The Pearse Family's Excellent South African Adventure
This “Throwback Thursday,” we’re bringing you back to 2007, when Mike and Tia Pearse, directors of Camp Tawingo in Ontario, volunteered to serve as vochellis at Camp Sizanani. In this piece, Tia recounts her time at Camp Sizanani, emphasizing the close bonds she formed with her campers and the incredible transformations they underwent during their time at camp.
The Pearse Family's Excellent South African Adventure exceeded all of our expectations. It is hard to put into words the emotions we experienced, the connections we made, and the sadness we felt upon our departure. The trip has impacted us greatly and we truly see the world through different eyes now that we have come to love the people we met there. From the owners of the Bed & Breakfast that we regarded as our "home away from home" to all the amazing campers who crawled into our hearts and still hold a place there - we have so many new friends on the other side of the world.
One thing we learned very quickly upon our arrival at Camp Sizanani: Camp is Camp, and Kids are Kids! The campers at Sizanani are indeed living in special circumstances - they have been invited to camp because their parents have died or will die of HIV/AIDS. The girls who have lost their parents live with Aunts, Grandmas, older siblings (some only 17 or 18 years old). Most come from very humble means - it didn't take long to understand that most of the girls had borrowed much of the clothes and other items they brought with them...they treated everything with such care. Some come from severe poverty. Many of the campers have never known what it is like to feel full after a meal, most have small jobs that help contribute to the family's survival. Some of the campers have experienced horrors that we only see in movies or read about in books. And yet, these girls, almost without exception were joyful, animated, gregarious, spirited, enthusiastic, courageous. They sang throughout the day, they danced when they sang, their excitement was evident from the sheer volume of their singing! They attempted tasks that terrified them - swimming, and relished opportunities to express themselves creatively - drama. They competed wholeheartedly in sports, and drew pictures and wrote poems for their Vochellis. They were campers having fun and learning new things at camp - like the many campers you know and love from Tawingo.
Vochelli is the word for Counsellor at Camp Sizanani. I don't think it is a direct translation but the campers use the word with such respect and appreciation. While at camp, I was the Vochelli to Cabin J (the oldest cabin). In other words, I was a Dowanewa counsellor who taught Drama as my Interest Group (which ran all day). Mike was the Vochelli of Cabin M...because it was a Girls' camp, Mike was assigned a cabin of three boys - Christopher, Tyler, and Carson. Mike was the equivalent of the Sports Director at Sizanani. The boys were treated as campers, and they spent their days traveling to various "Interest Group" activities. They often helped with set up and take down of programs and during meals they sat at the head table with the Camp Directors and senior staff.
Mike did a lot of teaching and a little bit of learning. He introduced the campers and staff to Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Pinball, and Sticks (which was a favourite amongst the campers). He also got everyone singing Baby Shark (which became the staff's favourite song). But he also learned some indigenous games and every South African girl's favourite sport - Netball.
Because the site for Camp Sizanani is a private boarding school (rented during school holidays) I wasn't able to have a "cabin". The girls slept in dorm rooms, two campers in each room. I was lucky enough to have an especially large room so it became the place where the girls of Cabin J hung out. I had 12 campers and they were all very different and all very special. Tholang is beautiful and mature for her age; Simphiwe is what we call in theatre a 'triple threat' - she can sing, dance, and act - but she had difficulty saying goodbye at the end of the session because the last time she said goodbye it was to her dying mother; Matebello is a little bundle of goodness who writes beautiful poetry about missing her mother; Bridgette struggled with her English and couldn't sleep without the light on; Margaret was quiet at first but a fierce and savvy competitor; Khotatso missed her grandma and when a couple of small hives appeared on her skin she claimed it was her Grandma missing her; Lettie is a comedian who loves to laugh almost as much as she loves to eat; Mogadi is an amazing soccer player and incredibly hard worker; Baneka is sensitive and observant and she missed her mother because she had to move away to get a job and left Baneka with her Grandma; Penny is the eternal optimist and a wonderful listener; Thuli is an incredible actress and singer who writes poetry about men who have been cruel to her...I could go on and on about the beautiful girls in my cabin. I could go on and on about campers who were not in my cabin but who I came to know and love as though they were.
Knowing these girls so well and knowing the struggles they face everyday at home, I was in awe of them. They were afraid of nothing. They tried everything and were not embarrassed by failure, it only made them try harder the next time. Helping them learn to swim was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. They were absolutely terrified. Campers were not allowed near the water without wearing PFDs. They considered it a huge accomplishment to even put their faces in the water. When a camper managed to blow bubbles in the water she would look up at me with a big smile and hug me, and I could feel her shaking with fear. But they continued to challenge themselves.
Their hearts are so big and they were so willing to love us. They accepted us, embraced us, and ultimately adopted us. They gave the boys Sutu names: Christopher was Thado, meaning love; Tyler was Thsepo, meaning hope; and Carson was Thabiso, meaning happiness. They regularly regarded Mike and I as their father and mother. As camp came to an end, the proclamations of love were plentiful; "I love you, Vochelli", "You are my mother!" or "You are my father!" was heard at every turn.
Saying goodbye to the campers was one of the hardest things Mike and I have ever had to do. Chances are very slim that we will ever see those girls again - because there are so many children in South Africa who are losing parents to HIV/AIDS campers are allowed to come to camp only once. We can only hope that they work hard to become Vochellis themselves. That was my message to my girls as I said goodbye: I told them I hoped that the next time I returned to Camp Sizanani we would be working side by side.
The staff at Camp Sizanani is doing good work for kids who really need them. We are very excited that the two Camp Directors, Jackie and Mbali, may possibly be joining us at Camp Tawingo for some of the summer! We have not yet confirmed dates but we are hopeful that you will get to know them during 2nd session!
We will definitely return to Camp Sizanani and South Africa. They say that you can't visit Africa without leaving a piece of your heart behind. That is definitely true of the Pearse family. We are looking to 2010 for a return trip and another session at Camp Sizanani - perhaps it will be a boys' camp?! It doesn't really matter because Camp is Camp, and Kids are Kids.
The Pearse Family in 2019, courtesy of Tia Pearse.