I taught in South Africa recently, here is a copy of the "report" I made for
my company....
South Africa can be a very rough and dangerous. You will be fine, however,
because you will:
- Be confident and brave; being scared doesn't solve anything.
- Have a healthy sense of awareness and concern about your surroundings at all times.
- Conceal all jewelry, cameras, and nice clothes.
- Leave your hotel room key with the front desk when you go out.
- Carry very little (if any) money.
- Avoid speaking to all strangers.
- Constantly be thinking, "if they run at me, what direction will I go?"
- Stay in big groups of people.
- Be intelligent at all times, stay alert.
- Bring good books and don't ever leave your hotel if you want to be "safe" all the time, although that sounds terribly boring. There are so many "safe" places to go to, although just not usually right around the hotels.The hotel staff knows where to send you, just ask them.
Most of the people here are absolutely wonderful! The crimes are frequent, but
you have to understand how many people are here too the odds are on your
side! There are many hungry people that look at you (beating you up and
stealing from you) as their only chance to keep their children from dying.
People will do a lot of things to save their kids, can you blame them?
It costs SkillPath over $80 per Federal Express packed back and forth
overseas, so do whatever you can to minimize shipment needs (they can pay us
more if we don't waste their money).
Driving on the left side of the road, sitting from the right hand seat isn't
nearly as tough as I imagined it would be. After a couple of days, I felt very
at home driving on the left side of the road, and about the safety of these
streets. The key is to get directions from the place you are leaving from,
call and get directions from the place you are driving to, and get a map and
trace out the two sets of directions. If there are any discrepancies at all,
then go back to the two parties until you get them worked out. Before you
start driving. Never stop at a place that isn't well lit. Do not be afraid to
"run" a traffic light if someone is approaching your car, it is a commonly
accepted practice here at night for all the white folks. It is better to pay a
ticket (I bet you won't get one) than cause your own funeral. (Just make sure
you don't pull out in front of someone!) Yes, they do carry weapons here, so
don't even slow down in rough neighborhoods, best not to go into those
neighborhoods to begin with. If they kill you and steal your car, they can
sell it to be used as a taxi, and feed their family for a while. It isnt
anything personal against you, they just love their family. It is illegal to
make a "left turn on red" (corresponding to our right on red). Now that Ive
learned to stay out of "bad" neighborhoods, I feel only slightly more in
danger
than I do anywhere in big city downtown USA.
People drive fast here, really fast. You will learn how much youve taken for
granted about the United States highway system and signs just wait! It is
still lots of fun here, kind of an adventure. A flashing "right turn" green
arrow means you have a "protected right turn", and a flashing "right turn" red
arrow means you can "right turn" if you yield first (think of it as a flashing
red light at a stop sign in the USA).
Many times the street signs (that say the name of the street) will be in
Afrikaans instead of English, but you will be able to make them out if you use
a little imagination.
Taxis let the hotel call one for you, instead of just hailing one yourself.
Do not get into a "mini-van" taxi, they are at "war" for "territory" with
other
mini-van taxis and shoot at each other. There is also a good chance of your
being abducted, especially in Johannesburg theyll take you straight to Saweto
township and youll never be heard from again. I never witnessed this, but
several people over here warned me about it. I found all the drivers very
pleasant, friendly, and fun to visit with. They aren't afraid to answer any
and all of your questions, so ask them. They know the best restaurants, the
safe places, places to exercise, etc. The toughest part for me and the taxis
was to learn not to get into their drivers seat! (am used to the steering
wheel being on the left).
If you take a taxi for only a short distance (like to go down the street and
it is too dangerous to walk), please keep in mind that that driver has been
waiting in line anywhere from two to eight hours for your fare. If it is a
fifty cent fare, I would always give the driver at least R25, most of the time
closer to R50. When you consider that it takes five Rand to equal a dollar,
that is a pretty fair fare, and you aren't cheating his family out of a meal
that day.
Food and Water feel free to eat and drink of everything that is prepared in
the restaurants. The food here is so good! Tap water is just fine too,
anywhere in South Africa. I never had a single bad meal wish I could say that
about the States!
Shots get them. All of them. See your doctor before you leave. Malaria
no need to worry about this unless you plan to go visit Victoria Falls or
Kruger National Park on vacation. All the "training" cities are well outside
the malarial zones. Also be advised that the best anti-malarial drug, larium,
can cause wide emotional swings so consult your doctor about this before
starting it.
Airports they are so nice here! There are free carts to put your bags on
when you arrive at curb side and when you land in baggage claim (you dont
actually land in baggage claim, well, you know what I mean) Expect larger
isles and seats than in the US, you will get fed a "snack" in economy class on
almost every flight (even "short" ones) that rivals (many times exceeds) the
first class meal served in the US airlines.
Yes, they do lose luggage. Mines been lost twice so far, once for about 5
hours, and again later for 3 days. It all eventually arrived however, unharmed
and complete.
