Saturday's Post: A Reflection of Ikaya Primary School

Visiting the Ikaya Primary School this morning was such an exciting experience! I was nervous to meet the students because I only knew a little isiXhosa, but I knew it wasn't enough to carry on a conversation. I quickly learned the biggest lesson I think all people learn when they submit themselves to learning about a foreign culture: a language barrier is never a friendship barrier. I spent most of my time telling the children "heke," or "good job" in isiXhosa, or "ewe," "yes," or just smiling because I had no idea what to say. As time went on, however, we found ways to communicate. One girl noticed my watch and played with it during our math lesson so I used the numbers on it to count with her. It was incredible to see that our language barrier didn't stop the kids from being kids: full of energy and always ready to make a new friend!