Dilemma.

So I got a job. And I got into the University of Cape Town, rated to be the best on the continent..

My problem is this: I'd love to go to school now, but who's going to pay for it? I don't have much money, and my dad's planning on retiring very soon, so any contributions he would be able to make would be minimal. There are scholarships and grants which I'm definitely applying for, but they might not cover all expenses. I can get loans, of course. Contributions would be great lol, but it's unfair of me to expect them, and thus unwise to plan on receiving them.

Or I could work for a few years. But then I'd be even more years behind as far as education. By the time I would return, the price would have gone up even more. (But then I will have had enough time to establish a good credit rating and get a good interest rate.) I'll also have some money saved up by then, but will I really want to return to school full time, at, say, 25? Then again, why not? My sister's done it and is doing well. I know I can make it work, but still...

OR I could work while in school, which might be the best option. That way I'd be making money, hopefully enough to defray loan repayments; building good credit, gaining practical workplace experience (especially if I'm doing a paid internship), and accomplishing two of my goals at once. (As I'm writing this I'm realizing that A) this is most likely my best option and B) writing helps me answer my own questions haha.)

I also want a car, and I'd have to finance it myself, but then again first year students aren't allowed to have cars on campus. I could just get a really cheap car, and find a secure place to park it near campus, but then there's the risk of high maintenance costs associated with owning an older car.

Things to think about...

What about you? How did you juggle your education and the rest of your life?



Listen - "Listen" - Beyoncé

Flying Cars

My dad told this funny story the other day; not sure if it's true, but it's hilarious.

Most people get trackers installed in their cars so that, in the event of theft, the car can be located.

Some poor guy--let's call him Joe--got his car stolen by some group of professional thieves. He was at home at the time of the theft. Apparently, the theives loaded the car into some sort of frieght plane or helicopter and took off, intending to resell/disassemble it in another country.

The tracking company, vigilant as ever, noticed that the car was traveling at an unusually high speed, and proceeded to call Joe to see what was going on.

Can you imagine the conversation?

"Hello?"
"Hello, this is Adam with ABC Tracking Services, am I speaking to Joe?"
"Yes..."
"Joe, we noticed some unusual activity with your vehicle, registration number mw3 h46 GP."
"What kind of activity?"
"Well sir, our system shows your car as having a current speed of over 600 miles per hour.....what's going on?"
"WHAT?! What are you talking about?!"
"Sir, our computers show that your car is currently travelling at over 600 miles per hour! May I ask exactly WHAT you are doing, or WHERE you are going?!"

Poor Joe, and hopefully he was able to get his car back, but HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !

A Day in the Life, Pt. 2

Transportation

Today, we’ll be looking at how people get around down here. Aviation and rail travel are pretty standard worldwide, so I won’t cover those here; instead I’ll be concentrating mainly on road traffic.

Like many other countries in the world, the rule of the South African road is to drive on the left hand side of the road. Coming from the States or another place where drivers keep right, it can be quite jarring to keep left. When I first got here, riding in the car was a bit scary: I’d be looking out the side window, admiring the scenery, and then happen to glance back at the road in shock and fear and think, “omg OMG OMG we are going to hit someone!!!! What is going on?!?!” It takes a bit of mental adjustment and practice, but soon you realize that almost everything is a mirror-image to what you would do in the US. Since I’ve been here, I’ve gotten more used to it, but every now and then I’ll have a moment of panic until I remember where I am. One thing working in my favor is that I didn’t do a lot of driving in the States, so I should be able to adjust with minimal issues.

One part of this left-side driving that isn’t as obvious—but definitely deserves to be mentioned because the adjustment one must make in this case is almost more difficult than driving the car--is crossing the street.

We all learn the proper procedure for crossing the street at a young age. I used to walk home from school with my sister from as early as first grade, and by age eight I was walking myself to and from school every day. So the practice of looking a certain way before crossing has been practically etched in my brain for years.

When you want to cross a US street, you’ll follow a Left-Right-Left procedure:

(Like my artwork?)

Makes sense, right? Easy enough. I’ve been doing this for years.

Which is what makes it that much harder to cross the street in a country where the roads are reversed. Instead of Left-Right-Left, I now have to program myself to look Right-Left-Right. Let me tell you, it’s a lot harder than it sounds. I’ve had at least 10 experiences by now where I’ve almost been hit crossing the street, and I actually got mad at the oncoming traffic because they were on the “wrong” side of the road. Then the realization that the driver is, in fact, correct, kicks in, and I feel more stupid than a box of hair.

