Updates for you all: I got my first letter back from my Zulu pen pal!! His name is Siphesihle Mwelase, but Sphe for short :) After introducing himself and telling me a bit about where he is from, he proceeded to say a few things that made me laugh: "You have nice handwriting, see how bad mine is?" and "Behave yourself while in Pietermaritzburg!" :) He sounds like a character, and I can't wait to meet him.
Also, this weekend I am going to Durban for a beach camping trip!! I am honestly so excited. I'm not totally sure what we're going to do but I do know we spend Saturday at the beach and get to cook food with some Indian students. It just sounds wonderful and I'm excited to see the beach again! Heads up: I'll have no internet while I'm there so starting tomorrow morning until (my) Sunday afternoon, I'll be without the world wide web! :)
And just for fun, I've made a list of a few things I've noticed about South Africa that are very unique to this culture:
1. Many Africans will give thumbs up and say "sharp sharp!" (pronounced "shop") to say that something is good or under control
2. Stoplights here are called "robots", pronounced "rowboats"
3. In the shower, if you turn the handle a centimeter, the water temperature changes drastically
4. When we're all out somewhere with our cameras, people will run up to us saying "shoot me!", not asking to be killed, but to have their picture taken
5. "TIA" is a popular expression here. It means "This is Africa" and refers to the lack of punctuality that Africans have. For example, when they say "I'll do that just now", it could mean anywhere from the next two hours to the next two weeks. Our group has fondly adopted "TIA" and use it frequently. Last night, Katie found an army of ants in her bed... TIA
6. Monkeys and outrageous bugs are just part of everyday life. Only the crazy American freak out about them.
I love getting your updates! Thanks for sharing so often. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are precious and funny!
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