You call a bathing suit a "swimming costume".
You call a traffic light a "robot".
You call an elevator a "lift"
You call a hood a "bonnet"
You call a trunk a "boot"
You call a pickup truck a "bakkie"
You call a Barbeque a "Braai"
The employees dance in front of the building to show how unhappy they are.
The SABC advertises and shows highlights of the programme you just finished watching.
You get cold easily. Anything below 16 degrees Celsius is Arctic weather.
You know what Rooibos Tea is, even if you've never had any.
You can sing your national anthem in four languages, and you have no idea what it means in any of them.
You know someone who knows someone who has met Nelson Mandela.
You go to braais regularly, where you eat boerewors and swim, sometimes simultaneously.
You produce a R100 note instead of your driver's licence when stopped by a traffic officer.
You can do your monthly shopping on the pavement.
You have to hire a security guard whenever you park your car.
You know a taxi can move twice its certified number of people in one trip.
You travel 100's of kilometres to see snow.
You know the rules of Rugby better than any referee!
More people vote in a local reality TV show than in a local election.
People have the most wonderful names: Christmas, Goodwill, Pretty, Wednesday, Blessing, Brilliant, Gift, Precious, Innocence and Given, Patience, Portion, Coronation.
"Now now" or "just now" can mean anything from a minute to a month.
You continue to wait after a traffic light has turned to green to make way for taxis travelling in the opposite direction.
Travelling at 120 km/h you're the slowest vehicle on the highway/freeway.
A bullet train is being introduced, but we can't fix potholes.
The last time you visited the coast you paid more in speeding fines and toll fees than you did for the entire holiday.
You have to prove that you don't need a loan to get one.
Prisoners go on strike.
You don't stop at a red traffic light, in case somebody hijacks your car.
Rwandan refugees start leaving the country because the crime rate is too high.
You consider a high crime rate as normal.
6 comments:
I get cold easily! Can I claim to be a South African?? :o)
So ever since we worked together and went to camp, I've started saying 'yeah, yeah'. I have no intention of stopping.
That's great Charis! It makes me want to go to SA even more... well except for the not stopping at red lights one. :)
Fun and clever post. I have a dear friend from SA and this reminds me of her. Prams and nappies along with boot and bonnet made me pause for translation. SA seems to have a special culture. Thanks for sharing.
So fun to hear. Sounds like life is still fantastic in the south!
That is so great to learn a little more about you and your home! Love stuff like that!
I am a friendly "blogstalker" and ran across your blog. Not sure where all the links came from, but I had to leave you a message because my son is currently serving in the Johannesburg mission and is loving it! He recently wrote home about Rooibos Tea, he loves it, and I did a little research on what is a Braai, because he mentioned they were off to one but never explained what it was. I loved your list and wondered if I could share it with my son. If you read this and feel like returning to my blog,you could let me know and you will also see a link to my missionary's blog. I feel so fortunate that I ran across your blog today!
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