Leaving to Live

...So I'm heading off to my home stay. Coleton and I are staying together with a single woman and I couldn't me more excited about it. I've been waiting for the time here in South Africa to be able to sit down and get to know a native person. Our host mother's name Laziwe, but we secretly refer to her as big mama. She is hysterical! We've already met her and within five minutes of knowing her she was telling us how much she hates cooking and will not make any food for us...instead she said she'll be sending us off to other people's home to eat...I'm in love with her already. There are also only 2 beds, so she said that Cole and I will be taking turns sleeping with her. Usually, I'd think this might be a little awkward. However, in this circumstance, I think it will bring us closer together...literally : ). I can't wait to chill with big mama!
The next three days we'll be in the townships doing service projects and experiencing the lives of the majority of the population. I was surprised however when we drove through Guguletu yesterday. The road that we drove on is supposedly one of the main roads leading to the 2010 World Cup stadium. As a result, the road has been drastically changed. Apparently old, small, tin homes where broken down to make room for the city to line the street with trees. The road was also redone in an extremely nice way to help clean up the township. Honestly, when I drove through it yesterday, part of me thought, "Wow, this looks pretty nice considering it's a slum." This thought disturbs me. Part of me thinks that maybe I've spend a long enough time in Kenya experiencing the slums that I'm becoming somewhat numb to it now...God, I hope that is not true. Another part of me got really angry. I feel like by redoing the township, the World Cup people are trying to mask the realities of life here in South Africa. To make everything appear to the outside world things here in South Africa aren't really that bad and that it should stop being viewed as a Third World country. I hope in the next three days I get to know the real Guguletu.