Katherine on city life

 As I have become more used to living in Cape Town, I have become more comfortable with my surroundings.  The three days a week when I get off the minibus at the taxi rank to go to my internship, I try to be conscious of those passing by me.  The minibus taxi rank can be an intimidating place if you do not know where you are going.  There are many people around who you come in close contact with. 

In the mornings I usually feel safer because there are less people in the taxi rank and at the bottom of the stairs that lead down from the taxi rank.  The majority of the people walking in the crowd I travel in are headed to work and do not waste time idling around the premises.

In the afternoon, around 3PM, when I leave Black Sash to journey back to Rondebosch, the taxi rank area seems to be less safe.  There are many more people around and most are not travelling home from their jobs but instead just walking around, selling items, shopping, heckling, and many other things.  The first few weeks at my internship I was slightly nervous when I got close to the taxi rank because of the plethora of people pouring out of every place.  It is hard to keep track of every angle of your surroundings.  Yet I began to feel more confident as time went on.  I have become very good at keeping an eye what is going on in front of me as well as on either side of me.  What lies behind me is still a challenge.

It has been difficult to decide what type of bag I should carry when I go into downtown Cape Town.  A shoulder bag is easier to carry in front of me so that I can see if anyone tries to pickpocket me.  Yet a shoulder bag is also much easier to grab and run with if someone wanted to rob me.  A backpack is more comfortable to carry and allows me to but heavier things including my computer inside.  However a backpack is behind me and I cannot see who may be directly behind me when I am in a crowded area.  I have resorted to carrying a backpack and usually it is extremely hot so I treat it is more of a shoulder bag. 

Today I was almost pick pocketed while walking to the taxi rank.  Thankfully two men saw what was going on and alerted me.  I was very surprised that I had not been paying enough attention because I am usually meticulously careful the closer I get to the minibuses.  I had been carrying my backpack with just one strap on and walking at my usual brisk pace.  I did not even notice that the man behind me managed to unzip the lower pocket to my backpack.  Sadly for him there was only hand sanitizer, deodorant, and tissues to take, but he did not get far enough before being spotted even if he had wanted those items.  I was very grateful to the two men who alerted me.  At first I thought they were trying to heckle me because they approached me quickly and started speaking loudly.  If they had not said anything, the man behind me probably could have forcefully yanked my bag away from me and ran.

While I do not deem Cape Town to be a dangerous place, as many Americans perceive it to be, it is a city with similar issues to that of New York City, Paris, and London, including pick pocketing.  As Ben, Marita, and Vernon warned the twelve of us, it is most likely only when you let your safety guard begin to slip will anything happen to us.  I guess mine had begun to slip after enjoying an adventure filled weekend in Plettenberg Bay which included bungee jumping, an elephant sanctuary, tubing, and travelling to the southernmost point of Africa.