What do I miss?
21 May 2005
Another week gone by... Tremendous winds have blown through, bringing warmer surface waters over the nearby ocean. Friday and Saturday are both warm, in the mid- to high-20's C. We spent Isabella's birthday (Friday) with her little friends at my boss's house (my kids, his son, daughter and niece), then went down to Llandudno beach at sunset. I dragged Bella through the surf and by the end, we were all sandy and drenched. The water was warm enough for brief excursions and there were several surfers making the most of it (in mini wetsuits - they weren't crazy).
What am I missing most?
24-hour supermarkets - definitely. Everything closes so early here. Most everything is closed by 6 p.m. with the exception of restaurants.
Large bookstores and avaibility of any book (cheaply) at nearly any hour. Books are expensive here and the selection sucks. No Barnes-n-Noble, No Borders. Exclusive Books is pretty small in comparison and most books here cost twice as much as in the U.S. (NOTE: that's not unique to SA... books here are pegged to UK prices, with the pound at 2 dollars...)
What's different (not necessarily negative)?
Food portions are smaller. For the most part, people seem to be thinner and healthier here in Cape Town. There are fewer morbidly obese people. Even the lattes at coffee shops are smaller than in Seattle. There are no "grande" and "venti". What I typically get is the size of a "tall" and there are no other choices.
All grocery stores are not created equal. All your needs won't be met at just one store. Each seems to carry a single set of brands, or packaging. Typically this means you'll stop at both a Pic-n-Pay and a Woolworth's (Woolies for short). This isn't much of a hassle, since one is often near the other, and Constantia Village, not far from us, has both.
The recent rains created an interesting temporary waterfall over our side of Table Mountain. I'm still stunned by the view.
Yesterday Susan did the mini-tour of nearby schools. I think we've agreed on one I visited over my last visit. They've got a large outdoor play area, take a few outings to local sites and they've got their own large tortoise. That sold me :)
Oh, we settled up with the alarm system company last week. We now have an extremely noisy alarm, infrared sensors throughout the house, door sensors, etc. Service includes armed response by a local patrol should the alarm sound. We've also got emergency panic buttons on the walls in a couple rooms and two portable panic buttons. All of this was installed before we arrived; we just contracted to make it active. The house came with spiky metal at the top of all the surrounding walls. Yeah, security is just a bit different here.
Banking
It's only been in the last 10 or 15 years that banking has become nearly free in the U.S., at least for most day-to-day tasks. Here, you pay for everything. There's a monthly fee for the account, fees for number of debit withdrawals, fees for number of checks written, fees for internet banking, fees for automatic debit. You name it, they'll charge for it. And, as with any hierarchical society, the more money you make/have/place with them, the less you pay and the better service gets. We qualified for a "prestige" account with lower fees and direct access to a banker, rather than standing in line. Nice... and divisive.
Car and Driver
For workers and domestics, there are a slew of "gypsy cab"-like VW buses which obey no traffic laws. They'll stop without warning to pick up or drop off, honk for apparently no reason, and generally mess up traffic flow. Runners or bicyclists will take up precious lane space on already narrow roads, slowing traffic at blind corners with no regard for anyone's safety, not even their own.
Gardeners, labor in general.
We "inherited" a gardener from the people who own our house. He comes twice a month for the day and we pay him R100 per day, plus lunch & snacks. It's an interesting system. He comes over, works for a while, comes into the kitchen and makes himself some tea and toast, or whatever, works for a while, comes back in and prepares his lunch (usually meat pies & some coke) and finishes up around the yard. Neat system, but I've never had someone else just wander about, making use of my food. I don't mind, but it means I need to think a bit more when grocery shopping.
General safety.
I keep hearing "we grow 'em tough around here" each time we inquire about child safety devices. Swimming pools are a great example. Many have nets or gates, but "waterproofing our kids" seems the more standard approach. Truth be told, many children drown here every year. The same goes for child gates on staircases, padding on hardened edges, and safety plugs for the mains (power).
Electronics
Same as for books and groceries. Some things are available, many are extremely expensive and selection is typically small. There are no CompUSA mega-warehouses. What gets here, gets here slowly to a smaller market over great distance.
TV / Telephone / Connectivity
Homesickness
Posted by cbrown at July 23, 2005 9:22 PM