Observations of Africa . . . So Far.

I haven’t posted on my blog in a while (oops), so I thought I’d go for a teaser/mini update for this one. The following are just some things that I’ve seen and/or noticed that either surprised me or just things I’d never seen before.

1)     There are 11 official languages in South Africa, and even more unofficial ones. Thankfully, almost everyone speaks English, though often as a second language. Also thankfully, since I’m white and am usually dressed in cargo pants and performance fleece, I am correctly assumed to be a tourist, and therefore people start with English when talking to me. However, if I’m dressed more ambiguously, some people may start in with Afrikaans. Better still, if I were black, I’d probably be approached first with iziXhosa or isiZulu and if I didn’t understand, I may be judged by the people talking to me. Language here is a complex issue, but one that I haven’t come into much negative contact with. For me, I just end up being unable to communicate verbally if the other person just doesn’t speak English. International sign language, anyone?

2)     Pedestrians as I know them from home, even in Memphis, are no comparison whatsoever to pedestrians here. I was completely unprepared for this aspect of life in Africa. Often there are no sidewalks and often people walk everywhere who cannot afford a car. Therefore, people are walking in the shoulder on the highway, literally only inches from the traffic barrelling past them. This includes children, too. At first, I was shocked that no one else was shocked when a huge truck tore past them, but now that I’ve also been walking on the shoulder with traffic speeding past, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’m still nervous when I’m in a vehicle that appears to get uncomfortably close to a woman carrying an infant, but . . . Anyway, it’s something I’ve noticed.

3)     Cadbury is the big chocolate tycoon here, instead of Hershey’s. Most of their stuff I could take or leave, but . . . the Tempo bar . . . it is something else. It is something sent from Heaven. It’s irresistible. In fact, it’s come to the point that I have a Tempo bar approximately once a DAY. I don’t even really eat chocolate at home! What’s happening to me?! But really, if you get the chance to try one, DO NOT pass it up. It’s the perfect balance of caramel, biscuit (AKA cookie bits), and milk chocolate. PERFECTION.

4)     Seeing wildlife just wandering around has not yet lost its novelty and excitement. I hope it never does.

5)     Things are still very segregated in South Africa. Hout Bay, where I’ve been staying and volunteering, is actually something like a little petri dish of South Africa: on one side of the bay, there’s the township of Imizamo Yethu (AKA Mandela Park to the white people who cannot pronounce it’s real name) where all of the black people live, mostly still in a squalor of shacks and unsanitary conditions; on the other side of the bay, above the harbour, lives the “coloured” community (another leftover category from the apartheid regime) who has a little bit of money, and therefore, a drug problem; then, in the middle of it all, only a stone’s throw from the black and coloured communities living in poverty, you’ll find the roomy homes and manicured lawns of the rich white people. It’s startling. And Hout Bay is no exception to the rule. The very rich rub up against the very poor all over the country.

6)     Somewhat as a result of the issue from #6, I’ve noticed that many white South Africans appear to be ashamed of their nationality. I certainly understand why. After all, apartheid was only 20 years ago, so I can only imagine how it would feel to be a white South African right now.

7)     People here are freakin’ friendly! Walking to and from my volunteer placement, or just out and about, I say hello/smile/nod/all of the above to almost everyone I pass. It’s a fantastic way to start the morning, and it reminds me of southern hospitality, and I like that.

8)     Many women carry their babies on their backs, tied up with a towel to keep them in place. Baby’s secure and out of the way and always seems oddly comfortable. I love the way it looks and it’s a lot cheaper than a Baby Bjorn!

9)     African taxis (AKA a “kombi”) are one of my favourite things about Africa. Rather than calling a cab to come and pick you up, or waiting at a stop for a bus, you just kind of . . . wait by the road for a big van to drive by. Usually they are certified to carry 16 passengers, but they’ll pack in around 19 if they can, or even if they can’t, to maximize their money. As they drive by, you wave them down and climb in! You can get bargain rates to anywhere in the area. There isn’t really a route they take, nor are there specific “kombi” stops. You just ask the driver to stop when it’s time to stop, or wait until he kicks everyone out before he turns around to go back! Some people worry about safety on these things, but I used them every day to get to my placement in Swaziland and have used them countless times here to get into Cape Town and back to Hout Bay. Drivers are usually friendly and helpful, as are the other passengers, they only run while it’s light out, and people tend to just keep to themselves and ride it out! And, as I mentioned, they’re CHEAP! Whereas a taxi from Hout Bay to Cape Town city center may cost around R250, I can take a kombi and pay only R9! I love it. LOVE IT.