As Xolisani and Mango and I were walking back across the Rhodes campus yesterday, something struck me again about why I admire these two guys so much. They don't change who they are to fit in, even when it might be easier to do so. They are who they are. You can take them or leave them...but what you see is what you get. Here's what I mean:
Xolisani had too much water at dinner and really needed to pee. He told me to "hang on a second." He needed to go to the bathroom. Rather than waiting to get to a toilet, he was prepared to just go in one of the lush,immaculate, manicured, landscaped gardens at Rhodes. Aside from the problem of going in a garden that people spend hours maintaining, there was very little privacy with people walking around. But, with Xolisani, if he had to go, he had to go.
When I explained to him that he'd have to wait until we found a bathroom, he said "I do this all the time in Joza. It's not a problem"
Joza is the township on the other side of Grahamstown (the "other" Grahamstown not filled with high-end cars and money). I eventually convinced him that whipping it out and just going in one of the gardens would be something that would probably be frowned upon at Rhodes. He didn't agree, but he did, for my sake, wait until we found some porcelain, to relieve himself.
After this little adventure, we were walking down a flight of stairs outside one of the new buildings at Rhodes. Rather than use the hand railing, they decided it would be fun to slide down the rail.
Was it something most Rhodes students do? Absolutely not.
Was it something I did when I was a student here? Nope.
Was it something I might have wanted to do, but never did because I was afraid of the looks I might get? Absolutely.
They weren't hurting anyone. They weren't hurting any property. They were just being themselves and having a grand old time.
After this little rail adventure, we were walking down High Street and Mzwabantu (Mango) was happy about the good day he had just had. In high spirits, he smiled, waved and said "hello" to a stranger walking by us on the street. The man, not bothering to listen to what Mango had said, picked up the pace and said "I don't have any money."
Mango laughed, looked at me and said, "You see that? I say hello. He says, 'I don't have any money.' You see? I don't ask for money. I say hello he says 'I don't have any money.'" Mango shook his head, laughed it off and we kept walking.
This man has probably been in Grahamstown a long time and has had kids like Mango come up to him day after day after day and ask for cash. But, how long would it have taken him to just listen to the "Hello" and discover for himself that Mango's "hello" was just that: a "hello." It was not some attempt at getting his cash. It probably would have taken this man a second, maybe two seconds, but instead he kept walking.
People walk by these kids every day and just dismiss them as troublemakers. They're probably the same people who want to slide down the rail at Rhodes...but don't because they afraid of the looks they'll get. These "troublemakers" could probably teach some of these uptight Grahamstownians a lesson...if they could only utter a few words before somebody hurries off with a "I don't have any money."
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