First impressions of South Africa

I don't have anything too profound to say; just a few observations.

People walk along or run across the highways. They drive on the left side of the road, same as in England. The weather feels similar to Southern California, warm, dry, and breezy. Everyone I've met so far is very courteous, and the pace of the office environment is slower and more casual than London, also reminding me of California in some ways. There are signs in front of office buildings and stores saying 'please check your weapons'. But then again, there was also a sticker on the toilet paper dispenser in the ladies room with a tomato saying 'please flush'!

I do feel like I'm on holiday, but that's in part because I boarded an 11 hour flight in economy class, wearing my comfy clothes and no makeup, and this afternoon I left work early to lay out by the pool. Hey, I only was able to doze for about 2 hours last night! I watched two movies, Running With Scissors and Babel, and then I finally thought I'd be able to sleep, even though there were only 4.5 hours left in the flight. I started to get comfy but couldn't fall asleep for the constant turbulence.

Room service didn't even register my first order, and I had to call back and re-order. That, along with the extraneous number of hotel employees (at least 4 different people rolled my bag for me at some point during the check-in process), is eerily reminiscient of India. The streets of downtown Joburg are a marked improvement over Mumbai, but nonetheless very foreign. I wouldn't picture myself walking around ever feeling comfortable in that neighborhood. And yet, once in the false embrace of a four-star hotel, it's like a different world. Until you ask for room service....or an iron (they gave one to me without hassle! :)

In my limited interactions over the past 24 hours, the hotel guests are all white and almost all of the staff, except for the front desk personnel, are black. All the people I've had meetings with for work are white; the administrative assistants and security personnel are black. It's impossible not to notice these obvious, and seemingly stereotypical, racial distinctions.

I've always wanted to visit South Africa since taking a literature course on it at university. I've read about political and personal stories between the White Afrikaners and the Black South Africans. Part of my interest always had to do with the parallels I couldn't help but draw between apartheid and slavery.

But I really want to travel around South Africa and see different cities, some of the beautiful landscape, and yes, the vineyards! There is so much to do and see in the world...