(3) Oh, the metric system. Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that I should have paid more attention to my 8^thgrade science teacher, Ms. Brummette, when she was explaining the metric system…but my goodness.  I think I really took my knowledge of the USA system of measurement for granted.  Well, that is, until I became surrounded by the metric system :)  All of these conversions are definitely helping me brush up on my basic arithmetic skills.  And don’t even get me started on Celsius…!

Conversion Equation: Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.  You’re driving down the road (on the left side, naturally) and you see a sign at a petrol garage (aka gas station) with the prices listed.  You say to yourself, I wonder how much a gallon of gas costs in South Africa…

According to the Mail & Guardian, the price of gas (aka “petrol”) is currently 738 cents/litre.

3.78 litres = 1 US gallon

Thus, if 1L costs 738 cents, 3.78L (1 US gallon) would cost 2789.64 cents (3.78 litres times 738 cents)

2789.64 cents = R 27,90 (if you round up)

The current exchange rate is: R 10,07 = $1 USD

Thus, R 27,90 is equal to $2.77 USD (R 27,90 divided by R 10,07)

So, there you have it… One gallon of gas in SA costs approximately $2.77.

Fun Fact: According to the CIA World Factbook, the metric system (also referred to as the International System of Units) is the official system of measurement in all countries except the United States, Liberia and Myanmar.

(4) What?  No Air conditioning?  Air conditioning (referred to as “air con”) and heaters do not exist within homes in Johannesburg.  I have not yet figured out if it’s like this in all of South Africa, or just Joburg.  The weather is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong.  In March we’re enjoying daytime temperatures of around 70°F (21°C).  And at night it’s about 55°F (12°C).  But nevertheless, it simply didn’t occur to me that air conditioning as we know of it in the States wouldn’t be a common thing here.

Well, I was the last team member to arrive in South Africa… so naturally, it makes sense for me to be the last team member to make a blog entry.  I apologize for the delay!  Upon arriving in Joburg, I was fully immersed in everything Paradigm Shift.  We were on a fairly tight schedule in order to be prepared for our first training cycle, so I neglected to have my necessary “blog tutorial” with Jedd until earlier this week.  My apologies to those of you who were wondering what I’ve been up to!

Since this is really my first time living abroad, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of the humorous and quirky nuisances that make South Africa, well…South Africa.  Being a newcomer to town, and having lived a fairly sheltered American life, I figured I could provide some fresh perspective :)  That being said, some of the thoughts I wrote down three or four weeks ago don’t seem quite as unusual now that I’ve been a South African resident for more than a month.  Little by little our team seems to be assimilating to our new home and our new culture.  We are definitely in it for the long haul!

Over the next few entries I’ll highlight the “Top 7” most interesting observations I’ve made thus far.  Why 7, you ask?  Because, according to my Mom, seven is God’s number for perfect completion!  (And because, honestly, ten seemed like a rather large undertaking…haha).  So, without further ado…

(1)    Shoes are optional.  In my short time here is South Africa I have found that shoes really are optional.  I have yet to find a little kid who enjoys wearing shoes—either while playing outside, or attending school, or at the mall with their parents.  But oh no, it’s not just limited to children (who in most cultures are exempt from various social constraints anyway….).  The other day I was in a store called Westpack.  It’s hard to think of a similar store in the States, but they sell all sorts of plastic containers and various household items.  The store is somewhat like a warehouse, with vast aisles and plenty of open space.  Anyway, so I’m in the store and I see this gentleman walking down the aisle with his wife—and clearly not wearing shoes.  The man was very tall—probably 6’6”—and he looked to be of Dutch dissent.  Call me a sucker for good hygiene, but that doesn’t seem like a great idea.  Then again, my perspective may be tainted as my sister stepped on a piece of glass while walking barefoot at our dad’s house in Northern Michigan.  Granted she was probably 10 years old at the time, but it was a rather traumatic experience!

(2)    Plugs, plugs and more plugs. Just because you’re in South Africa doesn’t mean that someone won’t sell you a cell phone charger with a European plug attachment.  (Note: South African plugs and European plugs are indeed different.  No further explanation required.)

Addendum:  This experience has happened to me on multiple occasions.  I now keep several European plug adapters in my home to use on my various new appliances.  This is a good example of something that seemed silly at first, but after a few weeks I’ve adjusted :)