This morning when I got to work, I went to the service manager and asked if there was anything I could do. He called in a social worker who had several home visits planned for the day. They asked me if I would feel comfortable going along. Immediately I said yes. Coming into this experience I wanted to work in a township. I feel there is no better way than going on home visits to get the full experience for what life is like for the people who live in this community.

As we were walking out the door, I walked towards the company car. My co-worker told me I was going the wrong way and led me out to the street. We got on a minibus, which is the main way of transportation throughout the townships. Here is a video of what it is like to ride a minibus. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPeJkw8koZo&feature=related). It was very hectic and people are constantly getting on and off. In this video, the man filming is probably a tourist and it is probably filmed in downtown Cape Town. In the townships I went to today, I did not see one other white person besides a doctor in one of the health clinics.

After two different minibuses, we made it to our first stop. As my co-worker and I walked down the streets with rows of shacks of either side, I have never felt further from home. I do not mean this in a negative way. I was happy to be there and it was great to be able to explore how hundreds of thousands of people live. I heard the phrase "umlungu" countless times. It means "white person" is Xhosa. It was obviously that not many white people walk around the streets of Khayelitsha, and definitely not tourists. It was a great experience and extremely eye-opening. I got a true experience for what it is like to be a minority.

Overall we went to three homes and two health clinics. We went to the health clinics to ask if they would refer teen mothers to Empilweni. Teen pregnancy is extremely high here. Empilweni offers a class to help teen mothers learn how to be good parents while living in a community with so many risk factors. The clinics we met with today were completely on board. The home visits were to assess what the living environment is like for the child seeking Empilweni's services. We were only able to go into one home. It was a shack. I do not say that to be disrespectful at all, the homes are actually called shacks. The walls are tin and the home itself cannot be much bigger than my bedroom growing up.

My co-workers told me today that for certain home visits I will be allowed to bring my camera. I look forward to taking those pictures and sharing more experiences like this with you!