I woke up the other day and realised we moved to South Africa just over two years ago. Two. Years. In dog years, I’ve been in South Africa longer than the Spice Girls were a band. It’s been all kinds of crazy and all kinds of wonderful (but mostly all kinds of crazy). In what other place in the world could wild elephants, shark-filled oceans, Julius Malema, massive braais, and neverending jols exist? Some of those are great, while others are […]
Things I Love About South Africa Part 7- Jacaranda Trees
Quite some time ago, I promised that I’d write about ten things I love about South Africa before I’m allowed to whine and moan again. This series wouldn’t be complete without talking about the natural beauty all over the dang place here. Everywhere I turn, I see stunning views that take my breath away. And then I move away from the mirror, and there’s STILL spectacular sights to see. Yesterday reminded me how fortunate I am to be in South […]
What To Expect When You Move From South Africa To Canada
I usually blog about life here, but I’ve had roughly a kabillion Saffas contact me to ask what they can expect when they move from South Africa to Canada. I’m inherently very lazy by nature, so I’m writing this post simply so I don’t have to keep answering the same question over and over again. Oh, and if you think you’re going to get any VALUABLE advice here, you clearly haven’t been following my blog. Whatever. Here we go: The […]
Thing I Love About South Africa Part 6- The Social Life
A while ago I quite stupidly promised that before I could complain about South Africa again, I had to post 10 blog entries devoted to things I love about this country. Related: I’m a giant nincomboob. Anyway, here’s post 6. Canada, as everyone knows, is awesome. We invented all the best stuff in the world, like the internet, steak, clothes, and Beyonce. OK, like, maybe we didn’t INVENT all that stuff, but we HAVE it in Canada. And, to America’s […]
Things I Love About South Africa, Post 5- Bill Harrop’s Original Balloon Safaris
In keeping with my promise to post 10 things I love about South Africa before I’m allowed to complain again, here’s number 5. One thing I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little kid was to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground, thus eliminating the possibility of plummeting to my untimely demise. For most of my life, I’ve managed to succeed in this endeavour, with the exception of a few (several) plane trips. But when my […]
Things I Love About South Africa, Post 4- Pilanesberg National Park
I while ago I promised you my next ten posts would highlight only things I love about South Africa. Because I lie only when I tell my kids where babies come from and when my wife asks if I’ve been eating healthy, I’ve managed to pump out three so far. Here’s the 4th thing I love about South Africa: Pilanesberg National Park. When I think about South Africa, the first thing I think about is rampant corruption at almost every […]
How To Braai Like a Champ in South Africa
I’m usually proud to be a Canadian. We ride polar bears to work, introduced the world to classy cuisine like poutine, eat cereal with maple syrup instead of milk (which you can buy in a bag, just the way God intended), drink reindeer flavoured slurpies, and play hockey, not soccer. Everything I just mentioned is totally true. Don’t look it up. But after living in South Africa for almost 22 months, I’ve discovered that we have one major shortcoming: the […]
Things I Love About South Africa, Post 2- Things That Happen Only in SA
A while ago I made a commitment that the next ten posts would focus only on the things I love about South Africa. In the meantime, I’ve had several entertaining experiences I could write about, but they wouldn’t fit my current theme, so they’ll have to wait (and there are a couple of doozies, trust me!). One of the things about South Africa that I still can’t get used to is their specific style of customer service. And by that […]
Things I Love About South Africa, Post 1- Knysna
Look, I know my last post painted a rather unflattering image of South Africa. A fair number of people were offended that I dared to point out that corruption and incompetence were commonplace here. Obviously, I know not EVERYBODY here is inept or corrupt, but I do appreciate the reminders. However, these kinds of things certainly are more prevalent in South Africa than other countries I’ve experienced. There’s no denying it. That being said, for the next ten posts, I’m […]
How to Fall Out of Love With South Africa in 30 Minutes Flat
Listen, South Africa, my love affair with you is over. I was once smitten. Head over heels. Infatuated. I tried to look past all your warts, but I mean, you REALLY seem intent on being a bad date. So how exactly did I fall out of love with the country that’s shown me wild elephants and the almighty braai? Well, let me tell you… A few weeks ago, our good friends (the Germans) asked us if we wanted to take a road […]