In any case, this week has been full of frustrations, and I can only attribute them to the roller-coaster of living overseas, even though, at nearly 5 months, I would have hoped to exit the ride by now. Allow me to vent:
1. Internet. I know I should be grateful for internet, since in Huanuco, Peru they thought wireless was some myth they had heard existed "out there", yet the unpredictability of internet in this country is completely unnerving. What is all the more frustrating is when you must call the government telecommunication corporation to inquire, and they blame it on "Expected and unexpected maintenance" (which could be code for someone deciding to not come into work today).
2. Driving. Having just learned to drive manual, and while driving on the left-hand side of the road, I am a bit cautious still. My nervousness is only exacerbated by the random buses that cut in front of me, the hired (yes, hired) blind person standing in the middle of traffic and the constant threat of someone smashing through my window to steal my purse, as indicated by Highjack Hotspot warning signs at intersections.
3. Language. Someone should have informed me before I arrived in SA that "piss" means "piece", "aslam" means "asylum", "where do you stay?" means "where do you live?" and to most South Africans, an American accent sounds like your nose is plugged and/or you have cotton in your mouth. Furthermore, "cross" means "angry", and South Africans have absolutely no problem telling you that they are cross with you for any number of reasons. Get ready to explain yourself.
4. Customer service. This is virtually non-existent in SA, and manifests in ways large and small; from cell phone carriers offering no explanation for why your phone won't work to hospitals inattention to patients which results in babies being delivered in waiting rooms (as I learned yesterday). All of my tried and true arguing strategies and threats-to-speak-to-the-manager are met with a blank stare and flat affect here in SA. Even my law-school-trained boyfriend has found minimal success leading me to believe that poor service is something I just may have to accept.
5. Crime. The high crime levels in Johannesburg have many affects on daily living, not least of which is being sequestered to shopping malls for entertainment. Gone are the days of walking from my apartment to Central Square to meet a friend for coffee-- not only is it unsafe to walk outside here, but all coffee shops are hidden away in protected shopping malls, many of which require you to be patted down to enter! Sure, the cappuccinos are only $1.50 and that is wonderful, but what I really want is to sit outside, by myself, and sip a cappuccino while enjoying nature, unawares.
And I'd even be willing to pay the extra $3.00 to do this :)
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