last month in g-town

I'm sorry that it's been awhile since my last post. I just have a really hard time trying to describe what it's like living here. But I'll try. This is my last month in Grahamstown. At the end of the month, Anna and I will start traveling. We have some plans, but we're trying not to finalize them too much... in my experience, traveling is much more fun when there's some spontaneity and room for adjustment.

As much as I'm itching to start being a nomad, I'm going to miss Grahamstown. It is such a unique place, different even from the rest of South Africa. For one thing, the weather here is absurd. They say that you can experience all four seasons in one day in Grahamstown, and it's true. The rest of the country might be experiencing a heat wave or a cold front, but we can have both in one day. We'll also occasionally get a violent torrential downpour for about twenty minutes, and then the sun will be out again. It's really strange.

For another thing, Grahamstown is very rural. I forget that I'm in the middle of nowhere when I'm walking around town until I see a traffic jam caused by a donkey cart or a tractor moving too slowly. I've gotten used to seeing donkeys roam around town and my digsmates and I even joke about bringing one home as a pet. (We're only half joking about it.)

Grahamstown is also much bigger than I thought it was. I like to go exploring to see different parts of town. In tourist books, Grahamstown is often called "The City of Saints." I think that is in reference to the millions of churches in town, rather than the behavior of its students.

I'll definitely miss the student atmosphere of Grahamstown. I think it's been easier to transition from college to the real world by being surrounded by students. They complan about classes and exams and I think, 'you don't know how much you'll miss it, guys!' I think I've finally reached the point where I'm glad to be out of school and out in the real world. Right now, they're all in exam time, so they're studying a lot. Except they call it learning. As in, "Bye guys, I've got to go learn." I think that's one of my favorite South African-isms.

As for other language differences, I'm annoyingly picking some up in my own speech. I say "as well" a lot instead of "too," and I say it with a weird emphasis on the "as," like South Africans say it. I also find myself saying "tomahhto" instead of "tomato" to customers when I'm working. There's also this weird response, "Is it?" that I've picked up. It's kind of like saying "Really?" after someone says something. I also sometime make this weird Afrikaans exclamation "Jo!" There are also silly differences in phrases, like "You gave me a fright!" instead of "You scared me!" I can't help it, and most of the time I don't even notice when I say stuff like this. I can only hope that I drop these little differences in my speech before I come home and you all make fun of me!

As true as it is that I'm living in poverty, I really don't feel like I am. I'm living comfortably off of a waitress's salary, and I can't imagine that being possible in the States. For example, I spend the equivalent of about thirteen dollars a week on groceries. It's awesome. But I also realize how lucky I am to be able to support myself so easily, when so many people in the world can't.

I don't want to end on that depressing note, so I'll add one more thing: I love being able to go barefoot here! It's totally acceptable to go to the grocery store barefoot, or even out to a restaurant or bar. Definitely different from home!