I bet you are not used to needing so many jugs for water, seeing all the plastic stuffed into water bottles or needing a fan all the time because there is no central AC or air conditioner units in your home. These are just a few of the things that I recognized that my friends in South Africa looked at differently than I did. For example, have you ever drank from the tap water in your sink at home? Well, you cannot do that in most places in South Africa because the tap water is not good for you. That is why I had so many water jugs in my room. I would go into the city to fill them up with safe water. What about when the seasons start to change and you get a little cold so someone in your family turns on the heat in your house? Most houses in South Africa do not have central air conditioning so they do not have ways to turn down or up the temperature. Instead, they have plug-in heaters or fans, like the one I have in my own room (pictured).
Although I am giving you some examples about the differences our two counties have, why don't you think about some similarities our two countries have while you go through more of my journal entries, logbooks or albums! As I mentioned on our Zoom call, it is very important to try and learn about the different perspectives before traveling to a new place. By learning about other people's perspectives, you can begin to get a better understanding of that person and their culture, while also learning some really cool things along the way!
