His mother’s strength and mission to give him a better life gave him confidence and made him inquisitive about the world. Noah was never weak or felt sorry for himself. There were no jobs available for young black men, and after meeting a friend who lived in one of the poorest and most volatile black townships, he spent the next three years engaged in a life of petty crime. Noah’s success at these business ventures would carry him through life after high school. He expanded his business to selling pirated CDs, finding a prowess for sales and his niche in the social sphere.
These entrepreneurial skills endeared him to his fellow classmates. He became known as the “tuck-shop” guy, the tuck shop being the food cart where students bought lunch. Noah also started a lunch delivery business in high school to move among all groups and be accepted. Speaking the languages of others allowed him to relate and be viewed as “one of them,” rather than “different.” His mother made English his first language to give him a leg up in life, and he spoke her native language of Xhosa, his father’s language of German, the language of his oppressors (Afrikaans, created by the Dutch colonists pre-apartheid), and many other African tribal languages he picked up on the streets. There were 11 official languages in South Africa, a policy created to ensure no black tribe felt unrepresented in the new democracy. To counteract his ostracization, Noah became a master of languages.
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