Another fun part of driving down here is the abundance of things to hit! There’s the obvious—animals, who, in their minds, basically own the entire country, including the roads. They don’t care how fast you’re going or how loud you honk—if they want to be in your way, they will be in your way. Oh, and if they want to hit you, they will.

Then there are the more scary obstacles. You’ll often find street vendors standing in the middle of the road selling their wares. They often walk in between lanes while there is moving traffic, which is really quite dangerous. It’s easy for them to get hit—I wonder what in the world they do when there are large trucks coming. Scary!

Then there are the motorcycles. In normal traffic, they ride within lanes, just like any other motor vehicle. But when traffic is heavy, especially around rush hour, cyclists often ride the dividing lines, in between other cars, because, well, they can fit. It’s not uncommon to be stuck in traffic and see a motorcycle whizzing by, darting in between cars. This is VERY dangerous though, since people often change lanes in stop and go traffic; you’re more inclined to look for a slow-moving car in your blind spot than you are a speeding motorcycle. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if a car and a bike moving like this were to collide. I understand the cool-factor of a motorcycle, but I am very happy in my four-wheeled cocoon, thank you very much. On a bike, if somebody hits you, they hit you, not just the bike. At least in a car, there are a few crumple zones and airbags to cushion the blow.

And now, the cars themselves. The interior is, of course, something to get used to, as the cars here are right-hand drive: (And every now and then, I'll head to the wrong side of the car)

The strange thing is, the only thing that’s really right-justified is the steering wheel, driver’s seat, and instrument panel. For instance, in the this picture, the volume knob is still on the left hand side of the radio, which is nice if you’re in a left-hand drive car, because you can quickly adjust the volume. To me, in a right-hand drive car, this should be reversed, so that you don’t have to reach so far to adjust the volume. But it’s not! Also, the layout of the pedals is exactly the same, no matter which side of the car the steering is on, which is nice, because it makes it easier to operate a car no matter what country you’re in. And, in cars with manual transmissions, the shift layout pattern is exactly the same, which to me is a bit awkward, having to reach all the way over to the left to put it into first gear. But again, knowing that the gears are placed exactly the same eases the transition from right- to left-hand drive, and I’m sure that it reduces manufacturing costs as well.

There are a few differences in the way cars look, too. Auto companies often make different variants of their cars for different markets. Not all companies do this, apparently (most European cars—Porsche, VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and others—are the same no matter where you are), but it’s kind of funny to spot the differences:

2008 Ford Focus (US)

2008 Ford Focus (SA-which looks a lot better if you ask me.)

Another example: General Motors is a worldwide company, but here, you’ll only find a few Chevrolets; most of them (as well as Saturns, Pontiacs, and Saabs) are instead branded as Opels or Vauxhalls.

Then there are some companies that offer models that aren’t available in the US:

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

And then there are auto companies that don’t presently sell in the US:

-Renault, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Peugot: they used to sell in the US market, and apparently are considering returning in the near future. (Good luck, y’all, cuz some of your cars are not cute!)

-Daihatsu

-Ssangyong

-Proton

-Seat

As a lifelong auto enthusiast, it’s funny for me to see a car and think, “WHAT is that?!” Sometimes it’s a good funny, but sometimes the cars are just plain ugly.

Ugly enough that I’d rather ride an elephant.

Maybe that day will come soon?

Listen: Joss Stone - "Don't Cha Wanna Ride"

A Day in the Life, Part 1

I'm so BORING sometimes!


I know, I know; you're probably laughing by now. Me? Boring? I seriously had a hard time typing that with a straight face.

What I'm trying to say is that I'm taking a break from writing about myself. Not that that's a bad thing, but one can't spend all of their time looking in the mirror.

I often get asked some variation of the question, "What's life in America like?" But how in the world do you answer a question like that? Is there a conceivable way to quickly summarize a culture? I think not. I usually end up asking people to inquire about something specific, because specific questions are much easier to answer.

In the same vein, I imagine that some of you might have the same question about South Africa. The rest of the world doesn't get to hear/see much about Africa, except for the more dramatic parts (poverty, wild animals, horrible wars, HIV, etc.). So, I'm hoping that the next few posts will help to enlighten you somewhat about life in South Africa.

DISCLAIMER: The observations/comments in the next few posts are made from the perspective of someone who's just moved here. Since I've only been here for about three months, there's obviously no way I can possibly explain the inner psyche of a society, and any gerneralizations I may make are strictly superficial. I still have a lot to learn about the nation's history and people's attitudes in respect to certain issues. This is only meant as a casual, sort of beginner's guide to highlight differences between South African and US daily life. If you're interested, please feel free to comment/email for further discussion. And as always, thanks for reading.

