Differences

I’ve been in South Africa for about 6 weeks now and here are a few differences I’ve noticed!

People drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side (not surprising).

A lot of the time, sinks have two faucets: one for hot and another for cold. So, if you want to wash your face with warm water, you have to fill half of your hand with cold water then switch faucets to fill the other half with warm water.

In addition to the charging sockets being a different shape than the ones we have in the US (we had to buy adapters) the sockets have a switch to turn on and off. So, if you’re not charging anything, you should turn the charging socket off.

People honk all the time. Literally all. the. time. Within a 5 minute drive I’m estimating that the average driver honks 5 times. But, the honking culture is different. Most of the time, if you honk at someone, it isn’t because you’re mad. Instead, it’s because you’re saying a friendly hello. So, if you see your friend walking on the road or driving, you tap your horn twice. It’s like the more times you honk, the more popular you are because it means you know many people. People LOVE honking.

Toot my horn = Blow my bugle

“I don’t mean to blow my bugle, but I am the best cook in town.”

Soda = Mineral

“We always drink mineral, it’s healthy.”

Gas Station = Garage

“I’m going to the garage for petrol and sweets.”

Cookies = Biscuits

Auntie Lorna: “What do you eat for breakfast?”

Me: “Biscuits and gravy”

Auntie Lorna: “Ewh…why?”

Street lights = Robots

“Okay so you’ll go straight for a few kilometers, turn right at the second robot, go a few more kilometers and you should be there.”

Jacket = Jersey or Jumper

Co-worker: “Where is your jersey??”

Me: “Oh I’m sorry I didn’t know today was team day”

Co-worker: “What? Where is your jumper is freezing outside?”

Me: “It’s 70 degrees outside…”

Pharmacy = The Chemist

“I have to stop by the chemist today after work to pick up my medications.”

Hit = Knocked

“That car almost knocked me!”

“Don’t knock me now”

“Pay attention when playing soccer or else you’ll get knocked.”

“Yoh!”

I really have no explanation for this saying. It’s used in so many situations I’ll just have to type some of them out.

*eats a ton of good meat* *group silence* “yoh!”

*someone closes the door very hard* “yoh!”

*car recklessly whizzes by* “yoh!”

*sees iPhone* “yoh!”

*picks a bad suitcase in Deal or no Deal* “yoh”

*people get caught for stealing and go to jail* “yoooooooohhhhhhh”