Time To Get In The South African Mood :)

Although week 3 at the orphanage was indescribably rewarding like previous weeks, since most of the stories I have to share would be similar to what you’ve already read I thought I’d take some time to elaborate on the fun, quirky cultural aspects of my trip thus far.

To begin, while my initial Xhosa lesson was a rather big failure, after spending so much time around children who revert to their native tongue on a regular basis I have picked up on a few key words. They’re obviously quite simple and practical, so myself along with many other volunteers slip them into conversation from time to time. These are the main phrases we find entertaining, especially when imagining toddlers shouting them…

Molo – hello

Suca (soo-ka) – move

Puma (like the brand) – get out

Sapa – go away

Gayna – go inside

Yiza - come here/follow me

Siece (like “cease” in English) – stop it

Over the last 3 weeks I have also come across some questioning food (besides the variety of meat I’ve tried in Cape Town). Pap and samp are both staples in traditional Xhosa family meals; neither of which I plan to continue making once I’m home, you’re welcome Mom and Dad. To describe it most simply, pap is a flavorless hard mashed potato consistency. Nobody told me what it was, so when I tried to order it as a side at a restaurant in Cape Town I was rather perplexed as to why the waitress looked at me like I was insane. I later found out you only eat it with sauce on top and usually add meat in the same bite. When I finally ordered properly it was better than I expected, but not something I’d go out specifically for or spend time preparing. Samp is beans and potatoes mixed together, also seriously lacking in flavor so I guess you can say salt is a staple condiment here. There are 2 nights that samp is part of the dinner menu in the apartment and it’s consistently only touched by new volunteers, who quickly learn why they’re the only ones in line for that bowl. A type of initiation prank perhaps? Breakfast for all age groups in this country is a large bowl of porridge. I easily got on board with this until I saw it made once and realized roughly 80% of the recipe is sugar; as in multiple cups of sugar, and not the measuring cups you have in your kitchen – legitimate coffee mugs full. No me gusta! On a non-cultural note, there’s a vendor down the street who makes the best cinnamon sugar donut I’ve ever had and they’re only 2 rand, aka 20 cents (I’ve only bought 1 so far, but I’ll get another before I leave I’m sure). Oh, and the restaurant at the marina has an “American Pizza” that is bacon and mushrooms. Nobody has tried it, but all us Americans had to assure the British and Australians that’s not what we eat on a normal basis. At least we know I like ostrich! Ironic since the live ones still scare the s**t out of me…

The obvious, but still confusing, culture shock in South Africa is the driving. Driving on the other side of the road than in America is one thing, but they also don’t have cross walks or abide by speed limits – you can imagine how trying to cross a 4-lane road with cars coming from different directions than you’re used to feels! Especially with my history…Anyway, last but not least as I’ve mentioned before, GVI volunteers are from all across the world and it’s amazing how many language barriers we’ve encountered; makes for some really entertaining conversations when you finish talking and half the room is staring blankly because they didn’t understand the vocabulary! I’m not going to take the time to cover it all (my roommate and I have a list going of the American / British confusions, the Australian one would be just as long) but I love how I’m not only learning about the South African culture, but in day to day chats I gain awareness about at least 2 other countries too!

All right, as usual this ended up being longer than I planned so I’m going to stop blabbing and I’ll post again on Monday about the adventures of my last full weekend!! I’m in shock 3 weeks have gone by so quickly…