No shredded cheese?! Yeah, that’s what we thought too. Grocery shopping is just one of the many ways in which we’ve noticed both similarities and differences in the South African culture compared to our own.
If you thought getting used to sleeping with the bells at CSBSJU was difficult, try South African traffic. Bri and I wake up to jackhammers, car horns, yelling and speeding cars every morning. The noises continue all night long too.
Traffic is pretty crazy in Port Elizabeth. During the day we take combis, 16 passenger vans, for R7 (7 rand = $1) to get to school or the grocery store, etc. Combi drivers are extremely daring, driving around with open doors, loading the vans past maximum capacity and yelling at people on the sides of the road. At night we take taxis which usually cost around R40, or a little over $6 per person. Taxis usually drive around 80 or 90 kilometers/hour, but a lot of them speed to over 100 km/hour. Cars definitely do not wait for pedestrians so we have to wait much of the time. It’s also tricky because they drive on the left side of the road down here.
Going back to food, South Africans eat a lot less than we do in the states. At McDonald’s, a medium meal is sufficient, unlike the super size in America. Also, the McDonald’s here tastes a lot better and has higher quality food. Cream soda is green – weird! KFC is HUGE down here. There are at least 9 or 10 KFCs just in Port Elizabeth. Subway is the last of the three fast food chains we have recognized down here thus far. Other popular fast food places in South Africa include Steers and Wimpy (burger joints) and Debonair’s Pizza, similar to Pizza Hut. Milk and eggs are not refrigerated in grocery stores. There is a very limited variety of cheeses and meats to choose from. We have to pay for plastic bags – this is really cool, shout out to sustainability!
There are animals running around everywhere. Monkeys, dogs, cows, goats and donkeys. You have to be careful, because the monkeys will steal your food haha!
As for safety, we have to be very careful at night. We always stay in big groups and make sure there is a Johnnie in every group. Just about each flat has a cell phone as well. Crime is pretty prevalent in Port Elizabeth, but in more areas than others. Our area is not too bad, but “central” is the sketchy area. Our cab driver said it is kind of like the Bronx of New York. What stands out to me most regarding safety is that almost every single house or business has a fence with some sort of barbed wire or spiky rods at the top to prevent burglars. Also, it is common for people to ask you for money when you walk by.
Here are some vocabulary terms or phrases that are unique to South Africa:
Howzit? – What’s up?, How is it going?
Chips – French Fries
Ya – they do not use the term “yes”
Takkies – shoes
Vest – tank top
Biltong – bull tongue, beef jerky
Braai – rhymes with hi, barbeque
Acid/gas cool drink – pop,soda
Just now – this doesn’t mean now, it actually means in a little bit or eventually
Pavement – sidewalk
Robot – traffic light
Rooibos – Red bush teaf
Sorry – used for everything from excuse me to sorry
Sosatie – kabob
Earbuds – Q-tips
Jacket – jacket with a zipper
Jersey – long sleeve sweaters/sweat shirts, no zipper
Sweater – short sleeve shirts
As you can see, some of these can get a little confusing on our end. Also, some of you may be confused about the language system down here. There are three main languages in the Port Elizabeth area, but there are about 11 official languages in South Africa. In PE they speak English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. Afrikaans is extremely similar to Dutch was the language of the white people during the Apartheid. Xhosa is one of the many traditional languages in South Africa. It is more used by the blacks and colored people of South Africa. Xhosa is very unique in that is uses clickings of the tongue and mouth palette. We get the privilege of learning some Xhosa in one of our classes this semester. I have a feeling I will not be able to master the clicks very well.
My least favorite part about South Africa so far is the amount of cigarette smoking that goes on. It seems like almost every person smokes cigarettes. My good friend Lamael (pronounced La-mile), aka Smiley from Bush Camp, estimates around 80% of South Africans smoke. When we go out to the bars at night, it gets extremely smoky. Smiley came to stay with us for the weekend. He has been helping me with vocabulary and spelling words correctly!
Internet is very hard to get free around here. We have to pay for it wherever we go. At Langerry it is R20 for 2 hours (just under $3). There are also internet cafes around everywhere, but then we have to purchase food or drink as well. At McDonald’s you only get 10 minutes at a time! This has been kind of stressful for us, seeing as we can’t talk to as many people from home as we would hope to. However, it is also kind of a blessing in disguise, because then we don’t waste our time on Facebook or Youtube. Instead, we can go to the beach and get our tan on! :D
Remember, to contact me, you can do the following.
E-mail: rhgross@csbsju.edu
Facebook: Becka Gross
Address in Langerry (takes about two weeks snail mail):
Becka Gross, Flat 8
Langerry Holiday Flats
31 Beach Road, Humewood
Port Elizabeth, SA 6001
My next blog should hopefully be about my new university for the semester – NMMU! We just had orientation this week, already attended a varsity rugby game and will start classes on Monday. Should be really cool!
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