I wondered what I’d do if things didn’t work out. I was panicking; asking myself whether Tourism was the right course or not. I was confused and scared too. Dad was playing Soul Brothers, his favourite, so I put my ear phones on and turned the volume on full blast. It wasn’t like dad and I would talk or anything, so he didn’t mind too. I must’ve dozed off because the next thing I knew I woke up to passengers on the backseat, two men.

I was a little embarrassed, wondering if I hadn’t been snoring. I didn’t greet them because they were in a deep conversation with my dad so I didn’t want to disturb. Dad pulled up at the garage and went out with the men asking me what I wanted anything. I was not in the mood for talking; I was never in the mood for talking when I was with my dad unless we were having an argument. So I told him that anything would be fine. I headed to the ladies…

I stared myself in the huge bathroom mirror. I was really growing up and passing matric was just a start. When I went back in the car I put my earphones on full blast and ate the food dad bought. The car was just too loud with them talking about the olden days which didn’t interest me at all.

We finally got to Soweto and delivered the people and a breeze of fresh air and quietness surrounded us. It was a quick and quiet drive home. It was like both my dad and I were put on mute. We eventually got home and I couldn’t wait to see my best friend Tebogo. I took my bags and threw them in my room and ran out. Tee stayed just at the end of my street.

I found her watching TV, glasses on… I’d forgotten how much of a nerd she was. We hugged for what seemed like an hour. We then took a stroll in our kasi as she updated me on what I had missed out on. A lot of things and people had changed.

We had primary and high school drop outs, teenage pregnancies, drug addicts, alcoholics and gangs who stole in the neighbourhood. It was like hell. I went away for a few years and the whole neighbourhood went upside down. It was a shocker, I couldn’t believe what my friend was telling me. Only a few people, probably five, had made it in life and had moved away for a better future somewhere. I didn’t know what was happening to my kasi but it was definitely not good.

All the other teens looked at me and Tee like we were aliens. It was like we were foreigners. It got me thinking of what parents and teachers taught our youngsters; it was like if you did none of the things I just mentioned, you didn’t belong in the area. That night I slept with a lot on my mind. What was happening to our nation? It was like we lacked motivation. We die at 16 and just conform to our society’s expectations for the rest of our lives.

I was not going to conform and be like everybody else. I wanted to be an inspiration; I wanted to be the change. A week passed and I registered at MSC Business College. Tourism was just awesome, I really enjoyed it. I made friends very fast and good ones too. College was just good, I adapted quite fast and the environment was also good.

It didn’t take long before my parents started struggling with my fees. It was horrible, it took me back to high school and primary school. It always broke me down when I received my statement. The outstanding amount was just gobsmacking. This routine went on till I spent weeks at home because of unpaid fees. Well, it was not new to me, so I made the most of it.

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Tell us what you think: What can a person do to keep busy and out of trouble in our communities?