The funeral practice seemed to transcend tribes, but throughout the homestay I found that there were some things that didn’t and distinct differences between tribes. For the celebration people purchase new, very formal, clothing and even paint their houses sometimes as rejuvenation. It is a celebration of that person’s life. They also have ceremonies called tombstones three or four years later and like the funerals they are much more uplifting than the funerals I know. Neighbors and friends pitch in and cook enough for everyone to eat and this is a lot of food when you are feeding hundreds. People from all over come in support of the family, even if they are only acquaintances and after large meals take place at a relative’s house, but are never catered. The father had to leave the first evening to help with the funeral of his cousin, which we learned are slightly different from funerals in the United States, much larger. The house reminded me a little of my home and their family has two Volkswagens just like mine-a “South African Polo Blue” as their little three year old boy (Sandile) likes to call it. They live in a small, one floor, gated house like all of the other people in that neighborhood. She works in school administration and her husband, Sifiso, at the Hilton in Sandton (a very wealthy area that we visited later that weekend). She was also really interested in our stories and culture, asking questions about previous things she had heard and images from television. Our mother was open and invited our questions immediately. It didn’t take long to get in the house, begin our first meal (lamb and rice Mmmm) and jump into conversation. When we got to our home in Ormonde our host-mother, Nthabiseng, along with some neighbors were outside to greet us. This is a Sotho greeting that I learned from my urban homestay in Johannesburg! I spent only three days with my host family, but it was a fantastic experience and nice to be in the comfort of a family even if they weren’t my own.
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