Picture in your mind your senior prom. Now remember the way you felt during that prom: the dancing, the music, the food, the pictures, and the atmosphere. Now imagine you are from an area where gang violence, drug abuse, physical abuse, HIV/AIDS are rampant, and you may live in a one room shack... In South Africa there is an event known as Matric Ball, or dance, and it is very similar to our senior prom. Girls find a fancy dress and get their hair and nails done while the guy finds a nice suit and they bring partners, which are their dates for the night. The students in grade 12 at Christel House South Africa had their Matric Ball on Friday the 17th of April. It was also historic for the school itself because this is the schools first Matric class ever, and thus the first Matric Ball
What makes this Matric Ball even more special is the fact that these students had their outfits for the night and their hair and makeup donated by teachers and others throughout their community. I can remember in the weeks up to the dance there would be dress fittings in classrooms and girls would be running around talking about their outfits or who their partner was, and the guys would be trying on suits or shoes. All of the excitement led to this one night.
Jill and I had the privilege to attend the dance, and we had no idea what to expect. When we got there we were stunned to find the students looking absolutely gorgeous. Every single one of the learners and their partners looked like celebrities. The face of every student was of pure happiness. There were hundreds of pictures being taken and smiling faces everywhere. Jill and I could not stop saying how beautiful everyone looked, and how excited we were to be there. After everyone ate the dancing started, and Jill and I got forced to go out on the dance floor. Lets just say that we felt slightly awkward since our dancing skills were not quite up to par.All in all, we had an amazing time and I am sure the students did too. It was a great experience and I am very glad that I had the chance to go. Working at Christel House has given me many opportunities that I would not have been able experience anywhere else. My experience here would not have been complete without Christel House and the people that I met there. The people I met and the kids I worked with will stay in my heart forever, and I will always be grateful for their friendship and help.
