Dancing Goodbye to the Prison

By Morgan (Psychology, ’26)

Our final day at the prison started off with an intense game of ninja while we waited for transport. During one round, we were informed that we would be leaving for Imbali. Imbali means flower and is one of the townships here in Pietermaritzburg. During our ride, Pat, gave us some information about the community center and what to expect when we got there. She also inquired about the game we were playing in the parking lot. Because we were all preparing to do a culture exchange, she wanted us to teach the gap year students to play ninja. Shortly after arriving, we explained the rules and were immediately in another intense game – but this time with our new South African friends.

We toured the center while the students prepared to tell us about a few of the different cultural groups here in South Africa. They presented information on the Zulu, Xhosa, and Basotho cultures. It was interesting to hear about the different foods, attire, and traditional ceremonies. We then invited the students to ask us questions about our life in America. They were interested to hear about our foods and if we had any ceremonies in our culture. I told them about how my family makes chili and our traditional German meatballs.

After getting a lesson in their cultures, we got a lesson in dancing. First, the students

performed traditional Zulu dances for us and showed us how it was done. We then got up on the stage and danced with them. We, of course, were not as good at traditional dancing as they were.

Then, we decided to give them a bit of our culture. We performed the Cotton Eyed Joe for them and invited them on stage to dance with us. We also did the Cupid Shuffle with them. Eventually, we were all just in a circle dancing together and having fun. I even had a moment dancing with one of the students. Unfortunately, we were not able to stay all day with the gap year students and we were all sad to leave.

After lunch we went down to the Gateway Christian School to meet with some of the classes and be there for aftercare. We started with some of the younger students and worked in small groups to help the students with the different tenses in English. Eventually, this turned into the groups playing games with the kids, but it was all fun. We visited some of the other classrooms where the students showed off their skills. We also showed off some of our skills by speaking Zulu and singing.

It was hard to say goodbye to the kids, but I will always cherish what they have taught me. Their curiosity will always amaze me, and I will use it as inspiration in the future.

After spending time with the kids, we returned to our common room where we had a farewell party with the Project Gateway who have been hosting, cooking, and taking care of us during our stay here at the Old Prison Compound.

We said our thank yous to the staff, exchanged gifts, and made sure they felt our appreciation. We had teatime together with lots of sweet treats before we all went to relax and reflect on our day. I can’t express the impact being here has had on us, but hopefully this can give you a glimpse of how this has changed us.