Ten Things I Have Learned Since Arriving in Cape Town

In no particular order, here is a list of ten lighthearted, random things I have learned about myself, Cape Town and life in general since moving here. 

1) When someone says, "I'll see you just now," they don't actually mean that. When I first arrived here, I noticed so many people would say things like, "I'll see you just now," "I'm coming just now" or "I'll do that just now." I assumed that meant that I would see them in a few minutes or that they'd make that thing the next item on their list to do. I have learned that "just now" can mean in one hour, in two days or never at all. Here, if you're actually going to see someone or do something right away, you say "now now" instead of "just now." 

2) I actually prefer driving on the left-hand side of the road and right-hand side of the car. Yes, I'm serious. Get on board, America! Now that I've gone through the initial scary transition, I've discovered that driving this way actually feels a lot more natural for me. I still get nervous in high-traffic and unfamiliar driving situations, as I always have. But when I'm driving to church or places I have been before, I actually really enjoy it. Maybe it has something to do with  me being left-handed. Whatever it is, I have a feeling that switching back when I move home again won't be easy.

3) DVD players on laptops have region blocks. I bought several movies at a store in a shopping center just down the road. When I tried to play one that evening, I was surprised with an error message that read, "Disc is of a different region. Cannot playback." Apparently almost all commercial DVDs are region coded, which allows them to only be played in areas of that region. North America is in Region 1 and South Africa in Region 2. After several days of trying to find a legal solution to the problem, I discovered that VLC Media Player will play a disc from any region. If anyone is traveling in the future and comes across this problem, I suggest downloading the program!

4) The Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion doesn't make any sense. °C x 9/5 + 32 = °F - Who came up with that? Although I still tend to think in Fahrenheit rather than Celsius, I am thankful for the handy converter on my phone when I need it. 

5) Food products tend to be cheaper here, while clothing tends to be more expensive. I'm still surprised at how much food I can buy for such a small amount of money! This applies to food at most restaurants as well as grocery stores. Every time I go grocery shopping, I often find the bill being half of what I would expect it to be. On the other hand, clothing is significantly more expensive. Forever 21 is one of my favorite stores back in the states. They have the store here as well, and it was one of the places I went when I was doing some winter clothes shopping a few weeks ago. Most items there were about 30-40 percent higher in price than they probably would have been back in the States.

6) I need to start cooking more. I have known this for awhile. I love baking, but for some reason, cooking has always been a struggle for me. Being completely on my own in a new country has made be realize even more how much I need to stop relying on making sandwiches and salads everyday. It's time to get more creative. I've actually been doing pretty well the last couple of weeks!

7) Almost every car or driving term is referred to as something different here than in the States. Trunks are called "boots," horns are called "hooters," turn signals are called "indicators," traffic lights are called "robots," round-a-bouts are called "traffic circles." Speaking of round-a-bouts, they are my worst nightmare here. 

8) I am terrible at recognizing different accents. Sometimes I won't even realize that the person I'm talking to is also from the States until they directly say so. After they tell me, I listen more closely and it then becomes incredibly obvious. I'm trying to get better at paying attention to different accents and being able to recognize where people are from without having to ask.

9) I have become addicted to chocolate biscuits. Biscuits are a big thing here! The Baker's brand is my favorite. I find myself buying a couple of packages every time I go grocery shopping. There are still so many kinds I want to try. It's almost a problem. Here's the link to their website: http://www.bakers.co.za/

10) Cape Town is the most beautiful place I have ever been. Hands down, no question. I have fallen head over heels in love with this city, these people, Hillsong church and my job. I am beyond thankful and blessed to be here. 

On a more serious note, I want to end this post by asking for continued prayers for my health. The several doctors I have been to here, for the most part, agree on the diagnosis, but we just haven't been able to pinpoint exactly what form of treatment will start helping things improve rather than continue to get worse. I stayed home from work most of last week because it is about as bad as it has been yet, and the most recent doctor I went to suggested taking a few days off to avoid both putting anything on my face and going out into the sun. I'm pretty desperate for answers and relief, and have found myself being tested spiritually, emotionally and physically in some pretty significant ways. I'm so thankful to have such an incredible support system both here and back at home. This morning, I opened up JD Greear's book "Gospel" to this section that I had underlined months back when I first read it. It provided some comfort for me, and I hope it does the same for anyone else that may be going through a tough situation.