Melville is an artsty, charming town on the Northwest outskirts of Johannesburg. My new friend Chantelle graciously offered to show me around and I jumped at the chance of seeing a new town! We met in Melville at Chantelle’s friend’s house. Her friend is former artist, which explains why the house is just dripping in… Read More
Some of my friends and family have been concerned that I’m getting “bored” while in South Africa. So I am? Well, the answer is a little complicated. Let me give you the low-down on how I’ve been spending my days. You see, after I started to feel settled in our home, and my husband was… Read More
Sandton is known as “Africa’s richest square mile” and if you are craving a bit of elegance and looking to drop some cash, the Sandton City Mall won’t disappoint. It boasts more than 300 stores, including high-end fashion designers such as Lacoste, Bebe, Guess, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Salvatore Ferragamo. You will also find specialty food… Read More
I love grocery shopping. I find pleasure in walking down the isles, checking items off my list. Here it’s no different. I’ve been to a few different grocery stores, and they are all surprisingly much like American grocery stores. Sure most of the brands are different, and I find myself having to defer to my… Read More
The first time I visited South Africa was for a month-long vacation. I remember being surprised by the way people said hello and goodbye (what was with all the kissing?), unsure of what to order at restaurants and frustrated when people couldn’t understand me. Because I was on vacation, I didn’t expect to feel like… Read More
National Heritage Day is a public holiday in South Africa. It is a day where the rainbow nation comes together to celebrate their cultural diversity and rich heritage. The holiday has also been referred to unofficially as “Braai Day” since 2005. In this NPR article, Jan Braai, the man behind the campaign for Braai Day, says he hopes… Read More
I know my friends in America are wondering what I’ve been up to and how I am enjoying my new home, so to give you a glimpse of my experience so far I thought it would be fun to compile a list of five things I’ve learned this week. 1. The country is just as… Read More
Confession: I know absolutely nothing about South African bands. But I do love live music and when our roommate told us he got tickets for JoBurg Day I was ready! JoBurg Day is an annual music festival and word on the street was this year’s lineup was the best yet! The energy was AMAZING and… Read More
This morning I woke up to a knock on our bedroom door, “Jono, Jono?” Mark said. I was sort of asleep in bed barely registering what was happening. “Whatever it is, he’ll sort it out,” I thought, rolling over in my duvet. About a half hour later I climbed out of bed, looking for coffee.… Read More