So, part one: Language

As I mentioned in a previous post, there are 11 official languages in this country (do a Wikipedia search for South Africa if you don't believe me, but you should also do the search because at the moment I don't care enough to look up how to spell each language correctly, and if you haven't noticed, that's important to me). THANKFULLY, English is the one language that everybody speaks; while you will probably see a few different translations (on street signs or application forms, for instance), English seems to be the standard for businesses and government institutions.

Which is nice of course, but there are a couple hiccups that an American in transition, like myself, would face, mainly in spelling and vocabulary. For the most part, English vocabulary here matches that of real, British English. So here's a list of everyday terms/phrases/idioms/ along with their SA (South African) equivalents ( this is also what's called a list of lexical differences [who needs the Discovery Channel? Learn with me!]):

USA terms => SA terms

gas = petrol
elevator= lift
traffic light = robot (though this can also refer to actual robots)
the letter "z" = the letter "z;" but it's pronounced "zed." Apparently, this is the way students are taught to pronounce this letter, which if you think about it makes sense--this way the chance of getting it confused with "c," "e," or any other similar-sounding letter is greatly reduced.
barbecue = braai (This refers to the activity of barbecuing/cooking out. In this case, the word "barbecue" refers to a seasoning, sauce, or flavor.)
ketchup= tomato sauce
napkin = servillet (pronounced ser-vee-yet; not unlike Spanish or other Romantic languages. In this case, the word "napkin" refers to a baby's diaper, so if you're at a restaurant you'd better be sure you're asking for the right thing.)
doughnuts = fat cakes (Definitely makes me want to eat less of these!)
water (anyone in PA knows it's pronounced "wooder") = waTer (with a hard "t")
light bulbs = globes
bag (such as those used for packaging food items, like potatoes) = pocket (although a pants pocket is still called a pocket)
crazy (as in, "Things are crazy right now!" or, "That's crazy!") = hectic (not much of a difference, I know, but you when you're the only one saying "crazy," you notice it)
How are you?/What's up? = How'z it?
beef jerky = biltong
spicy sausage = boerewors
truck = van
pickup truck = bakkie
trunk (of a car) = boot
hood (of a car) = bonnet
call (as a verb) = phone ("I'll phone you later.")
pharmacist = chemist
French fries = chips (also refers to potato chips). Now you understand "fish and chips."
marijuana/weed/pot = dagga
apartment = flat
water heater = geyser
Really? = Is it?
jelly (such as grape) = jam (In this case, jelly refers to Jell-O or other gelatin desserts.)
minivan = kombi
high school diploma/senior year = "matric," short for matriculation certificate.
corn = miele/maize
cough medicine = muti
soon/later/in a while = now now
floppy disk = stiffy
flashlight = torch
cookies = biscuits
cupcake = cookie
soda = cool/cold drink
glove compartment = cubby hole
yuck = sies (sounds like "sis")
sneakers = takkies



Then there are the differnces in spelling, which, from my perspective as a former newspaper editor, are slightly irritating, but are slowly becoming second nature:

license = licence
realize = realise
specialize = specialise

Also, there are slight differences in the way words are emphasized; when I'm listening to talk radio, I'll often have to repeat the word quietly to myself to figure out what it was: STRAtegize will become straTEgise, and so on.


I'll add more examples of "funny" words as I come across them. Look for future updates in this series!


Listen: Louis Armstrong - "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"

A Flame, Rekindled

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I suppose I should start at the beginning.

My dad used to work for EasyBiz, the official distributor and supporter of QuickBooks software in South Africa. (He actually mentored the current head of the Customer Support Department.) The support staff there regularly refers customers who are using older versions of QuickBooks to my dad, so he's constantly in contact with the office. So it only makes sense that he contact the office and at least set up an interview for me.

Of course, with my very limited work experience, I'd never actually been on a "real" interview before. I mean, sure, we had mock interviews in high school, in which I excelled, but this here was the real thing. So I polished up my basically-empty resumé, wrote a glittering cover letter, and told myself to relax. Didn't work of course, as I was more nervous than Amy Winehouse without her crackpipe, but on I went.

The interview itself went pretty well. I was extremely nervous for the first few minutes, and when that happens I usually get pretty quiet, which isn't necessarily helpful when someone's asking you questions. But somehow I managed to settle down and open up a bit, and after about 20 minutes or so, was asking some questions of my own.

