Religion

I went to a Baha’i gathering with my host mom, and a friend from Italy. None of us are of the Baha’i faith, but we were fascinated by it. The Baha’i believe that we, as humans, are not just physical creatures, but are spiritual creatures as well. It is a world religion that believes in the unity of all people and religions. One of the main questions of the Baha’i faith is “how can you contribute to the unity?”. They also believe that all of the different religions come from one God. They don’t really have "church”, but other activities like prayer gatherings, studying the principles in Baha’i writings, classes for youth/children, and events where they give to the community. The people of the Baha’i faith have a common vision globally and you can find these activities all over the world. The gathering was really chill. We sat around and shared poems, readings from religious writings, and a song; all of this lasted about 30 minutes. The group of people there were so diverse, and after we shared, we talked for another hour and half just about life and things. The Americans (including me and my host mom) were planning Thanksgiving dinner. Some of my friends and family back home were so shocked when I told them Halloween, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day and several other holidays were not celebrated here. I am so excited to spend the holidays in this beautiful, warm, and rainy South African weather. 

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School is Cool

I recently started some introductory time at my new school. Due to the timing of my arrival in South Africa, and my change of host families and locations, I was enrolled during the annual exam period. Things are a bit hectic, and rather intense, because everyone is studying and fiercely focused on exams. I am able to participate in exams in a strictly preparatory fashion. I am getting a chance to see what exams will be like for me next year. The new school term starts in January and runs through November. The school I attend is an International school, that operates on the Cambridge system. There are several levels (or categories) of courses that students can take. There are foundational (developmental/high school prep) courses, O-levels (standard high school classes), and A-levels (similar to American Advanced Placement, but more closely structured to a college format and curriculum). I will be taking A-levels. Performing to the required standard here, will mean that I will be finished with high school when I return to the States. Since the school year is completely off cycle from American schools, I will have a whole semester before I can begin college, when I get home. I will be spending that time starting my own non-profit organization (so stay tuned). I have learned a lot more about what it is to give back, and be dedicated to helping my fellow man, since I have been in SA. I know that committing myself to giving to others, as much as has been given to me, is an essential part of my duty in life; but I digress. 
In most South African schools, students wear uniforms. At my school, the Foundational and O-Level students have to wear uniforms.  As an A-Level student, I won’t have to. I was initially very excited about this. Sadly, this is South Africa and not America, and the students here dress quite nicely for school. I would prefer to wear sweats to school, because I think I am more focused on my studies when I am comfortable, and not worrying about impressing anyone with how well I dress. This, however, would not be acceptable in a South African school. So I will be dressing nicely each day.
My school has a pet peacock, named Gerald! I was shocked to walk in one morning, and find him in the foyer just hanging out. He walks around like he owns the place! This school is very different than the first school I attended in SA. It is a private school, but has no religious ties. The first school I went to was a public/government school. Nearly all the students were from the local area, and they were, almost exclusively, black (I was one of only a few coloured students). There was church, run by the students, each day during lunch. I found it interesting how there is no separation between church and state in SA. 

Gerald the Peacock!

My new school is very culturally diverse. I’m not the only expatriate in the school; in fact, international students are quite common. 
I am eager to see what school will be like, once the new term begins. So far, I am enamored with the beauty of the campus, the uniqueness of the environment, and the idea of being a "senior"!! I am going to have to work extremely hard to adjust to a completely different curriculum and teaching style than what I am used to. The classes I will be taking are going to be very rigorous. I am prepared for the challenge!
Meanwhile, much of South Africa is now preparing to go on holiday. Schools, and many businesses, close for anywhere from a month, to two months. People here work very hard, and they take their holiday VERY seriously. Although I will be studying, in preparation for the next term, I do plan to enjoy many aspects of my South African holiday! 

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More Random Observations, Experiences and Thoughts (because things don't always fit neatly into a category)

