Verse 30: The Comfort Zone in the City

Each Friday when I leave project Endlovu for the city, the kids always gather around and chase the car from the settlement to the main road while shouting and yelling. One Friday I acted as if I was leaving for good, none of them ran or yelled, they just stood there.

From the many weekends in Cape Town, I've found my way around the city. A virtual map of Cape Town has been created in my brain, which also includes the locations of important places. I've also befriended a number of persons including restaurant owners, bar keepers, club bouncers, the chief of police, homeless people, and local vendors. If I am in town and bump into one of these people, they will call out "Hey Peter! How's the project going in Khayelitsha?" And I'll update them on our progress. From talking to the locals, I've gained great behind-the-scene insights to South Africa's culture and history.

It's funny how my image has transformed. In my early days here before the world cup, people (blacks) would often call out "China!" and attempt to lure a dollar or two off me. When the world cup began, every so often I'd hear "Korea!!!!" or "Japannn!!!"... and once in a while, "China!!!!". Once, just once, I got a "CanadaaAAA!!!"; he must've seen the maple leaf on my backpack. Kinda annoyed with being called in a country, it has been my personal challenge to be recognized as a local Cape Towner.

To blend in with the locals, I paid special attent to observe them and immitate their body language and natural aura. Easier said than done, but the general idea is to put on a "I've-been-here-all-my-life-and-I-know-this-place-inside-out" look. It wasn't until last weekend I had some success. Dining at a restaurant on Friday, the owner asked me "Where do you work in Cape Town...you're from here aren't you?" instead of the regular "Which country are you from?".

Neat eh?