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