Today we had our first official Gogo Support Group (catchy and/or meaningful name to be determined at a later date) meeting. Although the attendance was low (we are still waiting on funding, therefore no food and no beads = no Gogos) but the Gogos who did show were really wonderful and we had a great time. As they arrived we started out with a brief health talk. Sidenote: As I posted previously, I held a workshop with my caregivers about cancer last week. It went really well, I got the sense that they didn’t understand everything, even though they claimed to, but they walked away with the major point that I was trying to make—we can prevent most cancers by not smoking, maintaining a healthy diet, and exercising daily. I got all types of questions which showed me they were interested and attentive, and I even taught all of the female caregivers how to do a Self Breast Exam. After the workshop I gave them a worksheet with easy questions regarding what we had just talked about (they were NOT happy about this and tried to make fun of me by writing their names followed by Grade 12 at the top), but we made a huge meal when all of the caregivers were finished so everything turned out okay. All in all, I was really happy about the outcome.
So, I then had Sbongile 2 (my counterpart and namesake) give a condensed version of that health talk to the Gogos. She did a great job (I think, it was all in Ndebele), and even got the Gogos to perform Self Breast Examinations right there. After the health talk, I and another caregiver led the Gogos in some exercises, stretching, songs, and dances. This was by FAR my favorite part. We were jumping up and down, twirling around in circles, and shouting at the top of our lungs (keep in mind these women are 50+). I was actually surprised at how into it they were and how much they were willing to participate. These exercises, apart from being fun, combined with the long walking commute to our Home Based Care, will be advantageous for the Gogos physical health as most days are spent sitting on the ground watching TV or playing with the children.
Finally, we had them sit in a circle and talk about what is going on with their lives. I could only pick up bits and pieces of the conversation, but as you can imagine, life is tough for these women. I am so inspired by their determination and how, despite these hardships, they always manage to have huge smiles and a sense of humor enough to make fools of themselves dancing around in circles with me.
Our next meeting is in two weeks and I’m excited to see what is in store for us.
Other highlights: due to the incredible generosity of a few friends and my parents (and some people that I don’t even know!) I was able to raise enough money to buy yoga mats for my girls club. I still have yet to figure out how I will be able to schlep 20 yoga mats back to my village from Pretoria, but I guess I’ll just think about that tomorrow ;)
This weekend some friends I’ve made who study film in Pretoria will be coming to my village to help make a short film with the youth and in doing so teach them how to direct, edit, and “produce” a film. The kids are absolutely ECSTATIC and I can’t wait to see what they come up with. I’ve already had to break up a few fights regarding what songs we will use and who will dance in which group, but what’s my PC experience without a little drama?
Finally, small success, one girl wrote me a letter to tell me how special I was to her and how much she loved me. I almost cried right there.
Salani gahle abangani bami (stay well my friends)
By the way, I'm having a very frustrating relationship with my picture uploader right now, and I can't seem to get any of them up. I will do my best soon! Don't worry though, I still look the same.
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