Thursday, July 5 – Waking up at 6:00 am is never a good thing. But, I knew I was going to have an amazing day, and it would be very productive. For the past 3 days I have been living in a home stay with a beautiful family. Mama Nosinthu was my hostess, a beautiful mother of 5 kids. My favorite of her kids was her 13 year old son Sitco. He always made me laugh. Everyday I woke up and took a cold bucket bath and brushed my teeth with cold water. Even though the water was cold, I was grateful to have water considering the drought that Cape Town is suffering.
Sadly I had to say my goodbyes for the last time this morning. Getting on the bus was bittersweet as my roommate, Diajhee and I brought gifts for our family the day before. Giving them gifts was probably the best moment of my day. While their house and shower may have been cold, their home and the love they gave me was warm. They made me feel welcome, like family. I will always remember Thambo Village, the laughs I shared and the memories I made.
After leaving, I went to jail. Even with the hour bus ride to think and anticipate, I didn’t know what to expect. When I got there, I had to leave everything on the bus. I couldn’t take in my phone, backpack, wallet or even my journal and pencil. Despite that security was pretty lax. I only had to go through a metal detector. Most people at my school go through more than that just to turn in their phones.
Walking through the hallways of Drakenstein prison, being stared at by many prisoners made me think and open my eyes. To learn everything about these inmates that I wanted to know, I had to put myself in their shoes. We went into this room filled with roughly 25 prisoners with no handcuffs or anything on. Then I realized that they are regular people just like me and you. All of the prisoners greeted us, then stood at the front and shared their names, where they were from, and their prison sentences. Some shared their stories and showed how much they regret their actions. They talked to us about how we should not end up like them, and how they wish they could get a second chance. Then we did a tour of the prison. Walking through their rooms, seeing the way they folded their blankets showed me how creative these prisoners were. Drankenstein prison had so much to offer for the inmates. They even had a whole sports section where they housed certain inmates. Leaving that prison made me realize that there are still hope for some inmates and some of the inmates do deserve a second chance.
After the prison tour we went to RLABS for a close-out workshop. At this workshop we walked through all 5 steps of the Human Centered Design process to help a local music platform that helps young artist share there music. This workshop helped me understand how to use Human Centered Design and how I can use this process at home.
Amad J., Eastern High School