I took a short tour of the department in which I would be working, Customer Support (via phone, email, and the occasional office visit), and found my would-be coworkers to be very laid back. By the end of the meeting, I felt confident about the job. Apparently, my interviewer felt confident about me, because the next day he called me in to meet his boss. You'd think I would have been even more nervous this time around, right? I suprised even myself with how relaxed I was in that meeting. I was saying all the right things, smoothly and effortlessly, making eye contact, and appearing very confident. THANK GOD because to be honest I had done no real interview prep or anything, so I knew that I wasn't just "winging it;" I had help.

Of course, peppered throughout the meeting were the obligatory "if-we-hire-you" clauses, but afterwards I was told it was an unoffical yes (pending some paperwork).

I GOT A JOB! A REAL job with a steady paycheck! And benefits! And regular hours! Me!

Now, from the outside, it may not seem like a big deal; people get jobs all the time. But for someone like me, who only a few months ago could only dream at the possibility of such things, it's amazing. It's a sort of confirmation that I did the right thing in moving. I'm realizing that those things which I used to dream about, and later started to give up on, can and even WILL happend. It makes me feel like I'm worth something. It's the first time in a long time where I've felt as if I was appreciated on an intellectual level. I mean, not to brag, but I'm pretty smart; in the last few years, I haven't had the chance to display that properly. Now, using my own computer skills, and the things I'll learn in the next few weeks, I'll be able to instruct and assist others. "Contributing to society" won't just be a phrase or some far-off hope anymore.

Then there's that new "grown-up" feeling. I'm sure everybody has days when they wish they could just be a lazy bum and do nothing all day, but I can tell you from experience that it gets old, really fast. You start getting fat, and you start getting stupid. Seriously. (When episodes of Maury mean more to you than the news, it's time for a change.) It'll be nice having a routine: get up, get dressed, go to work, go to the gym (I'm not lying, being a bum makes you fatttt!), go home. It'll be nice to stop feeling so far behind everybody else. It'll be nice, at the end of the day, to feel as if I've accomplished something.

And OH YEAH, a really nice thing about working? MONEY. On a regular basis. A real, dependable income (with the opportunity for raises. Raises! Who'da thunk it?!). Going into MY OWN bank account. No more signing checks over to someone else, no more using someone else's debit card, no more keeping my cash in an envelope buried in the bottom of a suitcase so no one finds it. And just think of the freedom that financial independence allows. No more saying "hm, I'd love to do x, but I might not have money next week for y, " etc. etc. I can budget now! I can save! I can plan; I can DO THINGS. No more "forced" dependence on others.

YAY!!!!!

For the time being, my dad will have to drive me back and forth to work each day,which will work for now, but can only mean one thing in the near future.....I'LL BE DRIVING. MY OWN CAR. We're already looking into a few different options, but I'm looking for something like this:





VW Polo Hatch 1.6 (sort of a mini-Golf, [not sold in the US] and GREAT on gas)


Just think, though! Me! Driving! I've wanted to drive since before I could even reach the pedals. I used to dream of the day I turned 16; I imagined myself camped outside the DMV at 12.01 am on my birthday haha. Obviously, that didn't happen, and I've since had to rely on rides from friends, or public transportation. Which is cool, but there's something special in being able to decide for yourself when and where you want to go, without having to depend on someone else or follow their schedule. Not to mention being in control haha--if I'm hot or if I'm cold, there'll be no one to argue with over the a/c (can i GET witness?!) OR the radio.

All that to say, I hope you people who already have these things really appreciate what you have. Driving, having your own money, or working may seem a matter of course to some, but these things truly are blessings. As unfortunate as my situation may have been, there are still others who have it far worse than I did/do. We should all be grateful everyday for the blessings we see.

YAY!!!!! (Sorry, can't help it.)

(All this has me thinking though...what if I were to work for a few years, and then go back to school? Establish myself financially and build up my credit?That way, I'd be able to finance some of my education myself, and have the least possible debt once I graduate. Nothing concrete, though. Just a thought I'm having. Any thoughts/suggestions?)

---

In other news, I got a BlackBerry! No surprise, really--ever since owning a Treo, I've fallen in love with smartphones, if for no other feature than being able to back up your contacts to your computer (has anyone else ever broken their phone and lost allll their numbers? Yikes!). It's awesome too--instant access to my email (which means I'll reply pretty quickly), GPS, Internet, and my favorite feature, BlackBerry (BB) Messenger, which provides free instant messaging from BB-to-BB, worldwide. If you have one, let's exchange PINs! If not, email me for my number.

