Some cultural context...

I just responded to a message from a friend, answering several questions about my context here in South Africa. After I wrote a somewhat long response, it occurred to me that some of what I wrote might be interesting to post here. Though maybe I won't post all of it at once...

On cars and the price of gas...
My roommate Sarah hunted down and purchased a 1996 Hyundai Accent while I was away in Vancouver. We're sharing the car and so far it's working out well. The price of petrol has gone up a lot here--it's probably still a bit more expensive here than it is in the States, though it sounds like prices are climbing pretty fast there too. I haven't taken the time to figure out exactly how gas prices here compare to the prices in California right now--I have to convert the price from rand to dollars and then the quantity from liters to gallons, and for a former English major, that's far too much math. =)

On living in the suburbs...
I'm living in Pretoria North, a suburb of South Africa's capital city. It's similar to suburbs anywhere in a lot of ways... and then in other ways not. Some obvious differences off the top of my head...

At parking lots and when you park on the street, there are almost always parking guards, either employed by the store (like at grocery stores) or just guys trying to get by and earn a little money. It's usual to tip them a couple of rand (about a quarter) when you come back to your car-- they keep an eye on it while you shop. There are attendants at all the petrol stations who pump your gas for you, they'll usually wash your windshield and offer to check your oil & water, too.

Then there are guys at intersections who beg for change, or try to sell you everything from cell phone chargers to rugby shirts. There are several places at the side of the road where people sell furniture, beanbag chairs, beach towels, and even stuffed & mounted animal heads. Sarah and I have been looking for furniture for our new house, so last weekend, we went to "the side of the road" and checked out what they had, just as if we were visiting the local furniture store. We even checked out a couple of "side of the road" spots to compare prices. We didn't buy a stuffed and mounted animal head, though.