christmas (I believe it begins Dec. 15), the country shuts down. Businesses close and everyone takes the time off to be with their families. In a conversation with one of the youth workers at the YMCA, she asked how many days we get off around Christmas, and when I responded that we only get Christmas off, she honestly did not understand. It took about a five minute conversation for her to understand … and she was appalled!