14.7.09

Things I've Learned in South Africa (so far)

-America wanting to assert its independence through EVERYTHING...like driving on the opposite side of the road of everyone else in the world...is actually kind of annoying and pretentious.
-Keep track of all the money you spend, even if you have to convert it all. Well, actually, especially if you have to convert it all.
-Americans are very impatient. South Africans walk...so...slowly. Being an impatient American, this drives me insane.
-You can't generalize about anything, so obviously don't think I mean every single person when I say everyone.
-There's real time, and there's Africa time. Africa time is about 10-25 minutes behind real time. So if someone tells you they're going to do something "just now" or "now now," it does not, in fact, mean they are going to do it immediately. It means probably soon, but maybe later.
-Nelson Mandela is a BA.
-If Jo'burg is freaking out this much about hosting the 2010 World Cup, I would have hated to be in Beijing before the Olympics.
-America not playing or paying attention to sports that the rest of the world likes (soccer, rugby, cricket) is also fairly annoying.
-How immigrants to America must feel. Trying to keep up in a new culture where you only understand half of what someone else is saying...that's crazy difficult. I'm going to make a point to be nicer to foreigners/immigrants/people who don't speak English as a first language from now on.
-As Americans, we are not as smart as we think we are. It's a little embarrassing to be asked, "So what languages do you speak?" "English." "And?" "That's it." Most people here speak at least 2, up to about 4 or 5.
-Even if there is a cheap and tasty Chinese take out restaurant next door, don't get your meals from there every day...and if you do, have plenty of Pepto Bismol on hand.
-Cooking for yourself and keeping a stocked kitchen is difficult, especially without a car.
-If you put your keys in the same spot every time you put them down, you're less likely to lose them, and subsequently, you won't spend 15 minutes looking for them every day.


That's all I can think of right now. I'm sure there's more that I'll think of later.

1 comment:

  1. Sarah!
    Sounds like you are having a wonderful, eye-opening experience. One thing though. America is not the only country that drives on the right side of the road...most countries (besides the UK) in Europe also do so. Just a note. :)
    Anyway, have an awesome time and keep up with the blog! It's fun to read about people's experiences and what they learn.

    ~Kelsey

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