I was dreading our fourth assignment - having to visit our students' home and meeting their family. It is not like I did not want to meet my students' families, I just thought it would be so invasive and awkward to ask the students' parents if we could come and visit them at their home. Would they feel awkward? Would they feel embarrass? Would any family say yes to this? I ended up LOVING this experience. We asked one of our learners, Lydia, if we could visit her family. Lydia is in grade three and she goes to the tutoring center that we volunteer at. She is the sweetest little girl, so she just seemed like the most natural learner for us to ask.
After school, we met with Lydia and she walked all three of us to her home where we were greeted by her mother and father. They invited us in to their living space. They live directly across the street from the north side of the school. They live in a small, brick house – no bigger than my kitchen at home. The house seemed to have a central living space where the family gathers to watch the television or relax. Off of this living space there seemed to be two rooms that I assumed are bedrooms and another room that I assumed to be the kitchen. In our conversation we explained how grateful we were that they allowed and welcomed us into their home. We expressed how impressed we are with Lydia’s dedication and devotion to her education and how hard of a worker she is.
We learned a lot about her family. Her parents both went to Steenkamp when they were young. They both grew up in Katutura too. Their eldest son received a scholarship to attend a private school, which is like winning the lottery! Her family was so nice and welcoming. They showed us family pictures and pictures of their wedding day. And by the end of our visit we were invited to come to their church's Sunday service some time.
Pictures to come!
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