I love listening to the radio here. They play a mix of American and South African "house" music. The hosts have the nicest South African accents. They always use a very soft "a" sound, for example, grass is "grawss"; and can’t is "cawn't." A fellow exchange student described their accents perfectly, “gentle and poetic." The hosts were recently talking about how Americans think of Africa as a country and not a continent, and that we think this continent only consist of the "Big 5" and poor/malnourished black children. I think for most Americans, that is quite true. Often times, I get messages saying "How's Africa?"...well, I always think, "I don't know how the other 53 countries are (6 of them being islands), but South Africa is great!" It’s funny how some people here see America as one big city. I told one of my teachers where I was from and he asked, “Chicago, is that in Nebraska?” It is common for people here to assume that all of America is Hollywood, and that I should be like Nicki Minaj and know Beyonce personally.  I laugh at the stereotypes that I find to not be true, on both sides. Before I came to SA, I was told that people here are so friendly and warm; and yes, most of them are, but when I first arrived, that was not my experience. You can easily walk down the street for 20 minutes or stand next to someone in line for an hour, and they won’t say a word to you. I was told by a teacher that South Africans view America as a place where the majority of the people are not personable and are all about their money. At the same time, they won’t speak to anyone they pass or stand by for an extended period of time. My coworker said that in townships people are much friendlier, and that because I’m always walking around in a city, I don’t get that experience often. Another coworker at The Teddy Bear Clinic told me that a lot of people here have trust issues because of the high theft rate, and that by speaking to someone on the street they will assume that you want something from them. Townships have a bad reputation in some ways, and a good reputation in others. I am learning that it is mostly a matter of perspective and familiarity. I’ve heard from people that live in them, that they can be very nice. Our domestic lives in a township, and the black women I work with at TTBC also live in them. From my impression, they are like ghettos. Most people that don’t live in townships are paranoid about the idea of going to most of them. Soweto is a township, but I love Soweto and can’t wait to go back. It has a great vibe and sense of community. (S/N: Having a domestic (housekeeper) is very common here, and although I initially struggled with the term, feeling it is degrading, it is completely politically correct to use that term here. I was told they would find words like "maid" or "cleaning lady" to be insulting)

I generally ride to work using Uber cars. This is a very common form of transportation here. My Uber drivers always ask me if I want "air con," which to me is a ridiculous question, because even when it's cool outside, the African sun kills. Central air conditioning is not something you see here very much, other than in cars. Homes generally don't have it, even in very wealthy communities. This is largely due to the mild climate and energy conservation. Homes and schools are designed to be self-cooling, and offer great cross-ventilation.

My driver said I am going to get married here. He said there are a lot of Americans here but most are white, and "it's nice to see you come back home." Men here can be very flirtatious, so I tend to take things they say "with a grain of salt,"'but that actually made me feel good, because this truly feels like home. He told me that, "People that live in this area, live a western life. People in Soweto and Thembisa live real South African lives." He said, "South Africa will be your home." 
He was shocked that I was 16 and said that I "ran away from home." After I explained my journey a bit, he said, "You opened the doors for all your brothers and cousins." I really hope that's true, because this experience is changing my life. I want to see the ones I love experience this place too

In South Africa, before you ask for anything from a bank teller, security guard, receptionist, or store clerk, etc., you must first greet them by saying "Hi, how are you?" If you don't, they will put you in your place. Being the American that I am, initially, I would always ask them for what I wanted without greeting them properly, which was like treating them as an answering machine and not a person. You would think that almost two months later, I would have completely broken my bad habits...but I haven’t. I am getting much better though. One day at the mall, I went up to a security guard and greeted him properly, with a "hi, how are you?" He replied "Sharp," which always sounds like "shop" to me, so I asked again "how are you?" and he said, "sharp". I know that "sharp" has several meanings here; some being, "I'm good, cool, or goodbye," but in that moment, that knowledge completely escaped me, and I had to quickly remember that I was in South Africa. It's funny how one can slip back in to your own world of habits and norms, and lose sight of where you are in that moment. I hope that I can bring all the good things I am learning from South African culture, back to the States, and maybe impress this culture into our cultural norms.

In SA, I live somewhere with palm trees right outside of my bedroom window. It is honestly like a dream world, after spending my whole life in the extreme cold and then hot/humid Chi-town weather, coming to this warm and dry place. I cannot wait for this Christmas; maybe Santa will come in on his flying Surfboard instead. 

My Snapchat: Be_Wanderlust

Sandton has started decorating!

I had the opportunity to visit University of the Witwatersrand with Jade. I went into work really early, so I could leave an hour early, to go see Jade's campus before she had classes. She has already finished her honours, and now she is just taking extra classes. She will start her Master's program next year. 

My visit at Wits!

Here they refer to a gas station as a "garage.” 
Taxes are included in the advertised prices here. They call it VAT (value added tax).
My ears have finally adjusted to the constant changes in altitude when I'm in the car.

Hilly Jozi

Pretoria is hilly too

I hate bargaining with the merchants here. They charge like $20 for things that would cost much more in the States. Most people negotiate with them, because in their eyes, R200($20) seems unreasonable. They live such modest lives. I feel like I'm stealing from them.

I asked my driver why a lot of Uber drivers don't get out and open the door for us (because I pay them a lot, so I expect them to), and he said it's because when they get out to open the door for us, people will jump in and steal the car. 

There are no computers in the police stations here (My dad is a cop, and there are computers everywhere at his job, so this is very strange to me). 

I went to the gym with Lucy. She has a trainer, so we had a VERY INTENSE workout. I haven’t seen sweat on my forehead in a while, and I almost fainted at the sight of it. When people tell me have told me that they did a workout, and it almost made them vomit, I would I think they were just being dramatic. Readers, let me tell you from experience, you CAN workout to the point of throwing up. The next day I was so sore I could barely move my arms. 

RIP Senzo 

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