The ideas mentioned above are great, join a sport club. Dont know about Xuma book, but the Carnagie one is really good, especially it will help in future It helped me to get my countrys nature off to be happy when something bad happens to your neighbour)

If you will fail (i highly doub that you will). As you are 17 in one year or two, you'll go to college/university so you can make your life the way you wan't. So study hard.

And ignore that religious/race etc. differences. There are people who might show that they care about that, but they really don't, you just have to break the ice.

And of course as during the pick-ups, smiling helps alot.