Dream comes true for youngster

A Tembisa youngster had the opportunity to travel to Europe in July.

Simphiwe Mavuso was privileged to be one of 30 young South Africans, and the only Tembisan, to attend a World Youth Day event hosted in Poland.

The event took place from July 19 to 31.

The 24-year-old young man said it was his first trip overseas and he was excited to leave the country.

“The experience was overwhelming. I have heard about the event for the past six years and I wanted to be part of it,” said Mr Mavuso.

The young man, from the Moya Catholic Church (known as Moya Parish), left along with the church’s elder Mrs Lucia Selloane-Mofokeng, who was among the guardians who kept an eye on the youngsters during the trip.

“When we arrived, in the first seven days, we were ‘adopted’ by Polish families. The reason for that was for each of us to experience and familiarise ourselves with the Polish culture,” said Mr Mavuso.

“The first thing I realised was that families there are strictly Catholic. They involve God in everything they do,” he said.

He said the Polish youth are more committed to church activities and they were very welcoming.

“I was also surprised to hear some of these young people acknowledging that it was their first time meeting black people.

“It was a culture shock for me to see Polish people sitting and talking through a celebration. In South Africa, as black people, we sing in our celebrations,” he said.

“We taught Polish people some of our traditional songs. In the second week we went to Krakow City, where the Pope was to meet the youth.”

Mr Mavuso said the second week was not as exciting as the first week because there were sudden movement restrictions, following the news of a murdered priest in France.

“The Polish government and the event’s organising committee decided to tighten the security as a result. At some point we couldn’t even go to the malls,” said Mr Mavuso.

He said the experience was a bit scary because there were suddenly soldiers everywhere.

“I have never seen so many police officers in one space. I felt somewhat uncomfortable,” he said.

“SA pilgrims were not situated far away from where the Pope was. I was excited to see the Pope in close proximity because I normally see him on television.”

Mr Mavuso said he wished the youth in his church could be more involved in attaining a thorough understanding of the Catholic religion, and taking advantage of such events.

“I am grateful for the opportunity of travelling abroad and it wouldn’t have been possible without the individuals and families who sponsored my trip,” he said.

“I would advise young people to save up for travelling expenses. My trip has taught me to be financially savvy due to the challenges I experienced in raising the money to travel abroad. Never stop dreaming. As a young man from a township like Tembisa, I never thought I would ever set foot in Europe.”