Growing up as a coloured in South Africa, my heritage is beyond the ordinary. Being told you have "this heritage" and "that heritage", but are given no clear indication of where my ancestors came from. Apartheid played major role in this lack of clarity, tearing families apart and mismanaging records. We get so many confused looks when we say "I'm coloured" , we're always met with responses claiming we look like any other ethnicity under the sun.Truth is, we really are.

My blood is mixed, my complexion confuses you. I not  one race , I'm many. My root are within my country, but my history spreads far and wide. I am more then just a race , I'm love. Bobotie, breyani, curries sweet, legacy in every street. Where every meal is a told story of ancestors and days of the old. From Khoisan roots and slave ships plight , to India, Malay and African ties. A diverse and strong fusion where each soul belongs. From District Six and Bo Kaap's glow, our music, culture, voices and dances continues to grow. From youth who rose in defiant stand, to elders wise who shaped the land. I'm a South African Coloured bold and free , a mosaic of identity. I'm more then just my skin, I wasn't shaped this way. The ethnicity is in my blood, with long veins of my roots.

As the sun stretches it's golden arms across the horizon, i wake up. Inhaling the fresh vanilla scent that's in the room's air. Books and textbooks lie scattered across my desk like fallen leaves, remnants of late-night study sessions and fervent attempts to conquer the ever-growing mountain of assignments. I take a cold shower to help with my anxiety and to start my day fresh. I get ready for classes in a harsh,  clothes that's hastily selected and a reflection of my personal style but also comfort. I make a cup of tea to make the day ahead less stressful. I leave res and meet up with friends before my first class start.

Campus hums with activity as students bustle from class to class, lecture halls fill with murmur of voices and the scratching of pens against paper. Throughout the day, my day is a journey of discovery as I go back to res from all my classes.

Sure, relationships can encompass a wide range of dynamics whether it's romantic, professional, platonic etc. Over the years I've learned and grown from people who I surrounded myself with. Each year, as I grow older nothing has brought much joy as the word called "girlhood". There exists a tapestry woven with girlhood, a delicate yet vibrant mosaic of innocence and discovery. Where laughter dances on the breeze and where every moment is painted with the hues of possibility. In the gentle embrace of girlhood, is there a sense of belonging that transcends words. 

My love for girlhood lies in the simple joys, holding hands during crowded places doing each other's hair while having the girl talk of our life's. Nothing can ever compare to the comforting feeling of support from platonic friends, feels like a second mother and home. Most importantly, my supportive are the warm embrace that reminds me of the power of love and human connection. They inspire me to reach for the stars with their boundless optimism and encouragement. They make me feel at home, I know I can weather any storm, conquer any challenge and soar to new heights beyond my wildest dreams. Nearly everything I know about love; I've learnt in my long-term friendships with women.  

From Study Unit 2, Body Ritual of Nacirema from American Anthropology by Horace Mire (1956) I've learned that other people's perception of you can manipulate you into thinking that 'you are what they they perceive you as'. The Nacirema system weren't based to focus on the health and the natural body of the people but rather to manipulate them into thinking that their natural body were ' ugly' and prone to weakness. Such in the way Professor Linton's Nacirema ritual ( that was bought in by him and his North American group) was poorly understood by natives due to them being from a different cultural background. As well as the medicine men that had written the ingredients in a secretive ancient language. I personally think that the whole system was based on hatred and making the natives feel inferior to them and them gaining power. Over years and years race has been a huge issue in society and some races had feel inferior to others due to how they were treated, a perfect example of this is our South African Apartheid system.

Unfortunately there has been a huge history of hate crimes and prejudice deriving from racism, but this doesn't mean it should be the reality we must live in. As society we need to tackle this social issue by taking the initiative in educating people on this issues. RESPECT OTHER CULTURES AND THEIR CULTURAL BELIEVES AS MUCH AS YOU RESPECT YOUR OWN.