The Black People. They are so clean, friendly, sweet, and helpful. Learn
their handshake, it is fun! Treat them as respected equals, that is what they
are. They don't use slang, they speak great English.
Historical sites and tourist traps (I mean, excursions). Do them. Enjoy
being a part of the area.
Money The Rand is about 5 Rand to the US Dollar. There are plenty of ATM
machines to get cash from whenever you need it, that way you don't have to
carry much. Everybody here takes MasterCard and Visa for all of your
purchases.
Communicating with the states email is probably your best bet. Otherwise,
call a long distance phone company and sign up for a card. IDT and VoiceNet
are good choices.
Time difference 7 hours later than Central Time in USA.
Flight across the ocean bring one of those blow-up pillows, and sit back,
enjoy the ride! Plan on sleeping, the seats are comfortable (for airline seats
anyway). (Ok, so they aren't comfortable at all, but think positive, that is
all you have going for you in this department!) Expect to eat two good meals.
(good for airline food).
Manners ask everyone how they want you to address them, never assume first
name is OK. Listen, don't talk. Ask questions, don't tell them about the US,
ask about Africa. Follow your normal manners, and realize you are a guest in
their country. You have a good opportunity to set a good example of what US
Citizens are really like. You can imagine how the news media portrays us, and
you know what all is going on in the news right now with our nation's leader.
Speaking everyone here knows English. Do not try to "British-ize" your
accent, you won't be able to do it properly and they actually love hearing your
"American" accent. Speak your best, clearest, most proper English and they
will love it dearly.
There are several "different" words here. For instance, "Napkins" are diapers
here, so ask for a serviette. Traffic Lights are called robots here. If
someone says they will do something "just now" or "now now," that means "in a
little while" or "later." "Lekker" means "good" in Afrikaans, and is used a
lot like "cool!" is in the States.
Several other phrases are different too. For instance, if you offer someone
something and they say, "Ill get some myself when Im ready" to you, there is
no disrespect meant. This is a common term here. The glove box of a car is
called the cubbyhole here. The term "downtown" has very negative connotations
here, meaning the slummy areas, as opposed to being used as in the states. Say
"City Center" if you mean the center of the city.
Power and Phone plugs Gerome knows just how to fix you up. Everything here
is 240Volts 50Hz, and you can toast your equipment in a hurry if it isn't ready
for the juice. Remember things like your razor and cordless toothbrush too.
Hotel staff, messages, room setups. I was very disappointed at first, and it
is because I expected things to be like in the USA. Here are the expectations
you should have, so you won't be disappointed:
- When you arrive at the hotel, they may not know SkillPath from anything.
- Be sure to ask for a non-smoking room (some hotels only have smoking rooms, but their cleaning staff seems to be better, as a rule, than the ones in the states)
- Probably nobody on the night shift at the hotel will have a clue where your boxes are
- Night staff, even security, frequently won't have keys to any of the day staffs offices to check for the boxes.
Do expect that SkillPath has done a WONDERFUL job of locating the finest
facilities available, and they are quite nice. My hotels here beat most of he
hotels in the states as far as quality of accommodations goes. The staff, I
always expect the best from everyone, Ive found it effects their performance.
But just don't be surprised when they differ from United States staffs levels
of being honest, reliable, and intelligent, as we are "used to" in the United
States. About 50% of the time you will see good behavior, 20% of the time it
is worse than rotten, and 30% of the time it is better than anything youve
seen in the States!. I've asked other guests and managers, and apparently this
country is in the infancy of the concept of "customer service."
Reverse discrimination is strong here, and many times incompetent people are
put into
jobs because of their race. On the good side, jobs are really scarce, so
usually the "best people" end up working. What you will quickly do is identify
one or two people (staff members) who are reliable, and use them for all your
needs. Tip them lavishly if you want to, it pays off well in the long run.
Learn everyones name and use it. That is even better than giving them tips in
money. Still, do not expect to receive messages people leave for you, and
don't use couriers to deliver any kind of message for you. They will agree to
pass on a message, but it may not happen (if you think Im being overly
pessimistic, just you wait and see) Never leave anything unattended in your
seminar room unless you don't care if it walks off without you.
The manager of a very nice hotel told me that of his staff, eleven people out
of every dozen
are honest. He viewed this as a huge improvement over the past, and seemed
very proud of this fact, that will give you some idea of where things are If
they say they will give you a wake up call, don't count on it. If you decide
to program an automated wake-up call (77#0600 at most hotels), be sure to test
the system the night before. Set a wake-up call at 2305 when you are going to
bed at 2300, just to be sure it works. I was awakened one night at 2:00am by
my 6:00am wakeup call. The computer in the main office had the wrong time set
on it, by 4 hours! If you give them your laundry, don't expect to get your own
clothes back. It is always just an "honest" (or is that "silly?") mistake, and
Ive always managed to track my clothes down, usually arriving at the front
desk at the same time as the poor person who got my clothes Good way to meet
people!
