Dare to Dream

 

 

Illustration by Gilbert Ford

T hirty years ago, I was a shy teenager from Gelvandale, a suburb of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The apartheid government had designated the town a colored group area, and many black families like mine were forced to relocate there.

My knowledge of life outside was limited. I lived with my parents and 11 siblings in a two-bedroom council house owned by the government. Though I dreamed of becoming a doctor, affording a university education seemed impossible. My family had little money. Mother taught us strong morals, the value of hard work, and the importance of believing in ourselves, but a future in medicine, the opportunity to travel, or even a college education were just pipe dreams. Then a Rotarian entered my life and changed everything.

In 1979, during my final year of high school, Bob Zeiss, president of the Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth West, gave a presentation at my school about Rotary Youth Exchange. There had never been a black Youth Exchange student from South Africa, and his club wanted to change that.

The opportunity sounded extraordinary, but I doubted the club would choose me. Although I excelled academically, I was timid and had few friends. The thought of speaking in front of a room of unfamiliar faces was terrifying. Nevertheless, Bob saw my potential.

Selection panel

I applied, and the process was tough. I had to explain to a selection panel why I wanted to be a Youth Exchange student. I remember praying a lot before the panel convened. I remember the faces of the Port Elizabeth West club members as I stood before them. And I remember everyone’s surprise when I admitted that the farthest I’d ever traveled was to Humansdorp, a small town on the cape, about 80 kilometers away.

That night, when Bob called to tell me they’d made their decision, I was convinced that they had chosen someone else, someone more confident and outgoing. He said they’d chosen me. I was speechless. I would spend a year in Canada and would be the first black Youth Exchange student from South Africa. It was a milestone for me, my family, and my country.

I was elated but anxious. There was much to do before I left. Bob volunteered to be my counselor and went out of his way to prepare and encourage me. Because I lacked confidence in public speaking, he arranged for me to attend a Toastmistresses’ course. The first session was a disaster. The Toastmistresses told Bob I was hopeless. I thought I would never speak in public again. Bob had shown faith in me, and I’d let him down.

I phoned him to apologize, but he said that at one time Winston Churchill also had a fear of public speaking and encouraged me to try again. Determined to succeed, I completed the course and gradually gained confidence in myself. In the end, the Toastmistresses told Bob they had come to see the talent in me.

Meanwhile, the Port Elizabeth West club secured financial assistance for me, including a donation of R3,000 from the Ford Motor Company for my flight to Canada. Because of the apartheid regime, the club could have faced many obstacles in sending me to Canada. But Bob and the others seemed unphased. They always treated me like any other exchange student.

There had never been a black Youth Exchange student from South Africa. Bob's club wanted to change that.

As I prepared to depart, I met the rest of the outgoing exchange students from South Africa, all of whom were white. In a country where segregation was the law, I feared they wouldn’t accept me. But as we got to know each other, I realized politics wasn’t an issue, and we became friends. I remember standing in the crowd of Youth Exchange students in our matching green blazers, preparing to depart. At that moment, I felt shy Noelene disappear and a new confident, enthusiastic young lady emerge. All the while, Bob had been by my side, encouraging me.

It was a cold January night in 1980 when I arrived in Canada. Members of the Rotary Club of Timmins, Ont., were waiting at the airport to welcome me. It wasn’t just my first flight and my first trip overseas – it was also the first time I saw snow. I remember stepping outside, feeling the flakes on my skin. I was so excited to touch them, I forgot about how cold it was.

During the year I spent in Timmins, I lived with four Rotarian families. All of them made me feel like one of their own. They helped me overcome my initial culture shock and supported me as I entered my new school. Though the majority of the students were white, they welcomed me and invited me into their homes as they would any visitor. I traveled extensively throughout Canada and the northern United States and spoke at many Rotary club meetings. With every speech, my abilities improved until I no longer felt nervous. I always kept in mind that I represented my country as an ambassador.

Bob kept in touch with my host families and made sure I was financially secure during my stay. During one of our regular phone calls, he asked me what I wanted to do when I returned to South Africa. Although I held tightly to my dream of being a doctor, I knew medical school was out of reach. I told him I could pack groceries at Pick n Pay, the supermarket chain. That answer wasn’t good enough for Bob. “I asked you what you want to do, not what you could do,” he replied. I told him not to laugh. I said, “I want to be a doctor.”

The phone call had a dramatic impact on my life. With Bob’s encouragement, my dream seemed within reach for the first time. My time in Canada helped me grow spiritually and emotionally, and when I returned to South Africa, I was better equipped for the challenges I faced. Bob helped arrange a student loan for me, but the bank wouldn’t approve it without someone to cosign for it. Bob didn’t think twice. He guaranteed the loan.

Medical school

Finally, in 1982, I entered medical school at the University of Natal. Four years later, I graduated. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for Bob. I’m a specialist obstetrician and gynecologist at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital near Durban, which serves a large and impoverished community. Part of my work is to care for pregnant HIV/AIDS patients and to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the disease. I didn’t enter into a more lucrative full-time private practice because medicine and helping people are my passion, and I get so much joy out of the work I do.

Over the years, I lost touch with the Rotarians who had made such a difference in my life. But in 2007, I spent two months practicing medicine in Canada and used the opportunity to visit Timmins. Some of the Rotarians I’d met during the exchange were still there, and they welcomed me just as they had almost 30 years before. The experience inspired me to reconnect with the Rotarians from Port Elizabeth as well. In 2009, I contacted a club president there, and weeks later, I reunited with Bob and several members of the Port Elizabeth West club. I was overjoyed and thanked them for all they’d done for me. I explained how they had changed my life and told them about my eldest daughter, Kristil, who works in Geneva as a financial analyst; my daughter Angelica, who is in her third year of college and dreams of becoming a magazine editor; and my son, Justin, who is in high school and plans to study business science at the University of Cape Town. It amazes me still to think of how I have grown since Rotary gave me the chance to fulfill my dream.

I’ve stayed in touch with Bob ever since. Last year, I learned that the Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth West would be making him a Paul Harris Fellow. I flew to Port Elizabeth for the occasion to surprise him. The dinner was an emotional event. I sat next to Bob and his wife and presented him with the honor.

Last year, I also decided it was time I became a Rotarian. On 24 May, I was inducted as a member of the Rotary Club of Westville.

Now it’s my turn to make someone else’s dream come true.