I live in a small township called Driekoppies. It’s named after a guy called Driekoppies. It’s about a hundred years old. You find albinos and blacks as well as Indians. It’s a friendly hood.

It all started in the days of December, a new me, transformed. Yes, I was thirteen years old back then when I started seeing the world from a different angle. I started wearing different clothes from others. I’m talking jeans, large tees and takkies, with a lot of jewelry on my body. I carried my earphones while listening to music. That’s the moment when I started receiving weird looks from the Mkhatshwa family, my neighbors. They are sometimes rude and they gossip about others wishing them bad.

So here I am, walking on the streets of Driekoppies. I swear you would want to ask me what’s wrong when you see me. I’m always in fear of myself.

We also have a Z.C.C. church which I attend. My grandfather, Mr. Ntsangwane is the chairperson there. The Z.C.C. is a really great church! Z.C.C. is an abbreviation of Zion Christian Church. And yes, everyone is welcome at Z.C.C. But sometimes I feel a little weird myself because there are certain rules you have to follow. Yes, my dear friend, they are great rules but I still feel like they are a bit too much, on the other hand I’m not complaining. I’ll go to the Z.C.C. and worship the Lord.

From church to taverns! That’s mostly where I feel like an alien in my community. There are two taverns next to my house, the Moonlight Tavern and Thuthukani Café. It kills me every time I talk about this. In fact, I just go crazy because these places make me feel like a monster. These places cause accidents and fights. I remember when there was a fight between Mda and Sibusiso at the Thuthukani Café, they both misunderstood each other and BOOM! a gunshot… somebody died.

Thuthukani Café is an Indian shop and a tavern. Two buildings are allocated at the same place. Back to what I was saying, Mda ended up dead there. If only I could, as young as I am and the alien of Driekoppies, I would put an end to all of this. Although I’m not appreciated by some people in my community, I’d love to help.

I’ve always wanted to be one thing, a musician. Ever since I was eight years old, nothing has changed. But do you think that my Driekoppies Community appreciates that? No, they don’t! I want my community’s name on the world map. But I don’t see that coming at the moment. They lack support, whenever they see me they see shame. They want me to be a doctor, a pilot, a lawyer. I have no interest in all that. All I want is music.

I just feel trapped in Driekoppies. It’s like I’m in a cage, locked inside forever. Whatever they say goes, but what about me? What about my dreams and hopes? I guess these are all questions that will never be answered. Nobody has ever, not ever, put Driekoppies on TV for something good. I want to change all that.

My friend, you don’t know all the hopes and dreams I have for this small Driekoppies community of mine. I’m just a fourteen-year-old girl who wants to be a musician and who feels like an alien in her community.