I've figured out way to send regular text messages as well--most phones allow you to text an email address, in additon to regular numbers, and since all my email addresses are linked to my phone as well, I can read and reply to your text. This is the perfect way to get around international SMS costs--it's free for me, and it'll cost you the same as any other text. So if you'd like, text me at yk4k@yahoo.com. Just keep in mind the 6 hour (or 7 hour, once you turn the clocks back) time difference (from the east coast) please lol.

A special shout out to my all my readers, and a warm welcome to the freshman class: the Fabulous Lady Tee, and the hilarious Tanynetta! Spread the word!


And my dad says "hi" in his own version of an American accent.



Listen: "We Break the Dawn" - Michelle Williams

You'll Always Be A Part of Me

I'm feeling a bit homesick this weekend, so I thought I'd share some pics of people I miss!

Cousins, Chickens, Dignitaries, Apples, and Zucchinis

In the past few weeks, I've come to the conclusion that my family is very fertile.

I spent about 3 weeks in Swaziland (which explains the decline in communication--I was busy every day and didn't have a lot of computer time), where I was born, where my mother was laid to rest and where her family resides. These are the people I really remember from our various vacations here so long ago. I have five aunts and uncles, and a grand total of 26 cousins! I'll save you the trouble of trying to pronounce all of their names and just include a pic:




For most of my time in Swaziland, I stayed with one of my uncles and his family, which includes my aunt and three cousins. I remember this group most of all, because the kids are around my age--Vuma and I, for instance, are only 4 months apart in age. There are pictures of us as babies together, then a little bit older, sharing our toy car collections. It's funny, because even today we have a lot in common. Including making faces:




But we can be handsome too (here with my camera-shy aunt)




Then there are the two girls, Nozazi:





And Tebe, who was only a little tiny thing when I last saw her:



It's great to have cousins around my age, and we all have things in common, including music (they fight over my iPod), fashion, tv, even academic interests.

My uncle works at a bank, but also runs a farm, where he raises chicken and cattle. After "processing," the meat is sent to local distribution centers and supermarkets etc. When I was first told about it, I thought, "Oh, ok, a small chicken farm." To my surprise they have almost 17,000 chickens! The first day I went to the farm, the chickens were just wee little things:

(And that's just a fraction of them)



Did you know it only takes about 5 weeks for a chicken to mature? I went back a week and a half later and these things doubled in size:




Though I have no intention of being around for the slaugthering process, I must say it's interesting to see the chain of events and everything that's involved in getting the products to the stores.


Along with family, there were friends of the family that I visited with as well. One of my mom's closest friends, my "Auntie" Constance, is now the Deputy Prime Minister of Swaziland (something close to the US Speaker of the House). I surprised her one day after church by greeting her and introducing myself--she was so shocked to see me, it was precious. I then met with her at her office, which was a little bit intimidating because of her position; but then she invited us for dinner at her house, where she cooked everything, and it was there that she felt more like the Auntie Constance that I remember. This is the woman, who, along with her sister, is solely responsible for my love affair with BMWs. When we last visited Constance, her car was in the shop, so she was using her sister's BMW 3-series. I fell in love with that car over the course of that week. But of course, the day before we left, Constance got her car back and gave the BMW back to her sister...I wasn't sad about leaving them behind, but the car? I cried and cried and cried lol. Here's a pic of me and the Deputy Prime Minister (!):





My cousin Nozazi's university is in Jo'burg, so I rode back here with her and her parents. The past few days have included visiting more clients and continuing to get set up. Tuesday was nice for me, as one of our clients is a television advertising company, which I might be able to get an internship with. It was exciting to meet people in my field of interest, and even more fortunate that through my dad, I already have a strong contact with them.

Then we were looking for a place to have dinner, when we came across this shopping center, which, besides having a great little Italian restaurant, Zucchini, that will probably become one of my new favorites (Sette Luna comes to mind--Hey, Gabby!), had an Apple Computer store (another brand that I'm passionate about). That got me excited, as my love affair with Apple started in 2005 at Ithaca, and has grown stronger and more fervent ever since, even though I haven't yet been able to actually get a Mac. But at this store they had last year's model on sale at a great price. The great thing about Apple is that they make solid computers/electronics, and they also update their models every year or so, meaning that last year's model (which is still an excellent, fast product) comes wayyyyyyyy down in price. I took advantage of those price drops when I bought my iPod for 38% off the regular price. All in all, a very nice day for me indeed.

I was also able to talk to some friends for a few hours online with my webcam...after a few minutes we were laughing and joking like I'd never left.

This weekend I'm going to do some bed shopping, as the one I'm currently sleeping on hates me and likes to hurt my back; then mailing some college apps in between clients.

So, I'm staying busy, and hoping you are all well!








Listen: "Black and Gold" - Sam Sparro