The students HUNGRY for knowledge! They will line up to ask questions, and
they will all use up your lunch break if you let them (I let them, enjoy it!).
Some will try to convince you that the South African custom is for seminars to
always include a pre-paid lunch, and apparently it really is a custom in some
areas. They frequently get pretty hacked off over that. Really upset. Even
the hotel staff will attack you on this them not knowing how many people to
prepare lunch for is a real inconvenience for them, and they think "convincing
you" will make a difference in the SkillPath policy. Be prepared; set their
expectations early. The SkillPath "no-lunch policy" really does make perfect
sense, and benefits the students (keeps their rates down) and the hotels
(keeps
students coming to seminars and therefore keeps the hotels getting
bookings.) Listen politely, let the complainer feel understood, and then
explain how this is better for them in the long run. Youll see the results in
their smiles and pleasure most of the time
Here is some more information for you that I never needed here, and hope you
will never need, but you won't have time to "think about it" if you do need it,
so get a feel for it now: Know the difference between "concealment" and
"cover." Concealment hides you but doesn't stop bullets. Wheels of cars, and
the engine blocks, are about the only "cover" an automobile can provide. Dont
make yourself a target by standing up in the open, if shots ring out then hit
the ground or run while ducking follow your instincts. This is just FYI,
I've not seen any shots fired so far here, but have witnessed (and reported)
crimes in progress.
The "Dial a student" PMs a wonderful happy bunch. Keep in mind that this is
frequently the first job they've ever had (I'm guessing, based on their
behavior very eager but not necessarily responsible) and I don't believe in
hammering anyone for their mistakes when they are first learning. Praise good
behavior, ignore bad behavior. Jobs are incredibly hard to come by in this
country, they are trying so hard to please you that they get too nervous and
mess up. If you are really gentle, they will perform like you wouldnt
believe! Be sure to clarify that they are to be in the room during the lunch
break, or they might wander off to lunch with your students (two of mine did).
Also, you have to go through every step of the registration with them a few
times (the instructions in the packet aren't enough for some of the students).
It is also important for them to realize how important the "customers" are
(explain what customer service is, customer service is a new concept over here
to many people). In other words, you can't be this blunt with them, so plan a
lot of time to get them lined out. In their favor, three of the seminars the
PMs from Dial a-student were the very best PMs Ive ever had at home or
abroad. Gosh, one group was so good that they even commandeered a telephone
from the hotel to be brought to the registration table to call SkillPath to
register people for future seminars, they helped set up, take down, they were
so nice to all the students, they anticipated my every need. At a different
seminar, the PM memorized all the students names and greeted them during every
break by name. Gives me goose bumps to think how well they did! I wish I
could have them travel with me everywhere I go for the rest of my life!
No matter what happens, period, do not panic. Remain calm at all times and
just simply ask the others for help. One day, a particularly challenging day
when some of the electrical equipment exploded and the show came to a dead
standstill, I asked for help and six or seven audience members became angels
and knights in shining armor. Smile, enjoy it, no matter how bad it gets.
Remind yourself, you are having fun!
Cape Town take a trip down to the Water Front if you get a chance. There is a
huge mall there to walk around in, good food, and a nice aquarium to tour. Go
see Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. If you are daring, you can hike
up to the top of Table Mountain from there and hike all the way to the Cable
Car to ride down the other side (get a good map, hiking boots, take plenty of
water, be prepared for any weather, and be careful).
Port Elizabeth A nice place. If you get stir crazy, you can take a taxi to
"Green Acres Mall" and walk around. At the mall, there is a place called "The
Bridge" that shows movies.
Durban very dangerous city, be very careful and don't go out. didn't find
much to do here that was safe, witnessed a mugging and auto robbery at the
"safe area" where the amusement park is on the beach. Some friends have told
me that if you go about 20 minutes north of Durban, there is a nice community
to visit.
Johannesburg be very careful here, most dangerous city in South Africa. The
Park Hyatt is connected to a linked set of five malls through a long walk-way,
and it makes for a nice walk through all the malls if you get stir crazy.
There
is a place called "Gold Reef City" (www.goldreefcity.co.za) that is an amusement
park a lot like Six Flags. Besides amusement rides, there is also a "gold mine
tour" and a "gold pour." You get to see a lot of dancers too. Museum Africana
has a great collection of Bushman Rock Art and historical information. Note:
Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Sandton are all very close to each other.
Pretoria Try to check out the Voortrekkers monument if you get a chance, and
learn the history. The Union Building where Nelson Mandela offices are very
interesting. Only go to these places in the light of day.
Sandton the "Village Walk" is a nice indoor shopping center to explore.
"Sandton City" is the largest indoor Mall in South Africa.
Common Phrases:
- "NGI YA BONGA" (Nnn-Gee yah bow-n-guh) - Thanks
- "DUMELA" (Doo-mel-luh) Hello
- "Hamba Kahle" (Hum-ba Gosh-le) Go well
- "Bafana Bafana" (buh-fawn-uh buh-fawn-uh) National soccer team
