Day 1- Arrival in South Africa

Here it is.

it's not much, but it's South Africa.

After a 16 hour flight, 15 straight episodes of bones, 2 attempted hours of sleep, 154 brushings from people getting to the bathroom, 2 gross airplane meals, 5 awkward moments when accidently witnessing a woman breastfeeding her baby out in the open for all to see, and realization that I jumped ahead 7 hours and lost those hours to the world, I have finally arrived.

So far, I have only seen the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, parts of the capital, Pretoria, and parts of Hatfield. Honestly, when I arrived in Africa, I did not know what quite to expect, but I wasn't expecting this. While the landscape is gorgeous, it actually reminds me a lot of Florida so far.  There are the rich sections (such as what was shown above), and the not so rich sections with people sleeping in the middle of parks and vendors on every street corner selling what they can to pay rent.

So far, I have experienced a few culture shocks. The biggest change, however, is the use of the Rand.  For those unfamiliar with the currency of South Africa, the locals use the Rand, a type of currency currently valued at about R6,50 for every US Dollar. That being said, the average price of an item is about R100. When Sarah and two of my new friends, Ryan and Ryan (and no, that's not a typo) went out to lunch, our total came out to R253. My job dropped when I got the bill, but actually, my lunch was actually worth about $35 US Dollars, which is actually a really good deal. But still, it's not fun to see a really big number like that. 

The other thing that is going to be hard to get used to are things that many tourists from America experience when traveling abroad: driving on the opposite side of the road and the use of the meter. I've been thrown off quite a bit when I see signs for Pretoria in 30 km and having to look right to left when crossing the street. 

Also, the dialect spoken here is a little difficult to understand. For example, water is not water, but rather pronounced watt ter, and any pronunciation otherwise is completely beyond them. I actually felt embarrassed a few times when I had to ask the locals a few times to repeat something. 

But when Sarah and I were walking around the Hatfield strip mall, I realized something: her and I were on our own in country where English is not necessarily the norm. And somehow, something about that feeling of independence felt liberating and even exhilarating. For the first time, we have had to rely on our intellect and instinct to get us through. That to me was part of what made today so special. 

The combination of a newfound independence, new friends, and a marvelous and diverse new country has made for a fabulous start to a new adventure. I can't wait to see what else is in store!