09.11.08
Miss Ayo!
Everyday, at 10 o’clock on the dot, the bell signaling the start of break sounds outside the main office. Children begin to pour out of classrooms; some run to buy chips and candy from the aunties, others form a line at the kitchen for beans and rice, some forgo lunch all together and make a beeline for the basketball court. I grab my lunch and maneuver through the frenzy of students going this way and that, and eventually make my way to the front stoop of the computer room. Perched on a chair outside is Ayanda, St. Leo’s resident assistant, receptionist, typist, substitute teacher and so on. As her many job titles suggest, Ayanda does a lot for St. Leo’s, and her presence there has become invaluable to me.
Ayanda lives just a short walk from school. She’s lived in Molweni her entire life, and even attended St. Leo’s as a child. She graduated from the local high school when she was just fifteen. Thanks to our daily lunch dates outside of the computer room, we’ve shared stories, opinions, worries, language lessons, and many, many laughs. We’ve become good friends.
One of my favorite things about Ayanda is her unabated curiosity. Our friendship was so quick in the making because she has always loved asking me questions, and vice versa. We’ve grown up on opposite sides of the globe, and have lived very different lives in completely different places. She is endlessly amused by my tales from America. In turn, Ayanda has given me a glimpse of what it’s like to be a young Zulu woman in South Africa.
We’ve asked each other just about everything. Her questions range every topic imaginable. What’s your Mom like? What’s your favorite TV show? Do you have kids? Do you want kids? What kind of man do you want to marry? Do you want to be a nun? What are you eating? Do you do your own washing? Are there poor people in America? Do you have AIDS in America? Why do you eat so much peanut butter? Do you like Jacob Zuma? How do you get your hair to do that?
We talk about university, friends, siblings, parents, work, food, politics, boys - just about everything. From all that I’ve learned about Ayanda, I know that she is a remarkable person. She is smart and hardworking. She is funny and caring. She is only twenty years old, but has dealt with her fair share of struggles, and as a young Zulu woman, will no doubt face many more.
She attends university on the weekends, and is working towards a degree in business. Out of all her friends, Ayanda is the only one who doesn’t yet have a baby. She is also the only one without a boyfriend, something her friends taunt her for regularly. Their teasing bothers her quite a bit, but after appearing troubled for a moment she quips, “It’s fine. School is my boyfriend right now.” This is typical Ayanda - light hearted, clever, unsure at times, and mature beyond her years.
Needless to say, Ayanda is an integral and irreplaceable part of my experience in South Africa thus far. She is a friend I never imagined I would make, and now I can’t imagine having never met her. I am so very grateful for all that she has taught me about the place and the people I serve, and I’m grateful for all the wonderful questions and conversations to come.
Alexa Levy - South Africa 2008