For posterity's sake I like to keep a running tally of some of the things that strike me as I wander through this new culture I'm immersed in. So in no particular order, here are some of the things that have struck my new eyes:
- My previous experience in Africa has very little relevance with my present circumstances. Living in Joburg is like living in any large European/American capitol. I pass Porche's and Audi's on the streets, everyone's got on better clothes than me, and the highways/roads compare with any place I've been. I've heard that 10% of all the wealth in Africa is within 30 minutes of me.
- One thing that does translate from one southern African country to another is a universal preference for old country music. Especially Kenny Rogers. WHY?????? It was the same in Malawi, the same in Zambia, and now has followed me here.
- Every person I talk to asks my how I'm handling Michael Jackson's death. I'm not really sure how to handle that one. Last night I went to a niteclub downtown (yep, you can imagine how comfortable I was) and they played MJ songs for a solid 30 minutes in tribute. Other American artists on the playlists included Puffy, 2 Pac, and LL Cool J.
- South Africans complain about money (or lack thereof) more than most cultures I've been in.
- One of my coworkers took me through one of the poorer townships in Joburg last night. Although there's definitely high crime and too much population density, the living standards are higher than all but maybe the top 5% of the population of Malawi - running water (sometimes unsanitary), electricity (with rolling blackouts), and digital satelite.
- The bus system is interesting. First off, they call them taxis which is confusing. Then, none of the "taxis" are labeled. So I asked my friend Base how he knows which taxi to take. He said you just have to ask. But if you can't find someone who knows, then you use hand signals to the drivers of passing taxis to let them know where you want to go. So for instance:
- If you want to go downtown you stick one finger up in the air.
- If you're only going a short distance you point your finger down for "local".
- There's one district called Orange where you hold out your hand as if you are holding an orange.
- If you're going to the train station then you hold your elbow at a 90 degree angle while making a fist and then move your arm in a circle as if you're mimicking a train. This is a fun one. Go ahead, try it. I'll wait..............................................
- My work gave me a blackberry that sends emails right to my hand. I didn't even have this in the States.
- There are like 13 official languages in South Africa, which is very confusing for someone who wants to pick up some helpful words. For instance, there are three network tv channels - SABC 1, SABC 2, and SABC 3. The first uses Zulu, the second uses Sotho, and the 3rd uses English. And then Afrikaans is interspersed throughout.
- Coffee is great here and reasonably priced - $3 for a 12 oz coffee and cinnamon roll. That's my breakfast just about every morning.
- Boys II Men are coming to Joburg on August 9th! I just might have to save up some cash for some good ol' End of the Road, It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, and I'll Make Love to You. Do I really have a choice?!
- My previous experience in Africa has very little relevance with my present circumstances. Living in Joburg is like living in any large European/American capitol. I pass Porche's and Audi's on the streets, everyone's got on better clothes than me, and the highways/roads compare with any place I've been. I've heard that 10% of all the wealth in Africa is within 30 minutes of me.
- One thing that does translate from one southern African country to another is a universal preference for old country music. Especially Kenny Rogers. WHY?????? It was the same in Malawi, the same in Zambia, and now has followed me here.
- Every person I talk to asks my how I'm handling Michael Jackson's death. I'm not really sure how to handle that one. Last night I went to a niteclub downtown (yep, you can imagine how comfortable I was) and they played MJ songs for a solid 30 minutes in tribute. Other American artists on the playlists included Puffy, 2 Pac, and LL Cool J.
- South Africans complain about money (or lack thereof) more than most cultures I've been in.
- One of my coworkers took me through one of the poorer townships in Joburg last night. Although there's definitely high crime and too much population density, the living standards are higher than all but maybe the top 5% of the population of Malawi - running water (sometimes unsanitary), electricity (with rolling blackouts), and digital satelite.
- The bus system is interesting. First off, they call them taxis which is confusing. Then, none of the "taxis" are labeled. So I asked my friend Base how he knows which taxi to take. He said you just have to ask. But if you can't find someone who knows, then you use hand signals to the drivers of passing taxis to let them know where you want to go. So for instance:
- If you want to go downtown you stick one finger up in the air.
- If you're only going a short distance you point your finger down for "local".
- There's one district called Orange where you hold out your hand as if you are holding an orange.
- If you're going to the train station then you hold your elbow at a 90 degree angle while making a fist and then move your arm in a circle as if you're mimicking a train. This is a fun one. Go ahead, try it. I'll wait..............................................
- My work gave me a blackberry that sends emails right to my hand. I didn't even have this in the States.
- There are like 13 official languages in South Africa, which is very confusing for someone who wants to pick up some helpful words. For instance, there are three network tv channels - SABC 1, SABC 2, and SABC 3. The first uses Zulu, the second uses Sotho, and the 3rd uses English. And then Afrikaans is interspersed throughout.
- Coffee is great here and reasonably priced - $3 for a 12 oz coffee and cinnamon roll. That's my breakfast just about every morning.
- Boys II Men are coming to Joburg on August 9th! I just might have to save up some cash for some good ol' End of the Road, It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, and I'll Make Love to You. Do I really have a choice?!
posted by Michael, aka Tex, aka Jett | 11:00 AM
4 Comments:
You HAVE to go see Boyz II Men. I saw them in 9th grade. It was the first concert I was allowed to attend with an adult. A blast.
geez, the bus system thing. that'd be impossible. i got sent to really bad places in nairobi at least twice and the matatus had numbers on them but i just couldn't ever comprehend how they only sometimes sort of went to the places for their numbers.
I want to see Boyz II Men!! oh and by the way, can I come visit you for FIFA next year? I don't have tickets to anything, but I was hopeing I could come to stay with you, eat your food and we could just watch things from bars and cheer with people outside stadiums.
Ok, Boys II Men it is.
Dude, everyone better be coming for the World Cup next year. It's going to be a round the clock party for like 3 weeks. Why would you not come?! I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get some sweet tickets. My boss had luxury box seats to the Confed Cup games. Plan on it.
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