This weekend was filled with so many adventures that I had to split it up into three separate blog postings. I decided to discuss transportation in my first blog because it was the most frustrating part of my weekend that I figured I should describe how it works here. Unlike Taxis in the United States you cannot call a taxi and have it come pick you up and take you wherever you want to go, instead taxi’s pick you up at a designated spot and drop you off at a designated spot. This often requires long walks and taking more than one taxi to get to your destination. The taxi will also not leave until it is full, so if you are going to an area that is remote and it will take a long time for the taxi to leave, so you should expect to sit there for a while. This has been my experiences with taxis in the past in South Africa, and it makes for a very long, and tiring travel.
Further, most people here hitch-hike to get to where they want to go because it is cheaper and often faster than waiting for a taxi. However, given my mom’s warning that I would be in big trouble with her if I ever decided to “hike” as they call it here, than I would be in big trouble with her; heading her warning, and keeping a promise I decided not to hike this weekend, much to the dismay of the people I was travelling with who didn’t have enough money for the numerous taxis that we would have to take. So on Friday, we got a ride into Polokwane late at night from someone in the office instead of deciding to hike. We reached Polokwane around 7 and then had to wait for about an hour at a taxi rank and run to the taxi and push our way through people to be sure that we got a seat. Here it really is survival of the fittest, if you want to get somewhere and a lot of people do you better be ready to push your way to the front and not apologize for it.
What is most difficult for me as a white woman going to the villages and waiting in a taxi rank is that I am often the first white person that these people have seen at the rank or going into the village and so I must often times listen to professions of love from the men. I have been proposed to, had proclamations of love, and requests for my numbers so many times since being here that I have become rather hardened to them. I often start with a smile and if they persist for my number I have to quite frankly, and multiple times, tell them “no!” The worst is when at night the men start to get drunk and a few times have found it ok to grab my arm as I walk by, of which I have to look back, give a glare, say no again, and wriggle my arm away. While, it is very flattering and sweet, and takes a lot of understanding about what this means to them to see a white person opening up to their culture, it can sometimes be frustrating.
Travelling in South Africa has taught me a lot about patience, and learning to relax. It is a very frustrating process to get to where you want to and also very tiring. When we did finally reach the village I just wanted to go to bed because it really takes a lot out of you. What I have also learned about travelling in South Africa, and South Africa in general, is that unlike the fast-pace world I come from time does not matter here. Everyone moves very slowly, and stops to talk despite needing to be somewhere. I have also had to learn, especially with my friends, to calm down and just realize that we will probably be somewhere late. The other interns over here have put the title “South African time” for this problem, because nothing and no-one runs on time.
Leaving the village was much of the same problem, finding a taxi to take us to the city where we would meet a friend who would drive us. This was the worst part of the journey however, again promising not to hike, we made sure we had a ride with a friend, but so did everyone else who knew the same friend, and this is how I found myself seated 11 in a car really meant for two people.
What I have also learned while here is that driving safety is not so much a concern here. Children do not have child seats or even wear seatbelts so you often see them standing between the two front seats looking out the window, which sends shutters through my body to watch. Further, children and people will ride in the back of a truck standing up for long distances. This is similar to our situation, 7 of us were packed into a truck with a covering over it, while two children sat up from on their mom’s lap while the father drove. Now, in South Africa there are not smooth roads, and as I have said before they are very twisty. Further, the drivers here are crazy and stop very abruptly, this tight packed truck made it difficult to be comfortable for the hour drive we had ahead of us. Further, I was seated with my back to the wheel covering of the truck, every time the truck hit a pot-hole or a bump my back bone would smash against the wheel covering. By the time I got home I was gasping for fresh air, and had a bruised back. Not wanting to spend any more time with people I reached my room and fell asleep.
Travelling in South Africa without your own car is impossible, and often times I have to mentally prepare myself if I am going to travel anywhere. Recently, because of strikes in South Africa by petrol workers, travelling even if you do have a car has become impossible with no petrol available to fill your car with. Let me just say, I will be very happy to be back in the US where I have my own car, and taxis will pick you up and drop you off where you want to be.
