Vara on meeting new friends and learning new perspectives

A few days ago, I hopped on a train with my friend Kelsey and headed to a cheetah reserve in Somerset West. We were expecting to play with cheetahs all day and to just enjoy a new part of Cape Town. We definitely had that experience. But what we didn’t expect was to meet some amazing people along the way. One person in particular that we met was named Ahmed. When Kelsey and I got off the train at the Somerset West stop, we were told there would be metered cabs to take us to the cheetah reserve. With no metered cabs in sight I began calling all the cab services and informational services I had in my phone. Being in this new place was exciting but at the same time was un-nerving. We were essentially without a backup plan or a friend who knew the area, until I was approached by a man waiting on a ride himself. This man was Ahmed. 

Dressed in his police team uniform he asked us if we were trying to get a cab service and to where. We told him that we were trying to go to the mall next to the reserve and that we were trying to call a cab company to take us but the line kept hanging up. Thinking he was going to give us an alternative number, we had our phones ready. He instead offered us a ride to the nearest minibus station where we could definitely get a taxi to the mall. He told us that his co-worker was picking him up to go to training and would be happy to drive us. Ahmed led us to his co-worker’s vehicle and we all got in. What happened next was also to our surprise. His co-worker offered to take us to the mall even though it was out of the way for them. They wanted us to be safer in a police car than wandering about a place we were unfamiliar with. After a great conversation in the car about police forensics in South Africa, we arrived to the mall. 

Kelsey and I scrambled up some money to give them for gas and to thank them for a ride but they refused to take it. We were so humbled and surprised by their kindness. It is amazing how much they had to give to strangers who they knew so little about. We thanked them and went to eat in the mall and to pet cheetahs. The kindness did not end there though. 

After visiting with the cheetahs, Kelsey and I took a cab back to the train station where all the sudden we saw Ahmed again. He approached us and asked us about our day with the cheetahs. It was like seeing an old friend for us. We were happy to continue conversation with Ahmed until the train came and then again when we sat down on the train. He told us about his work with the police to combat specific cases of robbery, gender based violence, and even international projects like the Tsunami in Phuket. Learning about the issues South Africa faces from a forensic police perspective was really interesting and eye opening. We discussed the government’s role in gender based violence and how I work with knowledge of such everyday at my internship. Not only did we meet a new friend that day, we also gained a new perspective on forensics, world issues, and new friends. It continues to amaze me how South Africans are so willing to promote positivity.