I barely talk to my whole entire family let alone my neighbors. When a
complete stranger on the street says hi to me I get defensive immediately.
I probably couldn't name ten people in any of my classes. What I am
trying to explain is that I have noticed how isolated we are. In America we
don’t associate ourselves with everyone. We may talk to people out of envy,
expectation, or simply out of liking. How many people can say they talk to
random people on the street and sincerely ask how their day is going and carry
on a conversation?
During my time spent in Cape Town, I noticed that many people came up
to me to say hi or ask how I was doing. At first I was hesitant to answer
because they were a complete stranger to me and I didn’t know what they wanted.
Looking back at it now, I wish during my first few days that I wasn’t so shy
and distant from the people. On the bright side I’m glad I got over it and adjusted
to their friendly culture. I felt at home around the people. They were all so
humble which isn’t something you see back at America.
During my homestay, my second house mom told us just how humble they
were. If someone was poor they didn’t try to show off what they don’t have.
That struck me the most because I know people back at home that fall into peer
pressure and they try to spend what they don’t have in front of others. In
America I feel like it’s harder to admit when one struggles. In my opinion I
feel like we see it as failure and disappointment. What I like about the people
in Cape Town is instead of looking down on the poor, they support each other
mentally and emotionally. They are also there for each other. Community and
unity for them is everything.
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