I was shocked to hear news from South Africa that life is still as cheap as ever and it reminds me about the police dog incidenta few years ago.
cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa/02/17/lion.eaten/
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4137184.stm
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4497411.stm
I’m going home in about two weeks. Who wants to come with?
Off topic, are you going home to stay or just visiting? Are you ready for the ‘reversed culture shock’? I don’t know how long you’ve been in Taiwan, but prepare yourself for things will be a lot more expensive now. And your friends will feel like strangers and don’t want to listen to your interesting experiences in Taiwan. They will still complain about the same old things when you left home and didn’t change their lives as you did.
Any way, enjoy SA. Enjoy the biltong, good meat, koeksisters, bobotie, Mrs Balls blatjang and excellent red wine.
Where will you live in SA? Could you find a nice job there?
Halala Afrika
Again?!
[quote=“pukwai”]Off topic, are you going home to stay or just visiting? Are you ready for the ‘reversed culture shock’? I don’t know how long you’ve been in Taiwan, but prepare yourself for things will be a lot more expensive now. And your friends will feel like strangers and don’t want to listen to your interesting experiences in Taiwan. They will still complain about the same old things when you left home and didn’t change their lives as you did.
Any way, enjoy SA. Enjoy the biltong, good meat, koeksisters, bobotie, Mrs Balls blatjang and excellent red wine.
Where will you live in SA? Could you find a nice job there?
Halala Afrika[/quote]
I’ve been back twice already, but I always feel like an outsider. There’s one place in South Africa where the world always feels right again in the Drakensberg. I’ll probably be back in a few months’ time.
[quote=“Rinkals”][quote=“pukwai”]Off topic, are you going home to stay or just visiting? Are you ready for the ‘reversed culture shock’? I don’t know how long you’ve been in Taiwan, but prepare yourself for things will be a lot more expensive now. And your friends will feel like strangers and don’t want to listen to your interesting experiences in Taiwan. They will still complain about the same old things when you left home and didn’t change their lives as you did.
Any way, enjoy SA. Enjoy the biltong, good meat, koeksisters, bobotie, Mrs Balls blatjang and excellent red wine.
Where will you live in SA? Could you find a nice job there?
Halala Afrika[/quote]
I’ve been back twice already, but I always feel like an outsider. There’s one place in South Africa where the world always feels in right again in the Drakensberg. I’ll probably be back in a few months’ time.[/quote]
I’ve only been back once in the last three years and not quite sure when the next trip will be. I felt very odd on the one occassion I went back although somethings were really great, like the wide open spaces, clean air and seeing my family again. With people I really felt like an outsider, although to be honest I’ve never really felt like I belong there (even though I love the country very much), and always felt like an outsider anyway. Having been outside the country and returned seemed to only increase these feelings.
I plan to stay another three years in Taiwan in order to do a Masters degree and further my Mandarin, but I’m hesitant to return. On the one hand I think we make to much of the crime situation, but on the other hand a lot of deplorable things do happen. Then there is the issue of re-adjustment to society back home? Re-integration in the job market? All these questions make me hesitant to return and I constantly feel like putting it off longer or actually going somewhere else.
I have often felt that I should have stayed where I was, because what you don’t know wont hurt you right? But truthfully, my experience here has been so enlightening that I just wouldn’t have become the person I am if I’d never left.
In short, I share your misgivings, Rinkals. So many questions about returning, and unfortunately I don’t have any answers. But enjoy the vacation and appreciate the good things while you’re there…
Nkosi S’ikelele i’Afrika
Why would you even think about moving back to South Africa? Its days as a civilized country are basically over (barring the unlikely revolution). Make a fresh start in some country that doesn’t practice baby-rape.
Right, so when exactly was it “civilized”?
When a tiny percentage of the country ruled the rest by not allowing them to vote or hold any significant positions of power? When the country looked kind of prosperous…roads were being fixed, buildings painted, rugby matches won…but we all took advantage of really, really, really cheap labour? And many people lived in shacks with no running water or electricity, and no paved roads in their neighbourhood? It was so “civilized” that you would “pay” people in rations…some flour and other essentials like alcohol, tobacco and a bit of money to buy marijuana (you know, at least if they’re stoned they won’t run away over the weekend).
Or maybe you’re talking about 200 years ago? 300? 500?
Enlighten me.
Our new leaders are no miracle workers, some are corrupt or complete morons, but it is still a hell of a lot better than what we had to live with before. OK, so I also got used to a lifestyle that was way beyond the country’s means, and that’s why I’m here. But I would certainly not bring references to “civilized” and uncivilized into the equation.