Sizwe is a beautiful little boy who this year turns 6 years old. For his birthday I sent him stickers in the shape of the Canadian Flag, enough to share with his friends. I also sent glow in the dark stickers to stick on the walls of the shack he shares with his father Gcinsizwe. Sizwe switches between calling me Catherine and mama, a name I have grown fond of. His mother left the family when he was very young and since that time he has not had many women in his life to provide guidance. His grandmother, Mama, Gcinsizwe’s mother, treats Sizwe as if he were her on baby. She plays with him and teaches him about life and the lessons it has to share with them. Still though, in the Xhosa world Mama is getting old, she is in her late 50’s and after a long life of struggle her body is not as strong as it once was. Mama and Sizwe speak only Xhosa and a tiny bit of Afrikaans. We giggle a lot when we speak on the phone, Gcinsizwe translates as best as he can but when Mama and I get on the phone we spend far too much time giggling and laughing to get any sort of translation in! I find the Xhosa language fascinating, as she does English.